SS Esek Hopkins

SS Esek Hopkins was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Esek Hopkins, the only Commander in Chief of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. He was also an accomplished merchant captain and privateer. He is noted for his successful raid on the British port of Providence, in the Bahamas, and capturing large stores of military supplies.

History
United States
Name:	Esek Hopkins
Namesake:	Esek Hopkins
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 34
Awarded:	14 March 1941
Builder:	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost:	$1,108,418[2]
Yard number:	2021
Way number:	9
Laid down:	28 January 1942
Launched:	27 April 1942
Completed:	23 May 1942
Identification:	Call sign: KEUC [2]
Fate:	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 17 May 1948
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 27 April 1967, withdrawn from fleet, 13 May 1967
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 Clark Bros. Co., Cleveland, 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

Esek Hopkins was laid down on 28 January 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 34, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; and was launched on 27 April 1942.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc., on 23 May 1942. On 17 May 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. On 27 April 1967, she was sold for scrapping to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., for $45,501. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 13 May 1967.[4]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 24 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Esek Hopkins". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 24 February 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Esek Hopkins". Retrieved 24 February 2020.