SS Robert Battey

History
United States
Name	Robert Battey
Namesake	Robert Battey
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 1506
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost	$1,450,639
Yard number	122
Way number	6
Laid down	8 October 1943
Launched	30 November 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Edwin L. Jones
Completed	10 December 1943
Identification	Call Signal: KVCD
Fate	Ran aground near Mindanao, Philippines, 6 September 1945 Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Subic Bay, Philippines, 4 January 1946 Transferred to and laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California, 17 December 1946 Transferred to US Navy for target ship, 11 February 1964 Reported sunk as target February 1965
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 Robert Battey was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Robert Battey, a Confederate States Army surgeon and later a civilian gynecologist.

Construction

Robert Battey was laid down on 8 October 1943, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 1506, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia; sponsored by Mrs. Edwin L. Jones, daughter-in-law of J.A Jones secretary treasurer, Edwin L. Jones, and launched on 30 November 1943.

History

She was allocated to the Cosmopolitan Shipping Co., on 10 December 1943. On or about 6 September 1945, she ran aground near Mindanao, Philippines, and was declared a constructive total loss (CTL). She was refloated and later laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Subic Bay, on 4 January 1946. On 17 December 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Suisun Bay, California. It was estimated that it would cost $150,000 to make Robert Battey seaworthy again but there are no records stating that the work was done. On 16 December 1964, the US Navy requested her for use as a target ship. On 11 February 1965, she was withdrawn from the reserve fleet and turned over to the Navy where she was presumably sunk.

Bibliography

• "Jones Construction, Brunswick GA". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
• "Liberty Ships – World War II". Retrieved 31 October 2017.
• Maritime Administration. "Robert Battey". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
• "SS Robert Battey". Retrieved 5 November 2017.