SS William B. Wilson

SS William B. Wilson
Career (United States)
Name:	William B. Wilson
Namesake:	William B. Wilson
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Eastern Steamship Co.
Ordered:	as type (Z-EC2-S-C2) hull, MC hull 1537
Builder:	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost:	$1,748,271
Yard number:	19
Way number:	3
Laid down:	14 September 1943
Launched:	6 November 1943
Completed:	16 December 1943
Identification:	Call Signal: KVBR
Fate:	Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, Virginia, 10 October 1945
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 31 Jul 1972
General characteristics
Class & type:	type Z-EC2-S-C2, army tank transport
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 William B. Wilson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William B. Wilson, the first United States Secretary of Labor.

Construction

William B. Wilson was laid down on 14 September 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1537, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was launched on 6 November 1943.

History

She was allocated to Eastern Steamship Co., on 16 December 1943. On 10 October 1945, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in the James River Group, Lee Hall, Virginia. On 31 July 1972, she was sold for $75,500 to N.V. Intershitra, Rotterdam, for scrapping. She was removed from the fleet on 25 August 1972.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/jonespanamacity.htm. 
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". http://www.glynngen.com/nautical/glynn/libertyships.htm. 
• Maritime Administration. "William B. Wilson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. https://vesselhistory.marad.dot.gov/sh/ShipHistory/Detail/5195. 
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)". p. 23. http://www.ww2ships.com/acrobat/us-os-001-f-r00.pdf. 
• "SS William B. Wilson". http://usmaritimecommission.de/.