SS Harald Torsvik

SS Harald Torsvik was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was first named after Henry B. Plant, an American businessman, entrepreneur, investor involved with many transportation interests and projects, mostly railroads, in the southeastern United States. She was transferred to Norway after launching and renamed Harald Torsvik after Harald Torsvik, a Norwegian lawyer that aided refugees fleeing to England during World War II, he was captured by the Nazis and executed.

History
United States
Name:
  • Henry B. Plant
  • Harald Torsvik
Namesake:
Owner: War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Ordered: as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2502
Awarded: 23 April 1943
Builder: St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost: $955,581[2]
Yard number: 66
Way number: 6
Laid down: 25 September 1944
Launched: 28 October 1944
Completed: 6 November 1944
Status: Transferred to Norway under Lend-Lease, 6 November 1944
Norway
Name: Harald Torsvik
Owner: Norway
Fate: Sold, 1946
Norway
Name: Grey County
Owner: Klaus Wiese Hansen
Fate: Sold, 1951
Panama
Name: Aegean Sailor
Owner: Cia Nav del Egero
Operator: Lemos & Pateras
Refit: Converted to M/V, 1960
Status: Sold, 1960
Greece
Name: Kyramorouko
Owner: Marafecto Cia Nav
Fate: Sold, 1964
Greece
Name: Spalmatori
Owner: Spalmatori Cia Nav
Fate: Sold, 1966
Greece
Name: Anastassios
Owner: Astro-Mareante Nav
Fate: Sold, 1967
Greece
Name: Stymfalos
Owner: Stymfalos SA
Fate: Scrapped, 1968
General characteristics [3]
Class and type:
Tonnage:
Displacement:
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 m3) (grain)
  • 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m3) (bale)
Complement:
Armament:

Construction

Henry B. Plant was laid down on 25 September 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2502, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; and was launched on 28 October 1944.[1][2]

History

She was transferred to Norway, under the Lend-Lease program, on 6 November 1944, and renamed Harald Torsvik. She was sold for commercial use, 10 October 1946, to Klaus Wiese Hansen, for $574,830.27, and renamed Grey County.[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. "Harald Torsvik". 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "SS Henry B. Plant". Retrieved 31 January 2020.


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