SS Francis Asbury

History
United States
Name	Francis Asbury
Namesake	Francis Asbury
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	A.H. Bull & Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1195
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$2,452,124
Yard number	3
Way number	3
Laid down	9 September 1942
Launched	17 April 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Benjamin F. Crowles
Completed	5 June 1943
Identification	Call sign: KIUO
Fate	Struck mine, Constructive Total Loss (CTL), 3 December 1944 Sold for scrapping, 6 April 1953, delivered, 28 April 1953
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 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 Francis Asbury was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Francis Asbury, one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. Asbury traveled thousands of miles those living on the frontier to deliver hundreds of sermons each year.

Construction

Francis Asbury was laid down on 12 September 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1195, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Benjamin F. Crowles, the wife of one of the vice presidents of the St. John's River SB Co., she was launched on 17 April 1943.

History

She was allocated to A.H. Bull & Co., Inc., on 5 June. On 3 December 1944, she was mined off Ostend, Belgium, while steaming from New York to Ostend, with war supplies. She was beached off Blankenberge, and declared a Constructive Total Loss (CTL). She was sold for scrapping, on 6 April 1953, to Hydraulica, for $2000. She was delivered, 28 April 1953.

Wreck location: 51°21′N 3°0′E

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Francis Asbury". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
• "SS Francis Asbury". Retrieved 15 December 2019.