SS Thomas R. Marshall

History
United States
Name	William Strong, before 14 October 1942 Thomas R. Marshall, renamed 14 October 1942
Namesake	William Strong Thomas R. Marshall
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	American Foreign Steamship Corp.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 933
Awarded	30 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland
Cost	$1,075,897
Yard number	2083
Way number	3
Laid down	7 December 1942
Launched	15 January 1943
Completed	28 January 1943
Identification	Call sign: KKGB
Fate	Laid up in Reserve Fleet, 22 October 1945, sold for scrap 12 March 1971
General characteristics
Class & 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 Ellicott Machine Corp., Baltimore, Maryland) 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 Thomas R. Marshall was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Thomas R. Marshall, the 28th vice president of the United States from 1913 to 1921 under President Woodrow Wilson. He had been a prominent lawyer in Indiana, becoming active in the Democratic Party by stumping across the state for other candidates and later becoming the 27th governor of Indiana from 1909-1913.

Construction

Thomas R. Marshall was laid down on 7 December 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 933, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; and launched on 15 January 1943.

History

She was allocated to the American Foreign Steamship Corp., on 28 January 1943.

On 9 December 1949, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in Mobile, Alabama. On 9 September 1971, she was sold for $35,424.54, to Union Minerals & Alloys Corp., to be scrapped. On 15 September 1971, she was withdrawn from the fleet.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
• Maritime Administration. "Thomas R. Marshall". 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 Thomas R. Marshall". Retrieved 17 July 2025.