SS Arthur R. Lewis

SS Arthur R. Lewis was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Arthur R. Lewis, a shipping magnate. Lewis founded American and Cuban Steamship Lines, Seas Shipping Company, Planet Line, Overseas Company, and Atlantic Coast Shipping Company.[4]

History
United States
Name:	Arthur R. Lewis
Namesake:	Arthur R. Lewis
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Seas Shipping Co., Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2475
Awarded:	23 April 1943
Builder:	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost:	$1,067,820[2]
Yard number:	39
Way number:	3
Laid down:	13 March 1944
Launched:	27 April 1944
Sponsored by:	Mrs. Arthur M. Tode
Completed:	12 May 1944
Identification:	Call sign: KWWS [2]
Fate:	Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 2 December 1947
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 31 August 1964, removed from fleet, 22 October 1964
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 Joshua Hendy Iron Works, Sunnyvale, California) 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 inches (76 mm)/50 caliber gun Stern-mounted 4 inches (102 mm)/50 caliber gun 2–8 × single 20 millimeters (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37 millimeters (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

Construction

Arthur R. Lewis was laid down on 13 March 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2475, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Arthur M. Tode, the wife of the president of the Propeller Club of the United States, and was launched on 27 April 1944.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to the Seas Shipping Co., Inc., on 5 May 1944. On 2 December 1947, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. She was sold for scrapping, 22 September 1964, to Northern Metal Co., for $45,000. She was removed from the fleet on 22 October 1964.[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 21 January 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Arthur R. Lewis". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 21 January 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Arthur R. Lewis". Retrieved 21 January 2020.