SS Pendleton

Bow section of Pendleton aground near Pollock Rip Lightship
History
NamePendleton
Owner
  • War Shipping Administration (1944–48)
  • National Bulk Carriers (1948–52)
Operator
  • United States Marine Corps (1944–48)
  • National Bulk Carriers (1948–52)
Port of registryUnited States Portland, Oregon, United States
BuilderKaiser shipyards, Portland, Oregon
Yard number49
LaunchedJanuary 21, 1944
CompletedFebruary 1944
Out of serviceFebruary 18, 1952
Identification
  • United States Official Number 245152
  • Code Letters KWAA
FateBroke in two, subsequently scrapped
General characteristics
TypeType T2-SE-A1 tanker
Tonnage
Length504 feet 0 inches (153.62 m)
Beam68 feet 2 inches (20.78 m)
Depth39 feet 2 inches (11.94 m)
Installed power6,000 hp Steam turbine
PropulsionSingle-screw propeller
Speed16 knots (30 km/h)
Crew41

SS Pendleton was a Type T2-SE-A1 tanker built in 1942 in Portland, Oregon, United States, for the War Shipping Administration. She was sold in 1948 to National Bulk Carriers, serving until February 1952 when she broke in two in a storm. The T2 tanker ships were prone to splitting in two in cold weather. The ship's sinking and crew rescue (along with the break-up and rescue of its sister ship) is the topic of the 2009 book The Finest Hours: The True Story Behind the US Coast Guard's Most Daring Rescue by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman. The book inspired the 2016 Disney-produced film The Finest Hours with Chris Pine, which focuses on the Pendleton rescue.