SS William Rawle

History
United States
Name	William Rawle
Namesake	William Rawle
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	A. H. Bull Steamship Company
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 61
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,079,098
Yard number	2048
Way number	9
Laid down	28 June 1942
Launched	19 August 1942
Sponsored by	Mrs. Grace Tully
Completed	29 August 1942
Identification	Call sign: KGGJ
Fate	Sold for commercial use, 31 March 1947
United States
Name	Arlyn
Owner	Baltimore Insular Line
Operator	A.H. Bull & Co., Inc.
Fate	Grounded, Silver Bank, Dominican Republic, 6 June 1958, refloated and returned to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sold for scrapping, October 1958
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

SS William Rawle was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William Rawle, an American lawyer in Philadelphia. Rawle was appointed as United States district attorney in Pennsylvania, in 1791. He was a founder and first president of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, and for 40 years a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania.

Construction

William Rawle was laid down on 28 June 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 61, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; sponsored by Mrs. Grace Tully, the private Secretary to President Roosevelt, and was launched on 19 August 1942.

History

She was allocated to A. H. Bull Steamship Company, on 29 August 1942. On 31 March 1947, she was sold for commercial use to the Baltimore Insular Line, for $544,506. On 6 June 1958, she ran aground on the Silver Bank. She was refloated and returned to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she was scrapped in October 1958.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "William Rawle". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
• "SS William Rawle". Retrieved 3 March 2020.