SS Dwight L. Moody

History
United States
Name	Dwight L. Moody
Namesake	Dwight L. Moody
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1526
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$1,847,690
Yard number	8
Way number	2
Laid down	4 March 1943
Launched	28 June 1943
Completed	24 July 1943
Identification	Call Signal: KORS
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, 29 May 1946 Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 23 January 1950 Turned over to Texas, for use as artificial reef, 1 July 1975
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 Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) 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 Dwight L. Moody was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Dwight L. Moody, evangelist, publisher, the founder of the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, now Northfield Mount Hermon School, the Moody Bible Institute, and Moody Publishers.

Construction

Dwight L. Moody was laid down on 4 March 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1526, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was launched on 28 June 1943.

History

She was allocated to Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., Inc., on 24 July 1943. On 29 May 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in the James River Group. On 23 January 1950, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in Beaumont, Texas. On 1 July 1975, she was turned over to the state of Texas, for use as an artificial reef. She was removed from the fleet on 9 July 1975.

She was sunk on 6 April 1976, at 28°06′58″N 96°05′14″W, along with her sister ships Jim Bridger, sunk on 15 June 1976, and George Dewey, sunk on 25 April 1976.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "Dwight L. Moody". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
• "SS Dwight L. Moody". Retrieved 11 December 2019.
• Arnold, J. Barto III; Goloboy, Jennifer L.; Hall, Andrew W.; Hall, Rebecca A. (December 1998). Shively, J. Dale (ed.). Texas' Liberty Ships: From World War II Working-class heroes to Artificial Reefs (PDF). Texas Parks & Wildlife. Retrieved 9 December 2017.