SS Henry B. Plant

SS Henry B. Plant was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Henry B. Plant, an American businessman, entrepreneur, investor involved with many transportation interests and projects, mostly railroads, in the southeastern United States. In the 1880s, most of his accumulated railroad and steamship lines were combined into the Plant System, which later became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.

For the renamed liberty ship of the same name, see SS Harald Torsvik.

History
United States
NameHenry B. Plant
NamesakeHenry B. Plant
OwnerWar Shipping Administration (WSA)
OperatorA.L. Burbank & Co., Ltd.
Orderedas type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2510
Awarded23 April 1943
BuilderSt. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost$936,892[2]
Yard number74
Way number2
Laid down9 November 1944
Launched11 December 1944
Sponsored byAgnes Veronica O'Mahoney
Completed19 December 1944
Identification
FateTorpedoed and sunk, 6 February 1945, by German submarine U-245
General characteristics [3]
Class and 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

Construction

Henry B. Plant was laid down on 9 November 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2510, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Agnes Veronica O'Mahoney, the wife of the US Senator Joseph C. O'Mahoney, from Wyoming, and was launched on 11 December 1944.[1][2]

History

She was allocated to the A.L.Burbank & Co.Ltd., on 19 December 1944. On 6 February 1945, she was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-245, in the Straits of Dover, at 51°19′N 1°42′E, and declared an Actual Total Loss. Henry B. Plant had been transporting 9,300 LT (9,400 t) of cargo, originating in New York, to Antwerp. She was the last ship of Convoy TAM-71 about 17 nmi (31 km; 20 mi) from Ramsgate, when lookouts spotted a U-boat 300 yd (270 m) off starboard. With no time to evade, a torpedo struck the #4 hold. At the time she had a crew of eight officers, 33 crewmen, and 28 Armed Guards, she was also carrying one passenger, an Army security officer. One lifeboat and four rafts were launched, but one officer, eight crewmen, and seven Armed Guards were drowned. The remaining were picked up by HMS Hazard (J02) and HMS Sir Lancelot (LT228).[4][5][6]

References
  1. St. John's River SBC 2010.
  2. MARCOM.
  3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
  4. MARAD.
  5. Wrecksite.
  6. Uboat.

Bibliography
  • "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  • Maritime Administration. "Henry B. Plant". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  • Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  • "SS Henry B. Plant". Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  • "SS Henry B. Plant". www.Wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  • "SS Henry B. Plant". www.Uboat.net. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
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