SS Luther Martin

Last updated

History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameLuther Martin
Namesake Luther Martin
Owner War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator Agwilines Inc.
Orderedas type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 49
Awarded14 March 1941
Builder Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Cost$1,072,020 [2]
Yard number2036
Way number8
Laid down8 May 1942
Launched4 July 1942
Sponsored byMrs. Charles A. Swartz
Completed21 July 1942
Identification
Fate
  • Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 4 June 1948
  • Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 15 May 1952
  • Sold for scrapping, 7 October 1971, withdrawn from fleet, 27 October 1971
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)
Capacity
  • 562,608 cubic feet (15,931 m3) (grain)
  • 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m3) (bale)
Complement
Armament

SS Luther Martin was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Luther Martin, a politician and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, who left the Constitutional Convention early because he felt the Constitution violated States' rights. He was a leading Anti-Federalist, along with Patrick Henry and George Mason, whose actions helped passage of the Bill of Rights.

Contents

Construction

Luther Martin was laid down on 8 May 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 49, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; sponsored by Mrs. Charles A. Swartz, the wife of the B & O Railroad Car inspector at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, and was launched on 4 July 1942. [1] [2]

History

She was allocated to Agwilines Inc., on 21 July 1942. On 4 June 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. On 15 May 1952, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. She was sold for scrapping on 7 October 1971, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., for $33,127.54. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 27 October 1971. [4]

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