SS William Wirt was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William Wirt, an American author and statesman who is credited with turning the position of United States Attorney General into one of influence. He was the longest serving Attorney General in US history. He was also the Anti-Masonic Party nominee for president in the 1832 election.
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Name | William Wirt |
Namesake | William Wirt |
Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
Operator | Alcoa Steamship Co., Inc. |
Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 50 |
Awarded | 14 March 1941 |
Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[2] |
Cost | $1,071,644[1] |
Yard number | 2037 |
Way number | 2 |
Laid down | 13 May 1942 |
Launched | 4 July 1942 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. Wharton H. Hoy |
Completed | 24 July 1942 |
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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Bauwesen
editWilliam Wirt was laid down on 13 May 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 50, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; sponsored by Mrs. Wharton H. Hoy, the niece J.A. Bouslog, the manager of the Middle Atlantic District for MARCOM, and was launched on 4 July 1942.[2][1]
History
editShe was allocated to Alcoa Steamship Co., Inc., on 24 July 1942. On 16 December 1947, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. She was sold for scrapping on 2 November 1965, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., for $46,287. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 24 November 1965.[4]
References
editBibliography
edit- "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- Maritime Administration. "William Wirt". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "SS William Wirt". Retrieved 28 February 2020.