By Society Member Bill Ogle
Ships may have a very chequered career but not many come to such an ignominious end. Many of you will recall the sad sight of the ‘Sam Boat’ Valiant Enterprise (what an inappropriate name!) berthed on the outer breakwater at Colombo harbour from 1960 to 1967.
The J A Jones construction company was founded at Charlotte, NC in the 1890s and emerged from the Great Depression as one of the largest and most respected construction companies in the south-eastern United States. That status helped the company to secure several major defence contracts during World War II.
The contract to build a new shipyard having six slipways on a 72 acre site near to Panama City was signed on 7 April 1942. By August most of the heavy equipment and cranes were in place. Hull number 1, the E Kirby Smith, was launched on 30 December 1942. Some 6,000 men were employed in construction of the yard and J A Jones were also contracted to manage the yard. Eventually more than 15,000 were recruited and trained to build a total of 108 ships by the time of the final launch of Ora Ellis on 26 September, 1945. The yard was closed and dismantled in 1946. Almost all were to the standard EC2-S-C1 design
Hull number 26 was the Harold T. Andrews, laid down on 15 November 1943 and completed 19 February 1944. It is recorded that she joined the Liverpool bound convoy of 97 ships, HX293, at Halifax on 29 May, arriving Liverpool on 9 June.
She was initially operated on behalf of the US War Shipping Administration by Boland & Cornelius, Buffalo, NY whose operation focussed mainly on the Great Lakes, until laid up in 1946. Bought by Astra Steamship Corporation (Overseas Navigation Corporation) in 1949 she continued for eight years with her original name. Transferred to Bassa Transport Corporation in 1957, still within Overseas Navigation Corporation she was renamed Bassa and later that year renamed Spiro Makris. In 1958, still under the same ownership, she was renamed Robertville. In 1959 she was bought by Enterprise Steamship Corporation (Ocean Carriers Corporation) and returned to the US flag, but now renamed Valiant Enterprise.
She departed New Orleans on 14 August 1959, but her movements are unknown until she arrived at Colombo on 11 Mar 1961. There she was abandoned by her crew; in 1966 she was sold by the Colombo authorities to ship breakers but, as they would not pay the port dues the sale fell through. On 23 February 1967 she was towed out to sea and scuttled some six miles north of Colombo.
