SS Virginia Dare

SS Virginia Dare (MC contract 147) was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America, who disappeared along with the rest of the Roanoke Colony.

SS Virginia Dare launched at Wilmington, North Carolina, February 3, 1942
History
United States
Name:	Virginia Dare
Namesake:	Virginia Dare
Builder:	North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, North Carolina
Yard number:	3
Way number:	3
Laid down:	28 May 1941
Launched:	3 February 1942
Out of service:	6 March 1944
Honors and awards:	1 × battle star
Fate:	scrapped 1948
General characteristics
Type:	Liberty ship
Tonnage:	7,000 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Length:	441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam:	56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft:	27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)
Propulsion:	Two oil-fired boilers Triple expansion steam engine Single screw 2,500 hp (1,864 kW)
Speed:	11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Capacity:	9,140 tons cargo
Complement:	41
Armament:	1 × Stern-mounted 4 in (100 mm) deck gun AA guns

The ship was laid down by North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in their Cape Fear River yard on 28 May 1941, then launched on 3 February 1942.[1] She was operated by the South Atlantic Steamship Line for the War Shipping Administration.[2] In September 1942 Greene was part of the heavily escorted Arctic Convoy PQ 18 when her crew was credited with shooting down seven German aircraft and received the Gallant Ship Citation.[3]

While operating off of Bizerte, Tunisia she struck a mine and had to be beached.[4] Seven days later she broke in half. In 1948 she was scrapped by an Italian salvage company.[5]

Awards

• Virginia Dare's Naval Armed Guard detachment received one battle star for World War II service in Murmansk convoy operations.[6]
• Captain Arthur L. Johnson, Master of Virginia Dare was given the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal by The President of the United States. He was awarded for leadership and high courage in the face of attacking planes. The award was given by Admiral Emory S. Land.[7]

References

1. "North Carolina Shipbuilding". shipbuildinghistory.com. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
2. "Virginia Dare". MARAD Vessel History Database. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
3. "Hearing on 04/18/2007: H.R. 23, the "Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007"". House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
4. "Chronological List of U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged during 1944". American Merchant Marine at War. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
5. "Virginia Dare". MARAD Vessel History Database. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
6. "U.S. Merchant Marine Ships whose Naval Armed Guard crews earned "Battle Stars" in World War II - Ships with names "N to Z"". American Merchant Marine at War. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
7. usmm.org Heroes