SS Owen Wister

SS Owen Wister was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Owen Wister, an American writer and historian, considered the "father" of western fiction. He is best remembered for writing The Virginian and a biography of Ulysses S. Grant.

History
United States
Name	Owen Wister
Namesake	Owen Wister
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	William J. Rountree Company
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1216
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$1,389,365
Yard number	24
Way number	6
Laid down	2 November 1943
Launched	14 December 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. William L. Marshall
Completed	24 December 1943
Identification	Call sign: KVGS
Fate	Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon, 22 July 1949 Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon, 26 June 1952 Sold for scrapping, 8 December 1964, removed from fleet, 21 December 1964
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-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

Owen Wister was laid down on 2 November 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1216, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. William L. Marshall, the wife of Gulf Coast Regional construction auditor for MARCOM, and was launched on 14 December 1943.

History

She was allocated to William J. Rountree Company, on 24 December 1943. On 22 July 1949, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon. On 28 June 1954, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1954", she returned loaded on 17 July 1954. On 3 November 1956, she was withdrawn to be unload, she returned on empty 9 November 1956. She was sold for scrapping, 8 December 1964, to Zidell Explorations, Inc., for $156,006.66, which included her sister ships SS Robert E. Clarkson and SS William C. Endicott. She was removed from the fleet on 21 December 1964.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Owen Wister". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
• "SS Owen Wister". Retrieved 13 January 2020.