SS Benjamin Harrison
Encyclopedia
The SS Benjamin Harrison (Hull Number 25) was a Liberty ship
built in the United States
during World War II
. She was named after Benjamin Harrison
, the twenty-third President of the United States
.
The ship was laid down on 27 September 1941, then launched on 24 January 1942. She was loaded with stores for Allied forces in North Africa and sailed from Hampton Roads
on 4 March 1943 with convoy UGS 6. She was torpedoed by U-172 during the only successful wolf pack attack on the trans-Atlantic UG convoys
. Three of her crew perished, and she was scuttled on 16 March 1943.
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was named after Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
, the twenty-third President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
The ship was laid down on 27 September 1941, then launched on 24 January 1942. She was loaded with stores for Allied forces in North Africa and sailed from Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on 4 March 1943 with convoy UGS 6. She was torpedoed by U-172 during the only successful wolf pack attack on the trans-Atlantic UG convoys
UG convoys
The UG convoys were a series of east-bound trans-Atlantic convoys from the United States to Gibraltar carrying food, ammunition, and military hardware to the United States Army in North Africa and southern Europe during World War II...
. Three of her crew perished, and she was scuttled on 16 March 1943.