SS Stepas Darius
SS Stepas Darius was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Steponas Darius, a Lithuanian American pilot, who died in a non-stop flight attempt with Lituanica from New York City to Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1933.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Stepas Darius |
| Namesake | Steponas Darius |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | William J. Rountree & Company |
| Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2320 |
| Builder | J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida |
| Cost | $989,881[1] |
| Yard number | 61 |
| Way number | 6 |
| Laid down | 14 August 1944 |
| Launched | 25 Septembert 1944 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Harley Ferguson |
| Completed | 10 October 1944 |
| Identification | |
| Fate | Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia, 27 June 1946 |
| Status | Sold for commercial use, 10 January 1947, withdrawn from fleet, 24 January 1947 |
 Panama | |
| Name | MANDO |
| Owner | Compania de Navegacion Phoceana de Panama |
| Status | Grounded, 21 January 1955 |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and type |
|
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 57 feet (17 m) |
| Draft | 27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | |
| Armament |
|
Construction
Stepas Darius was laid down on 14 August 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2320, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. Harley Ferguson, wife of assistant general manager JAJCC; and launched on 25 September 1944.[3][1]
History
She was allocated to William J. Rountree & Company, 9 October 1944. On 27 June 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in James River Reserve Fleet, Lee Hall, Virginia.[4]
She was sold, on 10 January 1947, to Compania de Navegacion Phocena de Panama, for $562,854.89 and commercial use, she was renamed Mando. She was withdrawn from the fleet on 15 January 1947.[4]
On 21 January 1955, while sailing from Hampton Roads to Rotterdam, with 9,000 st (130,000 lb; 57,000 kg) of coal, she ran aground off the Round Island, Scilly Islands, when her engines failed. She was declared a total loss.[5]
Wreck located at: 49.5827°N 06.2015°W
References
- MARCOM.
- Davies 2004, p. 23.
- J.A. Panama City 2010.
- MARAD.
- Historic England. "MANDO (1519482)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 9 December 2019.
Bibliography
- "Jones Construction, Panama City FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- Maritime Administration. "Stepas Darius". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- "SS Stepas Darius". Retrieved 9 December 2019.
