SS Chief Osceola

SS Chief Osceola was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Chief Osceola, resistance leader of the Seminole, during the Second Seminole War.

History
United States
Name:	Chief Osceola
Namesake:	Chief Osceola
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	United States Navigation Company
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2322
Builder:	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost:	$950,246[1]
Yard number:	63
Way number:	2
Laid down:	28 August 1944
Launched:	4 October 1944
Sponsored by:	Mrs. W. T. Flythe
Completed:	19 October 1944
Identification:	Call sign: KTEE [1]
Status:	Sold for commercial use, 30 January 1947
Greece
Name:	George D. Gratsos
Owner:	George D. Gratsos Ltd (1947–1949) Gratsos Bros (1949–1967)
Status:	Grounded, 26 July 1965, scrapped, 1967
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

Chief Osceola was laid down on 28 August 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2322, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. W. T. Flythe , wife of director of public relation JAJCC, and launched on 4 October 1944.[3][1]

History

She was allocated to United States Navigation Company, 19 October 1944.[4]

She was sold, on 30 January 1947, to George D. Gratsos Ltd, for $563,292.75 and commercial use. She was flagged in Greece and renamed George D. Gratos. On 26 July 1965, she was severely damaged when she was grounded in the Chacao Channel, Chile. She was scrapped in Valencia, in 1967.[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 9 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Chief Osceola". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 9 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 9 December 2019.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Chief Osceola". Retrieved 9 December 2019.