SS Thomas Sim Lee

SS Thomas Sim Lee was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Thomas Sim Lee, an American planter and statesman of Frederick County, Maryland. He was the second Governor of Maryland, serving twice, from 1779 to 1783 and again from 1792 to 1794. Thomas Sim Lee also served as a delegate of Maryland in the Congress of the Confederation in 1783 and was a member of the House of Delegates in 1787.

History
United States
Name	Thomas Sim Lee
Namesake	Thomas Sim Lee
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Agwilines Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 921
Awarded	1 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,059,986
Yard number	2071
Way number	13
Laid down	23 September 1942
Launched	24 October 1942
Sponsored by	Miss Jean Elizabeth O'Donovan Lee (1930- )
Completed	31 October 1942
Identification	Call sign: KHJU
Fate	Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 23 April 1952 Sold for scrapping, 9 June 1972, removed from fleet, 7 July 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 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-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

Thomas Sim Lee was laid down on 23 September 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 921, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Jean Elizabeth O'Donovan Lee, a direct descendant of Thomas Sim Lee, and was launched on 24 October 1942.

History

She was allocated to Agwilines Inc., on 31 October 1942. On 22 May 1950, she was first laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. She was put back in service briefly during the Korean War, and laid up again in Beumont, on 23 April 1952. On 9 June 1972, she was sold for scrapping to Andy International, Inc., for $42,555. She was removed from the fleet on 7 July 1972.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
• Maritime Administration. "Thomas Sim Lee". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
• "SS Thomas Sim Lee". Retrieved 28 May 2021.