SS Roger B. Taney
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SS ''Roger B. Taney'' was a
Liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...
built in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. She was named after
Roger B. Taney Roger Brooke Taney ( ; March 17, 1777 – October 12, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the fifth Chief Justice of the United States, chief justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 186 ...
, who was the fifth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 1864. Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Taney served as the
United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...
and
United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...
under President
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...
.


Construction

''Roger B. Taney'' was laid down on 21 June 1941, under a
Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The c ...
(MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 17, by the
Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard The Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard of Baltimore, Maryland, was a shipyard in the United States from 1941 until 1945. Located on the south shore of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River which serves as the Baltimore Harbor, it was owned by the Be ...
,
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
, Maryland; and was launched on 6 December 1941.


History

She was allocated to Waterman Steamship Corp., on 29 January 1942. On 8 February 1943, she was attacked by , at . A torpedo wake had been spotted at midnight ahead of the bow of the unescorted ''Roger B. Taney''. The ship made a 90° turn but ''U-160'' was able to maneuver into position to fire another torpedo that struck ''Roger B. Taney'' in the starboard side at the engine room. Her Armed guards, while remaining onboard while the crew abandoned ship, fired five rounds in the direction the torpedo had come from. Around 02:30 another torpedo struck the #4 hold causing a tremendous explosion. The Armed guard abandoned ship after this last attack. ''U-160'' then surfaced, and after questioning the survivors, left the area. In total, eight officers, twenty-nine crewmen, one passenger, and nineteen Armed guards had managed to abandon the ship in two lifeboats before it sunk. One officer and two crewmen had been killed in the initial attack. While the two boats tried to stay together, after 36 hours they became separated. The
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
was able to rescue one of the boats on 1 March 1943, and dropped the crew off at
Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...
, 6 March 1943. On 22 March 1943, the
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
ian merchant ship ''Bagé'' was able to rescue the other lifeboat off the coast of Brazil. The boat had traveled more than from the sinking location.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roger B. Taney Liberty ships Ships built in Baltimore 1941 ships Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean