SS William Crane Gray

SS William Crane Gray was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William Crane Gray, the first bishop of the Episcopal Church's Missionary Jurisdiction of Southern Florida.

History
United States
Name:	William Crane Gray
Namesake:	William Crane Gray
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	International Freigting Corp.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2485
Awarded:	23 April 1943
Builder:	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost:	$1,097,202[2]
Yard number:	49
Way number:	1
Laid down:	23 May 1944
Launched:	12 July 1944
Sponsored by:	Mrs. Louie W. Strum
Completed:	27 July 1944
Identification:	Call sign: WRRI [2]
Fate:	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 29 May 1948 Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 27 May 1952
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 1 May 1972, withdrawn from fleet, 21 July 1972
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

William Crane Gray was laid down on 23 May 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2485, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. Louie W. Strum, the niece of the namesake, and was launched on 12 July 1944.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to the International Freigting Corp., on 27 July 1944. On 29 May 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. On 27 May 1952, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. She was sold for scrapping, 1 May 1972, to Luria Brothers and Co., for $40,333.33. She was removed from the fleet, 21 July 1972.[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 28 January 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "William Crane Gray". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 28 January 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS William Crane Gray". Retrieved 28 January 2020.