 SSJohn W Brown, a ship of the same class as the SSLewis L. Dyche | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Lewis L. Dyche |
| Namesake | Lewis Lindsay Dyche |
| Owner | United States Maritime Commission |
| Operator | Interocean Steamship Company |
| Builder | Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Yard number | 807 |
| Laid down | 6 November 1943 |
| Launched | 26 November 1943 |
| Completed | 9 December 1943 |
| Fate | Kamikaze attack and sank January 4, 1945, killed all 71 crew members |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type |
|
| Tonnage | 7,176 GRT, 10,865 DWT |
| Displacement | 14,245 long tons (14,474 t) |
| Length | |
| Beam | 57 feet (17 m) |
| Draft | 27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11.5knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Troops | 550[1] |
| Complement | |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | call sign: KVCT |
SSLewis L. Dyche was aLiberty ship built by theOregon Shipbuilding Corporation for theUnited States Maritime Commission duringWorld War II. The ship was named in honor ofLewis Lindsay Dyche. Lewis Lindsay Dyche (1857–1915) was an Americannaturalist and also the creator of the Panorama of North American Plants and Animals, which was featured in the Kansas Pavilion at the 1893World's Columbian Exposition.[2] The ship was assigned by theWar Shipping Administration, she operated byInterocean Steamship Company ofSan Francisco duringWorld War II.Lewis L. Dyche was laid down on 6 November 1943, launched on 26 November 1943 and completed on 9 December 1943, with the hull No. 807 as part of theEmergency Shipbuilding Program, built in 38 days.[3]
SSLewis L. Dyche was loaded with bombs and fuses for thePacific Ocean theater of World War II in San Francisco.
SSLewis L. Dyche joined one-hundred-shipconvoy TG 77.11, that was under the command of Captain J. B. McLean, The convoy was screened and protected by ninedestroyers. The convoy headed toMindoro an island inLuzon of thePhilippines to support theBattle of Mindoro. The convoy arrived in the Philippines on December 28. As soon as the convoy arrived it was under almost continuous attack. Before arriving the PT tenderUSS Orestes was hit by akamikaze plane. Liberty ships SSWilliam Sharon and SSJohn Burke were both hit also.Burke sank with a large explosion andSharon's had a large fire on her superstructure. LST-750 was sunk later in the day. On December 30 the convoy arrivedMangarin Bay in the morning. FiveImperial Japanese Navy (IJN)Aichi D3A started suicide attacks. The destroyersUSSGansevoort (DD-608) andUSSPringle (DD-477), andUSS Porcupine were hit. The SSFrancisco Morozan was damaged when kamikaze plane exploded over the ship after it is shot down byUS Navy plane.
On January 4, 1945, just South of Mindoro, a Japanese kamikaze plane crashed into theLewis L. Dyche. The cargo ofammunition exploded and the ship disintegrated, killing all crew members. Killed were the 28-manUS Navy Armed Guard and 43 themerchant marines. The explosion was so large that the ship's debris damaged other ships nearby, including the oil tankerUSSPecos and the minelayerUSS Monadnock.[4]
