 Contracts for both yards and the ships were signed on December 20, 1940.All the ships to be built were collectively called the "Ocean" class and to be of an existing British design for five-hatch cargo ships of about 10,000 tons' load displacement and 11 knots' service speed using obsolete, but readily available, triple-expansion, reciprocating steam engine and coal-fired Scotch-type fire tube boilers.The first of these vessels, the was launched at the Todd-California yard on October 15, 1941.