SS Thomas Sully

History
United States
Name	Thomas Sully
Namesake	Thomas Sully
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Calmar Steamship Corp.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1205
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$1,772,285
Yard number	13
Way number	1
Laid down	16 June 1943
Launched	11 September 1943
Sponsored by	Mildred Pepper
Completed	27 September 1943
Identification	Call sign: KXME
Fate	Sold for commercial use, 30 January 1947, withdrawn from fleet, 5 February 1947
Panama
Name	Actor
Owner	Neptune Shipping, Ltd.
Operator	Torrey Mosvold, Kristiansand
Fate	Sold, 1949
Italy
Name	Citta Di Palermo
Owner	Sicilia Soc.di Nav
Operator	Count Salvatore Tagliavia, Palermo
Fate	Scrapped, 1963
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 Thomas Sully was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Thomas Sully, an American portrait painter.

Construction

Thomas Sully was laid down on 16 June 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1205, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mildred Pepper, the wife of Claude Pepper, then Floridas junior United States senator, and launched on 11 September 1943.

History

She was allocated to the Calmar Steamship Corp., on 27 September 1943. On 18 May 1946, she was placed in the Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York. She was placed in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Wilmington, North Carolina, 5 November 1946. She was sold for commercial use, 30 January 1947, to Neptune Shipping, Ltd., for $544,506. She was withdrawn from the fleet, 17 February 1947.

Thomas Sully was renamed Actor and reflagged in Panama, in 1947. She was sold in 1949, to Sicilia Soc. di Nav. and reflagged in Italy, and renamed Citta Di Palermo. She was scrapped in 1963.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
• Maritime Administration. "Thomas Sully". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
• "SS Thomas Sully". Retrieved 30 December 2019.