SS Louis D. Brandeis

Liberty ship Louis D. Brandeis, 3 April 1943
History
United States
Name	Louis D. Brandeis
Namesake	Louis D. Brandeis
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 943
Awarded	30 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Cost	$1,071,791 [2]
Yard number	2093
Way number	12
Laid down	31 December 1942
Launched	20 February 1943
Completed	8 March 1943
Identification	Call sign: KKAW [2]
Fate	Laid up in Reserve Fleet, 18 February 1948, sold for scrap, 30 October 1964
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 Harrisburg Machinery Corp., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) 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 Louis D. Brandeis was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Louis D. Brandeis, an American lawyer who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1916 to 1939.

Construction

Louis D. Brandeis was laid down on 31 December 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 943, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was launched on 20 February 1943. ^{[1] [2]}

History

She was allocated to the Moore-McCormack Lines, Inc., on 8 March 1943. ^[4]

On 14 June 1946, she was laid up in the Wilmington Reserve Fleet, in Wilmington, North Carolina. On 30 October 1964, she was sold to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., for $48,129.79, to be scrapped. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 10 January 1965. ^[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 21 July 2025.
• Maritime Administration. "Louis D. Brandeis". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
• "SS Louis D. Brandeis" . Retrieved 21 July 2025.