SS David B. Johnson

SS David B. Johnson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after David B. Johnson, the founder and first president of Winthrop University.

History
United States
Name:	David B. Johnson
Namesake:	David B. Johnson
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1511
Builder:	J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost:	$1,347,352[1]
Yard number:	127
Way number:	5
Laid down:	23 November 1943
Launched:	13 January 1944
Sponsored by:	Mai Rutledge Johnson
Completed:	24 January 1944
Identification:	Call Signal: KVMB [1]
Fate:	Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 18 November 1948 Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California, 2 July 1952
Status:	Sold scrapping, 2 January 1968
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 General Machinery Corp., Hamilton, Ohio) 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

David B. Johnson was laid down on 23 November 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1511, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia;[3] she was sponsored by Mai Rutledge Johnson, widow of David B. Johnson, and was launched on 13 January 1944.[3]

History

She was allocated to the Wilmore Steamship Co., on 24 January 1944. On 18 November 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Beaumont, Texas. On 2 July 1952, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay, California. On 2 January 1968, she was sold to the Nicolai Joffe Corp., for $49,576, for scrapping. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 17 January 1968.[4][5]

References

1. MARCOM.
2. Davies 2004, p. 23.
3. J.A. Brunswick 2010.
4. Liberty Ships.
5. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Brunswick GA". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 1 November 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "David B. Johnson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 1 November 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS David B. Johnson". Retrieved 5 November 2017.