SS Charles D. Walcott

SS Charles D. Walcott was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Charles D. Walcott, an American geologist, paleontologist, and government administrator. Walcott served as the Director of the US Geological Survey from 1894-1907, and as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1907-1921.

History
United States
Name	Charles D. Walcott
Namesake	Charles D. Walcott
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	American Export Lines Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2327
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$940,965
Yard number	68
Way number	1
Laid down	29 September 1944
Launched	7 November 1944
Sponsored by	Miss Eva Pearl Parker
Completed	18 November 1944
Identification	Call sign: KYUJ
Fate	Placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 30 December 1947 Sold for scrapping, 31 January 1961, withdrawn from the fleet, 26 July 1961
General characteristics
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 Filer and Stowell, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 1 × screw propeller
Speed	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	562,608 cubic feet (15,931 m3) (grain) 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m3) (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

Charles D. Walcott was laid down on 29 September 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2327, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Miss Eva Pearl Parker, a yard employee in the fabrication shop, and launched on 7 November 1944.

History

She was allocated to American Export Lines Inc., 13 November 1944. On 30 December 1947, she was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in Wilmington, North Carolina.

She was sold for scrapping, 31 January 1961, to Commercial Metals Co., for $46,588.18. She was withdrawn from the fleet, 26 July 1961.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Charles D. Walcott". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 10 December 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
• "SS Charles D. Walcott". Retrieved 10 December 2019.