SS Frederick Bartholdi

SS Frederick Bartholdi was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor who is best known for designing Liberty Enlightening the World, commonly known as the Statue of Liberty.

History
United States
Name	Frederick Bartholdi
Namesake	Frederick Bartholdi
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1503
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost	$1,655,794
Yard number	119
Way number	3
Laid down	29 August 1943
Launched	9 November 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. O.H. Hall
Completed	20 November 1943
Identification	Call Signal: KTMO
Fate	Ran aground, 24 December 1943 Scrapped, September 1944
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 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 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

Frederick Bartholdi was laid down on 29 August 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1503, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia; sponsored by Mrs. O.H. Hall, and launched on 9 November 1943.

History

She was allocated to the West India Steamship Company, on 11 November 1943. On 24 December 1943, she ran aground off Skye, Scotland, 57°44′N 06°26′W while on passage from Jacksonville to London, with a general cargo. By the time a dive survey was undertaken, 10 weeks later, her hull had split, with the fore part of the ship being only connected to the stern by the deck plating. She was declared a constructive total loss (CTL), but as her cargo could not be safely unloaded in situ, so she was refloated using a new type of flexible rubber patches and beached in Uig Bay, on 22 June 1944, where her cargo was salvaged. She was subsequently towed to the River Clyde, and scrapped in September 1944, at Kames Bay.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Brunswick GA". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 29 October 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "Frederick Bartholdi". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
• "SS Frederick Bartholdi". Retrieved 5 November 2017.
• Sawyer, L.A.; Mitchell, W.H. (1970). The Liberty ships: the history of the 'Emergency' type cargo ships constructed in the United States during World War II (Rev. ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles. p. 81. ISBN 0715349074.
• Elphick, Peter (2001). Liberty : the ships that won the war. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press. pp. 303–304. ISBN 1557505357.