SS John Harvey

SS John Harvey on fire
on 2 December 1943, at Bari
History
United States
NameJohn Harvey
NamesakeJohn Harvey
OperatorAgwilines Inc
BuilderNorth Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, North Carolina
Yard number56
Way number2
Laid down6 December 1942
Launched9 January 1943
Completed19 January 1943
FateBombed in Bari, 1943. Scrapped 1948.
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

SS John Harvey was a U.S. World War II Liberty ship. This ship is best known for carrying a secret cargo of mustard gas and whose sinking by German aircraft in December 1943 at the port of Bari in south Italy caused an unintentional release of chemical weapons.

The John Harvey was built by the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in Wilmington, North Carolina, and launched on 9 January 1943. Her Maritime Commission Hull Number was 878, and she was rated as capable of carrying 504 soldiers. She was operated by Agwilines Inc.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Davies, James (2012). "Liberty Cargo Ships" (PDF). ww2ships.com. p. 23. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  2. ^ "North Carolina Shipbuilding". shipbuildinghistory.com. 2011. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.