SS John H. B. Latrobe

SS John H. B. Latrobe was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after John H. B. Latrobe, an American lawyer and inventor. He invented the Latrobe Stove, also known as the "Baltimore Heater", a coal fired parlor heater made of cast iron that fit into fireplaces as an insert.

History
United States
Name:	John H. B. Latrobe
Namesake:	John H. B. Latrobe
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Calmar Steamship Corp.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 52
Awarded:	14 March 1941
Builder:	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost:	$1,075,921[2]
Yard number:	2039
Way number:	5
Laid down:	19 May 1942
Launched:	13 July 1942
Sponsored by:	Miss Doreen Frances Almond
Completed:	28 July 1942
Identification:	Call sign: KGBL [2]
Fate:	Laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia, 8 October 1947 Laid up in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California, 14 May 1952
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 15 April 1969, withdrawn from fleet, 1 May 1969
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 Worthington Pump & Machinery Corp, Harrison, New Jersey) 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

John H. B. Latrobe was laid down on 19 May 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 52, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Doreen Frances Almond, the daughter of H.L. Almond technical representative of the British Ministry of War Transport, and was launched on 13 July 1942.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to Calmar Steamship Corp., on 28 July 1942. On 8 October 1947, she was Laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia. On 14 May 1952, she was laid up in the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California. She was sold for nontransportation use on 15 April 1969, to Zidell Explorations, Inc. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 1 May 1969.[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 2 March 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "John H. B. Latrobe". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 2 March 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS John H. B. Latrobe". Retrieved 2 March 2020.