SS Cotton Mather

SS Cotton Mather was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Cotton Mather, a New England Puritan minister, prolific author, and pamphleteer.

History
United States
Name	Cotton Mather
Namesake	Cotton Mather
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	American Export Lines, Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 922
Awarded	1 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,060,049
Yard number	2072
Way number	16
Laid down	28 September 1942
Launched	31 October 1942
Sponsored by	Mrs. R.M. Meyers
Completed	30 November 1942
Identification	Call sign: KHPW
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 24 November 1959
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 Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) 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-inch (76 mm)/50-caliber gun Stern-mounted 4-inch (102 mm)/50-caliber gun 2–8 × single 20-millimeter (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37-millimeter (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

Construction

Cotton Mather was laid down on 28 September 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 922, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Mrs .R.M. Meyers, the wife of a yard employee, and was launched on 31 October 1942.

History

She was allocated to American Export Lines Inc., on 30 November 1942. On 22 May 1950, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. On 24 November 1959, she was sold for scrapping to Walsh Construction Co., for $71,825. She was removed from the fleet on 9 February 1960.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
• Maritime Administration. "Cotton Mather". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
• "SS Cotton Mather". Retrieved 28 May 2021.