SS William D. Bloxham

SS William D. Bloxham was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William D. Bloxham, the Secretary of State of Florida (1877–1880) and the 13th and 17th Governor of Florida (1881–1885 and 1897–1901).

History
United States
Name	William D. Bloxham
Namesake	William D. Bloxham
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	William J. Rountree & Company
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2306
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$951,652
Yard number	47
Way number	2
Laid down	5 May 1944
Launched	13 June 1944
Sponsored by	Miss Joan Blair
Completed	28 June 1944
Identification	Call Signal: WQZR
Fate	Sold to Italy, 18 January 1947
Italy
Name	Sistiana
Namesake	Sistiana
Owner	Lloyd Triestino, Trieste, Italy
Acquired	30 January 1947
Fate	Sold, 1963
United Kingdom
Name	Soclyve
Owner	Oceanica Transports Co., Malta
Operator	Union Maritime & Shipping Co., London
Acquired	1963
Fate	Sold, 1969
Cyprus
Name	Mitera Irini
Owner	Polarus Shipping Co., Famagusta, Cyprus
Acquired	1969
Fate	Scrapped, 1972
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

William D. Bloxham was laid down on 5 May 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2306, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was sponsored by Miss Joan Blair, and launched on 13 June 1944.

History

She was allocated to William J. Rountree & Company, on 28 June 1944. On 11 June 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in the James River Group. On 18 January 1947, she was transferred to the Italian Government, which in turn sold her for $549,813.52 to Lloyd Triestino, Trieste, Italy, for commercial use. She was renamed Sistiana. After being sold to a couple more owners she was scrapped in 1972.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 22 December 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "William D. Bloxham". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
• "SS William D. Bloxham ". Retrieved 22 December 2017.