History
United States
Name	James B. Duke
Namesake	James B. Duke
Operator	Wessel Duval & Company
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2362
Builder	J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia
Cost	$1,062,861[1]
Yard number	147
Way number	1
Laid down	29 April 1944
Launched	19 June 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs.Doris Duke Cromwell
Completed	30 June 1944
Identification	Call Signal: WPZA [1]
Fate	Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 23 September 1949 Laid up in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas, 30 March 1952 Sold for scrapping, 1 May 1972
General characteristics [2]
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 Joshua Hendy Iron Works, Sunnyvale, California) 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 B. Duke was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after James B. Duke, founder of the American Tobacco Company, co-founder of Duke Energy, and establisher of The Duke Endowment.

Construction

James B. Duke was laid down on 29 April 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2362, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia; she was sponsored by Mrs.Doris Duke Cromwell, daughter of James Duke, and launched on 19 June 1944.^[3][1]

History

She was allocated to Wessel Duval & Company, on 30 June 1944. On 23 September 1949, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Mobile, Alabama. On 30 March 1952, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in Beaumont, Texas. On 1 May 1972, she was sold to Luria Brothers & Company, for $40,333.33, for scrapping. She was removed from the fleet on 27 June 1972.^[4][5]