armstrong argued march decided june upon default shipbuilder contract construct certain boats government exercising option contract required shipbuilder transfer government title uncompleted boats materials hand construction made impossible petitioners enforce materialmen liens attached state law boats materials materials furnished shipbuilder petitioners sued claims compensation taking liens government held petitioners entitled recover whatever value liens government took title boats materials pp terms contract involved title property shipbuilder materials furnished mere fact contemplated title eventually vest government prevent materialmen liens attaching pp record case petitioners compensable property interests within meaning fifth amendment liens boats materials prior transfer title government pp since government action destroyed value petitioners liens circumstances case taking liens government compensation due fifth amendment pp burton thorman argued cause petitioners brief solomon dimond samuel slade argued cause brief solicitor general rankin assistant attorney general doub seymour farber justice black delivered opinion action petitioners assert materialmen liens state law materials furnished prime contractor building boats seek compensation fifth amendment value liens accumulated materials uncompleted work conveyed entered contract rice shipbuilding corporation construction navy personnel boats contract provided event default rice government terminate contract require rice transfer title deliver government completed uncompleted work together manufacturing materials acquired rice building boats petitioners furnished various materials rice use construction boats upon rice default government exercised option boat hulls still construction rice executed itemized instrument transfer title conveying hulls manufacturing materials hand government removed properties naval shipyards use completion boats transfer occurred petitioners paid materials paid since petitioners therefore contended liens maine law provides hoever furnishes labor materials building vessel lien therefor may enforced attachment thereof within days launched also lien materials furnished become part vessel may enforced attachment maine rev claiming valid liens hulls manufacturing materials time transferred rice petitioners asserted government action destroyed liens making unenforceable constituted taking property without compensation violation fifth amendment claims relying ansonia brass copper held petitioners never acquired valid liens hulls materials transferred government therefore taking property owned cl supp granted certiorari claims reached conclusion correct premise laborers materialmen acquire liens public work hill american surety equitable surety mcmillan munsey trust reasoned contract rice contemplated title vessels eventually vest government government inchoate title materials supplied petitioners rendering materials public works immune outset petitioners liens agree mere prospect property later owned renders property immune otherwise valid liens sovereign immunity materialmen liens never extended beyond property actually owned ansonia case upon claims relied makes clear dealing one aspect issues involved said dealing right state provide liens property chattel process construction remains builder may constructing view transferring title therein upon acceptance contract government treating property owns property obvious reasons public policy seized authority another sovereignty consent government think therefore claims error holding however end case petitioners favor since urges grounds support judgment ii contended petitioners asserted liens gave compensable property interests within meaning fifth amendment maine law materialmen become entitled lien furnish supplies however lien must subsequently enforced attachment vessel supplies allegation petitioners taken steps attach uncompleted work nevertheless entitled resort specific property satisfaction claims right compensable virtue fifth amendment decided louisville bank radford case bank acquired mortgage state law constituted lien enforceable suit foreclose subsequently congress amended bankruptcy act deprive mortgagees substantial incidents rights resort mortgaged property held bank property taken without compensation violation fifth amendment reason suggested nature liens held petitioners regarded different purpose interest bank held compensable radford case government however suggests held paramount lien property secure progress payments petitioners claimed liens fact worthless petitioners hand argue government chose acquire title property rather enforce lien lien merged title thus making petitioners liens paramount even liens remained subordinate government value hulls materials sufficient satisfy government claims petitioners claims well need decide whether matter law government lien merged title least petitioners prior transfer title right whatever proceeds property might bring government claim amount progress payments date default rice expended government advanced progress payments way knowing property brought sold said certainty brought amount government claim moreover petitioners might able purchase property realize amount claims government claims satisfied factors may present difficult problem valuation say record petitioners interests valueless government also seems suggest contract rice expressly gave government option requiring conveyance title upon default petitioners liens attached subject limitation petitioners however parties contract furthermore liens attached operation law nothing record indicates scope liens affected contractual arrangements owner property may entered conclude therefore record petitioners must considered compensable property interests within meaning fifth amendment prior transfer title government iii final question whether government action constituted taking petitioners property interests within meaning fifth amendment compelled rice transfer hulls materials held future use building boats petitioners valid liens maine law hulls whatever unused materials petitioners furnished transfer liens enforceable attachment hulls materials transfer liens still valid alabama enforced sovereign immunity government property suit result destruction petitioners property rights liens although pointed liens valid compensable value petitioners contend destruction liens circumstances taking denies largely premise inability petitioners enforce liens immunity government property suit amount taking government argues ansonia case dispositive fifth amendment issue case contract shipbuilder provided one ships contracted dredge benyuard progress payments made portion work paid become property subcontractors claimed liens uncompleted vessel virginia law merely held property passed virtue terms contract lien enforced question raised rights possessed subcontractors prior acquisition title whether event entitled compensation fifth amendment sure reason believe subcontractors liens case like petitioners attach soon materials furnished necessarily prior making progress payment portion work incorporating materials consequent passage title see hawes trigg fifth amendment question raised passed upon circumstances regard decision dispositive precise point consideration must proceed decide question hold taking liens compensation due fifth amendment true every destruction injury property governmental action held taking constitutional sense omnia commercial case many others reveal difficulty trying draw line destructions property lawful governmental actions compensable takings destructions consequential therefore compensable see central eureka mining causby general motors sponenbarger pennsylvania coal mahon louisville nashville mottley legal tender cases wall total destruction government value liens constitute compensable property every possible element fifth amendment taking mere consequential incidence valid regulatory measure liens destroyed lienholders admittedly compensable property immediately afterwards none property vanished thin air government advantage destroyed value liens something government property subject suit private purchaser done since acquisition public use however accomplished whether intent purpose extinguishing liens government action destroy circumstances case thereby take property value liens within meaning fifth amendment neither boats immunity acquired government enforcement liens use contract take title relieves government constitutional obligation pay compensation value liens petitioners lost loss government direct positive beneficiary fifth amendment guarantee private property shall taken public use without compensation designed bar government forcing people alone bear public burdens fairness justice borne public whole fair interpretation constitutional protection entitles lienholders compensation cf thibodo judgment reversed cause remanded claims proceedings determine value property taken reversed remanded footnotes rice also liable government additional amount approximating representing excess cost government boats completed contract provide allegation amount secured lien property questions value liens determined claims since entered summary judgment reasons stated supra ansonia brass copper hill american surety equitable surety mcmillan munsey trust siren wall minnesota alabama government also cites mullen benevolent facts however revealed government action destroyed liens existing time government acquired land said none remained upon land purchases consummated justice harlan justice frankfurter justice clark join dissenting agree petitioners valid liens uncompleted work supplies time property transferred government liens represented compensable property interests within meaning fifth amendment fifth amendment renders government liable taking interests conclude readily simply value liens destroyed taking petitioners property concedes every governmental act ultimately destroys property rights constitutes compensable taking rights dealing situation condemned full fee interest property thus purporting extinguish claims therein case may well lienholders entitled compensation value interests see thibodo cf general motors instance however government exercised power eminent domain intent purpose extinguishing petitioners liens indeed exercised power eminent domain done exercise undoubted power contract acquire title property consequent effect render liens unenforceable independent principle sovereign immunity nature doctrine sovereign immunity precludes regarding interposition fifth amendment taking seems established immunity declares government must pay exercising effectively negativing affirm