SS Newton D. Baker

SS Newton D. Baker was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Newton D. Baker, a lawyer, the 37th Mayor of Cleveland, and the United States Secretary of War, during World War I.

History
United States
Name:	Newton D. Baker
Namesake:	Newton D. Baker
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Luckenbach Steamship Co., Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1520
Builder:	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost:	$2,258,166[1]
Yard number:	2
Way number:	2
Laid down:	3 September 1942
Launched:	25 February 1943
Sponsored by:	Rose Jones
Completed:	6 April 1943
Identification:	Call Signal: KIFC [1]
Fate:	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 1 October 1947
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 2 January 1968
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 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

Newton D. Baker was laid down on 3 September 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1520, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Rose Jones, the wife of the James Addison Jones, the founder J.A. Jones Construction Co., she was launched on 25 February 1943.[3][1]

History

She was allocated to Luckenbach Steamship Co., Inc., on 6 April 1943. On 1 October 1947, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. On 2 January 1968, she was sold for $46,320 to Union Minerals & Alloys, Co., to be scrapped. She was removed from the fleet on 29 January 1968.[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. "Newton D. Baker". 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Newton D. Baker". Retrieved 11 December 2019.