SS George E. Merrick

SS George E. Merrick was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after George E. Merrick, a real estate developer who is best known as the planner and builder of the city of Coral Gables, Florida, in the 1920s, one of the first planned communities in the United States.

History
United States
Name:	George E. Merrick
Namesake:	George E. Merrick
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	United States Lines Co.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2476
Awarded:	23 April 1943
Builder:	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost:	$1,096,218[2]
Yard number:	40
Way number:	4
Laid down:	20 March 1944
Launched:	4 May 1944
Sponsored by:	Mrs. Louis V. Tallamy
Completed:	21 May 1944
Identification:	Call sign: WKZZ [2]
Fate:	Laid up in the, Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York, 22 April 1948
Status:	Sold for commercial use, 25 January 1951, removed from fleet, 6 March 1951
United States
Name:	Saxon
Owner:	Saxon Steamship Co.
Fate:	Sold, 1956
United States
Name:	Saxon
Owner:	Aspin Steamship Co.
Operator:	Isbrandtsen and Co.
Fate:	Sold, 1961
Greece
Name:	Panagia Kounistra
Owner:	Guiadoro Cia. Nav.
Operator:	Zaharias Sitinas
Fate:	Scrapped, 1972
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 Filer and Stowell, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 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

George E. Merrick was laid down on 20 March 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2476, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Louis V. Tallamy, the president of the Ladies Auxiliary for the Harvey Seeds American Legion Post, Miami, and was launched on 4 May 1944.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to the United States Lines Co., on 21 May 1944. On 2 December 1947, she was laid up in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. She was sold for commercial use, 25 January 1951, to Saxson Steamship Co.. She was removed from the fleet on 6 March 1951. George E. Merrick was renamed Saxon and remained flagged in the US. Saxon was sold to the Aspin Steamship Co. in 1956. In 1961, she was sold to Guiadoro Cia. Nav., and renamed Panaiga Kounistra and reflagged in Greece. She was scrapped in 1972, in Istanbul.[4]

References

1. St. John's River SBC 2010.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "George E. Merrick". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 21 January 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS George E. Merrick". Retrieved 21 January 2020.