Draft:SS Frederick Douglass

The SS Frederick Douglass was a WWII Liberty steamship built in 1943 in Baltimore in honor of its namesake, the famed abolitionist, who worked on the Baltimore docks before escaping from slavery. The ship was helmed by an African American captain, Adrian Richardson, and first mate. Some sources suggest the crew was entirely African American while others call the crew "mixed." Launched on May 22, 1943, the SS Federick Douglass was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine on September 20, 1943. The entire crew was able to abandon ship and rescued by the British ship Rathlan.