SS George Sharswood

Liberty ship SS George Sharswood, 22 March 1943
History
United States
Name	George Sharswood
Namesake	George Sharswood
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Dichmann, Wright & Pugh, Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 945
Awarded	30 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Cost	$1,072,492 [2]
Yard number	2095
Way number	15
Laid down	11 January 1943
Launched	19 February 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. John L. Roy
Completed	6 March 1943
Identification	Call sign: KKMV [2]
Fate	Sold, 2 July 1947
United States
Name	New Rochelle Trails
Owner	East Harbor Trading Corp.
Fate	Sold, 3 August 1950
United States
Name	North Light
Owner	Merchants SS Corp.
Fate	Sold, January 1954
United States
Name	North Light
Owner	Delphi Steamship Co.
Fate	Sold, April 1955
United States
Name	Willamette Trader
Owner	Columbia Steamship Co. (1955-1956) Standard SS Corp. (1956-1958) West Coast SS Co. (1958-1961)
Fate	Exchanged and laid up in reserve fleet, 24 October 1961, sold for scrap 1 January 1962
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

SS George Sharswood was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after George Sharswood, was an American politician and judge. He served as a Whig member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1837 to 1838 and 1842 to 1843. He served on the select council for Philadelphia from 1839 to 1840, as a district judge in Pennsylvania from 1845 to 1867, as a justice on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1868 to 1879 and as chief justice from 1879 to 1882. He was a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and served as Dean from 1852 to 1868.

Construction

George Sharswood was laid down on 11 January 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 945, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Mrs. John L. Roy, and launched on 19 February 1943. ^{[1] [2] [4]}

History

She was allocated to the Dichmann, Wright & Pugh, Inc., on 6 March 1943. ^[5]

On 26 May 1947, she was sold to East Harbor Trading Corp., and renamed New Rochelle Trails. On 3 August 1950, she was sold to Merchants SS Corp., for $18,084, and renamed North Light. In January 1954, she was sold to Delphi Steamship Co., and renamed Willamette Trader. She was again sold in 1955 and 1959, before being exchanged and placed into the Defense Reserve Fleet, in Astoria, Oregon, on 24 October 1961. ^[6] She was sold to Zidell Explorations, Inc., on 11 January 1962, for scrapping. ^[5]

References

1. Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2021.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. Williams 2014, p. 54.
5. MARAD.
6. Sawyer & Mitchell 1985, p. 43.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
• Maritime Administration. "George Sharswood". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
• "SS George Sharswood" . Retrieved 29 July 2025.
• Williams, Greg H. (2014). The Liberty Ships of World War II. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN   9780786479450.
• Sawyer, L.A.; Mitchell, W.H. (1985). The Liberty Ships. Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, Great Britain: St. Edmundsbury Press Ltd. ISBN   1850440492.