SS George Wythe

History
United States
Name	George Wythe
Namesake	George Wythe
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Agwilines Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 24
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,236,111
Yard number	2011
Way number	11
Laid down	22 September 1941
Launched	28 March 1942
Sponsored by	Miss Geanne A. Culleton
Completed	9 May 1942
Identification	Call sign: KESU
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 24 July 1970
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 George Wythe was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Founding Father George Wythe, the first American law professor, a noted classics scholar, and a Virginia judge. The first of the seven Virginia signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence, Wythe served as one of Virginia's representatives to the Second Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention. Wythe taught and was a mentor to Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Henry Clay and other men who became American leaders.

Construction

George Wythe was laid down on 22 September 1941, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 24, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; sponsored by Miss Geanne A. Culleton, the daughter of C.J. Culleton, the resident plant auditor at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, and was launched on 28 March 1942.

History

George Wythe was allocated to Agwilines Inc., on 9 May 1942. On 8 January 1948, she was laid up in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. On 21 April 1952, she was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia. On 7 August 1953, George Wythe was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1953", she returned loaded on 22 August 1953. On 13 February 1956, she was withdrawn to be unload, she returned empty 29 February 1956. On 7 November 1958, George Wythe was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1958", she returned loaded on 21 November 1958. On 7 March 1959, she was withdrawn to be unload, she returned empty 19 March 1959. She was sold for scrapping on 24 July 1970, to Hierros Ardes, SA, for $102,666. George Wythe was removed from the fleet, 31 August 1970.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "George Wythe". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
• "SS George Wythe". Retrieved 18 February 2020.