SS Joseph V. Connolly

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History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameJoseph V. Connolly
Namesake Joseph V. Connolly
Owner War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator South Atlantic Steamship Lines, Inc.
Orderedas type (EC2-S-C5) hull, MC hull 3143
Builder J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida [1]
Cost$845,073 [2]
Yard number103
Way number4
Laid down25 May 1945
Launched9 July 1945
Completed8 August 1945
Identification
Fate
  • Caught fire and abandoned, 12 January 1948
  • Sunk in tow, 29 January 1948
General characteristics [3]
Class and type
Tonnage
Displacement
Length
  • 441 feet 6 inches (135 m) oa
  • 416 feet (127 m) pp
  • 427 feet (130 m) lwl
Beam57 feet (17 m)
Draft27 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
Speed11.5 knots (21.3  km/h; 13.2  mph)
Capacity490,000 cubic feet (13,875 m3) (bale)
Complement
Armament

SS Joseph V. Connolly was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Joseph V. Connolly.

Contents

Construction

Joseph V. Connolly was laid down on 25 May 1945, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 3143, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was launched on 9 July 1945. [1] [2]

History

She was allocated to South Atlantic Steamship Lines, Inc., on 8 August 1945. [4]

In March 1947 Connolly was specially converted for the transportation of United States' war dead at the Hoboken Shipyard of the Bethlehem Steel Company. [5] On 26 October 1947 she arrived at New York carrying the first 6,248 war dead from Europe. [6]

On 12 January 1948, while transporting 6,445 empty metal coffins from New York to Antwerp, she caught fire and was abandoned 900 mi (1,400 km) east of New York. All 46 crewmen onboard were rescued. [6] She was taken in tow on 24 January, but broke loose and sank on 29 January. [7]

Wreck location: 40°47′N52°48′W / 40.783°N 52.800°W / 40.783; -52.800

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References

  1. 1 2 J.A. Panama City 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 MARCOM.
  3. ↑ Davies 2004, p. 23.
  4. ↑ MARAD.
  5. ↑ "CONNOLLY CARRIED FIRST OF WAR DEAD". The New York Times. 13 January 1948. p. 3.
  6. 1 2 "ALL 46 SAVED AT SEA AS FIRE DESTROYS ARMY TRANSPORT". The New York Times. 13 January 1948. p. 1.
  7. ↑ Wrecksite.

Bibliography

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