Basically no problem - would propose that this postcard photo should be moved over to the DOCTOR LYKES site and then just be replaced here by photos of the Frederick Lykes.

Hi guys, I do not insist on keeping that foto on the site, I posted it only to get the name of the vessel on the postcard, so feel free to delete it.
Gerolf

Existing or former copyrights are sometimes not clearly stated, especially with regard to old photographs. It could be recommended in such cases to state "copyright reserved" or to add "copyright foreign" to clarify that there might still exist a copyright.
In the case of the shown Lykes postcard photograph, however, the situation is crystal clear : The backside of that card indicates that the original copyright in 1940 was with Lykes Lines, a company, which, however, does not exist anymore.

This site's rules on copyright clearly state: "If you own or hold prints, slides or negatives that have been purchased or acquired by other means but you are not certain of the copyright owner you must NOT upload to the website"

US copyright law is about as complicated as it gets. I take it from the discussion that the physical copies do not carry a valid US copyright notice (with the possible exception of George's "Geer Studios" credit), nor carry any indication of the photographer or whether it was commissioned by Marad, Lykes, the shipyard, for example. Whether the photo had a copyright registered in, say, 1940 and, if so, whether it was later renewed seems unlikely in the circumstances, and so it may well have expired. If it was by a Marad employee it would be outside the scope of copyright, though the position might well be different if commissioned from a private or commercial photographer.

Having said all that, it is extremely unlikely that anyone's commercial interests are compromised, and I suggest it remain unless some clearer indication of status becomes available.

Exactly this displayed photo postcard was sent to me in 1960 by Lykes Lines in N. Orleans, LA, introducing it to me as being the original DOCTOR LYKES on her delivery voyage in 1940.(Not to be mistaken for the newer DOCTOR Lykes, also a C-3, but built in 1945.) The Doctor Lykes from 1940 was transferred to the US Navy in 1941 and renamed the HAMUL. Identical sisterships of the old Doctor Lykes were the FREDERICK LYKES (40), the HOWELL LYKES (40) and the ALMERIA LYKES (I) (40). The latter one was sunk by German forces off Malta in 1942, (she was part of the tragic "Operation Pedestal" convoy, conducted by the Allied Forces, which was supposed to transport relief goods and army equipment to then beleaguered Malta).
I have met the Frederick Lykes in January 1960, coming into the port of Bremen (Germany). And I met the Howell Lykes in Nov. 1962, also in Bremen, discharging cargo from the US Gulf.

Thanks George for the useful infos.
It is really good now to have a such good helping community on shipspotting.
Gerolf

Oh, and PS: This is certainly a U. S. government photo from about 1940, and as such, is public domain. Perhaps the editors will allow this to stay, since the discussion is so much a portrayal of the "Science" of tracing historic photos.

I’m not sure if I’m clarifying anything, or muddying the waters. I have this same image in an 8x10 from Lykes Lines, and the name clearly shows as HOWELL LYKES on the bow. The name is so crisp it’s possible it’s been added. But I do have another 8x10 of the same ship taken by Karl DeVries in Capetown in the 1950’s, with the name just as crisp and in identical lettering. The outfitting of the ship is basically identical, but her stack has been shortened, there’s a bit more house on the “02” deck, the lifeboat is in gravity instead of crescent davits, and one really timely change: she has a radar mast. Note that the photo posted here (and mine with the name on her) have only a short RDF mast and nothing else. My photo is credited to Geer Studio in New Orleans, but since it’s obviously a pre-War shot, Geer probably just “re-mastered” the photo for modern use by Lykes.
Her designation, incidentally, wasn’t properly C3-S-A1 or -A2, although they were all basically the same. When these came out, the designation system hadn’t become as detailed, and she was simply called a “C3-Cargo (S)” with the “S” indicating she had steam propulsion. There was a (D) for diesel propulsion, which included the ship converted to the first U. S. escort carrier USS LONG ISLAND and later served as the immigrant/educational ship SEVEN SEAS. Federal Shipbuilding delivered four of these steam units to Lykes. In addition to the three mentioned (FREDERICK, HOWELL, and ALMERIA) there was also DOCTOR LYKES which was picked up by the Navy as USS HAMUL (AK 30 / AD 20) and never saw any further merchant service.
If the name HOWELL LYKES on mine is dubbed in, I’d have to bet on this being a photo of FREDERICK LYKES, since she was the first delivered to them and so most likely to have been photographed professionally for the Maritime Commission who produced the original pre-war photos.

It seems like the US Government provided a lot of support for the shipping lines to build vessels and advertise them, immediately prior to WWII. Since there wasn't much opportunity to use any of that before the war broke out, I've found a lot of the material was reused post-war, since the ships were all very similar. Many of the postcards for Lykes, Moore-McCormack, Farrell Lines, etc, show pre-war vessels but were apparently still being widely distributed up into the fifties and sixties, so it wouldn't surprise me if they still had some in 1971.

Thanks Kylie,
the question is, has the Lykes company kept an old foto (Doctor Lykes was sold to the USS Reserve fleet in 1941) for so long in their archives, that they could send it to a shiplover asking for fotos in 1971.
Kind regards
Gerolf

I imagine could be a pre-war photo of any of the 4 C3 that were in Lykes Lines, probably edited on purpose to obscure the name for application to all of them. I have a photo postcard in my collection of the DOCTOR LYKES of 1940 showing a vessel in exactly this configuration.
My assumption would be that the extra mast at the stern was a postwar modification to many of the C3's. The motorship variants of the C3 built by Sun Ship seem to have had the mast from build, so the others may have been rebuilt to match their cargo-handling performance.
Navsource has this same photo on the page for the USS HAMUL, ex-DOCTOR LYKES, ex-SEA PANTHER, identifying it as that vessel.
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/03/0320.htm

Hi Ilhan and Börn, thanks, I guess it is Frederick Lykes, Almeria Lykes was lost in WW2 and Howell Lykes lookes different

LR/IMO No: 5120661
Year: 1940
Name: SEA HOUND
Type: Cargo ship
Launch Date: 24.2.40
Flag: USA
Date of completion: 4.40
Tons: 7773
Link: 1735
DWT: 12902
Yard No: 163
Length overall: 150.0
Ship Design: C3
LPP: 141.8
Country of build: USA
Beam: 21.2
Builder: Federal SB & DD Co
Location of yard: Kearny
Number of screws/Mchy/Speed(kn): 1ST-16.5
1940 FREDERICK LYKES - 65 HARBOR HILLS - 65 KINGS POINT
BU Kaohsiung 21.6.71 [Li Chong Steel & Iron Works Co Ltd]

Hi Gerolf
possible you've find this Frederick Lykes photo
http://www.navsource.org/archives/30/13/301303602.jpg
very similar with mystery
Howell Lykes a little different..But maybe she modified with a mast on the astern
https://www.ebay.com/itm/rp02959-Ex-Cargo-Ship-Howell-Lykes-as-Grand-Valing-photo-6x4-/391122183844
Another one Almeria Lykes
https://www.armed-guard.com/mf3953.html