Posted by Kevin Wilson on November 30, 2009, 10:21 pm
My Father John "Jack" Wilson served on the SS William Wirt and the SS Plymouth Victory between June 44 and June 46 any info on the ships or crew would be great. Thanks. Kevin Wilson
Re: SS WILLIAM WIRT SS PLYMOUTH VICTORY
Posted by Ron Carlson on December 2, 2009, 9:21 am, in reply to "SS WILLIAM WIRT SS PLYMOUTH VICTORY" Message modified by board administrator December 2, 2009, 9:31 am
Kevin,
SS WILLIAM WIRT was one of about 2,700 Liberty ships built before and during World War II. She was named after William Wirt (1772-1834), U. S. Attorney General 1817-1829 and a Presidential candidate in 1832. She was built by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore. Her keel was laid 13 May 1942, she was launched 4 July 1942, and she was completed on 24 July 1942, 72 days after keel-laying. She was bombed off Algeria in 1943 but shot down several enemy planes, resulting in Meritorious Service Medals being awarded to two of her merchant marine officers. She was repaired and continued in service through the war. She was placed in the reserve fleet ("mothballed") in 1947 and was scrapped in Kearny, NJ, in 1966. See http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergency/wwtwo/bethfairfield.htm and scroll down to hull number 2037; http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/LibShipsW-Z.html and scroll to the name of the ship; and http://www.usmm.org/msm.html and scroll down to the name Simmons, Cameron Dudley. See also https://pmars.marad.dot.gov/NewCards/5354_9863AF.jpg and https://pmars.marad.dot.gov/DisposalCard/All/5354_AF.jpg.
SS PLYMOUTH VICTORY was one of more than 500 Victory ships built in the latter years of World War II, and named after the city of Plymouth, Massachusetts. She was built by the Oregon Shipbuilding Company, Portland, OR. Her keel was laid 8 February 1944, she was launched 20 April 1944, and she was completed 16 May 1944, 98 days after keel-laying. Her wartime career must have been uneventful as I cannot find any significant mention of her online. She was sold to a private shipping company in 1965, renamed CORTEZ in 1969, sold again and renamed EVELYN in 1971, and scrapped in 1972 in Taiwan. See http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/4emergency/wwtwo/koregon.htm and scroll to hull number 1015; and http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/vicshipsP.html and scroll to the name of the ship.
I have made a search for your father at the Ancestry.com website (http://www.ancestry.com), which is more commonly used for genealogical research. However Ancestry.com also has databases of the names of crew members of ships that arrived at various U.S. ports of entry from the early 1800s to about 1957. The records are particularly extensive for ships arriving in New York. I found two records for a John R. Wilson, arriving in New York aboard WILLIAM WIRT as a member of the Armed Guard crew, on 19 May 1945, from Port of Spain, Trinidad, and on 9 July 1945, also from Port of Spain, Trinidad. His serial number was 570-52-10 and he was listed as a seaman first class for the May arrival and as a gunners mate third class for the July arrival.
His Armed Guard shipmates on both voyages were as follows:
Battle, William R. LT(jg), Armed Guard officer in command Bryson, Paul E. Drzka, Emil C. Green, Eugene E. McMurtury, Samuel V. Medlock, Dan Ose, Armand S., Jr. Plauman, Frederick J. Rutledge, James R. Walker, Millard G.
I have no idea whether any of these men are still living, nor do I have contact information for any of them.
I do not find any records at Ancestry.com for a John Wilson arriving in any port aboard PLYMOUTH VICTORY. This does not suggest that your information is in error, only that the records at Ancestry.com may not be complete.
I hope this information is useful.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster Armed Guard website www.armed-guard.com