SSWilliam D. Bloxham was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after William D. Bloxham, the Secretary of State of Florida (1877–1880) and the 13th and 17th Governor of Florida (1881–1885 and 1897–1901).
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | William D. Bloxham |
| Namesake | William D. Bloxham |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
| Operator | William J. Rountree & Company |
| Ordered | as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MC hull 2306 |
| Builder | J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida |
| Cost | $951,652[1] |
| Yard number | 47 |
| Way number | 2 |
| Laid down | 5 May 1944 |
| Launched | 13 June 1944 |
| Sponsored by | Miss Joan Blair |
| Completed | 28 June 1944 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sold to Italy, 18 January 1947 |
 Italy | |
| Name | Sistiana |
| Namesake | Sistiana |
| Owner | Lloyd Triestino, Trieste, Italy |
| Acquired | 30 January 1947 |
| Fate | Sold, 1963 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Soclyve |
| Owner | Oceanica Transports Co., Malta |
| Operator | Union Maritime & Shipping Co., London |
| Acquired | 1963 |
| Fate | Sold, 1969 |
 Cyprus | |
| Name | Mitera Irini |
| Owner | Polarus Shipping Co., Famagusta, Cyprus |
| Acquired | 1969 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1972 |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and type |
|
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 57 feet (17 m) |
| Draft | 27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | |
| Armament |
|
William D. Bloxham was laid down on 5 May 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2306, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; she was sponsored by Miss Joan Blair, and launched on 13 June 1944.[3][1]
She was allocated to William J. Rountree & Company, on 28 June 1944. On 11 June 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in the James River Group. On 18 January 1947, she was transferred to the Italian Government, which in turn sold her for $549,813.52 to Lloyd Triestino, Trieste, Italy, for commercial use. She was renamed Sistiana. After being sold to a couple more owners she was scrapped in 1972.[4][5]
