SS Grant Wood

SS Grant Wood was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Grant Wood, an American painter best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest, particularly American Gothic.

History
United States
Name	Grant Wood
Namesake	Grant Wood
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	American Export Lines
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1208
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$1,601,410
Yard number	16
Way number	4
Laid down	6 August 1943
Launched	14 October 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Joseph W. Shands
Completed	26 October 1943
Identification	Call sign: KTNY
Fate	Laid up in the, James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia, 15 June 1946 Sold for commercial use, 4 March 1947, removed from fleet, 12 March 1947
Italy
Name	Prsolina
Namesake	Prsolina
Owner	Societa M. Bottiglieri (1947–1948) Vincenzo Bottiglieri (1948–1949) Michele Bottiglieri (1949–1951) Giovanni Bottiglieri (1951–1970)
Fate	Sold for Scrapping, 1970
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

Grant Wood was laid down on 6 August 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1208, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Joseph W. Shands, of Jacksonville, and was launched on 14 October 1943.

History

She was allocated to American Export Lines, on 26 October 1943. On 15 June 1946, she was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia. She was sold for commercial use, 4 March 1947, to the government of Italy, for $544,506. She was removed from the fleet on 12 March 1947. Grant Wood was renamed Prsolina and reflagged in Italy.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Grant Wood". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
• "SS Grant Wood". Retrieved 31 December 2019.