SS William R. Day

History
United States
Name	William R. Day
Namesake	William R. Day
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Marine Transport Lines, Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 941
Awarded	30 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Cost	$1,073,397 [2]
Yard number	2091
Way number	1
Laid down	24 December 1942
Launched	12 February 1943
Sponsored by	Miss Mary Broostek
Completed	2 March 1943
Identification	Call sign: KKAT [2]
Fate	Laid up in Reserve Fleet, 13 February 1946, sold for scrap, 22 January 1960
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 Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre, 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 William R. Day was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William R. Day, an American diplomat and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1903 to 1922. Prior to his service on the Supreme Court, Day served as United States Secretary of State during the administration of President William McKinley. He also served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the United States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit.

Construction

William R. Day was laid down on 24 December 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 941, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Mary Broostek, and launched on 12 February 1943. ^{[1] [2]}

History

She was allocated to the Marine Transport Lines, Inc., on 2 March 1943. ^[4]

On 13 February 1946, she was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, in Lee Hall, Virginia, with $39,000, in damages. On 24 November 1959, she was sold for $73,825 to Walsh Construction Co., for scrapping. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 22 January 1960. ^[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. "William R. Day". 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 William R. Day" . Retrieved 21 July 2025.