History
United States
Name	Thomas J. Lyons
Namesake	Thomas J. Lyons
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Smith & Johnson Co.
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2478
Awarded	23 April 1943
Builder	St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida[1]
Cost	$1,048,609[2]
Yard number	42
Way number	6
Laid down	7 April 1944
Launched	18 May 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Thomas J. Lyon
Completed	2 June 1944
Identification	Call sign: WMYI [2]
Fate	Laid up in the, National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon, 24 December 1948 Sold for scrapping, 10 October 1963, removed from fleet, 15 November 1963
General characteristics [3]
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 General Machinery Corp., Hamilton, Ohio) 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 Thomas J. Lyons was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Thomas J. Lyons.

Construction

Thomas J. Lyons was laid down on 7 April 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2478, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company, Jacksonville, Florida; she was sponsored by Mrs. Thomas J. Lyon, the widow of the namesake, and was launched on 18 May 1944.^[1][2]

History

She was allocated to the Smith & Johnson Co., on 2 June 1944. On 24 December 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Astoria, Oregon. On 2 August 1954, she was withdrawn from the fleet to be loaded with grain under the "Grain Program 1954", she returned loaded on 12 August 1954. On 21 November 1957, she was withdrawn to be unload, she returned on empty 26 November 1957. She was sold for scrapping, 10 October 1963, to Zidell Explorations, Inc., for $45,000. She was removed from the fleet on 15 November 1963.^[4]

References

Bibliography