SS Oliver Ellsworth

SS Oliver Ellsworth
History
United States
Name	Oliver Ellsworth
Namesake	Oliver Ellsworth
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 42
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[2]
Cost	$1,051,644[1]
Yard number	2029
Way number	6
Laid down	31 March 1942
Launched	4 June 1942
Sponsored by	Miss Frances T. Cwalina
Completed	22 June 1942
Fate	Sunk by German submarine U-408, 13 September 1942
General characteristics [3]
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 Clark Bros. Co., Cleveland, 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 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

SS Oliver Ellsworth was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Oliver Ellsworth, an American lawyer, judge, politician, and diplomat. He was a framer of the United States Constitution, a United States Senator from Connecticut, and the third Chief Justice of the United States.

Construction[]

Oliver Ellsworth was laid down on 31 March 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 42, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Miss Frances T. Cwalina, an Honor Student at , Brooklyn, Maryland, and was launched on 22 June 1942.^[2][1]

History[]

She was allocated to , on 6 June 1942.^[4]

Sinking[]

Oliver Ellsworth was just three months old when she was assigned to Convoy PQ 18, one of the Arctic convoys delivering supplies to the Soviet Union. She carried 7,200 long tons (7,300 t) of ammunition and aircraft as deck cargo. She was commanded by her Master, Otto Ernest Buford.^[5]

On 13 September 1942, U-408, sighted the Convoy PQ 18, about 100 mi (160 km) southwest of Spitsbergen, and fired a spread of three torpedoes at 09:52. One of the torpedoes struck the Soviet merchant ship SS Stalingrad and ruptured her boiler. The other two torpedoes missed her, but one of them hit Oliver Ellsworth which had had to steer hard to port to avoid Stalingrad.^[5]

The torpedo struck Oliver Ellsworth on her starboard side between holds #4 and #5. After immediately securing the engines, the crew of eight officers, 34 crewmen, and 28 Armed guards quickly abandoned the stricken ship in four lifeboats, due to fear of their cargo of ammunition exploding. Because Oliver Ellsworth continued her forward momentum, both starboard lifeboats were swamped and one of her port lifeboats struck a raft and sank. Within an hour the rescue ship Copeland and the A/S trawler , had picked up all the survivors; they were later landed at Archangel. After the rescue, St. Kenan scuttled Oliver Ellsworth by firing several shells into the drifting wreck. She sank stern first near

75°52′N 7°55′E / 75.867°N 7.917°E / 75.867; 7.917Coordinates: 75°52′N 7°55′E / 75.867°N 7.917°E / 75.867; 7.917 at 10:30. Out of a complement of 70, all had been rescued except for one Armed guard who drowned.^[5]

Further reading[]

• 18/index.htm Account of the sinking of the Oliver Ellsworth

References[]

Bibliography[]