SS Will Rogers

SS Will Rogers was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Will Rogers, an American stage and film actor, vaudeville performer, cowboy, humorist, newspaper columnist, and social commentator from Oklahoma.

History
United States
Name	Will Rogers
Namesake	Will Rogers
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Merchant & Miners Transportation, Co.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 923
Awarded	1 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,061,559
Yard number	2073
Way number	15
Laid down	11 October 1942
Launched	8 November 1942
Sponsored by	Betty Rogers
Completed	27 November 1942
Identification	Call sign: KFDC
Fate	Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 12 April 1948 Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 21 December 1949 Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 9 April 1952 Sold for scrapping, 12 March 1971, removed from fleet, 25 March 1961
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 Ellicott Machine Corp., Baltimore, Maryland) 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

Will Rogers was laid down on 11 October 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 923, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Betty Rogers, the widow of Will Rogers, and was launched on 11 November 1942.

History

She was allocated to Merchant & Miners Transportation, Co., on 27 November 1942.

On 12 April 1945, at 15:00, while steaming in Convoy BB-80, Will Rogers was torpedoed by U-1024, in the Irish Sea, at 53°48′N 4°46′W. She was struck on the starboard side in the #1 hold, which caused flooding in the hold and the forepeak. Will Rogers was then taken in tow and beached off of Holyhead, near SS James W. Nesmith, which had also been torpedoed by U-1024 on 7 April. The two ships were refloated on 23 April, and towed to Liverpool, for repairs. Will Rogers returned to service on 1 December 1945.

On 12 April 1948, she was first laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. On 21 December 1949, she was returned to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. On 9 April 1952, she was laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. On 12 March 1971, she was sold for scrapping to Pinto Island Metals Co., for $41,400. She was removed from the fleet on 25 March 1971.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
• Maritime Administration. "Will Rogers". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
• "SS Will Rogers". Retrieved 28 May 2021.
• "Will Rogers". Retrieved 28 May 2021.