Summary
SS Francis Asbury was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Francis Asbury, one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. Asbury traveled thousands of miles those living on the frontier to deliver hundreds of sermons each year.[4]
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Francis Asbury |
| Namesake | Francis Asbury |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | A.H. Bull & Co., Inc. |
| Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1195 |
| Builder | St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[2] |
| Cost | $2,452,124[1] |
| Yard number | 3 |
| Way number | 3 |
| Laid down | 9 September 1942 |
| Launched | 17 April 1943 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Benjamin F. Crowles |
| Completed | 5 June 1943 |
| Identification | |
| Fate |
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| General characteristics [3] | |
| Class and type |
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| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 57 feet (17 m) |
| Draft | 27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity |
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| Complement | |
| Armament |
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Construction edit
Francis Asbury was laid down on 12 September 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1195, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Benjamin F. Crowles, the wife of one of the vice presidents of the St. John's River SB Co., she was launched on 17 April 1943.[2][1]
History edit
She was allocated to A.H. Bull & Co., Inc., on 5 June. On 3 December 1944, she was mined off Ostend, Belgium, while steaming from New York to Ostend, with war supplies. She was beached off Blankenberge, and declared a Constructive Total Loss (CTL). She was sold for scrapping, on 6 April 1953, to Hydraulica, for $2000. She was delivered, 28 April 1953.[4]
Wreck location: 51°21′N 3°0′E / 51.350°N 3.000°E[4]
References edit
Bibliography edit
- "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- Maritime Administration. "Francis Asbury". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- "SS Francis Asbury". Retrieved 15 December 2019.