SS ''Stephen Smith'' 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 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 Stephen Smith.

Construction

''Stephen Smith'' was laid down on 26 September 1944, 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, MC hull 2326, by

J.A. Jones Construction J.A. Jones Construction was a heavy construction company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Operating internationally since the 1950s, it merged with Germany's Philipp Holzmann AG in 1979. In 2003, the company ceased operations due to th ...

Panama City, Florida Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Route 98 in Florida, U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee, Florida, Tallahassee and Pensacola, Florida, Pe ...

; sponsored by Mrs. Edward Overcash, wife of superintendent marine and electrical facilities, and launched on 31 October 1944.

History

She was allocated to American West African Line Inc., 13 November 1944. On 7 May 1946, she was laid up in the

James River Reserve Fleet The James River Reserve Fleet (JRRF) is located on the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia at () near Fort Eustis. James River Reserve Fleet, a "ghost fleet", is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The Reserve Fleet ships in sto ...

, Lee Hall, Virginia. On 26 February 1948, she was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in Wilmington, North Carolina. She was sold for scrapping, 19 February 1960, to

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

, for $70,161. She was withdrawn from the fleet, 28 March 1960.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen Smith Liberty ships Ships built in Panama City, Florida 1944 ships James River Reserve Fleet Wilmington Reserve Fleet