SS Martin Behrman

SS Martin Behrman was an American Liberty ship built in 1944 for service in World War II. Her namesake was Martin Behrman, long-time mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana. For the war she was operated by the Isbrandtsen Line under charter with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration.

Martin Behrman was a standard liberty ship, similar to SS John W. Brown, seen here.
History
United States
NameMartin Behrman
NamesakeMartin Behrman
BuilderDelta Shipbuilding Company, New Orleans
Yard number153
Way number2
Laid down25 October 1944
Launched4 December 1944
FateScrapped, 1965
General characteristics
Class and typeType EC2-S-C1 Liberty ship
Displacement14,245 long tons (14,474 t)[1]
Length
  • 441 ft 6 in (134.57 m) o/a
  • 417 ft 9 in (127.33 m) p/p
  • 427 ft (130 m) w/l[1]
Beam57 ft (17 m)[1]
Draft27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)[1]
Propulsion
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)[1]
Range20,000 nmi (37,000 km; 23,000 mi)
Capacity10,856 t (10,685 long tons) deadweight (DWT)[1]
Crew81[1]
ArmamentStern-mounted 4 in (100 mm) deck gun for use against surfaced submarines, variety of anti-aircraft guns

Among the Liberty ships, the Martin Behrman was an EC2-S-C1 Type with Maritime Commission hull number 2827. Like other Liberty ships, she was 441 feet (134 m) long and 56 feet (17 m) wide, carried 9000 tons of cargo and had a top speed of 11 knots (20 km/h). Most Liberty ships were named after prominent deceased Americans.[2]

This particular ship was built by Delta Shipbuilding Company in New Orleans. Her keel was laid on 25 October 1944 and she was launched on 4 December 1944. The Delta shipyard was started specifically for the war effort, at a site on the Industrial Canal near the Almonaster Avenue Bridge, immediately south of the present-day I-10 high-rise bridge. The yard was shut down after the end of the war.[3]

The Martin Behrman survived World War II and saw service in the Korean War.[4] In 1947 she was engaged in the Indonesian trade in defiance of a Dutch blockade, and on one voyage her cargo was confiscated by the Dutch Navy.[5][6][7]

She was scrapped at Portland, Oregon in 1965.[8] Her bow, along with the bows of many other Liberty ships, is buried at the Liberty Ship Memorial Park in Portland.[9]

References
  1. Davies, James (2012). "Liberty Cargo Ships" (PDF). ww2ships.com. p. 23. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  2. "Liberty Ships built by the United States Maritime Commission in World War II". usmm.org. 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  3. "Delta Shipbuilding". shipbuildinghistory.com. 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  4. "American Merchant Marine Ships Participating in Korean War". usmm.org. 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  5. "Dutch Seize U.S. Vessel". The Atchison Daily Globe. Atchison, KS. Associated Press. 7 March 1947. Retrieved 28 September 2015 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. Penders, L.M. (2002). "The West New Guinea Debacle" (PDF). papuaweb.org. p. 36. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  7. "Dispatch 6/1947 Batavia". Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 26 February 1947. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  8. "Liberty Ships (M)". mariners-l.co.uk. 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  9. "Liberty Ship Memorial Park". gadoodles.com. 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2012.


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