Malcolm Purcell McLean invented the modern inter-modal shipping container. Many of us older folks can remember the McLean Trucking Co based in North Carolina. McLean Trucking was founded by Malcolm, his sister and brother. In the early 1950's he started working on a way to carry his companies trucks on ships. At that time US regulations didn't allow a trucking company to own ships.
McLean founded a new company and bought two WWII ships and converted them to carry the containers without the truck chassis. This reduced the labor cost to unload a ton of cargo from $4.86 a ton to $0.16 a ton.
With the US involvement in the Viet Nam war Sea-Land container cargo increased by 40%.
There are now reported to be over 17 million shipping containers in the world. It is estimated that there are 10,000 shipping containers lost at sea every year. Many of them, because of their cargo, float just at or below the surface, and become a hazard to vessels.
As Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know.... the rest of the story",
