SS Nathanael Greene

SS Nathanael Greene (MC contract 146) was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Nathanael Greene, Continental Army general famous for his service in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War. She was operated by the United States Lines under charter with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration.

History
United States
Name	Nathanael Greene
Namesake	Nathanael Greene
Builder	North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, North Carolina
Yard number	2
Way number	2
Laid down	22 May 1941
Launched	17 January 1942
Out of service	24 February 1943
Fate	Scrapped 1948
General characteristics
Type	Liberty ship
Tonnage	7,000 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Length	441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam	56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft	27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)
Propulsion	Two oil-fired boilers Triple expansion steam engine Single screw 2,500 hp (1,864 kW)
Speed	11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Capacity	9,140 tons cargo
Complement	41
Armament	1 × Stern-mounted 4 in (100 mm) deck gun AA guns

The ship was laid down by North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in their Cape Fear River yard on May 22, 1941, then launched on January 17, 1942.[1] She was operated by United States Lines for the War Shipping Administration.[2] In September 1942 Greene was part of the heavily escorted Arctic Convoy PQ 18. When fellow merchant ship SS Mary Luckenbach was struck by an aerial torpedo, its cargo of TNT detonated. One member of the Naval Armed Guard detachment assigned to the Greene was killed and the ship damaged.[3] For her conduct during the convoy, the Greene and crew received the Gallant Ship Citation.[4]

She was struck by a torpedo off Oran, Algeria February 23, 1943 and beached. Survey declared her a total loss the next day. She remained in Algeria until sold to an Italian salvage company and was scrapped in 1948.[5]