SS James L. Ackerson

History
United States
Name	James L. Ackerson
Namesake	James L. Ackerson
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Wessel Duval & Company
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2468
Awarded	23 April 1943
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$1,304,445
Yard number	32
Way number	2
Laid down	11 January 1944
Launched	29 February 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. James L.Ackerson
Completed	16 March 1944
Identification	Call sign: KWCA
Fate	Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California, 18 May 1946 Sold for commercial use, 22 January 1947, removed from fleet, 27 January 1947
Greece
Name	Captain John Matarangas
Owner	Stavros S. Niarchos
Operator	Simpson, Spence and Young
Fate	Sold, 1950
Greece
Name	Artemis
Owner	Tropis Co., Ltd.
Fate	Scrapped, 1967
General characteristics
Class and 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 General Machinery Corp., Hamilton, Ohio) 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 inches (76 mm)/50 caliber gun Stern-mounted 4 inches (102 mm)/50 caliber gun 2–8 × single 20 millimeters (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37 millimeters (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

SS James L. Ackerson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after James L. Ackerson, a naval constructor and the general manager and vice president of the US Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation from 1918-1920.

Construction

James L. Ackerson was laid down on 1 January 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2468, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. James L. Ackerson, the widow of the namesake, and was launched on 29 February 1944.

History

She was allocated to the Wessel Duval & Company, on 16 March 1944. On 18 May 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California. She was sold for commercial use, 22 January 1947, to Stavros S. Niarchos, for $544,506. She was removed from the fleet on 27 January 1947. James L. Ackerson was renamed Captain John Matarangas and flagged in Greece. She was renamed Artemis in 1952, and scrapped in Japan, in 1967.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "James L. Ackerson". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
• "SS James L. Ackerson". Retrieved 20 January 2020.