SS Grover C. Hutcherson

SS Grover C. Hutcherson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Grover C. Hutcherson, a Merchant seaman killed on the Liberty ship SS Timothy Pickering when she was struck by an Italian Junkers Ju 87 Stuka while anchored off August Sicily, 13 July 1943.

History
United States
Name	Grover C. Hutcherson
Namesake	Grover C. Hutcherson
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Overlakes Freight Corp.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2512
Awarded	23 April 1943
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$942,829
Yard number	76
Way number	4
Laid down	21 November 1944
Launched	22 December 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. A.J. Gollnick
Completed	31 December 1944
Identification	Call sign: ANDN
Fate	Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 28 April 1948 Laid up in the, James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia, 28 May 1952 Sold for scrapping, 12 September 1972, removed from fleet, 6 November 1972
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 General Machinery Corp., Hamilton, 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 20 millimeters (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37 millimeters (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

Construction

Grover C. Hutcherson was laid down on 21 November 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2512, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. A.J. Gollnick, the wife of the assistant general superintendent in charge of St. John's River SB, and was launched on 22 December 1944.

History

She was allocated to the Overlakes Freight Corp., on 31 December 1944. On 28 April 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. On 28 May 1952, she was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia. On 17 May 1954, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1954", she returned loaded on 26 May 1954. On 4 October 1956, she was withdrawn to be unload, she returned reloaded with grain on 22 October 1956. On 9 September 1963, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be unloaded, she returned empty on 26 September 1963. She was sold for scrapping, 12 September 1972, to Isaac Varela, for $80,007. She was removed from the fleet on 6 November 1972.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Grover C. Hutcherson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
• "SS Grover C. Hutcherson". Retrieved 10 February 2020.