WWII Liberty Ship - SS Hellas Liberty

[Julien]

This is the SS Hellas Liberty now a museum ship in Piraeus harbor, Greece. She was built as SS Arthur M Huddel, by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company with keel laid 25 October 1943 and the yard workers working overtime to launch on 7 December 1943 (now thats fast!).

As well as normal shipping in the summer of 1944 she was converted to a pipe carrier and transported pipe in her aft two holds from the US to England that was used in Operation PLUTO, a fuel pipeline under the English Channel to serve Normandy landings area. She made the first and last pipe transport voyage carrying 70 miles (112.7 km) of pipe departing New York on 22 September 1945 and then spending eighty-four in London discharging 17 miles (27.4 km) of pipe into pipe laying ships and unloading the remainder at the dock. For the remainder of the war and immediate post war period Huddell carried coal, general cargo and personnel in voyages between Europe and the US.

She was laid up in 1945. In 1956 She was chartered by AT&T, and converted to a cable transport and layer. After operations in support of Distant Early Warning (DEW) line she was transferred to the US reserve fleet from 1957 until 1964. The ship was used to support cable operations for the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) until 1984 when she was laid up again. After that date many components, including the rudder, were removed and used as spare parts for SS John W. Brown.

In 2008 she was transferred to Greece for conversion to a maritime museum and was renamed Hellas Liberty. On December 6, 2008 she left Norfolk, Virginia under tow for Piraeus harbour in January 2009. General repairs and conversions took place at Perama and Salamis during 2009 and 2010, including installation of a new rudder and propeller. In June 2010 she was presented to the public in her restored form in Piraeus harbor. Pics are thanks to Mike (bootneck)

[Julien]

[Julien]

[Julien]