SS Mary Cullom Kimbro

SS Mary Cullom Kimbro was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Mary Cullom Kimbro, a stewardess on board the passenger ship City of Birmingham when she was sunk by U-202, 1 July 1942.

History
United States
Name	Mary Cullom Kimbro Corporal Eric G. Gibson
Namesake	Mary Cullom Kimbro Eric G. Gibson
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	United Fruit Co.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C5) hull, MC hull 2349
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$1,109,568
Yard number	90
Way number	6
Laid down	21 February 1945
Launched	6 April 1945
Completed	24 April 1945
Renamed	1945
Refit	converted to US Army repair ship, 1945
Identification	Call sign: ANTL
Fate	Placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York, 12 July 1949 Transferred to US Navy, removed from fleet, 25 April 1967 Scuttled, May 1970
General characteristics
Class and type	Liberty ship type EC2-S-C5, boxed aircraft transport
Tonnage	10,600 LT DWT 7,200 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 Joshua Hendy Iron Works, Sunnyvale, California) 1 × screw propeller
Speed	11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph)
Capacity	490,000 cubic feet (13,875 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

Mary Cullom Kimbro was laid down on 21 February 1945, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2349, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was launched on 6 April 1945.

History

She was allocated to United Fruit Co., on 24 April 1945. She was converted to an Army repair ship and renamed Corporal Eric G. Gibson, 1945. On 12 July 1949, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. She was transferred to the US Navy, 25 April 1967, for use as an Ammunition Disposal Ship. She was scuttled with obsolete ammunition off the coast of Virginia, 15 June 1967.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Mary Cullom Kimbro". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Corporal Eric G. Gibson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• "SS Mary Cullom Kimbro". Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• "SS Mary Cullom Kimbro". www.Wrecksite.eu. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
• "Mary Cullom Kimbro". UBoat.net. Retrieved 13 December 2019.