SS A. J. Cermak

SS John W. Brown, another Liberty Ship.
History
United States
Name	A. J. Cermak
Namesake	Anton Cermak
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Blidberg & Rothchild Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 1836
Awarded	24 December 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$918,360
Yard number	2284
Way number	8
Laid down	9 November 1943
Launched	30 November 1943
Completed	8 December 1943
Identification	Call sign: KVDZ
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 16 March 1948
Status	Sold for scrapping, 27 March 1964, removed from fleet, 11 April 1964
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 General Machinery Corp., Hamilton, 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 A. J. Cermak was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Anton Cermak, an American politician. Cermak was the Mayor of Chicago from 1931 until his assassination in 1933 while meeting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Construction

A. J. Cermak was laid down on 9 November 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 1836, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; and was launched on 30 November 1943.

History

She was allocated to Blidberg & Rothchild Co., Inc., on 8 December 1943. On 10 January 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. On 27 March 1964, she was sold for scrapping to Northern Metal Co., for $45,045. She was removed from the fleet on 11 April 1964.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "A. J. Cermak". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 17 March 2020. {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• "SS A. J. Cermak". Retrieved 17 March 2020.

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