SS William Gaston

SS William Gaston (MC contract 159) was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William Gaston, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina, author of the North Carolina state song, and namesake of Gaston County, North Carolina.

History
United States
Name: William Gaston
Namesake: William Gaston
Builder: North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, North Carolina
Yard number: 15
Way number: 3
Laid down: 23 May 1942
Launched: 19 July 1942
Fate: sunk 1944
General characteristics
Type: Liberty ship
Tonnage: 7,000 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Length: 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam: 56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft: 27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)
Propulsion:
  • Two oil-fired boilers
  • Triple expansion steam engine
  • Single screw
  • 2,500 hp (1,864 kW)
Speed: 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Capacity: 9,140 tons cargo
Complement: 41
Armament: 1 × 5 in (130 mm) deck gun, 1 x 3"/50 caliber gun, and 8 x .30 caliber machine guns

The ship was laid down by North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in their Cape Fear River yard on May 23, 1942, then launched on July 19, 1942.[1] She was operated by the American West Africa Line for the War Shipping Administration.[2]

On July 23, 1944 while traveling between Buenos Aires, Argentina and Baltimore, Maryland Gaston was torpedoed by the German submarine U-861. Two torpedoes struck the vessel ten minutes apart. Gaston rolled over and sank three minutes after the second torpedo without loss of life. The survivors were picked up on July 25, 1944 by USS Matagorda and taken to Florianópolis, Brazil.[3][4]

References
  1. "North Carolina Shipbuilding". shipbuildinghistory.com. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  2. "William Gaston". MARAD Vessel History Database. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "William Gaston". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  4. Cressman, Robert J. "Events of the Year 1945". The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in WWII. Naval Historical Center. Retrieved 2019-01-06.


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