SS St. Olaf

History
United States
Name	USAHS St. Olaf
Namesake	St. Olaf
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Union Sulphur Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type ( MCE hull 33
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,111,815
Yard number	2020
Way number	7
Laid down	6 January 1942
Launched	12 April 1942
Completed	20 May 1942
Fate	Sold to United States Department of War, 22 November 1943
United States
Name	St. Olaf
Owner	United States Department of War
Operator	US Army
Commissioned	July 1944
Recommissioned	1946
Decommissioned	November 1945; June 1947;
Refit	Simpson Yard, Boston, July 1944
Identification	USAHS (United States Army Hospital Ship) 1944—1945; USAT (United States Army Transport) 1946—1947;
Fate	Returned to MARCOM, laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon, 24 June 1947; Sold for scrapping, 1 April 1963;
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);
Troops	591 patient capacity (Hospital ship); 1,067 troops (Transport ship); 147 dependents (Transport ship);
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;
Notes	Armament removed when converted to Hospital Ship

SS St. Olaf was a

Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad

.

Construction

St. Olaf was laid down on 6 January 1942, under a

Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; and was launched on 12 April 1942.^[2]^[1]

History

She was allocated to

Union Sulphur Co.Inc., on 20 May 1942.^[4]

On 22 November 1943, she was purchased by the

Bethlehem Steel Co. She was commissioned USAHS St. Olaf in July 1944.^[5] She had been given the name Jasmine but this wasn't used.^[6]

During the war, St. Olaf operated in the

Asiatic-Pacific Theaters. She was decommissioned in November 1945.^[5]

She was refit at

Alaska, to Seattle, Washington. She was recommissioned USAT St. Olaf in 1946, and again decommissioned in June 1947.^[5]

On 24 June 1947, she was laid up in the

Zidell Explorations, Inc., for $62,023.26. She was removed from the fleet on 12 April 1963.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b MARCOM.
^ ^a ^b Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2008.
^ Davies 2004, p. 23.
^ ^a ^b MARAD.
^ ^a ^b ^c Navsource.
^ Charles 1947, p. 54.

Bibliography

"Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
Maritime Administration. "St. Olaf". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
"SS St. Olaf". Retrieved 21 February 2020.
"USAT St. Olaf". Retrieved 21 February 2020.
Charles, Roland W. (April 1947). Troopships of World War II. Washington, D.C.: Army Transportation Association.
OCLC 1871625
.

[FOOTNOTEMARCOM-1] MARCOM.

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

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

[FOOTNOTEMARAD-4] MARAD.

[FOOTNOTENavsource-5] Navsource.

[FOOTNOTECharles194754-6] Charles 1947, p. 54.

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