SS William MacLay

SS William MacLay was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William MacLay, a politician from Pennsylvania during the eighteenth century. Maclay, along with Robert Morris, was a member of Pennsylvania's first two-member delegation to the United States Senate. Following his tenure in the Senate, he served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on two separate occasions, as a county judge, and as a presidential elector.

History
United States
Name	William MacLay
Namesake	William MacLay
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	A.H. Bull & Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 47
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,054.457
Yard number	2034
Way number	1
Laid down	24 April 1942
Launched	22 June 1942
Sponsored by	Mrs.John W. Whiling
Completed	7 July 1942
Identification	Call sign: KFVA
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 10 December 1947 Sold for scrapping, 26 April 1967, withdrawn from fleet, 18 May 1967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 Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) 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 MacLay was laid down on 24 April 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 47, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; sponsored by Mrs. John W. Whiling, the wife local ABS surveyor at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, and was launched on 22 June 1942.

History

She was allocated to A.H. Bull & Co., Inc., on 7 July 1942. On 10 December 1947, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. She was sold for scrapping on 26 April 1967, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., for $45,501. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 18 May 1967.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "William MacLay". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
• "SS William MacLay". Retrieved 26 February 2020.