SS Samuel Blatchford

History
United States
Name	Samuel Blatchford
Namesake	Samuel Blatchford
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Agwilines Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 937
Awarded	30 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Cost	$1,073,858 [2]
Yard number	2087
Way number	4
Laid down	15 December 1942
Launched	6 February 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. L. T. Gray
Completed	23 February 1943
Identification	Call sign: KKAH [2]
Fate	Laid up in Reserve Fleet, 24 September 1948, sold for scrap 10 October 1969
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 Samuel Blatchford was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Samuel Blatchford, an American attorney and judge who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 3 April 1882, until his death on 7 July 1893.

Construction

Samuel Blatchford was laid down on 15 December 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 937, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Mrs. L. T. Gray, and launched on 6 February 1943. ^{[1] [2]}

History

She was allocated to the Agwilines Inc., on 23 February 1943. ^[4]

On 23 September 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in Mobile, Alabama. On 22 October 1948, she was damaged while transiting through the Tensas River bridge. On 10 October 1969, she was sold for $43,216.54, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., to be scrapped. On 27 October 1969, she was withdrawn from the fleet. ^[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 18 July 2025.
• Maritime Administration. "Samuel Blatchford". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
• "SS Samuel Blatchford" . Retrieved 18 July 2025.