SS Reverdy Johnson

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.

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up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 5 May 1948 Sold for scrapping, 19 January 1967, withdrawn from fleet, 17 February 1965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 inches (76 mm)/50 caliber gun Stern-mounted 4 inches (102 mm)/50 caliber gun 2–8 × single 20 millimeters (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37 millimeters (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

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.