SS Fred C. Stebbins

SS Fred C. Stebbins was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Fred C. Stebbins, a Merchant seaman killed on the Liberty ship SS Johnathan Sturges, 24 February 1943, when she was struck and sunk by a torpedo from German submarine U-707.^[4]

History
United States
Name	Fred C. Stebbins
Namesake	Fred C. Stebbins
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Union Sulphur & Oil Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2513
Awarded	23 April 1943
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost	$981,676[2]
Yard number	77
Way number	5
Laid down	24 November 1944
Launched	30 December 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Fred C. Stebbins
Completed	11 January 1945
Identification	Call sign: ANFE [2]
Fate	Laid up in the, James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia, 16 December 1947 Transferred to US Navy, 3 February 1960, for armament testing
General characteristics [3]
Class & 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

Fred C. Stebbins was laid down on 24 November 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2513, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Fred C. Stebbins, the mother of the namesake, and was launched on 30 December 1944.^[1][2]

History

She was allocated to the Union Sulphur Company, on 11 January 1945. On 16 December 1947, she was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia. On 21 July 1953, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1953", she returned loaded on 6 August 1953. On 31 October 1955, she was withdrawn to be unload, she returned reloaded with grain on 7 November 1955. On 26 March 1956, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be unloaded, she returned empty on 20 April 1956. She was transferred to the US Navy, 5 February 1960, for armament testing.^[5]