SS John P. Gaines

SS John P. Gaines was a Liberty ship built during World War II, and named for politician John P. Gaines.

History
United States
Name: John P. Gaines
Operator: War Shipping Administration
Builder: Northland Transportation Company, Seattle
Laid down: 21 June 1943
Launched: 11 July 1943
Fate: Sank on 24 November 1943
General characteristics
Displacement: 14,245 long tons (14,474 t)
Length: 422.8 ft
Beam: 57 ft
Draught: 27 ft 9.25 in
Propulsion:
  • Two oil-fired boilers,
  • triple expansion steam engine,
  • single screw, 2500 horsepower (1.9 MW)
Speed: 11 to 11.5 knots (20 to 21 km/h)
Capacity: 10,856 t (10,685 long tons) deadweight (DWT)

On 24 November 1943 she broke in two and sank with the loss of 10 lives off the Aleutian Islands.[1] It was later determined that the welded construction combined with the grade of steel used had caused embrittlement that caused a sudden break, as demonstrated by metallurgist Constance Tipper. A number of other Liberty ships suffered similar problems, with three sinking.[2]

References
  1. http://www.armed-guard.com/gaines.html
  2. http://school.mech.uwa.edu.au/~dwright/DANotes/fracture/maritime/maritime.html

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