Kasatka-class submarine

The "Kasatka" class was a class of submarines built for the Imperial Russian Navy. The six boats were built between 1904 and 1905. They were designed by I. G. Bubnov and were based on the . The first boat, , experienced significant problems with stability on trials and had to have extra flotation added. In 1905, four the class were transferred from Western Russia to Vladivostok with the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War. Initially powered by a kerosene/electrical system, the boats were re-built around 1910 with a diesel-electric power plant following the end of the war. The class remained in service throughout World War I. Two were captured by the German Empire in 1918 and handed over to the British following the German surrender. They were scuttled by the British in 1919 to prevent their capture by the Soviets. The remaining four were broken up for scrap in 1922.
Design and description.
I. G. Bubnov was tasked with producing a submarine design following experience with the , which had been deemed a success. The design was accepted by the Naval Technical Committee on 20 December 1903. As designed the class had a surfaced displacement of and displaced when submerged. They were long with a beam of with a draught of . The submarines were propelled by one shaft powered by a kerosene engine for travel on the surface rated at and an electric motor rated at . The "Kasatka" class had a maximum speed of on the surface and submerged. Initially the design called for a three-shaft propulsion system, but due to the increased hostilities with the Empire of Japan, the submarines were completed with only the one shaft-design. They had a range of at surfaced and at submerged. The class was armed with four torpedoes carried externally in Drzewiecki drop collars and one machine gun. Vessels of the class had a complement of 24.
Modifications.
In 1906–1907, new conning towers were installed aboard the submarines to rectify buoyancy issues. In 1910, the "Kasatka" class were rebuilt with new power plants. They received a diesel-electric system which included a diesel engine rated at . The displacement of the submarines increased to surfaced and submerged. Two of the class, "Nalim" and "Skat", were given a gun in 1915.
Service history.
The first submarine of the class, "Kasatka" was ordered in the 1903 building programme on 2 January 1904, with the rest ordered as part of the 1904 Emergency Programme, with the next four ordered on 24 February 1904 and "Feldmarshal General Sheremetev" on 26 March 1904. "Feldmarshal General Sheremetev" was paid for by public subscription with the Sheremetev family as major donors. Due to the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, construction was accelerated on the submarines and only "Kasatka" ran sea trials. During trials, "Kasatka" had trouble during operation of the ballast tanks, steering gear and water entered the submarine through the main hatch when submerged. The latter problem was rectified by the addition of two floats attached to the aft casing first on "Kasatka" and then on the others. "Kasatka" was then transferred to Vladivostok by rail, followed by the rest between September and December 1904 with the exception of "Makrel" and "Okun". "Makrel" and "Okun" remained in the west and were used as evaluation boats for the design. "Kasatka" and "Skat" became operational in March 1905, followed by "Feldmarshal General Sheremetev" and "Nalim" in May 1905. Completion of "Makrel" and "Okun" took until 1907. At Vladivostok, the submarines were used as a deterrent against Japanese warships. They operated out to from the coast and remained as visible as possible, remaining at sea for up to five days, though some patrols lasted two weeks. Upon completion "Makrel" and "Okun" were assigned to the 1st Division of the Baltic Fleet.
During World War I, "Nalim" and "Skat" were transferred to the Black Sea in 1915 and joined the Black Sea Fleet. That same year, "Feldmarshal General Sheremetev" and "Kasatka" were transferred to the Baltic Sea and joined the Baltic Fleet. In June 1915, "Okun" and "Makrel" were among the submarines deployed off the Kurland coast. "Okun" engaged the German cruiser , but missed. However, the submarine threat led the German command to withdraw their ships from around Windau. In August, the two submarines were ordered to the Gulf of Riga as part of the Russian attempt to defend against the German High Seas Fleet's movements in the area. Following the arrival of British submarine reinforcements, the smaller Russian submarines were deployed on coastal defence missions in the Baltic. After the entry of the Romania into the war on the side of the Allies in 1916, "Nalim" and "Skat" were based at Batumi but remained relatively inactive. "Kasatka" and "Feldmarshal General Sheremetev" transferred to Arkhangelsk in 1915 and 1916 respectively, arriving via inland waterways. In 1917, the two submarines were sent back to the Baltic for overhaul.
In March 1917, "Nalim" and "Skat" were removed from service. In August 1917, "Feldmarshal General Sheremetev" was renamed "Keta". In 1918, "Kasatka", "Makrel" and "Okun" were transferred to the Caspian Sea. In April 1918, "Nalim" and "Skat" were re-activated and used against the Soviets. After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed ending the Russian participation in World War I, they briefly flew the flag of the Ukrainian State before the Germans seized "Nalim" and "Skat". In November 1918, following the Armistice of 11 November 1918 which ended World War I, the British took over the submarines after the German Empire surrendered. The two subs were later scuttled by the British at Sevastopol to prevent their capture by the Soviets during the Russian Civil War. The surviving boats were broken up for scrap in 1922.


