SS Francis Scott Key

SS Francis Scott Key was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who is best known for writing the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner".

History
United States
Name:	Francis Scott Key
Namesake:	Francis Scott Key
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Lykes Brothers Steamship Co., Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 16
Awarded:	14 March 1941
Builder:	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost:	$1,470,687[2]
Yard number:	2003
Way number:	3
Laid down:	21 June 1941
Launched:	15 November 1941
Completed:	29 January 1942
Identification:	Call sign: KTBH [2]
Fate:	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon, 20 October 1949
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 14 September 1967, withdrawn from fleet, 29 September 1967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 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

Francis Scott Key was laid down on 21 June 1941, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 16, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; and was launched on 15 November 1941.[1][2]

History

Francis Scott Key was allocated to Lykes Brothers Steamship Co., Inc., on 29 January 1942. On 20 October 1949, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon. On 22 June 1954, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1954", she returned loaded on 9 July 1954. On 14 March 1957, Francis Scott Key was withdrawn to be unload, she returned empty 19 March 1957. She was sold for scrapping on 14 September 1967, to Zidell Explorations, Inc., for $54,001. She was removed from the fleet, 29 September 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 13 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Francis Scott Key". 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 Francis Scott Key". Retrieved 13 February 2020.