SS C. Francis Jenkins

SS C. Francis Jenkins was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after C. Francis Jenkins, a pioneer of early cinema and television.

History
United States
Name	C. Francis Jenkins
Namesake	C. Francis Jenkins
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Agwilines Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2316
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$975,633
Yard number	57
Way number	2
Laid down	20 July 1944
Launched	26 August 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs.E.S.Gladys Morgan
Completed	9 September 1944
Identification	Call sign: WSYJ
Fate	Sold for commercial use, 16 December 1946, withdrawn from fleet, 12 January 1947
Panama
Name	Ionian Leader
Owner	Compania de Navegacion Cristobal de Panama
Fate	Scrapped, 1966
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 Filer and Stowell, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 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

Construction

C. Francis Jenkins was laid down on 20 July 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2316, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. E. S. Gladys Morgan, wife of resident MARCOM auditor; and launched on 26 August 1944.

History

She was allocated to Agwilines Inc., 9 September 1944. On 22 May 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York.

Allocated to A. L. Burbank and Co., LTD, 16 July 1946. Placed in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 2 December 1946.

She was sold, on 16 December 1946, to Cia de Nav. Cristobal, for commercial use, and renamed Ionian Leader. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 12 January 1947.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "C. Francis Jenkins". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 9 December 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
• "SS C. Francis Jenkins". Retrieved 9 December 2019.