SS Cardinal Gibbons

SS Cardinal Gibbons was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Cardinal Gibbons, an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth Archbishop of Baltimore from 1877 until his death in 1921. Gibbons was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1886.

History
United States
Name:	Cardinal Gibbons
Namesake:	Cardinal Gibbons
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Marine Transport Lines, Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 920
Awarded:	1 January 1942
Builder:	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost:	$1,057,253[2]
Yard number:	2070
Way number:	15
Laid down:	8 September 1942
Launched:	10 October 1942
Sponsored by:	Mrs. N.J. Nelligan
Completed:	23 October 1942
Identification:	Call sign: KHMH [2]
Fate:	Laid up in James River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York, 29 October 1948 Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 13 October 1949 Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 14 October 1957
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 2 November 1970, removed from fleet, 23 November 1970
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 Ellicott Machine Corp., Baltimore, Maryland) 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

Cardinal Gibbons was laid down on 8 September 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 920, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Mrs. N.J. Nelligan, the sister-in-law of Monsignor Nelligan of the Baltimore Cathedral, and was launched on 10 October 1942.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to Marine Transport Lines, Inc., on 23 October 1942. On 29 October 1948, she was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. On 13 October 1949, she was laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. On 14 October 1957, she was laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. On 2 November 1970, she was sold for scrapping to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., for $41,137. She was removed from the fleet on 23 November 1970.[4]

References

1. Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2008.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Cardinal Gibbons". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 18 March 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS Cardinal Gibbons". Retrieved 18 March 2020.