SS John Philip Sousa

SS John Philip Sousa was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after John Philip Sousa, an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches.

History
United States
Name	John Philip Sousa
Namesake	John Philip Sousa
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Wessel Duval & Company
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1200
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$2,279,886
Yard number	8
Way number	2
Laid down	29 March 1943
Launched	4 July 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Kenneth A.Merrill
Completed	6 August 1943
Identification	Call sign: KOAB
Fate	Sold for commercial use, 15 October 1946, withdrawn from fleet, 1 November 1946
Honduras
Name	Erato
Owner	Compania Internacional de Vapores
Operator	Simpson, Spence, and Young
Fate	Sold, 1954
Honduras
Name	Taxiarchis
Owner	Compania Nav. de Belen
Operator	Lemos Bros.
Fate	Sold, 1960
Greece
Name	Protostatis
Owner	Compania Nav. de Protostatis
Operator	Lemos Bros.
Fate	Grounded in Lake Ontario, 30 September 1965 Refloated and grounded on Wolfe Island, St. Lawrence River, 16 November 1965 Scrapped, 1966
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 Filer and Stowell, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 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 Philip Sousa was laid down on 29 March 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1200, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Kenneth A. Merrill, the wife of the vice president of the St. Johns River SB Co., she was launched on 4 July 1943.

History

She was allocated to Wessel Duval & Company on 6 August 1943. On 6 June 1946, she was placed in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. She was sold for commercial use, on 15 October 1946, to Compania Internacional de Vapores, and renamed Erato. She was withdrawn from the fleet, 1 November 1946. On 30 September 1965, while operating as Protostatis, she ran aground in Lake Ontario and suffered extensive damage. After being refloated, she again ran aground on Wolfe Island, at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, while being towed to Montreal, on 16 November 1965. She was declared a constructive total loss (CTL) and scrapped in 1966.

The bell from the ship is still used by the United States Marine Band, particularly in Sousa's piece, The Liberty Bell.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "John Philip Sousa". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
• "SS John Philip Sousa". Retrieved 16 December 2019.