SS Sidney Lanier

SS Sidney Lanier was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Sidney Lanier, an American musician, poet and author.

History
United States
Name:	Sidney Lanier
Namesake:	Sidney Lanier
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Seas Shipping Co., Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1197
Builder:	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost:	$2,229,005[2]
Yard number:	5
Way number:	5
Laid down:	22 October 1942
Launched:	22 May 1943
Sponsored by:	Mrs. Thomas W. Ryan, Jr.
Completed:	7 July 1943
Identification:	Call sign: KIVG [2]
Fate:	Placed in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon, 6 December 1946
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 14 March 1961, withdrawn from fleet, 25 May 1961
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

Sidney Lanier was laid down on 22 October 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1197, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Thomas W. Ryan, Jr., the wife of the corporate director of the St. John's River SB Co., she was launched on 22 May 1943.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to Seas Shipping Co., Inc., on 7 July 1943. On 6 December 1946, she was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon. On 22 April 1955, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be prepared for loading with grain under the "Grain Program 1955", she returned unloaded on 2 May 1955. She was sold for scrapping, on 14 March 1961, to Schnitzer Brothers, for $56,785.21. She was withdrawn from the fleet, 25 May 1961.[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 16 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Sidney Lanier". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 16 December 2019.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Sidney Lanier". Retrieved 16 December 2019.