World War II Era Ship Named “Annie Oakley”

Garst Museum has recently received a rare photograph with annotations of the “Annie Oakley,” a Liberty-class ship launched in September 1943 near Los Angeles. In the 1980s, the late Bess Edwards, great niece of Annie Oakley, had reached out to several sources to uncover additional details about the ship’s construction and fate. In response to Edwards’s inquiry, Rear Admiral John Krane of the Naval Historical Center confirmed one of the 2,700 ships produced was named the “Annie Oakley.”  He explained that Liberty-class ships, produced by the U.S. Maritime Commission for the Merchant Marine, were designed to be small, efficient, and mass-produced for carrying needed supplies to the war effort in Europe. In his letter to Edwards, he invited her to contact private collector and historian William Hultgren of Erie, Pennsylvania. As a result, more information was forthcoming with Hultgren acknowledging that he had in his possession 2,448 photographs of Liberty-class ships. He stated he was still searching for 262 missing photographs, one of which was that of the “Annie Oakley.”  Hultgren went on to note that photographs of Liberty-class ships were rare as the Department of the Navy and the Maritime Commission had destroyed file copies following the war. Fortunately, a photograph of the “Annie Oakley” was eventually found to be in the possession of Oakley’s descendants.

Annie Oakley was known to share patriotic sentiments with her audiences when performing, and she offered her services to U.S. Presidents William McKinley and later Woodrow Wilson. During World War I, she traveled to war training camps demonstrating her sharpshooting skills to soldiers.

Oakley died in 1926, yet 17 years later a Liberty-class ship was named in her honor. As Rear Admiral Krane wrote in his letter to Edwards, “The list of Liberty ships includes great names from all walks of life; your great aunt’s association with a famous class of ships which made a telling contribution to our victory in World War II was intended as a high honor to her. It should certainly be a source of pride to her descendants.”

What happened to the “Annie Oakley”? The ship was loaned to the British Ministry of War Transport for supply efforts. Unfortunately, on April 9, 1945, the “Annie Oakley” was torpedoed by a German submarine and sunk in the English Channel while on a voyage from Antwerp, Belgium, to Barry, England. This war story remains an enduring part of history. Garst Museum gratefully acknowledges the donation of the photograph and annotations from Janet Lee Bailey, daughter of Bess Edwards. The Garst Museum invites the public to view these newly donated artifacts being displayed in the Lowell Thomas Meeting Room.