SS C. Francis Jenkins

SS C. Francis Jenkins was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after C. Francis Jenkins, a pioneer of early cinema and television.

History
United States
Name	C. Francis Jenkins
Namesake	C. Francis Jenkins
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Agwilines Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2316
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$975,633[1]
Yard number	57
Way number	2
Laid down	20 July 1944
Launched	26 August 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs.E.S.Gladys Morgan
Completed	9 September 1944
Identification	Call sign: WSYJ [1]
Fate	Sold for commercial use, 16 December 1946, withdrawn from fleet, 12 January 1947
Panama
Name	Ionian Leader
Owner	Compania de Navegacion Cristobal de Panama
Fate	Scrapped, 1966
General characteristics [2]
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 Filer and Stowell, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 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

C. Francis Jenkins was laid down on 20 July 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2316, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. E. S. Gladys Morgan, wife of resident MARCOM auditor; and launched on 26 August 1944.^[3][1]

History

She was allocated to Agwilines Inc., 9 September 1944. On 22 May 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York.^[4]

Allocated to A. L. Burbank and Co., LTD, 16 July 1946. Placed in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 2 December 1946.^[4]

She was sold, on 16 December 1946, to Cia de Nav. Cristobal, for commercial use, and renamed Ionian Leader. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 12 January 1947.^[4]