SS Reverdy Johnson

SS Reverdy Johnson
Career (United States)
Name:	Reverdy Johnson
Namesake:	Reverdy Johnson
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	American Export Lines, Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 51
Awarded:	14 March 1941
Builder:	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost:	$1,075,325
Yard number:	2038
Way number:	10
Laid down:	15 May 1942
Launched:	10 July 1942
Sponsored by:	Miss Eliz R. Simpson
Completed:	25 July 1942
Identification:	Call sign: KGBM
Fate:	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 5 May 1948
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 19 January 1967, withdrawn from fleet, 17 February 1965
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 Worthington Pump & Machinery Corp, Harrison, New Jersey) 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 Reverdy Johnson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Reverdy Johnson, a statesman and jurist from Maryland. From 1845 to 1849, Johnson represented Maryland in the United States Senate as a Whig. From March 1849 until July 1850, Johnson was Attorney General of the United States under President Zachary Taylor. He represented the slave-owning defendant in the controversial 1857 case Dred Scott v. Sandford. In 1865, he defended Mary Surratt before a military tribunal. From 14 September 1868 until 13 May 1869, he served as the ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Construction

Reverdy Johnson was laid down on 15 May 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 51, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Eliz R. Simpson, a direct descendant Reverdy Johnson, and was launched on 10 July 1942.

History

She was allocated to American Export Lines, Inc., on 25 July 1942. On 5 May 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. She was sold for scrapping on 19 January 1967, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., for $45,567.89. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 17 February 1967.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/bethfairfield.htm. 
• Maritime Administration. "Reverdy Johnson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/ShipHistory/Detail/4101. 
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)". p. 23. http://www.ww2ships.com/acrobat/us-os-001-f-r00.pdf. 
• "SS Reverdy Johnson". http://usmaritimecommission.de/query.php?datalist=1&typeofquery=Name%20of%20Ship&valueofquery=Reverdy%20Johnson&code=B0051a.