SS President Cleveland (1947)

For other ships with the same name, see SS President Cleveland.

SS President Cleveland was an American passenger ship originally ordered by the United States Maritime Commission during World War II, as one of the Admiral W. S. Benson-class Type P2-SE2-R1 transport ships, and intended to be named USS Admiral D. W. Taylor (AP-128). She became the Panamanian-flag passenger ship SS Oriental President in 1973 before being scrapped in 1974. She operated on routes in the Pacific Ocean.

History
United States
Name	SS President Cleveland
Namesake	Grover Cleveland
Operator	American President Lines
Route	Trans-Pacific
Builder	Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Alameda, California
Yard number	9509
Laid down	28 August 1944
Launched	23 June 1946
Completed	1947
Identification	Official number: 254296
Fate	Sold 9 February 1973
History
Panama
Name	SS Oriental President
Operator	Oceanic Cruise Development
Route	Trans-Pacific
Acquired	9 February 1973
Fate	Scrapped 1974
General characteristics [1]
Tonnage	15,359 GRT 10,431 DWT
Displacement	23,504 long tons (23,881 t)
Length	609 ft 6 in (185.78 m) o/a 573 ft (175 m) p/p
Beam	75 ft 6 in (23.01 m)
Draft	30 ft 2 in (9.19 m)
Installed power	20,000 hp (14,914 kW)
Propulsion	turbo-electric transmission; twin screw
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Capacity	579 passengers (379 first class, 200 economy class) 193,984 cubic feet (5,493 m3) cargo
Notes	sister ship: SS President Wilson

History

Construction

President Cleveland was originally ordered by the United States Maritime Commission during World War II, as one of the Admiral-class Type P2-SE2-R1 transport ships, and intended to serve in the United States Navy with the name USS Admiral D. W. Taylor (AP-128).^[1] The ship was laid down on 28 August 1944 at the Bethlehem Steel shipyard in Alameda, California, but was cancelled on 16 December 1944.^[2]

Redesigned for commercial passenger service, the ship was launched on 23 June 1946 with the name SS President Cleveland,^[3] and she was completed in 1947.^[4][5]

Service history

President Cleveland was operated by American President Lines under a bareboat charter.^[4] She appeared in the background during an Embarcadero waterfront scene in San Francisco, California, in the 1950 film Woman on the Run, featuring Ann Sheridan, at 46 minutes and 40 seconds into the film.^{[citation needed]}

On 22 or 23 July 1958 (sources disagree), President Cleveland was in the Pacific Ocean about 800 nautical miles (1,500 km; 920 mi) from California during a voyage from Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, to San Francisco when U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Lynne C. Quiggle, a passenger on board, disappeared. He was presumed to have jumped or fallen overboard.^[6][7]

President Cleveland appeared in the 1961 film Susan Slade, featuring Connie Stevens, Troy Donahue, Dorothy Maguire, and Lloyd Nolan,^{[citation needed]} and was featured in a 1962 Britannica Films production called The Seaport, filmed in San Francisco.^[8] It is also seen at anchor in Tokyo Bay in the 1970 Japanese movie Hadaka no Jukyu-sai (Live Today, Die Tomorrow!).^[9]

President Cleveland was sold to Orient Overseas Line on 9 February 1973, re-registered in Panama,^[10] and renamed Oriental President. She was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1974.^[1][5]

References

1. APL: History - 1944-52 SS President Cleveland American President Lines
2. "Admiral D. W. Taylor". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
3. "Bethlehem Launches the President Wilson" (PDF). Pacific Marine Review. San Francisco: Pacific American Steamship Association: 33–37. January 1947. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
4. "Proposed Work on the S.S. President Cleveland and S.S. President Wilson" (PDF). General Accounting Office. October 20, 1952. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
5. The Presidents Ships Monthly November 2017 pages 24–29
6. "Navy Investigators Probe Disappearance of Admiral". Desert Sun. Palm Springs, California. UPI. July 25, 1958. p. 2. Retrieved March 10, 2020 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
7. United Press International, "QUIGGLE STORY DENIED; Widow of Admiral Reported Disputing Statement". The New York Times. July 27, 1958.
8. The Seaport - 1962 Educational Documentary. WDTVLIVE42. 21 August 2015 – via YouTube.
9. Hadaka no Jukyu-sai. 29 June 2021 – via RareFilmm.
10. Energy Transportation Security Act of 1974: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Merchant Marine of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives, Ninety-Third Congress, First and Second Sessions, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1974, pp. 186–187.