SS Lunsford Richardson

SS Lunsford Richardson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Lunsford Richardson, a pharmacist and founder of the Vick Chemical Company.

History
United States
Name:	Lunsford Richardson
Namesake:	Lunsford Richardson
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2374
Builder:	J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost:	$1,031,122[1]
Yard number:	159
Way number:	1
Laid down:	2 August 1944
Launched:	9 September 1944
Sponsored by:	Mrs. E.W. Stetson
Completed:	22 September 1944
Identification:	Call Signal: KSMT [1]
Fate:	Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 15 April 1948
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 12 April 1961
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

Lunsford Richardson was laid down on 2 August 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2374, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia; she was sponsored by Mrs. E.W. Stetson, and launched on 9 September 1944.[3][1]

History

She was allocated to William J. Rountree & Company, on 22 September 1944. On 11 October 1947, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Wilmington, North Carolina. On 12 April 1961, she was sold for $51,515, to Northern Metal Company, for scrapping. She was removed from the fleet on 21 April 1961.[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 11 November 2017.
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 11 November 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "Lunsford Richardson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 11 November 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Lunsford Richardson". Retrieved 11 November 2017.