SS William Grayson

History
United States
Name	William Grayson
Namesake	William Grayson
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Black Diamond Steamship Co.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 310
Awarded	1 May 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,065,106
Yard number	2060
Way number	3
Laid down	16 July 1942
Launched	31 August 1942
Sponsored by	Mrs. Albert W. Kabernagel
Completed	14 September 1942
Identification	Call sign: KHGD
Fate	Transferred to Greece, 18 May 1945
Greece
Name	Kerkyra
Owner	Greece
Fate	Returned to the Maritime Commission (MARCOM), 13 November 1945 Sold for commercial use, 18 December 1946
Greece
Name	Kerkyra (1946—1947) Anna L. Condylis (1947—1957)
Owner	Condylis Bros. (1946—1955) D. L. Condylis (1955—1957)
Operator	Orion Steamship Co. (1946—1955) Sea Traffic & Trading Corp. (1955—1957)
Fate	Sold, 1957
Greece
Name	Alexandros
Owner	Lamyra Shipping Co.
Operator	Sea Traffic & Trading Corp.
Fate	Sold, 1962
Lebanon
Name	Theonymphos Tinou
Owner	Preveza Shipping Co.
Operator	Tsakalotos Navigation Corp.
Fate	Scrapped, 1968
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 William Grayson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William Grayson, a soldier, lawyer, and statesman from Virginia. Grayson was a delegate to the Confederation Congress from 1785 to 1787. He helped to pass the Northwest Ordinance, including a provision that forbade slavery in the Northwest Territory. He was one of the first two US Senators from Virginia, and belonged to the Anti-Federalist faction, he was also the first member of the United States Congress to die while holding office.

Construction

William Grayson was laid down on 16 July 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 310, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Mrs. Albert W. Kabernagel, the wife of the chief inspector at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, and was launched on 31 August 1942.

History

She was allocated to Black Diamond Steamship Co., on 14 September 1942. On 18 May 1945, she was transferred to Greece, and renamed Kerkyra. She was returned to MARCOM on 13 November 1946. On 18 December 1946, she was sold for commercial use to Condylis Bros., for $544,506, and renamed Anna L. Condylis. She was scrapped in Taiwan, in 1968.

World War II Convoys

During World War II, William Grayson participated in no fewer than 32 convoys supplying the war effort. The list below, sorted chronologically, most likely represents the complete list of convoys that include William Grayson, but does not represent an exhaustive search.

• Convoy GZ.9 (Oct 1942: Guantanamo - Cristobal)
• Convoy NG.313 (Oct 1942: NYC - Guantanamo)
• Convoy CA.1 (Dec 1942: Cape Town - Dispersed)
• Convoy DC.21 (Apr 1943: Durban - Cape Town)
• Convoy PA.32 (Apr 1943: Bandar abbas - Aden)
• Convoy BT.14 (May 1943: Bahia - Trinidad)
• Convoy CN.19 (May 1943: Cape Town - Dispersed)
• Convoy TAG.66 (Jun 1943: Trinidad - Guantanamo)
• Convoy GN.66 (Jun 1943: Guantanamo - NYC)
• Convoy UGS.13 (Jul 1943: Hampton Roads - Port Said)
• Convoy AP.43 (Aug 1943: Aden - Bandar Abbas)
• Convoy GUS.20 (Oct 1943: Alexandria - Hampton Roads)
• Convoy PA.56 (Oct 1943: Bandar abbas - Aden)
• Convoy HX.272 (Dec 1943: NYC - Liverpool)
• Convoy WP.SP 16 (Jan 1944: Milford Haven - Portsmouth)
• Convoy PW.467 (Jan 1944: Portsmouth - M haven)
• Convoy ON.223 (Feb 1944: Liverpool - NYC)
• Convoy HX.283 (Mar 1944: NYC - Liverpool)

After leaving New York City, William Grayson was involved in a collision that damaged her hull. William Grayson made way for St. John's, Newfoundland for repairs. Following repairs, William Grayson returned to port.

• Convoy UGS.51 (Aug 1944: Hampton Roads - Port Said)
• Convoy GUS.51 (Sep 1944: Port Said - Hampton Roads)
• Convoy KN.342 (Oct 1944: Key West - NYC)
• Convoy HX.319 (Nov 1944: NYC - Liverpool)
• Convoy WVC.16 (Dec 1944: St helens rds - Havre)
• Convoy ON.280 (Jan 1945: Southend - NYC)
• Convoy TBC.43 (Jan 1945: Southend - Milford Haven)
• Convoy BX.149 (Mar 1945: Boston - Halifax)
• Convoy HX.343 (Mar 1945: NYC - Liverpool)
• Convoy TAM.119 (Mar 1945: Southend - Antwerp)
• Convoy ATM.130 (Apr 1945: Antwerp - Southend)
• Convoy ON.298 (Apr 1945: Southend - NYC)

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "William Grayson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
• "SS William Grayson". Retrieved 6 March 2020.
• "Arnold Hague Convoy Database". convoyweb.org.uk. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
• "Convoy HX 283 - warsailors.com". www.warsailors.com. Retrieved 20 August 2015.