MS The Calypso

Caly was a cruise liner owned by Louis Cruises, and was under charter to Thomson Cruises, part of TUI Travel at one time. Earlier names of the ship were "Canguro Verde", "Durr", "Ionian Harmony", "Sun Fiesta", "Regent Jewel", "Calypso" and "The Calypso". In April 2013, she was beached in Alang, India, for scrapping.
Incidents.
On Saturday 6 May 2006 at 4 am the starboard engine caught fire 16 miles off Eastbourne while it was carrying 708 people from Tilbury to Saint Peter Port on Guernsey. The crew put the fire out. The passengers meanwhile were assemble in the designated emergency stations, which however did not need to be launched. The fire caused extensive damage to the ship and she was out of action through the early part of the (northern hemisphere) summer cruising season.


MV Adriatica

Adriatica was a bulk carrier that sank in the Mediterranean Sea on December 12, 2010.
Sinking.
"Adriatica" sank off the Israeli port city of Ashdod in heavy seas on the morning of December 12, 2010, after issuing a Mayday distress signal. The ship was carrying a cargo of 3,000 tonnes of steel. The crew of 11 Ukrainian nationals took to two life rafts. Israeli Navy and Israeli Air Force helicopters began search and rescue operations but the crew was saved by a nearby Taiwanese vessel before the Israeli rescuers were able to reach the life rafts.


Worcester-class ship of the line

The "Worcester"-class ships of the line were a class of three 64-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir Thomas Slade.


SS Regulus (T-AKR-292)

SS "Regulus" (T-AKR 292) is an "Algol" class vehicle cargo ship that is currently maintained by the United States Maritime Administration as part of the Military Sealift Command's Ready Reserve Force (RRF). She was built as a high speed container ship by A.G. Weser in Bremen, West Germany, hull no. 1383, for Sea-Land Service, Inc. and named SS "Sea-Land Commerce", USCG 545200, IMO 7302897. Due to her high operating cost, she was sold to the United States Navy on 27 October 1981 as USNS "Regulus" (T-AK-292).
In keeping with the pattern of the naming the Algol-class ships after bright stars, the "Regulus" was named after Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo and one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
Conversion.
Conversion began on 29 June 1984 at National Steel and Shipbuilding in San Diego, California. Her cargo hold was redesigned into a series of decks connected by ramps so vehicles can be driven into and out of the cargo hold for fast loading and unloading. She was also fitted with two sets of two cranes; one set located at midship capable of lifting 35 tons, and another set located aft capable of lifting 50 tons. She was delivered to the Military Sealift Command on 28 August 1985 as USNS "Regulus" (T-AKR 292).
Service.
When not active, "Regulus" is kept in reduced operating status due to her high operating cost. If needed, she can be activated and ready to sail in 96 hours. "Regulus" took part in the Persian Gulf War in 1990. Along with the other seven "Algol" class cargo ships, she transported 14 percent of all cargo delivered between the United States and Saudi Arabia during and after the war.
On 1 October 2007, "Regulus" was transferred to the United States Maritime Administration. On 1 October 2008, she was transferred to the Ready Reserve Force, losing her USNS designation. If activated, "Regulus" will report to the Military Sealift Command.


SS Albert K. Smiley

SS "Albert K. Smiley" was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Albert K. Smiley, co-founder of Mohonk Mountain House and member of the Board of Indian Commissioners.
Construction.
"Albert K. Smiley" was laid down on 20 October 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2386, by J.A. Jones Construction, Brunswick, Georgia; she was sponsored by Mrs. Harry A. Straus, and launched on 21 November 1944.
History.
She was allocated to International Freigting Corp., on 30 November 1944. On 8 December 1948, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, in Mobile, Alabama. On 26 February 1964, she was sold for $45,287, to First Steel & Ship Corp., for scrapping. She was removed from the fleet on 11 March 1964.


