SS Samuel G. French

SS Samuel G. French was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Samuel G. French, a United States Military Academy graduate in 1843, he obtained the rank of Captain in the US Army and was a veteran of the Mexican–American War. French joined the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and rose to the rank of Major General.

History
United States
Name	Samuel G. French
Namesake	Samuel G. French
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Oliver J. Olson & Company
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2294
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$999,159
Yard number	35
Way number	2
Laid down	31 January 1944
Launched	21 March 1944
Sponsored by	Miss Ada French
Completed	22 April 1944
Identification	Call Signal: KWKB
Fate	Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Hudson River Group, 25 May 1946 Sold to the Netherlands, 25 November 1946
Netherlands
Name	Egmond
Namesake	Egmond
Owner	Netherlands Government
Acquired	25 November 1946
Fate	Sold, 1947
Netherlands
Name	Alcyone
Namesake	Alcyone
Owner	Van Nievelt, Goudriaan & Co's Stoomvaart-Maatschappij N.V.
Acquired	1947
Fate	Sold, 1958
Liberia
Name	Nicos S.
Owner	Goulandris Ltd., London
Operator	Tricontinental Transport Corp.
Acquired	1958
Fate	Sold, 1963
Greece
Name	Nicos S.
Owner	Syros Shipping Co., London
Acquired	1963
Fate	Scrapped, 1971
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 Iron Fireman Manufacturing Co., Portland, Oregon) 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

Samuel G. French was laid down on 31 January 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2294, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Miss Ada French, granddaughter of namesake, she was launched on 21 March 1944.

History

She was allocated to Oliver J. Olson & Company, on 22 April 1944. On 25 May 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in the Hudson River Group. On 25 November 1946, she was sold to the Netherlands for $549,890.31 for commercial use and renamed Egmond. After going through several more owners she was scrapped in Castellon, Spain, in 1971.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 7 December 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "Samuel G. French". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
• "SS Samuel G. French". Retrieved 7 December 2017.