SS Woodbridge N. Ferris

History
United States
Name
  • Bushrod Washington, before 14 October 1942
  • Woodbridge N. Ferris, renamed 14 October 1942
Namesake
OwnerWar Shipping Administration (WSA)
OperatorCalmar Steamship Corp.
Orderedas type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 931
Awarded30 January 1942
BuilderBethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland[1]
Cost$1,077,871[2]
Yard number2081
Way number12
Laid down2 December 1942
Launched28 December 1942
Completed15 January 1943
Identification
FateLaid up in Reserve Fleet, 6 December 1946, sold and renamed 18 March 1965
United States
OwnerZidell Explorations
RenamedTwin Harbor
FateScrapped 2010
NotesShip used in lighter service
General characteristics [3]
Class & type
Tonnage
Displacement
Length
  • 441 feet 6 inches (135 m) oa
  • 416 feet (127 m) pp
  • 427 feet (130 m) lwl
Beam57 feet (17 m)
Draft27 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
Speed11.5 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
Armament

SS Woodbridge N. Ferris was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Woodbridge N. Ferris, an American educator from Spencer, New York, who served as the 28th governor of Michigan and in the United States Senate as a Democrat. He was the founder and namesake of Ferris State University.

Construction

Woodbridge N. Ferris was laid down on 12 December 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 931, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was launched on 28 December 1942.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to the Calmar Steamship Corp., on 15 January 1943.[4]

She was briefly handed over to Japan, on 4 February 1946. On 6 December 1946, she was laid up in the Astoria Reserve Fleet, in Astoria, Oregon. On 11 February 1965, she was sold, along with her sister ship turned Acubens-class general stores issue ship, Cybele, for a lump sum of $118,016.16, to Zidell Explorations Inc., to be scrapped. On 24 September 1965, she was renamed Twin Harbor and put into barge service.[4] In August 2010, she was scrapped, along with her sister ship SS Mahlon Pitney, in Tacoma, Washington.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2021.
  2. ^ a b c MARCOM.
  3. ^ Davies 2004, p. 23.
  4. ^ a b MARAD.
  5. ^ Skanner.

Bibliography

  • "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  • Maritime Administration. "Woodbridge N. Ferris". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  • Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  • "SS Woodbridge N. Ferris". Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  • Carson, Rob (4 August 2010). "World War II Liberty Ships Recycled in Tacoma". News Tribune. Retrieved 17 July 2025.