SS Oliver Ellsworth

	SS Oliver Ellsworth
History
United States
Name	Oliver Ellsworth
Namesake	Oliver Ellsworth
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Agwilines Inc.
Ordered	as type ( MCE hull 42
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,051,644
Yard number	2029
Way number	6
Laid down	31 March 1942
Launched	4 June 1942
Sponsored by	Miss Frances T. Cwalina
Completed	22 June 1942
Fate	Sunk by German submarine U-408, 13 September 1942
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 Clark Bros. Co., Cleveland, Ohio); 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 inches (76 mm)/50 caliber gun; Stern-mounted 4 inches (102 mm)/50 caliber gun; 2–8 × single anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or,; 2–8 × 37 millimeters (1.46 in) M1 AA guns;

SS Oliver Ellsworth was a

United States senator from Connecticut, and the third Chief Justice of the United States

.

Construction

Oliver Ellsworth was laid down on 31 March 1942, under a

Brooklyn, Maryland, and was launched on 22 June 1942.^[2]^[1]

History

She was allocated to

A.H. Bull & Co., Inc., on 6 June 1942.^[4]

Oliver Ellsworth was just three months old when she was assigned to Convoy PQ 18, one of the Arctic convoys delivering supplies to the Soviet Union. She carried 7,200 long tons (7,300 t) of ammunition and aircraft as deck cargo. She was commanded by her Master, Otto Ernest Buford.^[5]

On 13 September 1942,

port to avoid Stalingrad.^[5]

The torpedo struck Oliver Ellsworth on her

starboard side between holds #4 and #5. After immediately securing the engines, the crew of eight officers, 34 crewmen, and 28 Armed guards quickly abandoned the stricken ship in four lifeboats, due to fear of their cargo of ammunition exploding. Because Oliver Ellsworth continued her forward momentum, both starboard lifeboats were swamped and one of her port lifeboats struck a raft and sank. Within an hour the rescue ship Copeland and the A/S trawler HMS St. Kenan, had picked up all the survivors; they were later landed at Archangel. After the rescue, St. Kenan scuttled Oliver Ellsworth by firing several shells into the drifting wreck. She sank stern first near 75°52′N 7°55′E / 75.867°N 7.917°E at 10:30. Out of a complement of 70, all had been rescued except for one armed guard who drowned.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b MARCOM.
^ ^a ^b Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2008.
^ Davies 2004, p. 23.
^ MARAD.
^ ^a ^b ^c Uboat.

Bibliography

"Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
Maritime Administration. "Oliver Ellsworth". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
"SS Oliver Ellsworth". Retrieved 25 February 2020.
"Oliver Ellsworth". Retrieved 25 February 2020.

[FOOTNOTEMARCOM-1] MARCOM.

[FOOTNOTEBethlehem-Fairfield_Shipyards2008-2] Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2008.

[FOOTNOTEDavies200423-3] Davies 2004, p. 23.

[FOOTNOTEMARAD-4] MARAD.

[FOOTNOTEUboat-5] Uboat.

[2]

[1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

SS Oliver Ellsworth

Construction

History

Sinking

Further reading

References

Bibliography