Liberty ship of WWII
|
|
| History |
|---|
 United States |
|---|
| Name | Will Rogers |
| Namesake | Will Rogers |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | Merchant & Miners Transportation, Co. |
| Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 923 |
| Awarded | 1 January 1942 |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland |
| Cost | $1,061,559 |
| Yard number | 2073 |
| Way number | 15 |
| Laid down | 11 October 1942 |
| Launched | 8 November 1942 |
| Sponsored by | Betty Rogers |
| Completed | 27 November 1942 |
| Identification | |
| Fate |
- Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 12 April 1948
- Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 21 December 1949
- Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 9 April 1952
- Sold for scrapping, 12 March 1971, removed from fleet, 25 March 1961
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| General characteristics |
|---|
| Class and type | |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Armament | |
SS Will Rogers was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Will Rogers, an American stage and film actor, vaudeville performer, cowboy, humorist, newspaper columnist, and social commentator from Oklahoma.
Construction
Will Rogers was laid down on 11 October 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 923, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Betty Rogers, the widow of Will Rogers, and was launched on 11 November 1942.
History
She was allocated to Merchant & Miners Transportation, Co., on 27 November 1942.
On 12 April 1945, at 15:00, while steaming in Convoy BB-80, Will Rogers was torpedoed by U-1024, in the Irish Sea, at 53°48′N 4°46′W / 53.800°N 4.767°W / 53.800; -4.767. She was struck on the starboard side in the #1 hold, which caused flooding in the hold and the forepeak. Will Rogers was then taken in tow and beached off of Holyhead, near SS James W. Nesmith, which had also been torpedoed by U-1024 on 7 April. The two ships were refloated on 23 April, and towed to Liverpool, for repairs. Will Rogers returned to service on 1 December 1945.
On 12 April 1948, she was first laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. On 21 December 1949, she was returned to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. On 9 April 1952, she was laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. On 12 March 1971, she was sold for scrapping to Pinto Island Metals Co., for $41,400. She was removed from the fleet on 25 March 1971.
References
Bibliography
