SS William B. Wilson

SS William B. Wilson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William B. Wilson, the first United States Secretary of Labor.

History
United States
Name	William B. Wilson
Namesake	William B. Wilson
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Eastern Steamship Co.
Ordered	as type (Z-EC2-S-C2) hull, MC hull 1537
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$1,748,271
Yard number	19
Way number	3
Laid down	14 September 1943
Launched	6 November 1943
Completed	16 December 1943
Identification	Call Signal: KVBR
Fate	Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, Virginia, 10 October 1945 Sold for scrapping, 31 Jul 1972
General characteristics
Class and type	type Z-EC2-S-C2, army tank transport
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

William B. Wilson was laid down on 14 September 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1537, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was launched on 6 November 1943.

History

She was allocated to Eastern Steamship Co., on 16 December 1943. She was one of eight special ships, a Z-EC2-S-C2, a Tank carrier. She was built with larger cargo hold hatches and stronger crane lifts. J.A.Jones Construction built the eight Z-EC2-S-C2 Tank carrier in 1943. On 10 October 1945, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in the James River Group, Lee Hall, Virginia. On 31 July 1972, she was sold for $75,500 to N.V. Intershitra, Rotterdam, for scrapping. She was removed from the fleet on 25 August 1972.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 28 November 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "William B. Wilson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
• "SS William B. Wilson". Retrieved 28 November 2017.