SS Charles Carroll

SS Charles Carroll was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Charles Carroll, a wealthy Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence. He is one of the Founding Fathers of the United States and served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and Confederation Congress. Carroll later served as the first United States Senator for Maryland. He was the last surviving signatory of the Declaration of Independence.

History
United States
Name:	Charles Carroll
Namesake:	Charles Carroll
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	American Export Lines Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 15
Awarded:	14 March 1941
Builder:	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost:	$1,545,574[2]
Yard number:	2002
Way number:	2
Laid down:	15 May 1941
Launched:	25 October 1941
Completed:	19 January 1942
Identification:	Call sign: KKZK [2]
Fate:	Laid up in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York, 26 April 1946
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 3 September 1970, withdrawn from fleet, 4 December 1970
General characteristics [3]
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 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

Charles Carroll was laid down on 15 May 1941, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 15, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; and was launched on 25 October 1941.[1][2]

History

Charles Carroll was allocated to American Export Lines Inc., on 19 January 1942. On 26 April 1946, she was laid up in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. On 12 May 1953, Charles Carroll was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1953", she returned loaded on 25 May 1953. On 20 May 1956, she was withdrawn to be unload, she returned reloaded with grain 9 June 1956. On 27 April 1963, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be unloaded, she returned empty on 4 May 1963. Charles Carroll was sold for scrapping on 3 September 1970, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp.. She was removed from the fleet, 4 December 1970.[4]

References

1. Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2008.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Charles Carroll". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 13 February 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Charles Carroll". Retrieved 13 February 2020.