SS Francis L. Lee

SS Francis L. Lee was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Founding Father Francis L. Lee, a member of the House of Burgesses, in the Colony of Virginia. As an active protester regarding issues such as the Stamp Act, Lee helped move the colony in the direction of independence from Britain. Lee was a delegate to the Virginia Conventions and the Continental Congress. He was a signer of the Articles of Confederation and the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Virginia.

History
United States
Name	Francis L. Lee
Namesake	Francis L. Lee
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Seas Shipping Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 26
Awarded	14 March 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,186,664
Yard number	2013
Way number	12
Laid down	13 October 1941
Launched	14 March 1942
Sponsored by	Mrs. L.R. Sanford and Mrs. William C. Sealy
Completed	27 April 1942
Identification	Call sign: KESO
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 4 February 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 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 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

Construction

Francis L. Lee was laid down on 13 October 1941, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 26, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; sponsored by Mrs. L.R. Sanford and Mrs. William C. Sealy, the wife and daughter of L.R. Sanford, the chief of the inspection section at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, and was launched on 14 March 1942.

History

She was allocated to Seas Shipping Co., Inc., on 27 April 1942. On 4 February 1947, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina. She was sold for scrapping on 4 February 1965, to Norbo Trading Corp.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Francis L. Lee". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
• "SS Francis L. Lee". Retrieved 18 February 2020.