History
United States
NameOwen Wister
NamesakeOwen Wister
OwnerWar Shipping Administration (WSA)
OperatorWilliam J. Rountree Company
Orderedas type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1216
BuilderSt. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost$1,389,365[2]
Yard number24
Way number6
Laid down2 November 1943
Launched14 December 1943
Sponsored byMrs. William L. Marshall
Completed24 December 1943
Identification
Fate
  • Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon, 22 July 1949
  • Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon, 26 June 1952
  • Sold for scrapping, 8 December 1964, removed from fleet, 21 December 1964
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
Beam57 feet (17 m)
Draft27 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
Speed11.5 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

SS Owen Wister was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Owen Wister, an American writer and historian, considered the "father" of western fiction. He is best remembered for writing The Virginian and a biography of Ulysses S. Grant.

Construction

Owen Wister was laid down on 2 November 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1216, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. William L. Marshall, the wife of Gulf Coast Regional construction auditor for MARCOM, and was launched on 14 December 1943.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to William J. Rountree Company, on 24 December 1943. On 22 July 1949, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon. On 28 June 1954, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1954", she returned loaded on 17 July 1954. On 3 November 1956, she was withdrawn to be unload, she returned on empty 9 November 1956. She was sold for scrapping, 8 December 1964, to Zidell Explorations, Inc., for $156,006.66, which included her sister ships SS Robert E. Clarkson and SS William C. Endicott. She was removed from the fleet on 21 December 1964.[4]

References

Bibliography

  • "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  • Maritime Administration. "Owen Wister". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  • Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  • "SS Owen Wister". Retrieved 13 January 2020.
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