SS Virginia Dare launched at Wilmington, North Carolina, February 3, 1942
History
United States
NameVirginia Dare
NamesakeVirginia Dare
BuilderNorth Carolina Shipbuilding Company, Wilmington, North Carolina
Yard number3
Way number3
Laid down28 May 1941
Launched3 February 1942
Out of service6 March 1944
Honors and
awards		 1 × battle star
FateScrapped 1948
General characteristics
TypeLiberty ship
Tonnage7,000 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Length441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam56 ft 11 in (17.35 m)
Draft27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)
Propulsion
  • Two oil-fired boilers
  • Triple expansion steam engine
  • Single screw
  • 2,500 hp (1,864 kW)
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Capacity9,140 tons cargo
Complement41
Armament

SS Virginia Dare (MC contract 147) was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America, who disappeared along with the rest of the Roanoke Colony.

The ship was laid down by North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in their Cape Fear River yard on 28 May 1941, then launched on 3 February 1942.[1] She was operated by the South Atlantic Steamship Line for the War Shipping Administration.[2] Virginia Dare was operated by South Atlantic Steamship Lines under charter with the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration. In September 1942 Greene was part of the heavily escorted Arctic Convoy PQ 18 when her crew was credited with shooting down seven German aircraft and received the Gallant Ship Citation.[3]

While operating off of Bizerte, Tunisia she struck a mine and had to be beached.[4] Seven days later she broke in half. In 1948 she was scrapped by an Italian salvage company.[5]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ "North Carolina Shipbuilding". shipbuildinghistory.com. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  2. ↑ "Virginia Dare". MARAD Vessel History Database. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  3. ↑ "Hearing on 04/18/2007: H.R. 23, the "Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007"". House Committee on Veterans Affairs. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  4. ↑ "Chronological List of U.S. Ships Sunk or Damaged during 1944". American Merchant Marine at War. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  5. ↑ "Virginia Dare". MARAD Vessel History Database. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Merchant Marine Ships whose Naval Armed Guard crews earned "Battle Stars" in World War II - Ships with names "N to Z"". American Merchant Marine at War. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  7. ↑ usmm.org Heroes


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