SS William Cox (December 1944)

SS William Cox was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William Cox, who was lost at sea while he was a fireman on SS David H. Atwater, that was shelled by German submarine U-552, 2 April 1942, off Virginia.

History
United States
Name	William Cox
Namesake	William Cox
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2394
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost	$846,574
Yard number	179
Way number	3
Laid down	4 December 1944
Launched	30 December 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Arlee Cox
Completed	10 January 1945
Identification	Call Signal: ANEV
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 3 May 1948 Sold for scrapping, 6 July 1967
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

William Cox was laid down on 4 December 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2394, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia; she was sponsored by Mrs. Arlee Cox, widow of the namesake, and launched on 31 December 1944.

History

She was allocated to Blidberg & Rothchild Co., Inc., on 10 January 1945. On 3 May 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in Wilmington, North Carolina. On 6 July 1967, she was sold, along with her sister ship SS Henry Clay, for $91,340, to Union Minerals and Alloys Corporation, for scrapping. She was removed from the fleet on 28 July 1967.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Brunswick GA". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 18 November 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "William Cox". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
• "SS William Cox". Retrieved 18 November 2017.