SS Joseph M. Medill

SS Joseph M. Medill
Career (nowrap)
Name:	Joseph M. Medill
Namesake:	Joseph M. Medill
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1523
Builder:	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost:	$1,886,400,
Yard number:	5
Way number:	5
Laid down:	28 September 1942
Launched:	3 May 1943
Sponsored by:	Mrs. Ellen Pearson
Completed:	31 May 1943
Identification:	Call Signal: KLHP
Fate:	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 20 January 1948
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 21 April 1960
General characteristics
Class & 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 ft 6 in (135 m)
Beam:	56 ft 10.75 in (17.3419 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:	2 × oil-fired boilers 1 × triple-expansion steam engine, 2,500 horsepower (1,900 kW) (manufactured by Hamilton Engine Co., Hamilton, Ohio) 1 × screw propeller
Speed:	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h)
Capacity:	10,800 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Complement:	41
Armament:	Stern-mounted 4"/50 caliber (102 mm) gun for use against surfaced submarines variety of anti-aircraft guns

SS Joseph M. Medill was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Joseph M. Medill, the co-owner and managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, and Mayor of Chicago after the great fire of 1871.

Construction

Joseph M. Medill was laid down on 28 September 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1523, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. Ellen Pearson, the great-granddaughter of the namesake, she was launched on 3 May 1943.

History

She was allocated to the Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc., on 31 May 1943. On 20 January 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in Wilmington, North Carolina. On 19 February 1960, she was sold for $70,161, to Bethlehem Steel, for scrapping. She was removed from the fleet on 21 April 1960.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/jonespanamacity.htm. 
• Maritime Administration. "Joseph M. Medill". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/5268. 
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)". p. 23. http://www.ww2ships.com/acrobat/us-os-001-f-r00.pdf. 
• "SS Joseph M. Medill". http://usmaritimecommission.de/query.php?datalist=1&typeofquery=Name%20of%20Ship&valueofquery=Joseph%20M.Medill&code=B1523a.