SS Elwood Mead

The SS Elwood Mead was a Liberty ship built for service during World War II.

Namesake
The ship was named for Elwood Mead, a professor, politician and engineer, known for heading the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) from 1924 until his death in 1936. During his tenure, he oversaw some of the most complex projects the Bureau of Reclamation has undertaken. These included the Hoover, Grand Coulee and Owyhee dams. Lake Mead is named in his honor.

Construction
The vessel was built by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation, Portland, Oregon. It was laid down on 18 December 1943, and launched a mere eighteen days later, on 5 January 1944.

Sponsor
The sponsor of the ship was Mrs. Elwood Mead. Her flower girl was her granddaughter, Becky Kaiser, 7, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar T. Kaiser. Mrs. Frank A. Banks, Grand Coulee, Washington, was a matron of honor at the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation's launching.

Service
During the 1944 battle for the Philippines, "The Elwood Mead reported 83 general alarms in the 30-day period following her arrival at Leyte on November 19, but reported no other action."

Post-war
In 1947, SS Elwood Mead was sold to Goulandris Bros, Piraeus, Greece, as part of the vast sale of shipping which constituted much of the Greek-flagged fleet in the post-war years. It was renamed SS Ioannis P. Goulandris, taking the name of a 1897 freighter (operating under the name since 1910) that was lost 12 March 1942 after a collision.

Fate
Retired from service in November 1968, she was scrapped that year at Itozaki, Japan.