SS John M. Brooke

Summary

SS John M. Brooke was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after John Mercer Brooke, an early graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he perfected a "deep-sea sounding device", which was instrumental in the creation of the Transatlantic Cable. In 1861, he resigned his commission in the US Navy and joined the Confederate Navy where he was involved with the conversion of the ironclad CSS Virginia, the development of a new rifled naval gun, the Brooke rifle, and the establishment of the Confederate States Naval Academy.

History
United States
NameJohn M. Brooke
NamesakeJohn Mercer Brooke
OwnerWar Shipping Administration (WSA)
OperatorNorth Atlantic & Gulf SS Co.
Orderedas type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1550
BuilderJ.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost$1,355,928[1]
Yard number32
Way number4
Laid down30 December 1943
Launched24 February 1944
Completed31 March 1944
Identification
Fate
Greece
NameStavros Coumantaros
NamesakeStavros Coumantaros
OwnerJ.S. Coumantaros
Acquired14 February 1947
FateScrapped, 1968
General characteristics [2]
Class and type
Tonnage
Displacement
Length
  • 441 feet 6 inches (135 m) oa
  • 416 feet (127 m) pp
  • 427 feet (130 m) lwl
Beam57 feet (17 m)
Draft27 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
Speed11.5 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 edit

John M. Brooke was laid down on 30 December 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1550, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was launched on 24 February 1944.[3][1]

History edit

She was allocated to North Atlantic & Gulf SS Co., on 31 March 1944. On 15 May 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in the James River Group, in Lee Hall, Virginia. On 2 February 1947, she was sold her J.S. Coumantaros, Piraeus, Greece. She was renamed Stavros Coumantaros. She was scrapped in Taiwan, in 1968.[4][5]

References edit

Bibliography edit

  • "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  • "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  • Maritime Administration. "John M. Brooke". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  • Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  • "SS John M. Brooke". Retrieved 5 December 2017.