SS Woodbridge N. Ferris

History
United States
Name	Bushrod Washington, before 14 October 1942 Woodbridge N. Ferris, renamed 14 October 1942
Namesake	Bushrod Washington Woodbridge N. Ferris
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Calmar Steamship Corp.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 931
Awarded	30 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Cost	$1,077,871 [2]
Yard number	2081
Way number	12
Laid down	2 December 1942
Launched	28 December 1942
Completed	15 January 1943
Identification	Call sign: KKFZ [2]
Fate	Laid up in Reserve Fleet, 6 December 1946, sold and renamed 18 March 1965
United States
Owner	Zidell Explorations
Renamed	Twin Harbor
Fate	Scrapped 2010
Notes	Ship used in lighter service
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 Woodbridge N. Ferris was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Woodbridge N. Ferris, an American educator from Spencer, New York, who served as the 28th governor of Michigan and in the United States Senate as a Democrat. He was the founder and namesake of Ferris State University.

Construction

Woodbridge N. Ferris was laid down on 12 December 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 931, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was launched on 28 December 1942. ^{[1] [2]}

History

She was allocated to the Calmar Steamship Corp., on 15 January 1943. ^[4]

She was briefly handed over to Japan, on 4 February 1946. On 6 December 1946, she was laid up in the Astoria Reserve Fleet, in Astoria, Oregon. On 11 February 1965, she was sold, along with her sister ship turned Acubens-class general stores issue ship, Cybele, for a lump sum of $118,016.16, to Zidell Explorations Inc., to be scrapped. On 24 September 1965, she was renamed Twin Harbor and put into barge service. ^[4] In August 2010, she was scrapped, along with her sister ship SS Mahlon Pitney, in Tacoma, Washington. ^[5]

References

1. Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2021.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.
5. Skanner. sfn error: no target: CITEREFSkanner (help)

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
• Maritime Administration. "Woodbridge N. Ferris". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
• "SS Woodbridge N. Ferris" . Retrieved 17 July 2025.
• Carson, Rob (4 August 2010). "World War II Liberty Ships Recycled in Tacoma". News Tribune. Retrieved 17 July 2025.