SS Jonathan Elmer

SS Jonathan Elmer was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Jonathan Elmer, an American politician and delegate to the Continental Congress three times: 1777 to 1778, 1781 to 1783, and 1787 to 1788. In 1780 and 1784 he represented Cumberland County in the New Jersey Legislative Council. The College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University) made Elmer a trustee in 1782. He served in that position until 1795. The New Jersey Legislature appointed Elmer to the United States Senate for the term of 4 March 1789 to 3 March 1791.

History
United States
Name	Jonathan Elmer
Namesake	Jonathan Elmer
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Marine Transport Lines, Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 308
Awarded	1 May 1941
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,068,439
Yard number	2058
Way number	10
Laid down	11 July 1942
Launched	31 August 1942
Sponsored by	Mrs. Tanya Fettweis
Completed	14 September 1942
Identification	Call sign: KHAP
Fate	Laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia, 13 May 1946 Sold for scrapping, 18 September 1958, withdrawn from fleet, 2 February 1960
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

Jonathan Elmer was laid down on 11 July 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 308, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Mrs. Tanya Fettweis, the wife a yard employee, and was launched on 31 August 1942.

History

She was allocated to Marine Transport Lines, Inc., on 14 September 1942. On 13 May 1946, she was laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia. On 18 September 1958, she was sold for scrapping to Bethlehem Steel Co., for $76,191. She was removed from the fleet on 2 February 1960.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 14 August 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "Jonathan Elmer". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
• "SS Jonathan Elmer". Retrieved 5 March 2020.