United States Lines Co. - 1940's-50's dated Shipping Stock Certificate

Shipping-Cruise Line Stock. Vignette in top center of Mercury and female figure in clouds with ship. Becoming scarce!!! Available in Orange, Green or Red. Please specify color.

United States Lines, the trade name of an organization established by the United States Shipping Board (USSB) and the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC), was responsible for operating German liners seized by the United States in 1917. The USSB owned these ships, and the EFC controlled all financial aspects of the line. Among the notable ships of this period was Leviathan, which briefly held the title of the largest ship in the world. Eventually, the line was sold and transitioned into a private entity, continuing its operations as a transatlantic shipping company that provided cargo services from 1921 to 1989. The company also operated ocean liners until 1969, with the most famous being United States.

United States Lines was the trade name of the organization created by the USSB and the EFC to manage the large German liners seized by the United States in 1917. By 1925, the corporation operated several notable ships, including Leviathan, George Washington, America, Republic, and President Roosevelt and President Harding, which were built by the USSB. These ships served between New York and Europe. On November 15, 1921, the line commenced operations from piers 3 and 4 at the USSB’s Hoboken Terminal, which had previously housed the facilities of the Hamburg America Line in Hoboken, New Jersey. During World War I, the Army had occupied the terminal as the Hoboken Port of Embarkation. The USSB actively promoted the line and its ships through advertising agencies, utilizing a “coupon” system to collect names and addresses of interested individuals for direct mailings. All financial matters related to the line were managed by the USSB Treasurer.