SS William Grayson

SS William Grayson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William Grayson, a soldier, lawyer, and statesman from Virginia. Grayson was a delegate to the Confederation Congress from 1785 to 1787. He helped to pass the Northwest Ordinance, including a provision that forbade slavery in the Northwest Territory. He was one of the first two US Senators from Virginia, and belonged to the Anti-Federalist faction, he was also the first member of the United States Congress to die while holding office.

History
United States
Name:	William Grayson
Namesake:	William Grayson
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Black Diamond Steamship Co.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 310
Awarded:	1 May 1941
Builder:	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost:	$1,065,106[2]
Yard number:	2060
Way number:	3
Laid down:	16 July 1942
Launched:	31 August 1942
Sponsored by:	Mrs. Albert W. Kabernagel
Completed:	14 September 1942
Identification:	Call sign: KHGD [2]
Status:	Transferred to Greece, 18 May 1945
Greece
Name:	Kerkyra
Owner:	Greece
Fate:	Returned to the Maritime Commission (MARCOM), 13 November 1945
Status:	Sold for commercial use, 18 December 1946
Greece
Name:	Kerkyra (1946—1947) Anna L. Condylis (1947—1957)
Owner:	Condylis Bros. (1946—1955) D. L. Condylis (1955—1957)
Operator:	Orion Steamship Co. (1946—1955) Sea Traffic & Trading Corp. (1955—1957)
Status:	Sold, 1957
Greece
Name:	Alexandros
Owner:	Lamyra Shipping Co.
Operator:	Sea Traffic & Trading Corp.
Status:	Sold, 1962
Lebanon
Name:	Theonymphos Tinou
Owner:	Preveza Shipping Co.
Operator:	Tsakalotos Navigation Corp.
Status:	Scrapped, 1968
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 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 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

William Grayson was laid down on 16 July 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 310, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Mrs. Albert W. Kabernagel, the wife of the chief inspector at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, and was launched on 31 August 1942.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to Black Diamond Steamship Co., on 14 September 1942. On 18 May 1945, she was transferred to Greece, and renamed Kerkyra. She was returned to MARCOM on 13 November 1946. On 18 December 1946, she was sold for commercial use to Condylis Bros., for $544,506, and renamed Anna L. Condylis. She was scrapped in Taiwan, in 1968.[4]

World War II Convoys

During World War II, William Grayson participated in no fewer than 32 convoys supplying the war effort. The list below, sorted chronologically, most likely represents the complete list of convoys that include William Grayson, but does not represent an exhaustive search.

• Convoy GZ.9 (Oct 1942: Guantanamo - Cristobal)
• Convoy NG.313 (Oct 1942: NYC - Guantanamo)
• Convoy CA.1 (Dec 1942: Capetown - Dispersed)
• Convoy DC.21 (Apr 1943: Durban - Capetown)
• Convoy PA.32 (Apr 1943: Bandar abbas - Aden)
• Convoy BT.14 (May 1943: Bahia - Trinidad)
• Convoy CN.19 (May 1943: Capetown - Dispersed)
• Convoy TAG.66 (Jun 1943: Trinidad - Guantanamo)
• Convoy GN.66 (Jun 1943: Guantanamo - NYC)
• Convoy UGS.13 (Jul 1943: Hampton Roads - Port Said)
• Convoy AP.43 (Aug 1943: Aden - Bandar Abbas)
• Convoy GUS.20 (Oct 1943: Alexandria - Hampton Roads)
• Convoy PA.56 (Oct 1943: Bandar abbas - Aden)
• Convoy HX.272 (Dec 1943: NYC - Liverpool)
• Convoy WP.SP 16 (Jan 1944: Milford Haven - Portsmouth)
• Convoy PW.467 (Jan 1944: Portsmouth - M haven)
• Convoy ON.223 (Feb 1944: Liverpool - NYC)
• Convoy HX.283 (Mar 1944: NYC - Liverpool)

[5]

After leaving New York City, William Grayson was involved in a collision that damaged her hull. William Grayson made way for St. Johns, Newfoundland for repairs. Following repairs, William Grayson returned to port.[6]

• Convoy UGS.51 (Aug 1944: Hampton Roads - Port Said)
• Convoy GUS.51 (Sep 1944: Port Said - Hampton Roads)
• Convoy KN.342 (Oct 1944: Key West - NYC)
• Convoy HX.319 (Nov 1944: NYC - Liverpool)
• Convoy WVC.16 (Dec 1944: St helens rds - Havre)
• Convoy ON.280 (Jan 1945: Southend - NYC)
• Convoy TBC.43 (Jan 1945: Southend - Milford Haven)
• Convoy BX.149 (Mar 1945: Boston - Halifax)
• Convoy HX.343 (Mar 1945: NYC - Liverpool)
• Convoy TAM.119 (Mar 1945: Southend - Antwerp)
• Convoy ATM.130 (Apr 1945: Antwerp - Southend)
• Convoy ON.298 (Apr 1945: Southend - NYC)

[5]

References

1. Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2008.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.
5. Hague.
6. Convoy HX 283.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "William Grayson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 6 March 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS William Grayson". Retrieved 6 March 2020.
• "Arnold Hague Convoy Database". convoyweb.org.uk. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
• "Convoy HX 283 - warsailors.com". www.warsailors.com. Retrieved 20 August 2015.