History
United States
Name	Niels Poulson
Namesake	Niels Poulson
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2371
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost	$972,154[1]
Yard number	156
Way number	4
Laid down	6 July 1944
Launched	18 August 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. W.H. McWhirter
Completed	5 September 1944
Identification	Call Signal: WSLR [1]
Fate	Struck a mine off Gorgona, Italy, 6 December 1946 Sold for scrapping, 20 February 1948
General characteristics [2]
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 Niels Poulson was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Niels Poulson, an architect and philanthropist.

Construction

Niels Poulson was laid down on 6 July 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2371, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia; she was sponsored by Mrs. W.H. McWhirter, and launched on 18 August 1944.^[3][1]

History

She was allocated to the Dichmann Wright & Pugh Company, on 5 September 1944. On 6 December 1946, she struck a mine off Gorgona, Italy, and was towed to Leghorn, Italy, where she was declared a constructive total loss (CTL) on 19 December.^[1] On 20 February 1948, she was sold, along with 39 other vessels, including her sister ships SS Isaac Shelby and SS Cassius Hudson, for $520,000, to Venturi Salvaggi Ricuperi Imprese Marittime Societa per Azioni, Genoa.^[4][5]

References

Bibliography