SS Andrew Furuseth SS " Andrew Furuseth " was a Liberty ship built for the United States Maritime Commission during World War II . The ship was named in honor of American merchant seaman and labor organizer Andrew Furuseth . The ship was assigned by the War Shipping Administration to Matson Navigation Company who operated it throughout the war in the $ 3 and Mediterranean . " Andrew Furuseth " was one of 220 Liberty ships converted to carry a limited number of troops or prisoners of war . The " Andrew Furuseth " is likely best remembered as the ship that Carl M . Allen / Carlos Miguel Allende was to have been serving on in October 1943 when he claims to have witnessed the teleportation disappearance and reappearance of as part of the Philadelphia Experiment . " Andrew Furuseth " was sold for private use and operated under the names Essi and Niobe before being scrapped in Japan in 1967 . History . Construction and launching . In July 1942 , the Sailors ' Union of the Pacific petitioned the United States Maritime Commission and the War Shipping Administration ( WSA ) for a liberty ship to be named in honor of Andrew Furuseth , the long - time president of their union . Accordingly , MC Hull No . 491 was assigned the name " Andrew Furuseth " and was laid down on 22 July 1942 on shipway 1 at Yard No . 1 by Permanente Metals Corp . of Richmond , California , as a standard Liberty ship . The ship was launched on 7 September 1942 ; delivered 8 October 1942 , taking 78 days from laying of the keel to delivery . The ship was assigned by the WSA to Matson Navigation Company for operation . Launching ceremony . " Andrew Furuseth " was one of six Liberty ships named for labor leaders , and one of 174 ships total , launched on Labor Day , 7 September 1942 . In addition to the " Furuseth " , the other five Liberty ships were , , , , and . The launch ceremonies , held at four different shipyards around the country , were to be linked by a coast - to - coast broadcast and feature speeches by John P . Frey , an executive of the American Federation of Labor , and John W . Green , president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations . Wartime service . After shakedown on the West Coast , " Andrew Furuseth " transited the Panama Canal in April 1943 . The ship departed Cristóbal , Panama , on 24 April for Guantánamo Bay and New York , arriving at that city on 8 May . The " Furuseth " left New York 28 May for Oran , passing Gibraltar around the middle of June . In late June 1943 , " Andrew Furuseth " arrived in Gibraltar , and on 7 July joined a convoy headed to Hampton Roads , Virginia , arriving there 23 July 1943 . On 16 August , the ship made a round trip to Casablanca , arriving off Cape Henry on 4 October . On 25 October 1943 , " Andrew Furuseth " steamed from Hampton Roads as part of Convoy UGS 22 and arrived at Casablanca on 12 November . In November , the ship sailed from Oran to Augusta , Sicily . Through the end of 1943 , the ship plied the waters of the Mediterranean , calling at Augusta , Oran , Naples , and Bizerte , before returning to Hampton Roads on 17 January 1944 . In February 1944 , the " Furuseth " departed on another voyage to Augusta , with a cargo of explosives , 500 troops , and 2500 pieces of mail . The ship made a roundtrip to Naples before returning to Hampton Roads on 14 April 1944 . In May , the veteran steamship departed Hampton Roads for another trip to Oran with 44 troops aboard . The " Furuseth " returned to Virginia in mid June , but left again for Oran in mid July . The ship operated locally in the Mediterranean through the end of November , at which time " Andrew Furuseth " returned once again to Hampton Roads . On 29 December 1944 and again on 14 March 1945 , the Liberty ship departed on roundtrips to Oran , returning on 24 February and 9 May , respectively . With the end of hostilities in Europe , " Andrew Furuseth " began the task returning troops to the United States . Typical voyages included returning troops to Boston on 3 August , 735 troops to New York on 2 October , 570 troops from Antwerp to New York on 10 December , and 573 troops from Le Havre to New York on 19 January 1946 . During the December voyage from Antwerp , a soldier aboard " Andrew Furuseth " was transferred by motor launch in mid - ocean to U . S . Navy transport for an emergency appendectomy . Later career . In 1947 , " Andrew Furuseth " was sold to Norwegian interests and renamed " Essi " . In 1959 , she was sold to Japan ese owners and renamed " Niobe " . In June 1967 , " Niobe " was scrapped at Nirao , Japan . Philadelphia Experiment . SS " Andrew Furuseth " figures prominently in the events of the Philadelphia Experiment , which is now widely regarded as a hoax . A reputed crew member of the " Andrew Furuseth " , known variously as " Carl M . Allen " and " Carlos Miguel Allende " , claimed to have witnessed the sudden appearance and disappearance of U . S . Navy destroyer escort in October 1943 . The story goes that , as part of U . S . Navy experiments into rendering ships invisible , " Eldridge " vanished from its berth in Philadelphia and was accidentally teleported to Norfolk , Virginia and back again on on 28 October 1943 . According to the U . S . Navy , no evidence has been uncovered supporting that such an experiment occurred and details of the story contradict facts about the " Eldridge " . Also , the Navy archives contains a letter from Lt . ( j . g . ) William S . Dodge , USNR , ( Ret . ) , the Master of " Andrew Furuseth " in 1943 , categorically denying that he or his crew observed any unusual event while in Norfolk . " Eldridge " and " Andrew Furuseth " were not even in Norfolk at the same time .