SS John Gorrie

SS John Gorrie was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after John Gorrie, an American physician, scientist, inventor of mechanical cooling, and humanitarian.

History
United States
Name	John Gorrie
Namesake	John Gorrie
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Waterman Steamship Corp.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1194
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost	$2,557,072[2]
Yard number	2
Way number	2
Laid down	29 August 1942
Launched	27 March 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Denis J. O'Mahoney
Completed	24 May 1943
Identification	Call sign: KITY [2]
Fate	Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon, 22 September 1948 Sold for scrapping, 14 August 1967, removed from fleet, 31 August 1967
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

John Gorrie was laid down on 29 August 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1194, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Denis J. O'Mahoney, the wife of the general manager of the St. John's River SB Co., she was launched on 27 March 1943.^[1][2]

History

She was allocated to South Atlantic Steamship Company, on 24 May 1943. On 22 September 1948, she was laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon. On 1 June 1954, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1954", she returned loaded with grain on 23 June 1954. She was again withdrawn from the fleet on 8 August 1957, to have the grain unloaded, she returned empty on 12 August 1957. She was sold for scrapping, on 14 August 1967, to Zidell Explorations, Inc., for $54,001. She was removed from the fleet on 31 August 1967.^[4]

References

1. St. John's River SBC 2010.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "John Gorrie". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
• "SS John Gorrie". Retrieved 15 December 2019.