SS Henry St. George Tucker

SS Henry St. George Tucker was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Henry St. George Tucker, a Virginia jurist, law professor, and US Congressman (1815–1819).

History
United States
Name	Henry St. George Tucker
Namesake	Henry St. George Tucker
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	American South African Line, Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 37
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,066,754
Yard number	2024
Way number	10
Laid down	25 February 1942
Launched	14 May 1942
Sponsored by	Miss Dorothy Baskarvill
Completed	27 May 1942
Identification	Call sign: KFGP
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 2 February 1966
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 Worthington Pump & Machinery Corp, Harrison, New Jersey) 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

Henry St. George Tucker was laid down on 25 February 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 37, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Dorothy Baskarvill, the daughter of the managing editor of the Baltimore News-Post at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, and was launched on 14 May 1942.

History

She was allocated to American South African Line, Inc., on 8 June 1942. On 8 June 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. On 2 February 1966, she was sold for scrapping to Southern Scrap Material Co., Ltd., along with her sister ships SS John M. Harlan and SS Elbridge Gerry, for $151,079.79. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 21 July 1966.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Henry St. George Tucker". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
• "SS Henry St. George Tucker". Retrieved 24 February 2020.