SS C. Francis Jenkins

SS "C. Francis Jenkins" was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after C. Francis Jenkins, a pioneer of early cinema and television.
Construction.
"C. Francis Jenkins" was laid down on 20 July 1944, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2316, by J.A. Jones Construction, Panama City, Florida; sponsored by Mrs. E. S. Gladys Morgan, wife of resident MARCOM auditor; and launched on 26 August 1944.
History.
She was allocated to Agwilines Inc., 9 September 1944. On 22 May 1946, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Hudson River Reserve Fleet, Jones Point, New York.
Allocated to A. L. Burbank and Co., LTD, 16 July 1946. Placed in National Defense Reserve Fleet, Mobile, Alabama, 2 December 1946.
She was sold, on 16 December 1946, to Cia de Nav. Cristobal, for commercial use, and renamed "Ionian Leader". She was withdrawn from the fleet on 12 January 1947.
Bibliography.


SS West Montop

West Montop was a Design 1013 cargo ship built in 1919 by the Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co of Los Angeles. She was one of many ships built by the company for the United States Shipping Board.
Design and Construction.
The "West" ships were cargo ships of similar size and design built by several shipyards on the West Coast of the United States for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) for emergency use during World War I. Most were given names that began with the word West. The ship was laid down at Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co shipyard (yard number 18, USSB hull number 772), and launched on 30 March 1919. Mrs. E. E. Leighton, sister of Mayor Woodman, was the sponsor for the new vessel. As built, the ship was long (between perpendiculars) and abeam, a mean draft of . "West Montop" was assessed at 5,940 GRT, and 8,373 DWT. The vessel had a steel hull, and a single 422 nhp triple-expansion steam engine that drove a single screw propeller, and moved the ship at up to .
Operational history.
"West Montop" was launched on March 30, 1919 and delivered to the United States Shipping Board in December, 1919. Upon delivery, the vessel was allocated to Los Angeles Pacific Navigation Company, who along with four other ships put it on her routes to the Orient. The voyages were profitable initially, for example a January 1920 trip by "West Montop" netted $108,703, while on May 28, 1920 the ship brought from Sumatra large cargo of rubber and other merchandise from the Orient that was even celebrated with a special lunch of local dignitaries on board the ship after her arrival, on June 3. She made one more trip leaving Los Angeles at the end of June and returning at the end of September.
However, by early 1921 it became clear that with the tariffs imposed by the Shipping Board, it was impossible for American merchants to compete with the foreign companies. "West Montop" and another vessel "Vinita" were sitting idle in Los Angeles Harbor for several months due to lack of cargo. "West Montop" was laid up in Los Angeles until she was allocated to Struther & Barry for Oriental Service in late 1923.
She made two trips to the Orient, arriving on February 14, 1924 in Singapore, leaving two days later and returning to Los Angeles on April 16, 1924 during her first journey. On her second trip she arrived in Singapore on June 26, 1924, and left July 1, arriving in Oakland at the end of August with a large cargo of copra loaded in Philippine Islands and Borneo. Another trip was planned for the Fall of 1924, but in September 1924 "West Montop" was re-allocated to a newly created California & Eastern Steamship Company. "West Montop" was primarily employed in lumber-carrying operations between US West Coast ports of Seattle, and Portland and eastern seaboard, for example in September 1927 she was hauling 3,000,000 feet of lumber to the East coast ports.
On March 1, 1926 it was announced "West Montop" was sold by the USSB to California & Eastern Steamship Company for $170,145.00 less $4,855.00 in uninsurable damage. In January 1929 California & Eastern Steamship Company dissolved and its assets were acquired by the Quaker Line a subsidiary of the Pacific-Atlantic Steamship Company. In September 1929 it was announced that several ships belonging to the Quaker Line were renamed, and "West Montop" became "San Rafael".
Quaker Line reassigned "San Rafael" to the States Steamship Line to manage the West coast-East coast route. For the next 10 years, "San Rafael" was bringing general cargo from New York City and other East coast ports to Seattle and other ports on the West coast. On her return trip, she was carrying mostly lumber from Portland to Philadelphia.
Some time in 1940 "San Rafael" was sold to Wallem Group, a Hong Kong-based shipping company that was extensively buying older ships since 1938. They also set up a registered office in Panama City which allowed them to utilize Panamanian registry very popular with Chinese owners. Since 1940 the ship's history becomes murky. It was renamed to "Ting Hsing" and managed by Chung Hsing Steamship Company from 1948. In 1951 the ship was again renamed to "An Ding". The vessel was finally scrapped in 1958.


