SS Clara Barton

The SS "Clara Barton" (Hull Number 636) was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross.

The ship was laid down on July 19, 1942, then launched on August 25, 1942. The ship survived the war only to suffer the same fate as nearly all other Liberty ships that survived did; she was scrapped in 1970.

The Clara Barton was chartered to the Army Transportation Service and participated in the Normandy invasion on D-Day and made many trips from the UK to various ports on the contenent as the invasion progressed.

On D-Day the ship was hit by a tank shell which passed clear through the ship with minimal damage before detonating.

On one of her trips as the invasion progressed the Clara Barton blew a major packing in her main engine and limped back to port through U-boat infested waters powered by the jacking engine, a small engine intended only to get the main engine off dead center.

On a subsequent trip the same packing blew again and then the jacking engine failed, leaving her dead in the water again in U-boat infested waters. After an anxious wait she was safely towed back to port.

The previous three paragraphs are oral history from John Robert "Bob" Lowther who was a fireman and watertender on the Clara Barton.