SS ''Samuel Ashe'' was a Liberty ship built in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She was named after Samuel Ashe the ninth Governor of the US state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

from 1795 to 1798. He was also one of the first three judges of the

North Carolina Superior Court The Superior Court is North Carolina's general jurisdiction trial court. It was established in 1777 and is North Carolina's oldest court. Jurisdiction and administration The Superior Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction in North Caroli ...

in 1787.

Construction

''Samuel Ashe'' was laid down 17 July 1942, under a

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

(MARCOM) contract, MC hull 164, by the

North Carolina Shipbuilding Company North Carolina Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard in Wilmington, North Carolina, created as part of the U.S. Government's Emergency Shipbuilding Program in the early days of World War II. From 1941 through 1946, the company built 243 ships in all ...

, Wilmington, North Carolina: she was launched 17 September 1942, sponsored by Miss Shirley Jean Beasley, the daughter of E.O. Beasley, the foreman of welders at NCSB.

History

She was allocated to American South African Line, Inc., on 29 September 1942. Among her missions was repatriating part of the US

1269th Engineer Combat Battalion The 1269th Engineer Combat Battalion was an engineer combat battalion that served in the United States Army in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. It saw action in France and Germany, serving notably with the Army's T-Force ...

stateside from

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

in August 1945. On 6 January 1948, she was laid up in the

James River Reserve Fleet The James River Reserve Fleet (JRRF) is located on the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia at () near Fort Eustis. James River Reserve Fleet, a "ghost fleet,", is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The Reserve Fleet ships in s ...

, Jones Point, New York. She was laid up in the,

Hudson River Reserve Fleet The Hudson River Reserve Fleet, formally the Hudson River National Defense Reserve Fleet and popularly the Mothball Fleet, was established by act of Congress in 1946 as a component of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. It was first located off T ...

, Jones Point, New York, 23 May 1953. On 11 June 1953, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1953", she returned loaded with grain on 25 June 1953. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 2 July 1956, to have the grain unloaded, she returned reloaded on 24 July 1956. On 3 January 1958, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be unloaded, she returned empty on 13 January 1958. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 8 September 1958, to be loaded with grain, she returned loaded with grain on 17 September 1958. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 22 December 1959, to have the grain unloaded, she returned empty on 30 December 1959. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 10 October 1960, to be loaded with grain, she returned loaded with grain on 29 October 1960. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 12 April 1960, to have the grain unloaded, she returned empty on 20 April 1963. She was sold for scrapping, on 27 May 1968, to Northern Metals Co. She was removed from the fleet on 30 June 1969.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Samuel Ashe) Liberty ships Ships built in Wilmington, North Carolina 1942 ships Hudson River Reserve Fleet James River Reserve Fleet