Dumping all that equipment was as much an economic decision as a practical one. The Government decided that bringing back things and selling them as surplus would distort demand for new production, and therefore limit the jobs available for returning servicemen. Who would buy a new Jeep if you could get a surplus one for next to nothing? Of course, this decision proved more profitable for business and investors, but it had the effect of limiting the post-war recession that was looming. There still was one, but not as bad as the post-WWI recession.
The exception to this policy was aircraft. The aluminum was too valuable, and was needed for many post-war items. Bombers and fighters were scrapped, and some disposed of overseas. A few light observation planes were surplus, but few returned from overseas. The big thing was transport aircraft. DC-3's (C-47) and DC-4's (C-54) were needed to rebuild the airlines, and provide service to a public that was eager for air travel. The boom in air travel could never have happened without these airplanes.
Another exception was the fleet of cargo ships. Many were put into the Reserve Fleet in case of another war or emergency. Others were given to our allies and others to help rebuild their cargo fleets and restore world trade. These ships helped the world recover from the economic and social upheavals of the war.
When I started working in a machine shop in 1972, many of the machines had just been acquired from a ship dismantling firm that was scrapping Liberty/Victory ships. One big lathe came from a Repair Ship, and another had a very interesting history. It had been shipped to the Philippines in mid-1941 and never put in service. The Japanese never got it going during their occupation. At the end of the war, it was loaded as cargo on a returning Liberty Ship, and was never unloaded when that ship was put in the Reserve Fleet. Almost 30 years later, the ship was scrapped, and the scrapper saved and sold the brand-new, never used lathe to my employer!
