SS Samuel Ashe

SS Samuel Ashe was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Samuel Ashe the ninth Governor of the US state of North Carolina from 1795 to 1798. He was also one of the first three judges of the North Carolina Superior Court in 1787.

History
United States
Name	Samuel Ashe
Namesake	Samuel Ashe
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	American South African Line, Inc.
Ordered	as a Type EC2-S-C1 hull, MCE hull 164
Builder	North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, North Carolina
Cost	$861,000
Yard number	20
Way number	2
Laid down	12 July 1942
Launched	17 September 1942
Sponsored by	Miss Shirley Jean Beasley
Completed	16 October 1943
Identification	Call sign: KFOP
Fate	Laid up in the, James River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York, 6 January 1948 Laid up in the, Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York, 23 May 1953 Sold for scrapping, 27 May 1968, withdrawn from fleet, 30 June 1969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 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

Samuel Ashe was laid down 17 July 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 164, by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, North Carolina: she was launched 17 September 1942, sponsored by Miss Shirley Jean Beasley, the daughter of E.O. Beasley, the foreman of welders at NCSB.

History

She was allocated to American South African Line, Inc., on 29 September 1942. Among her missions was repatriating part of the US 1269th Engineer Combat Battalion stateside from Antwerp in August 1945.

On 6 January 1948, she was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. She was laid up in the, Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York, 23 May 1953.

On 11 June 1953, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1953", she returned loaded with grain on 25 June 1953. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 2 July 1956, to have the grain unloaded, she returned reloaded on 24 July 1956. On 3 January 1958, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be unloaded, she returned empty on 13 January 1958. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 8 September 1958, to be loaded with grain, she returned loaded with grain on 17 September 1958. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 22 December 1959, to have the grain unloaded, she returned empty on 30 December 1959. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 10 October 1960, to be loaded with grain, she returned loaded with grain on 29 October 1960. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 12 April 1960, to have the grain unloaded, she returned empty on 20 April 1963.

She was sold for scrapping, on 27 May 1968, to Northern Metals Co. She was removed from the fleet on 30 June 1969.

Bibliography

• "North Carolina Shipbuilding, Wilmington NC". ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Samuel Ashe". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
• "SS Samuel Ashe". Retrieved 2 January 2020.
• Allison, William H. "1269th Engineer Combat Battalion: An Outline of its History". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2020.