SS William Wirt

SS William Wirt was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William Wirt, an American author and statesman who is credited with turning the position of United States Attorney General into one of influence. He was the longest serving Attorney General in US history. He was also the Anti-Masonic Party nominee for president in the 1832 election.

History
United States
Name: William Wirt
Namesake: William Wirt
Owner: War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator: Alcoa Steamship Co., Inc.
Ordered: as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 50
Awarded: 14 March 1941
Builder: Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost: $1,071,644[2]
Yard number: 2037
Way number: 2
Laid down: 13 May 1942
Launched: 4 July 1942
Sponsored by: Mrs. Wharton H. Hoy
Completed: 24 July 1942
Identification:
Fate: Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 16 December 1947
Status: Sold for scrapping, 2 November 1965, withdrawn from fleet, 24 November 1965
General characteristics [3]
Class and type:
Tonnage:
Displacement:
Length:
  • 441 feet 6 inches (135 m) oa
  • 416 feet (127 m) pp
  • 427 feet (130 m) lwl
Beam: 57 feet (17 m)
Draft: 27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m)
Installed power:
  • 2 × Oil fired 450 °F (232 °C) boilers, operating at 220 psi (1,500 kPa)
  • 2,500 hp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion:
Speed: 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity:
  • 562,608 cubic feet (15,931 m3) (grain)
  • 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m3) (bale)
Complement:
Armament:

Construction

William Wirt was laid down on 13 May 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 50, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; sponsored by Mrs. Wharton H. Hoy, the niece J.A. Bouslog, the manager of the Middle Atlantic District for MARCOM, and was launched on 4 July 1942.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to Alcoa Steamship Co., Inc., on 24 July 1942. On 16 December 1947, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. She was sold for scrapping on 2 November 1965, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., for $46,287. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 24 November 1965.[4]

References
  1. Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2008.
  2. MARCOM.
  3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
  4. MARAD.

Bibliography
  • "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  • Maritime Administration. "William Wirt". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  • Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 28 February 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "SS William Wirt". Retrieved 28 February 2020.


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