SS Reverdy Johnson

History
United States
Name	Reverdy Johnson
Namesake	Reverdy Johnson
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	American Export Lines, Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 51
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,075,325
Yard number	2038
Way number	10
Laid down	15 May 1942
Launched	10 July 1942
Sponsored by	Miss Eliz R. Simpson
Completed	25 July 1942
Identification	Call sign: KGBM
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 5 May 1948 Sold for scrapping, 19 January 1967, withdrawn from fleet, 17 February 1965
General characteristics
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 Worthington Pump & Machinery Corp, Harrison, New Jersey) 1 × screw propeller
Speed	11.5 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	38–62 USMM 21–40 USNAG
Armament	Varied by ship Bow-mounted 3-inch (76 mm)/50-caliber gun Stern-mounted 4-inch (102 mm)/50-caliber gun 2–8 × single 20-millimeter (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37-millimeter (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

SS Reverdy Johnson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Reverdy Johnson, a statesman and jurist from Maryland. From 1845 to 1849, Johnson represented Maryland in the United States Senate as a Whig. From March 1849 until July 1850, Johnson was Attorney General of the United States under President Zachary Taylor. He represented the slave-owning defendant in the controversial 1857 case Dred Scott v. Sandford. In 1865, he defended Mary Surratt before a military tribunal. From 14 September 1868 until 13 May 1869, he served as the ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Construction

Reverdy Johnson was laid down on 15 May 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 51, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Eliz R. Simpson, a direct descendant Reverdy Johnson, and was launched on 10 July 1942.

History

She was allocated to American Export Lines, Inc., on 25 July 1942. On 5 May 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. She was sold for scrapping on 19 January 1967, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., for $45,567.89. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 17 February 1967.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Reverdy Johnson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
• "SS Reverdy Johnson". Retrieved 2 March 2020.