SS Newton D. Baker

History
United States
Name	Newton D. Baker
Namesake	Newton D. Baker
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Luckenbach Steamship Co., Inc.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1520
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida
Cost	$2,258,166
Yard number	2
Way number	2
Laid down	3 September 1942
Launched	25 February 1943
Sponsored by	Rose Jones
Completed	6 April 1943
Identification	Call Signal: KIFC
Fate	Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 1 October 1947 Sold for scrapping, 2 January 1968
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-inch (76 mm)/50-caliber gun Stern-mounted 4-inch (102 mm)/50-caliber gun 2–8 × single 20-millimeter (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37-millimeter (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

SS Newton D. Baker was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Newton D. Baker, a lawyer, the 37th Mayor of Cleveland, and the United States Secretary of War, during World War I.

Construction

Newton D. Baker was laid down on 3 September 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1520, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Rose Jones, the wife of the James Addison Jones, the founder J.A. Jones Construction Co., she was launched on 25 February 1943.

History

She was allocated to Luckenbach Steamship Co., Inc., on 6 April 1943. On 1 October 1947, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama. On 2 January 1968, she was sold for $46,320 to Union Minerals and Alloys Corporation, to be scrapped. She was removed from the fleet on 29 January 1968.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "Newton D. Baker". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
• "SS Newton D. Baker". Retrieved 11 December 2019.