| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Benjamin Chew |
| Namesake | Benjamin Chew |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | Calmar Steamship Corp. |
| Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C1) hull,MCE hull 58 |
| Awarded | 14 March 1941 |
| Builder | Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard,Baltimore, Maryland[1] |
| Cost | $1,075,732[2] |
| Yard number | 2045 |
| Way number | 7 |
| Laid down | 15 June 1942 |
| Launched | 10 August 1942 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Andrew L. Jorgensen |
| Completed | 21 August 1942 |
| Refit | converted to EC2-S-8a, July 1956 |
| Identification | |
| Fate |
|
 United States | |
| Name | Benjamin Chew |
| Owner | Military Sea Transportation Service |
| Operator | United States Lines Co. |
| Cost | $1,079,000 (refit cost) |
| Acquired | 22 August 1956 |
| In service | 22 August 1956 |
| Out of service | 31 October 1958 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type |
|
| Type | EC2-S-8a (1956-) (refit) |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 57 feet (17 m) |
| Draft | 27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | New cargo handling gear installed during refit |
SSBenjamin Chew was aLiberty ship built in theUnited States duringWorld War II. She was named afterBenjamin Chew, a fifth-generationAmerican, aQuaker-born legal scholar, a prominent and successfulPhiladelphia lawyer, head of thePennsylvania Judiciary System under bothColony andCommonwealth, and Chief Justice of theSupreme Court of theProvince of Pennsylvania. Chew was well known for his precision and brevity in making legal arguments as well as his excellent memory, judgment, and knowledge ofstatutory law. Chew lived and practiced law in Philadelphia, four blocks fromIndependence Hall, and providedpro bono his knowledge ofsubstantive law toAmerica's Founding Fathers during the creation of theUnited States Constitution andBill of Rights.
Benjamin Chew was laid down on 15 June 1942, under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 58, by theBethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard,Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Mrs. Andrew L. Jorgensen, the wife of a yard employee, and was launched on 10 August 1942.[1][2]
She was allocated toCalmar Steamship Company, on 21 August 1942.[5]
On 20 May 1948, she was laid up in theNational Defense Reserve Fleet,Astoria, Oregon. On 2 June 1952, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet,Wilmington, North Carolina. On 27 November 1954, she was withdrawn from the fleet for test conversion tosteam turbine power.Ira S. Bushey & Sons, Inc.,Brooklyn, New York, performed the conversion and she was reclassified EC2-S-8a. She had her reciprocating steam engine removed and a 6,000 shp (4,500 kW) steam turbine, connected directly to the ship's propeller through double reduction gear, installed. At trials she ran above the requested 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph).[4]
After conversion she was transferred to theMilitary Sea Transportation Service (MSTS). She was operated byUnited States Lines under abareboat charter on the same route as another converted Liberty ship,SS Thomas Nelson.Thomas Nelson had been refit withdiesel engines in order to compare efficiencies of various conversions. While both ship were able to run onBunker C fuel oil,Thomas Nelson consumed less than half ofBenjamin Chew while traveling at a higher speed and carrying more cargo.[4]
On 31 October 1958, she was laid up in theJames River Reserve Fleet,Lee Hall, Virginia. She was removed from the fleet on 3 September 1966, for use by the MSTS. On 21 July 1969, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet,Mobile, Alabama. She was sold for scrapping on 28 October 1971, toUnion Minerals & Alloys Corp., along with three other ships, for $127,500. She was removed from the fleet, 8 February 1972.[5]
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