SS John Catron

SS John Catron was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after John Catron, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

History
United States
Name:	John Catron
Namesake:	John Catron
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	American Foreign Steamship, Co.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1494
Builder:	J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost:	$2,126,882[1]
Yard number:	110
Way number:	6
Laid down:	3 September 1942
Launched:	11 July 1943
Completed:	31 July 1943
Identification:	Call Signal: KIQN [1]
Fate:	Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 30 August 1949
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 9 November 1971
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

John Catron was laid down on 3 September 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1494, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia, and launched on 11 July 1943.[3]

History

She was allocated to American Foreign Steamship, Co., on 31 July 1943. On 30 August 1949, she entered the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Mobile, Alabama. She was sold to Andy Equipment, Inc., Houston, Texas, on 9 November 1971, and delivered for scrapping on 10 December 1971.[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 28 October 2017.
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 28 October 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "John Catron". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
• "SS John Catron". Retrieved 4 November 2017.