SS William Johnson

History
United States
Name	William Johnson
Namesake	William Johnson
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	A.H. Bull & Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 40
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,056,310
Yard number	2027
Way number	12
Laid down	18 March 1942
Launched	22 May 1942
Sponsored by	Miss Irene Long
Completed	16 June 1942
Identification	Call sign: KFUW
Fate	Laid up in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York, 15 October 1948 Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 27 July 1949 Sold for scrapping, 8 May 1961
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 Johnson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William Johnson, a state legislator and judge in South Carolina, and an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1804 to his death in 1834.

Construction

William Johnson was laid down on 18 March 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 38, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; sponsored by Miss Irene Long, the secretary to Vice Admiral Howard L. Vickery, and was launched on 22 May 1942.

History

She was allocated to A.H. Bull & Co., Inc., on 16 June 1942. On 15 October 1948, she was laid up in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. On 27 July 1949, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. She was sold for scrapping on 8 May 1961, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "William Johnson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
• "SS William Johnson". Retrieved 25 February 2020.