SS Richard Henry Lee

History
United States
Name	Richard Henry Lee
Namesake	Richard Henry Lee
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Calmar Steamship Corporation
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 18
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,397,852
Yard number	2005
Way number	5
Laid down	15 July 1941
Launched	6 December 1941
Completed	20 February 1942
Identification	Call sign: KAXU
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 6 July 1948 Sold for scrapping, 20 July 1965, withdrawn from fleet, 20 August 1965
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 Richard Henry Lee was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Richard Henry Lee, an American statesman and Founding Father from Virginia best known for the June 1776 Lee Resolution, the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence from Great Britain leading to the United States Declaration of Independence, which he signed. He also served a one-year term as the President of the Continental Congress, was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation, and was a United States senator from Virginia, from 1789 to 1792, serving during part of that time as the second President pro tempore of the upper house.

Construction

Richard Henry Lee was laid down on 15 July 1941, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 18, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; and was launched on 6 December 1941.

History

The Richard Henry Lee was allocated to the Calmar Steamship Corporation, on 20 February 1942. On 6 July 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. The vessel was later sold for scrapping on 20 July 1965, to Southern Scrap Material, for $45,179.79 and was removed from the fleet, 20 August in the same year.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Richard Henry Lee". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
• "SS Richard Henry Lee". Retrieved 13 February 2020.