SS Henry L. Benning

Liberty ship SS Henry L. Benning 22 March 1943
History
United States
Name	Henry L. Benning
Namesake	Henry L. Benning
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Cosmopolitan Shipping Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 946
Awarded	30 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Cost	$1,071,165 [2]
Yard number	2096
Way number	0
Laid down	12 January 1943
Launched	22 February 1943
Sponsored by	Miss Ann A. Thoron
Completed	9 March 1943
Identification	Call sign: KKMX [2]
Fate	Laid up in reserve fleet, 5 February 1946, sold, 30 January 1951
United States
Owner	A. H. Bull Steamship Co.
Renamed	Dorothy Emma, 27 October 1961
Fate	Sold, 11 October 1962
India
Name	Nanak Jayanti
Owner	Jayanti Shipping Co.
Fate	Scrapped, December 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 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

SS Henry L. Benning was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Henry L. Benning, a senior officer of the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War. Benning also was a lawyer, legislator, and associate judge on the Georgia Supreme Court.

Construction

Henry L. Benning was laid down on 12 January 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 946, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Ann A. Thoron, granddaughter of Henry Benning, and launched on 22 February 1943. ^{[1] [2]}

History

She was allocated to the Cosmopolitan Shipping Co., Inc., on 9 March 1943. ^[4]

On 5 February 1946, she was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, in Lee Hall, Virginia, with $29,854, worth of damages. She was delivered to the Operations Department, on 12 February 1947. On 23 February 1948, she was laid up in the Wilmington Reserve Fleet, in Wilmington, North Carolina. On 30 January 1951, she was sold to A. H. Bull Steamship Co.. She was renamed Dorothy, and later renamed Emma, 27 October 1961. On 11 October 1962, she was sold and reflagged in India, and renamed Nanak Jayanti, she was scrapped in December 1967. ^[4]

References

1. Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2021.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
• Maritime Administration. "Henry L. Benning". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
• "SS Henry L. Benning" . Retrieved 30 July 2025.