SS Albert Gallatin

SS Albert Gallatin was a liberty ship built by California Shipbuilding Corporation of Los Angeles, and delivered in April 1942 to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) with a hull# 277.[2] Name for Albert Gallatin the United States Secretary of the Treasury. Albert Gallatin call sign was LERH. In April of 1942 she was operated as a United States Merchant Marine ship by the American-Hawaiian Steamship Company. In 1944 she was operated by the Isthmian Steamship Company of New York. On January 2, 1944 she was torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-26 and sunk in the Arabian Sea during World War 2.[3]

SS John W Brown, a ship of the same class.
History
United States
Name: SS Albert Gallatin
Namesake: Albert Gallatin
Operator: American-Hawaiian SS Company, then Isthmian SS Company
Builder: California Shipbuilding Corporation, Terminal Island, Los Angeles
Yard number: 9
Completed: April 1942
Identification:
Fate: On January 2, 1944 torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-26 and sunk.
General characteristics
Class and type: Type EC2-S-C1 Liberty ship
Displacement: 14,245 long tons (14,474 t)[1]
Length:
  • 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m) o/a
  • 417 ft 9 in (127.33 m) p/p
  • 427 ft (130 m) w/l[1]
Beam: 57 ft (17 m)[1]
Draft: 27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)[1]
Propulsion:
  • Two oil-fired boilers
  • Triple-expansion steam engine
  • 2,500 hp (1,900 kW)
  • Single screw
Speed: 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)[1]
Range: 20,000 nmi (37,000 km; 23,000 mi)
Capacity: 10,856 t (10,685 long tons) deadweight (DWT)[1]
Crew: 81[1]
Armament: Stern-mounted 4 in (100 mm) deck gun for use against surfaced submarines, variety of anti-aircraft guns

First attack

On August 28, 1943 at 5:00 pm the Albert Gallatin was attacked by German submarine U-107, commanded by Volker Simmermacher off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. Albert Gallatin was unescorted by any ship when attacked. Albert Gallatin was traveling northbound 110 miles southeast of Savannah, Georgia with a US Navy K-class blimp K-34. U-107 fired three torpedoes, two missed and one hit the Albert Gallatin propellor with only minor damage, as it failed to detonate.[4]

Sinking

On January 2, 1944 4:52 am Japanese submarine I-26, commanded by Kusaka, torpedoed Albert Gallatin. Albert Gallatin was unescorted in the Arabian Sea at the time. Albert Gallatin was traveling from Aden, Yemen to Bandar Shahpur, Iran with 7954 tons of cargo and mail. All of the crew were able to board the lifeboats. Later the crew of 43 merchants and the 28 United States Navy Armed Guards were picked up by the MV Britannia build in 1939. Albert Gallatin sank at 21°21′N 59°58′E [5]

References
  1. Davies, James (2012). "Liberty Cargo Ships" (PDF). ww2ships.com. p. 23. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  2. "Liberty ships built by California Shipbuilding, Terminal Island, CA". usmm.org. 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  3. "Liberty Ships – A". mariners-l.co.uk. 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  4. uboat.net Albert Gallatin
  5. wrecksite.eu Albert Gallatin



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