SS Harriet Tubman (MC contract 3032) was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Harriet Tubman, an African-American abolitionist and spy during the American Civil War, and was the first Liberty ship to be named for an African-American woman.[1]

The launching party for SS Harriet Tubman, 3 June 1944
History
United States
NameHarriet Tubman
NamesakeHarriet Tubman
BuilderSouth Portland Shipbuilding Corporation, South Portland, Maine
Yard number3032
Way number6
Laid down19 April 1944
Launched3 June 1944
FateScrapped, 1972
General characteristics
TypeLiberty ship
Tonnage7,000 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Length441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)
Propulsion
  • Two oil-fired boilers
  • Triple expansion steam engine
  • Single screw
  • 2,500 hp (1,864 kW)
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Capacity9,140 tons cargo
Complement41
Armament

The ship was laid down by the South Portland Shipbuilding Corporation, South Portland, Maine, on 19 April 1944, then launched on 3 June 1944. Twenty-two members of Tubman's extended family attended the launch. Eva Stuart Northrup, Tubman's great-niece, christened the ship.[1] The ship survived the war only to suffer the same fate as nearly all other Liberty ships that survived did; she was scrapped in 1972.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Larson, Kate Clifford (2022). Harriet Tubman: A Reference Guide to Her Life and Works. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-5381-1356-1.
  2. ^ "New England Shipbuilding Company, South Portland ME". shipbuildinghistory.com. 2010. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2009.