SS Chief Osceola

History
United States
Name	Chief Osceola
Namesake	Chief Osceola
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	United States Navigation Company
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2322
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$950,246
Yard number	63
Way number	2
Laid down	28 August 1944
Launched	4 October 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. W. T. Flythe
Completed	19 October 1944
Identification	Call sign: KTEE
Fate	Sold for commercial use, 30 January 1947
Greece
Name	George D. Gratsos
Owner	George D. Gratsos Ltd (1947–1949) Gratsos Bros (1949–1967)
Fate	Grounded, 26 July 1965, scrapped, 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 Filer and Stowell, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 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

SS Chief Osceola was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Chief Osceola, resistance leader of the "Seminole", during the Second Seminole War.

Construction

Chief Osceola was laid down on 28 August 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2322, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. W. T. Flythe, wife of director of public relation JAJCC, and launched on 4 October 1944.

History

She was allocated to United States Navigation Company, 19 October 1944.

She was sold, on 30 January 1947, to George D. Gratsos Ltd, for $563,292.75 and commercial use. She was flagged in Greece and renamed George D. Gratos. On 26 July 1965, she was severely damaged when she was grounded in the Chacao Channel, Chile. She was scrapped in Valencia, in 1967.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Chief Osceola". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 9 December 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
• "SS Chief Osceola". Retrieved 9 December 2019.