SS Irvin S. Cobb

History
United States
Name	Irvin S. Cobb
Namesake	Irvin S. Cobb
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Seas Shipping Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2491
Awarded	23 April 1943
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$1,050,663
Yard number	55
Way number	1
Laid down	13 July 1944
Launched	22 August 1944
Sponsored by	Ruth Alexander
Completed	31 August 1944
Identification	Call sign: WSQQ
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 15 July 1949 Sold for scrapping, 6 July 1967, withdrawn from fleet, 18 July 1967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 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 Irvin S. Cobb was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Irvin S. Cobb, an American author, humorist, editor and columnist from Paducah, Kentucky.

Construction

Irvin S. Cobb was laid down on 13 July 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2491, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Ruth Alexander, the wife of H.F. Alexander, and friend of the namesake, and was launched on 22 August 1944.

History

She was allocated to the Seas Shipping Co., Inc., on 31 August 1944. On 15 July 1949, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. She was sold for scrapping, 13 May 1970, to Union Minerals & Alloys, Corp., along with SS John S. Pillsbury, for $90,260. She was removed from the fleet, 18 July 1967.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Irvin S. Cobb". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
• "SS Irvin S. Cobb". Retrieved 29 January 2020.