SS Wendell L. Willkie

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
Name	Wendell L. Willkie
Namesake	Wendell L. Willkie
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Stockard Steamship Corp.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2333
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$855,926^[1]
Yard number	74
Way number	1
Laid down	8 November 1944
Launched	9 December 1944
Completed	21 December 1944
Identification	Call sign: ANBQ ^[1]
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Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 17 March 1952 Removed from fleet, 18 January 1952 Sold for scrapping, 12 January 1970, withdrawn from fleet, 10 March 1970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	Liberty ship type EC2-S-C1, standard
Tonnage	10,865 LT DWT 7,176 GRT
Displacement	3,380 long tons (3,434 t) (light) 14,245 long tons (14,474 t) (max)
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	1 × triple-expansion steam engine,  (manufactured by Filer and Stowell, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 1 × screw propeller
Speed	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	562,608 cubic feet (15,931 m^3) (grain) 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m^3) (bale)
Complement	38–62 USMM 21–40 USNAG
Armament	Varied by ship Bow-mounted 3 inches (76 mm)/50 caliber gun Stern-mounted 4 inches (102 mm)/50 caliber gun 2–8 × single 20 millimeters (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37 millimeters (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

Construction

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

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 She was withdrawn from the fleet, 10 March 1970.^[4]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

1. MARCOM.
2. Davies 2004, p. 23.
3. J.A. Panama City 2010.
4. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "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.