SSDominator
 The wreck of SSDominatorin 1965
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Melville Jacoby |
| Namesake | War correspondentMelville Jacoby |
| Builder | Walsh-Kaiser Company,Providence, Rhode Island,US |
| Yard number | 3119 |
| Way number | 3 |
| Laid down | 27 October 1943 |
| Launched | 18 January 1944 |
| Completed | 31 March 1944 |
| Fate | Sold into commercial service, 1947 |
 Panama | |
| Name |
|
| Fate | Wrecked, 13 March 1961 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type EC2-S-C1Liberty ship |
| Displacement | 14,245 long tons (14,474 t)[1] |
| Length | |
| Beam | 57 ft (17 m)[1] |
| Draft | 27 ft 9 in (8.46 m)[1] |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11knots(20 km/h; 13 mph)[1] |
| Range | 20,000 nmi (37,000 km; 23,000 mi) |
| Capacity | 10,856 t (10,685 long tons)deadweight(DWT)[1] |
| Crew | 81[1] |
| Armament | Stern-mounted4 in (100 mm)deck gunfor use against surfaced submarines, variety ofanti-aircraft guns |
SSDominator,a freighter, ran ashore on thePalos Verdes Peninsulain the South Bay area ofCaliforniain 1961 due to a navigational error while lost in fog. Its remains can still be seen today[2]and serves as a point of interest for hikers and kayakers.
Ship history
[edit]The ship was originally theAmericanLiberty shipMelville Jacoby,built duringWorld War IIat theWalsh-Kaiser Companyshipyard inProvidence, Rhode Island,and launched on March 31, 1944.[3]It was named after the journalist Melville Jacoby, who, after reporting on thewar in Chinaand narrowly escaping capture atCorregidor,was killed in an air crash in 1942.[4]
During the war the ship was operated by theWilmore Steamship Companyof Boston, on behalf of theWar Shipping Administration.In 1947 she was sold into commercial service, and flying thePanamanian flag,was renamedSSVictoria.She changed hands in 1950, and was renamedSSNorth Queen,then again in 1953 becomingSSDominator.[5]
The wreck
[edit]
On March 13, 1961,Dominatorwas en route toLos AngelesfromVancouverwith a cargo of wheat and beef when she ran aground offPalos Verdes,California.[6]For two days, the Coast Guard and tugboats attempted to refloat her, but heavy seas and high winds only forced her higher onto the rocks. After two days the crew abandoned ship. The stranded ship was then auctioned, and hull and cargo were sold separately, which led to some conflict between the salvors, as they attempted to gain what they could. Eventually, the ship slowly broke up under the pounding of the waves, and with large pieces of wreckage scattered over the shore.[7]As of 2024, wreckage can still be seen.[2]
References
[edit]- ^abcdefgDavies, James (2012)."Liberty Cargo Ships"(PDF).ww2ships.com.p. 23.Retrieved7 May2012.
- ^ab"South Bay history: The Dominator became a Palos Verdes Peninsula landmark after running aground".Daily Breeze.2022-07-18.Retrieved2023-03-29.
- ^"Walsh-Kaiser Shipbuilding".shipbuildinghistory.com.2011. Archived fromthe originalon 10 May 2012.Retrieved10 May2012.
- ^Press, Harry (March–April 2000)."Getting to the Front".Stanford Magazine: Book Review.Retrieved10 May2012.
- ^"Liberty Ships (M)".mariners-l.co.uk.2011.Retrieved10 May2012.
- ^"Dominator".cawreckdivers.org.2007.Retrieved10 May2012.
- ^"Dominator Shipwreck".lakata.org.2005.Retrieved10 May2012.
External links
[edit]
- A Short Hike Featuring the Dominator
- US Coast Guard List of Disaster Shipwrecks
- Images from a Hike to the Wreckage of SS Dominator
- In-depth article, images, and videos of 1961 Dominator crash activity
33°46′26″N118°25′42″W/ 33.77389°N 118.42833°W
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1961 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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