SS Samuel Johnston

SS Samuel Johnston was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Samuel Johnston, an American planter, lawyer, and statesman from Chowan County, North Carolina. He represented North Carolina in both the Continental Congress and the United States Senate, and was the sixth Governor of North Carolina.

History
United States
Name	Samuel Johnston
Namesake	Samuel Johnston
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Eastern Steamship Co.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 46
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost	$1,046,847[2]
Yard number	2033
Way number	7
Laid down	14 April 1942
Launched	14 June 1942
Sponsored by	Miss Elaine Trimble
Completed	30 June 1942
Identification	Call sign: KFOV [2]
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 27 September 1947 Sold for scrapping, 26 April 1967
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 Worthington Pump & Machinery Corp, Harrison, New Jersey) 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

Samuel Johnston was laid down on 14 April 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 46, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Elaine Trimble, the daughter of Colonel South Trimble Jr., the Solicitor for the Department of Commerce, and was launched on 14 June 1942.^[1][2]

History

She was allocated to Eastern Steamship Co., on 30 June 1942. On 27 September 1947, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. She was sold for scrapping on 24 March 1957, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., for $48,770. She was removed from the fleet, 26 April 1967.^[4][4]