SS Isaac Shelby

SS Isaac Shelby was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Isaac Shelby, the first and fifth Governor of Kentucky.

History
United States
Name	Isaac Shelby
Namesake	Isaac Shelby
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1518
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost	$1,097,546[1]
Yard number	134
Way number	6
Laid down	22 January 1944
Launched	6 March 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. K.D. Nichols
Completed	18 March 1944
Identification	Call Signal: KWAE [1]
Fate	Struck a mine and sunk off Italy, 5 January 1945 Sold for scrapping, 20 February 1948
General characteristics [2]
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 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

Isaac Shelby was laid down on 22 January 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1518, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia; she was sponsored by Mrs. K.D. Nichols, and launched on 6 March 1944.^[3][1]

History

She was allocated to the Smith & Johnson Company, on 18 March 1944. On 5 January 1945, she struck a mine off Naples, Italy, 41°12′N 13°30′E.^[1] She broke in two and sank with no loss of life. On 20 February 1948, she was sold, along with 39 other vessels, including her sister ship SS Niels Poulson, for $520,000, to Venturi Salvaggi Ricuperi Imprese Marittime Societa per Azioni, Genoa.^[4][5]