SS James Woodrow

SS James Woodrowc. 1942
History
United States
Name	James Woodrow
Namesake	James Woodrow
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	American South African Line Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 929
Awarded	30 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Cost	$1,072,856 [2]
Yard number	2079
Way number	13
Laid down	26 November 1942
Launched	9 January 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Fitz Williams Woodrow
Completed	19 January 1943
Identification	Call sign: KJLT [2]
Fate	Laid up in Reserve Fleet, 12 January 1946, sold for scrap 15 May 1954
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 James Woodrow was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after James Woodrow. He was an uncle of United States President Woodrow Wilson, professor at Columbia Theological Seminary, and later president of the College of South Carolina.

Construction

James Woodrow was laid down on 26 November 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 929, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Cicely deGraffenreid Woodrow, wife of James grandson Colonel Fitz William McMaster Woodrow I, and was launched on 9 January 1943. ^{[1] [2]}

History

She was allocated to American South African Line Inc., on 19 January 1943. ^[4]

On 12 January 1946, she was laid up in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, in Benicia, California. Sometime before 21 December 1951, she had sustained damage to her hull and propulsion system from grounding, with a $240,000 estimate to repair. On 25 February 1954, it was recommended that she be sold for scrap. On 15 May 1954, she was sold to the Boston Metals Company, for $222,222, to be scrapped. ^[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 16 July 2025.
• Maritime Administration. "James Woodrow". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
• "SS James Woodrow" . Retrieved 16 July 2025.