SS Theodore Foster

SS Theodore Foster was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Theodore Foster, an American lawyer and politician from Rhode Island. He was a member of the Federalist Party and later the National Republican Party. He served as one of the first two United States Senators from Rhode Island and served as Dean of the United States Senate.

History
United States
Name:	Theodore Foster
Namesake:	Theodore Foster
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Shepard Steamship Co.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 43
Awarded:	14 March 1941
Builder:	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost:	$1,049,905[2]
Yard number:	2030
Way number:	11
Laid down:	31 March 1942
Launched:	14 June 1942
Sponsored by:	Miss Barbara W. Vickery
Completed:	29 June 1942
Identification:	Call sign: KFPV [2]
Fate:	Laid up in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York, 9 August 1949
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 24 March 1970, withdrawn from fleet, 26 June 1970
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 Worthington Pump & Machinery Corp, Harrison, New Jersey) 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

Theodore Foster was laid down on 31 March 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 43, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Barbara W. Vickery, the daughter of Vice Admiral Howard L. Vickery, and was launched on 14 June 1942.[1][2]

History

Theodore Foster was allocated to Shepard Steamship Co., on 29 June 1942. On 9 August 1949, she was laid up in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. On 12 August 1953, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1953", she returned loaded on 24 August 1953. On 5 March 1956, Theodore Foster was withdrawn to be unload, she returned empty 22 March 1956. On 24 July 1956, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1956", she returned loaded on 8 August 1956. On 17 June 1963, Theodore Foster was withdrawn to be unload, she returned empty 20 June 1963. She was sold for scrapping on 24 March 1970, to Hierros Ardes, SA., for $105,700. She was removed from the fleet, 26 June 1970.[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 26 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Theodore Foster". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 26 February 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Theodore Foster". Retrieved 26 February 2020.