SS John Einig

SS John Einig was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after John Einig, a former resident of Jacksonville, Florida, that had invented the 32-inch (810 mm) steam whistle nicknamed "Big Jim". Einig is also credited with building the first horseless carriage in Jacksonville, in 1896.

History
United States
Name	John Einig
Namesake	John Einig
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	United States Navigation Co.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1220
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$1,370,126
Yard number	28
Way number	4
Laid down	1 December 1943
Launched	14 January 1944
Sponsored by	Helen Wrenn Early
Completed	31 January 1944
Identification	Call sign: KVQL
Fate	Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 1 October 1946 Sold to Italy, 31 December 1946, removed from fleet, 3 January 1947
Italy
Name	Aida Lauro
Owner	Achille Lauro
Fate	Scrapped, 1969
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

Construction

John Einig was laid down on 1 December 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1220, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Helen Wrenn Early, wife of White House Press Secretary Stephen Early, and was launched on 14 January 1944.

History

She was allocated to the United States Navigation Co., on 31 January 1944. On 7 June 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. She was sold, 31 December 1946, to Italy, for $544,506, for commercial use. She was removed from the fleet on 3 January 1947. John Einig was renamed Aida Lauro in 1947. She was scrapped in 1969.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "John Einig". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
• "SS John Einig". Retrieved 14 January 2020.