SS E. Kirby Smith

SS E. Kirby Smith was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after E. Kirby Smith, a career United States Army officer who fought in the Mexican–American War, and for the Confederacy in the Civil War, rising to the rank of General in the CSA.

History
United States
Name:	E. Kirby Smith
Namesake:	E. Kirby Smith
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Marine Transport Lines, Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1519
Builder:	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost:	$2,330,989[1]
Yard number:	1
Way number:	1
Laid down:	9 July 1942
Launched:	30 December 1942
Sponsored by:	Mrs. Raymond A. Jones
Completed:	3 March 1943
Identification:	Call Signal: KIFA [1]
Fate:	Laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia, 23 May 1946
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 18 July 1956
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 Alabama Marine Engine Co., Birmingham, Alabama) 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

E. Kirby Smith was laid down on 9 July 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1519, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. Raymond A. Jones, wife of Raymond A. Jones, vice president and general manager, JAJCC, she was launched on 30 December 1942.[3][1]

History

She was allocated to Marine Transport Lines, Inc., on 3 March 1943. On 23 May 1946, she was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia. On 27 May 1954, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1954", she returned loaded on 21 June 1954. On 16 March 1956, she was withdrawn to be unload, she returned on empty 23 April 1956. On 18 July 1956, she was sold for $147,777.77 to Boston Metals Co., to be scrapped. She was removed from the fleet on 25 July 1956.[4]

References

1. MARCOM.
2. Davies 2004, p. 23.
3. J.A. Panama City 2010.
4. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "E. Kirby Smith". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
• "SS E. Kirby Smith". Retrieved 11 December 2019.