SS Wendell L. Willkie

Summary

SS Wendell L. Willkie was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Wendell L. Willkie, an American lawyer, corporate executive, and the 1940 Republican nominee for President.

History
United States
NameWendell L. Willkie
NamesakeWendell L. Willkie
OwnerWar Shipping Administration (WSA)
OperatorStockard Steamship Corp.
Orderedas type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2333
BuilderJ.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost$855,926[1]
Yard number74
Way number1
Laid down8 November 1944
Launched9 December 1944
Completed21 December 1944
Identification
Fate
  • Placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 26 July 1949
  • Returned to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 17 March 1952
  • Removed from fleet, 18 January 1952
  • Sold for scrapping, 12 January 1970, withdrawn from fleet, 10 March 1970
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

Wendell L. Willkie was laid down on 8 November 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2333, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; and launched on 9 December 1944.[3][1]

History edit

She was allocated to the Stockard Steamship Corp., 21 December 1944. On 26 July 1949, she was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama.[4]

After a return to service 18 January 1952, she was returned to the Mobile Reserve Fleet, 17 March 1952. She was sold for scrapping, 12 January 1970, to Pinto Island Metals Co., for $44,000. She was withdrawn from the fleet, 10 March 1970.[4]

References edit

Bibliography edit

  • "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  • Maritime Administration. "Wendell L. Willkie". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 11 December 2019.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  • "SS Wendell L. Willkie". Retrieved 11 December 2019.