SS A. J. Cermak

SS A. J. Cermak was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Anton Cermak, an American politician. Cermak was the Mayor of Chicago from 1931 until his assassination in 1933 while meeting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.[4]

SS John W. Brown, another Liberty Ship.
History
United States
Name:	A. J. Cermak
Namesake:	Anton Cermak
Owner:	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator:	Blidberg & Rothchild Co., Inc.
Ordered:	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 1836
Awarded:	24 December 1942
Builder:	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost:	$918,360[2]
Yard number:	2284
Way number:	8
Laid down:	9 November 1943
Launched:	30 November 1943
Completed:	8 December 1943
Identification:	Call sign: KVDZ [2]
Fate:	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 16 March 1948
Status:	Sold for scrapping, 27 March 1964, removed from fleet, 11 April 1964
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

A. J. Cermak was laid down on 9 November 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 1836, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; and was launched on 30 November 1943.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to Blidberg & Rothchild Co., Inc., on 8 December 1943. On 10 January 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. On 27 March 1964, she was sold for scrapping to Northern Metal Co., for $45,045. She was removed from the fleet on 11 April 1964.[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 17 March 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "A. J. Cermak". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 17 March 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• "SS A. J. Cermak". Retrieved 17 March 2020.