SS Junius Smith

History
United States
Name	Junius Smith
Namesake	Junius Smith
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Cosmopolitan Shipping Company
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2505
Awarded	23 April 1943
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost	$964,440[2]
Yard number	69
Way number	3
Laid down	11 October 1944
Launched	14 November 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Henry A. Davis, Jr.
Completed	22 November 1944
Identification	Call sign: KYUT [2]
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 14 April 1949 Sold for scrapping, 30 November 1965, withdrawn from fleet, 14 January 1966
General characteristics [3]
Class and 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 m^3) (grain) 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m^3) (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 Junius Smith was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Junius Smith, an American lawyer that founded the British and American Steam Navigation Company, who is often considered the "Father of the Atlantic Liner".

Construction

Junius Smith was laid down on 11 October 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2505, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Henry A. Davis, Jr., the wife of the foreman of railroad transportation at St. Johns River SBC, and was launched on 14 November 1944.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to the Cosmopolitan Shipping Company, on 22 November 1944. On 14 April 1949, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. She was sold for scrapping, 30 November 1965, to Southern Scrap Material Co., Ltd., for $48,929.79. She was removed from the fleet, 14 January 1966.[4]

References

1. St. John's River SBC 2010.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Junius Smith". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
• "SS Junius Smith". Retrieved 31 January 2020.