SS James H. Courts

History
United States
Name	James H. Courts
Namesake	James H. Courts
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2516
Awarded	23 April 1943
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida
Cost	$1,002,548
Yard number	80
Way number	2
Laid down	12 December 1944
Launched	21 January 1945
Sponsored by	Mrs. A.H. Laney
Completed	31 January 1945
Fate	Transferred to Greece, 31 January 1945
Greece
Name	Niki (1945-1949) Hadiotis
Owner	Kassos Steam Navigation Co., Ltd.
Operator	Rethymnis & Kulukundis
Fate	Sold, 1965
Greece
Name	Achilles
Owner	Cia. Nav. Tierra del Fuego
Operator	Counties Shipping, Ltd.
Fate	Grounded, 21 November 1965 Declared Constructive total loss, scrapped, 1966
General characteristics
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 James H. Courts was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after James H. Courts, a Merchant seaman killed on the cargo ship SS Expositor, 22 February 1943, when she was struck by a torpedo from German submarine U-606.

Construction

James H. Courts was laid down on 12 December 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2516, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. A.H. Laney, the wife of the superintendent of the warehouse at St.Johns River SBC, and she was launched on 21 January 1945.

History

She was transferred to Greece, under the Lend-Lease program, on 31 January 1945. She was sold for commercial use, 18 December 1946, to Kassos Steam Navigation Co., Ltd., for $575,339.53.

Bibliography

• "St. John's River Shipbuilding, Jacksonville FL". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 16 October 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
• Maritime Administration. "James H. Courts". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
• "SS James H. Courts". Retrieved 11 February 2020.
• "SS Expositor". www.Uboat.net. Retrieved 11 February 2020.