SS Laura Bridgman

History
United States
NameLaura Bridgman
NamesakeLaura Bridgman
Orderedas type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2382
BuilderJ.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost$892,876[1]
Yard number167
Way number3
Laid down23 September 1944
Launched30 October 1944
Sponsored byIda Purcell
Completed13 November 1944
Identification
Fate
United States
NameCatherine
OwnerDrytrans
Acquired17 January 1950
FateSold, September 1957
Liberia
AcquiredSeptember 1957
FateSold, 14 May 1958
United States
NamePenn Explorer
OwnerPenntrans Co.
Acquired14 May 1958
FateSold, 29 November 1961
Liberia
Acquired29 November 1961
FateScrapped, 1968
General characteristics [2]
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 Laura Bridgman was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Laura Bridgman, the first deaf-blind American child to gain a significant education in the English language.

Construction

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Laura Bridgman was laid down on 23 September 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2382, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia; she was sponsored by Ida Purcell, the wife of bishop Clare Purcell, and launched on 30 October 1944.[3][1]

History

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She was allocated to Seas Shipping Co., Inc., on 13 November 1944. On 16 October 1945, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in the Suisun Bay Group. She was removed from the fleet on 26 June 1950, to be loaded with grain, she relocated to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in the Hudson River Group, on 13 July 1950. On 12 December 1950, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be unloaded, she returned to the fleet empty on 19 December 1950. On 17 January 1951, she was sold to Drytrans, Inc., and renamed Catherine. In September 1957, she was transferred to a Liberian shipping company. On 14 May 1958, she was sold to Penntrans Co., and renamed Penn Explorer. She was again sold to a Liberian company on 29 November 1961. She was scrapped in 1968.[4][5]

References

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Bibliography

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  • "Jones Construction, Brunswick GA". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  • "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  • Maritime Administration. "Laura Bridgman". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  • Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  • "SS Laura Bridgman". Retrieved 15 November 2017.