SS William Grayson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William Grayson, a soldier, lawyer, and statesman from Virginia. Grayson was a delegate to the Confederation Congress from 1785 to 1787. He helped to pass the Northwest Ordinance, including a provision that forbade slavery in the Northwest Territory. He was one of the first two US Senators from Virginia, and belonged to the Anti-Federalist faction, he was also the first member of the United States Congress to die while holding office.
History | |
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United States | |
Name | William Grayson |
Namesake | William Grayson |
Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
Operator | Black Diamond Steamship Co. |
Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 310 |
Awarded | 1 May 1941 |
Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[2] |
Cost | $1,065,106[1] |
Yard number | 2060 |
Way number | 3 |
Laid down | 16 July 1942 |
Launched | 31 August 1942 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. Albert W. Kabernagel |
Completed | 14 September 1942 |
Identification | |
Fate | Transferred to Greece, 18 May 1945 |
Greece | |
Name | Kerkyra |
Owner | Greece |
Fate |
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Greece | |
Name |
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Owner |
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Operator |
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Fate | Sold, 1957 |
Greece | |
Name | Alexandros |
Owner | Lamyra Shipping Co. |
Operator | Sea Traffic & Trading Corp. |
Fate | Sold, 1962 |
Lebanon | |
Name | Theonymphos Tinou |
Owner | Preveza Shipping Co. |
Operator | Tsakalotos Navigation Corp. |
Fate | Scrapped, 1968 |
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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William Grayson was laid down on 16 July 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 310, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Mrs. Albert W. Kabernagel, the wife of the chief inspector at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, and was launched on 31 August 1942.[2][1]
She was allocated to Black Diamond Steamship Co., on 14 September 1942. On 18 May 1945, she was transferred to Greece, and renamed Kerkyra. She was returned to MARCOM on 13 November 1946. On 18 December 1946, she was sold for commercial use to Condylis Bros., for $544,506, and renamed Anna L. Condylis. She was scrapped in Taiwan, in 1968.[4]
During World War II, William Grayson participated in no fewer than 32 convoys supplying the war effort. The list below, sorted chronologically, most likely represents the complete list of convoys that include William Grayson, but does not represent an exhaustive search.
After leaving New York City, William Grayson was involved in a collision that damaged her hull. William Grayson made way for St. John's, Newfoundland for repairs. Following repairs, William Grayson returned to port.[6]