SS George Dewey

SS George Dewey was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after George Dewey, the only person in United States history to obtain the rank Admiral of the Navy. Dewey was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and fought in both the American Civil War and the Spanish–American War.

George Dewey
History
United States
Name	George Dewey
Namesake	George Dewey
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	American Export Lines Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1202
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost	$2,069,174[2]
Yard number	10
Way number	4
Laid down	8 May 1943
Launched	5 August 1943
Sponsored by	Rear Admiral Walter Browne Woodson
Completed	27 August 1943
Identification	Call sign: KIWD [2]
Fate	Placed in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York, 6 January 1948 Placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 31 May 1952 Turned over to Texas, for use as artificial reef, 6 August 1975, withdrawn from fleet, 12 August 1975
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 General Machinery Corp., Hamilton, Ohio) 1 × screw propeller
Speed	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	562,608 cubic feet (15,931 m3) (grain) 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m3) (bale)
Complement	38–62 USMM 21–40 USNAG
Armament	Varied by ship Bow-mounted 3-inch (76 mm)/50-caliber gun Stern-mounted 4-inch (102 mm)/50-caliber gun 2–8 × single 20-millimeter (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37-millimeter (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

Construction

George Dewey was laid down on 8 May 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1202, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Rear Admiral Walter Browne Woodson, she was launched on 5 August 1943.^[1][2]

History

She was allocated to American Export Lines Inc., on 27 August 1943. On 1 January 1948, she was placed in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. On 31 May 1952, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. She was turned over for use as an artificial reef, on 6 August 1975, to the state of Texas. She was withdrawn from the fleet, 12 August 1975.^[4]

She was sunk on 25 April 1976, at 28°06′58″N 96°05′14″W along with her sister ships Jim Bridger, sunk on 15 June 1976, and Dwight L. Moody, sunk on 6 April 1976.^[5]

References

1. St. John's River SBC 2010.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.
5. Arnold et al. 1998.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "George Dewey". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
• "SS George Dewey". Retrieved 16 December 2019.
• Arnold, J. Barto III; Goloboy, Jennifer L.; Hall, Andrew W.; Hall, Rebecca A. (December 1998). Shively, J. Dale (ed.). Texas' Liberty Ships: From World War II Working-class heroes to Artificial Reefs (PDF). Texas Parks & Wildlife. Retrieved 16 December 2019.