SS John Lykes
From Our Contribution
 | |
 Maritime Reserve Fleet at Mobile in 1964 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS John Lykes |
| Owner | Lykes Lines |
| Builder | Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Kearny, New Jersey |
| Launched | 20 Dec 1940 |
| Completed | January 1941 |
| Out of service | 1958 |
| Reclassified | C1B cargo ship |
| Fate | scrapped Panama City in 1973 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Standard ship type C1-B built for United States Maritime Commission. Dry cargo |
| Tonnage | 6,829 tons |
| Length | 419.75 ft (127.92m) |
| Beam | 60.0 ft (18.29m) |
| Depth | draft 27.5 ft (7.16m) |
| Propulsion | single screw |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 kmh) |
| Capacity | 1,300 troops |
Remarks
Following her lauch SS John Lykes operated as a general cargo ship. On 9 Oct 1942 when south of Cape of Good Hope, steaming for Cape Town, she rescued 40 survivors from the SS Examelia which had been torpedoed by U-68. Between October and December 1943, SS John Lykes was converted in New York to carry troops.
From Then until 1946 she was engaged as a troop transport for the United States Maritime Commission, managed by the Lykes Line, a United States shipping company, using San Franciso as her base, and travelling to Australia and Pacific islands. During the later part of the war she was leased to the Army as a troop transport.
It appears that she participated in the invasion of Okinawa. In March 1945 she was used to repatriate US citizens from Manila in the Philippines to the US, and following the cesation of hostilities she made at least one trip to Japan before sailing for New York via the Panama Canal. Following her arrival in late February 1946 her use as a troop ship was terminated.
Detail of how it was used between early 1946 and 1958 are currently unknown. However, in 1958 it was placed in the MARAD reserve at Mobile before being sold for scrap in 1973 and sent to Panama City Florida.