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| USN EC2-S-C1 Liberty Ship 7,176 Gross Tons 441' 7" x 57' x 26' 9" 8 x 20mm AA guns 1 x 3" gun 1 x 5" gun |
Ship History Built by California Shipbuilding Corporation in Los Angeles. Ordered by the U.S. Maritime Commission (MC). Laid down October 6, 1941 as a Maritime Commission Emergency Cargo Ship (EC2-S-C1) Liberty Ship with MC hull number 280. Launched March 11, 1942 as SS Rufus King named for Rufus King who represented Massachusetts in the Constitutional Convention. Completed May 29, 1942 and the same day to Coastwise Line (Pacific Far East) in Los Angeles under a General Agency Agreement (GAA) for the U.S. Navy (USN) as a cargo vessel. Her crew was comprised of merchant marines with U.S. Navy armed guards manning her guns. Wartime History On July 7, 1942 ran aground in South Passage of Moreton Bay near Point Lookout roughly 25 miles from Brisbane. Afterwards, written off as a total constructive loss. The forward section was refloated and towed to Pinkenba and transfered to the U.S. Army for $12,500. The rest of the ship was stripped for usable parts and abandoned. Shipwreck Later, SS Rufus King was , used as a target by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) planes and sunk. Ludsie recalls: "There was a wreck of a liberty ship just off Moreton Bay in Australia that we used to see when holidaying on Stradbroke Island. It was the SS Rufus King but has dissolved into the sea now." References U.S. Department of Transportation MARAD - Rufus King (status card) Vessel Status Card - SS Rufus King Liberty Ships built by the United States Maritime Commission in World War II Wreck Site - SS Rufus King (1942) Contribute
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