SS Alexander S. Clay

SS W. P. Few was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Alexander S. Clay, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives and United States Senator from Georgia.

History
United States
Name:	Alexander S. Clay
Namesake:	Alexander S. Clay
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2364
Builder:	J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost:	$1,060,209[1]
Yard number:	149
Way number:	3
Laid down:	3 May 1944
Launched:	30 June 1944
Sponsored by:	Miss Vaida V. Clay
Completed:	15 July 1944
Identification:	Call Signal: WQAF [1]
Fate:	Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 22 September 1948
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 29 August 1969
General characteristics [2]
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 Joshua Hendy Iron Works, Sunnyvale, California) 1 × screw propeller
Speed:	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity:	562,608 cubic feet (15,931 m^3) (grain) 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m^3) (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

Construction

Alexander S. Clay was laid down on 3 May 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2364, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia; she was sponsored by Miss Vaida V. Clay, and launched on 30 June 1944.[3][1]

History

She was allocated to the South Atlantic Steamship Lines Inc., on 15 July 1944. On 22 September 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Mobile, Alabama. On 29 August 1969, she was sold, to Southern Scrap Material, Co., Inc., for scrapping. She was removed from the fleet on 26 September 1969.[4][5]

References

1. MARCOM.
2. Davies 2004, p. 23.
3. J.A. Brunswick 2010.
4. Liberty Ships.
5. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Brunswick GA". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 8 November 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "Alexander S. Clay". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 9 November 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Alexander S. Clay". Retrieved 9 November 2017.