SS Edward M. House

SS Edward M. House was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Edward M. House, an American diplomat, and an adviser to President Woodrow Wilson.

History
United States
Name:	Edward M. House
Namesake:	Edward M. House
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	A.L. Burbank & Co., Ltd.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1209
Builder:	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost:	$1,534,499[2]
Yard number:	17
Way number:	5
Laid down:	21 August 1943
Launched:	23 October 1943
Sponsored by:	Miss Irene F. Long
Completed:	4 November 1943
Identification:	Call sign: KUJL [2]
Fate:	Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon, 16 December 1946
Status:	Sold for commercial use, 7 July 1947, removed from fleet, 15 July 1947
Norway
Name:	Blue Master
Owner:	Rederi A/S Vindeggen (1947) Skibs A/S Golden West (1947–1954)
Operator:	A.F. Klaveness & Co. (1947–1948) J.H.Andersen (1948–1954)
Status:	Sold, 1954
Liberia
Name:	Dicoronia
Owner:	Bahia Salinas Cia Nav
Operator:	Goulandris Bros.
Status:	Reflagged, 1967
Greece
Name:	Dicoronia
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 1970
General characteristics [3]
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

Edward M. House was laid down on 21 August 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1209, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Miss Irene F. Long, the confidential assistant to Rear Admiral Howard L. Vickery, and was launched on 23 October 1943.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to A.L. Burbank & Co., Ltd., on 4 November 1943. On 30 June 1944, Edward M. House was torpedoed or mined in the English Channel. On 20 February 1946, she was allocated to the Japanese government until 16 December 1946, when she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon. She was sold for commercial use, 7 July 1947, to Rederi A/S Vindeggen. She was removed from the fleet on 15 July 1947. Edward M. House was renamed Blue Master and reflagged in Norway. In 1954, she was sold to Bahia Salinas Cia Nav, and reflagged in Liberia. In 1967, she was reflagged in Greece, and sold for scrapping in 1970.[4]

References

1. St. John's River SBC 2010.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Edward M. House". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 31 December 2019.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Edward M. House". Retrieved 31 December 2019.