| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Stepas Darius |
| Namesake | Steponas Darius |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | William J. Rountree Company |
| Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C1) hull,MC hull 2320 |
| Builder | J.A. Jones Construction,Panama City, Florida |
| Cost | $989,881[1] |
| Yard number | 61 |
| Way number | 6 |
| Laid down | 14 August 1944 |
| Launched | 25 September 1944 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Harley Ferguson |
| Completed | 10 October 1944 |
| Identification | |
| Fate |
|
 Panama | |
| Name | MANDO |
| Owner | Compania de Navegacion Phoceana de Panama |
| Fate | Grounded, 21 January 1955 |
| General characteristics[2] | |
| Class & 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 |
|
SSStepas Darius was aLiberty ship built in the United States duringWorld War II. She was named afterSteponas Darius, aLithuanian American pilot, who died in a non-stop flight attempt withLituanica fromNew York City toKaunas, Lithuania, in 1933.
Stepas Darius was laid down on 14 August 1944, under aMaritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2320, byJ.A. Jones Construction,Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. Harley Ferguson, wife of assistant general manager JAJCC; and launched on 25 September 1944.[3][1]
She was allocated toWilliam J. Rountree Company, 9 October 1944. On 27 June 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, inJames River Reserve Fleet,Lee Hall, Virginia.[4]
She was sold, on 10 January 1947, toCompania de Navegacion Phocena de Panama, for $562,854.89 and commercial use, she was renamedMando. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 15 January 1947.[4]
On 21 January 1955, while sailing fromHampton Roads toRotterdam, with 9,000 st (130,000 lb; 57,000 kg) of coal, she ran aground off theRound Island,Scilly Islands, when her engines failed. She was declared a total loss.[5]
Wreck located at:49°34′58″N6°12′05″W / 49.5827°N 06.2015°W /49.5827; -06.2015
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
