SS Ponce De Leon

History
United States
Name	Ponce De Leon
Namesake	Ponce De Leon
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Waterman Steamship Corp.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1193
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost	$2,680,640[2]
Yard number	1
Way number	1
Laid down	15 August 1942
Launched	14 March 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. J.C. Merrill
Completed	30 April 1943
Identification	Call sign: KHQF [2]
Fate	Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 11 April 1947 Sold for scrapping, 10 September 1962, removed from fleet, 9 October 1962
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 Ponce De Leon was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Ponce De Leon, a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for leading the first official European expedition to Florida and the first governor of Puerto Rico.

Construction

Ponce De Leon was laid down on 15 August 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1193, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. J.C. Merrill, the wife of the president of the St. John's River SB Corp., she was launched on 14 March 1943.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to Waterman Steamship Corp., on 30 April 1943. On 11 April 1947, she was laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. She was sold for scrapping, on 10 September 1962, to Gulf Shipyard Industrial Park Co., for $49,799. She was removed from the fleet on 9 October 1962.[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 15 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Ponce De Leon". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
• "SS Ponce De Leon". Retrieved 15 December 2019.