SS Arthur M. Huddell, Maritime museum ship in Piraeus, Greece
SS Arthur M. Huddell is a Liberty ship launched on 7 December 1943 by the St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company in Jacksonville, Florida. Since 2009 it has been the museum ship Hellas Liberty in the Port of Piraeus, Athens. Its grey hull carries a green lower band and the name "HELLAS LIBE" near the stern; a white superstructure with a blue and white funnel stands amidships, and yellow cargo booms and black gantry structures rise over the deck.
Laid down on 25 October 1943 at Jacksonville, Florida, and delivered on 18 December 1943, the ship carried explosives and general cargo during World War II. In 1944 its holds were modified to carry coiled pipe for Operation PLUTO, the fuel pipeline under the English Channel. It later served as a cable transport for AT&T and was donated to Greece in 2009.
The ship bears the name Hellas Liberty, and its twin decks hold stands for each of the first 100 Liberty ships given to Greek owners after the war. The Greek Ministry of Merchant Marine owns the vessel, while the Union of Greek Captains runs it as a museum. A conference room occupies the fourth twin deck.
The ship is moored at the old Vasiliadis dry dock in Piraeus, where it opened to visitors in June 2010. Its twin decks serve as exhibition halls, and the fourth twin deck is used as a conference room. The Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs owns the vessel, while the Union of Greek Captains runs it as a museum.
In 1944, holds 4 and 5 were converted to carry coiled pipe for Operation PLUTO. On 22 September 1944 the ship left New York with 70 miles (110 km) of pipe, then spent 84 days in London unloading it—her only fuel-pipe mission.
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