SS Joseph M. Medill

SS Joseph M. Medill was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Joseph M. Medill, the co-owner and managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, and Mayor of Chicago after the great fire of 1871.

History
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Name	Joseph M. Medill
Namesake	Joseph M. Medill
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1523
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$1,886,400,
Yard number	5
Way number	5
Laid down	28 September 1942
Launched	3 May 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Ellen Pearson
Completed	31 May 1943
Identification	Call Signal: KLHP
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 20 January 1948 Sold for scrapping, 21 April 1960
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 inches (76 mm)/50 caliber gun Stern-mounted 4 inches (102 mm)/50 caliber gun 2–8 × single 20 millimeters (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37 millimeters (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

Construction

Joseph M. Medill was laid down on 28 September 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1523, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. Ellen Pearson, the great-granddaughter of the namesake, she was launched on 3 May 1943.

History

She was allocated to the Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc., on 31 May 1943. On 20 January 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in Wilmington, North Carolina. On 19 February 1960, she was sold for $70,161, to Bethlehem Steel, for scrapping. She was removed from the fleet on 21 April 1960.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "Joseph M. Medill". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
• "SS Joseph M. Medill". Retrieved 11 December 2019.