| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Thomas McKean |
| Namesake | Thomas McKean |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | Calmar Steamship Corp. |
| Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C1) hull,MCE hull 301 |
| Awarded | 1 May 1941 |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard,Baltimore, Maryland[1] |
| Cost | $1,110,199[2] |
| Yard number | 2051 |
| Way number | 14 |
| Laid down | 5 November 1941 |
| Launched | 30 April 1942 |
| Completed | 29 May 1942 |
| Identification | |
| Fate | Sunk byGerman submarine U-505, 29 June 1942 |
| General characteristics[3] | |
| Class and type |
|
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 57 feet (17 m) |
| Draft | 27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11.5knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | |
| Armament |
|
SSThomas McKean was aLiberty ship built in the United States duringWorld War II. She was named afterFounding FatherThomas McKean, anAmerican lawyer and politician from New Castle, inNew Castle County, Delaware andPhiladelphia. During theAmerican Revolution, he was a delegate to theContinental Congress, where he signed theContinental Association,United States Declaration of Independence, andArticles of Confederation. McKean served as aPresident of Congress. He was at various times a member of theFederalist andDemocratic-Republican parties. McKean served asPresident of Delaware, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, andGovernor of Pennsylvania. He is also known for holding many public positions.
Thomas McKean was laid down on 5 November 1941, under aMaritime Commission contract, MCE hull 301, by theBethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard,Baltimore, Maryland; and was launched on 30 April 1942.[1][2]
She was allocated toCalmar Steamship Corp., on 29 May 1942.[4]
Thomas McKean had set out on her maiden voyage from Philadelphia, in June 1942, forBandar Shapur, Iran, with 9,000 LT (9,100 t) ofLend-Lease war supplies, that included tanks, food, and 11 aircraft. At 13:55, on the afternoon of 29 June 1942, while steaming unescorted in azigzag course at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph),Thomas McKean was struck by two torpedoes fired from theGerman submarine U-505, at22°00′N60°0′W / 22.000°N 60.000°W /22.000; -60.000, about 350 nmi (650 km; 400 mi) northeast ofPuerto Rico. One of the torpedoes struck aft of hold #5, destroying the stern4-inch (100 mm)/50 caliber gun and killing threearmed guards. The captain, Mellin Edwin Respess, ordered the crew of eight officers, 31 crewmen, 17 armed guards, and four passengers to abandon ship in the four lifeboats.[5]
U-505 surfaced about 20 minutes later and fired 72 rounds intoThomas McKean with her10.5 cm (4.1 in) deck gun, setting her on fire and sinking her at 15:22.U-505 then questioned the survivors and administered first aid before leaving.[5]
The four lifeboats became separated over the next few days. Two lifeboats, with 29 survivors, made landfall atSt. Thomas, Virgin Islands, on 4 July. One lifeboat made land atAntigua, 12 July, with 12 survivors. The last lifeboat, with 14 survivors and one dead, made landfall atMiches, Dominican Republic, on 14 July. The captain ofThomas McKean died 23 July 1942, duringrepatriation when the cargo shipSS Onondaga was sunk byU-129.[5]
U-505 was famously captured on 4 June 1944, and is now amuseum ship at theMuseum of Science and Industry, inChicago, Illinois.
