SS John H. B. Latrobe

SS John H. B. Latrobe was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after John H. B. Latrobe, an American lawyer and inventor. He invented the Latrobe Stove, also known as the "Baltimore Heater", a coal fired parlor heater made of cast iron that fit into fireplaces as an insert.

History
United States
Name	John H. B. Latrobe
Namesake	John H. B. Latrobe
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Calmar Steamship Corp.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 52
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,075,921
Yard number	2039
Way number	5
Laid down	19 May 1942
Launched	13 July 1942
Sponsored by	Miss Doreen Frances Almond
Completed	28 July 1942
Identification	Call sign: KGBL
Fate	Laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia, 8 October 1947 Laid up in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California, 14 May 1952 Sold for scrapping, 15 April 1969, withdrawn from fleet, 1 May 1969
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

John H. B. Latrobe was laid down on 19 May 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 52, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Doreen Frances Almond, the daughter of H.L. Almond technical representative of the British Ministry of War Transport, and was launched on 13 July 1942.

History

She was allocated to Calmar Steamship Corp., on 28 July 1942. On 8 October 1947, she was Laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia. On 14 May 1952, she was laid up in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California. She was sold for nontransportation use on 15 April 1969, to Zidell Explorations, Inc. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 1 May 1969.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "John H. B. Latrobe". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
• "SS John H. B. Latrobe". Retrieved 2 March 2020.