SS West Lashaway

SS "West Lashaway" was a steel–hulled cargo ship that saw service with the U.S. Navy during World War I as the auxiliary ship USS "West Lashaway" (ID-3700). She was later engaged in mercantile service, until being sunk by a U-boat in 1942.
"West Lashaway" was commissioned into the Navy immediately upon completion in September 1918, but only had time to complete one voyage before the end of the war. In the months that followed, the ship made several more voyages with the Navy, including a children's relief mission to Eastern Europe, before decommissioning in 1919. "West Lashaway" was subsequently placed in commercial service, operating between the United States and various ports in Europe. Later, the ship was employed in trade between the U.S. and Africa.
In August 1942, "West Lashaway" was torpedoed and sunk by in the Caribbean. The handful of survivors, including four children, endured a three-week ordeal in an open boat with minimal supplies before being rescued. One of them would later write a book about the experience.
Construction and design.
"West Lashaway" was built in Seattle, Washington in 1918 at the No. 1 Plant of the Skinner & Eddy Corporation—the 16th in a series of 24 steel-hulled Design 1013 cargo ships built by Skinner & Eddy for the United States Shipping Board's emergency wartime shipbuilding program. The ship was laid down on 8 July, launched just 55 working (65 calendar) days later on 12 September, and completed on 30 September—a total time under construction of 69 working (84 calendar) days, making "West Lashaway" one of the fastest-built ships of the war.
"West Lashaway" had a design deadweight tonnage of 8,800 tons and gross register tonnage of 5,600. The ship had an overall length of 423 feet 9 inches, a beam of 54 feet and a draft of about 24 feet. She was powered by a Curtis geared turbine driving a single screw propeller, delivering a service speed of 11 to 11.5 knots.
Service history.
U.S. Navy service, 1918-1919.
"West Lashaway" was delivered to the Navy on 30 September 1918 and commissioned the same day at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington as USS "West Lashaway" (ID-3700), with Lt. Werner Anderson, USNRF, placed in command.
Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS), "West Lashaway" conducted sea trials off the northwest Pacific coast before loading 7,790 tons of flour and sailing for the east coast on 17 October. Arriving at New York via the Panama Canal on 11 November—the day upon which the armistice ending World War I was signed—the freighter then underwent a few minor repairs. On 28 November, "West Lashaway" departed New York for Trieste, Italy on a relief mission for children in Austria and Yugoslavia. Arriving at Trieste three days before Christmas, "West Lashaway" discharged her cargo of flour and cocoa and subsequently departed for New York City, arriving there on 30 January 1919 where she again underwent general repairs.
After simultaneously bunkering and loading 5,144 tons of Quartermaster's and YMCA supplies, the freighter departed for France, arriving at Nantes on 19 February. Having discharged her cargo, "West Lashaway" loaded a return cargo—which included 300 tons of Army ordnance materials—and sailed for New York City on 20 March. After unloading and undergoing general repairs at New York following her arrival on 4 April, "West Lashaway" was simultaneously decommissioned, struck from the Navy List and returned to control of the USSB on 12 April 1919.
Merchant service.
Following her decommission, "West Lashaway" was placed in mercantile service by the USSB as SS "West Lashaway". From 1919 through the mid-1920s "West Lashaway" was active in transatlantic service, carrying cargo between New York and various European ports such as Lisbon, Portugal; La Pallice, France; Valencia, Spain and Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Trieste and Fiume, Italy.
By the early 1930s, "West Lashaway" had been chartered to the American-West African Line (Barber Steamship Lines), and would spend much of the decade plying the trade routes between U.S. ports such as Boston and New York and various African destinations such as Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana and the Belgian Congo.
"West Lashaway" appears to have had quite an eventful history through this part of her career. In 1931, the freighter was used to bring five gorillas from French Cameroon to the U.S. for study. In 1935, U.S. customs agents uncovered and seized a stash of 1,000 bottles of contraband Scotch whisky on board the ship upon her return from the Cape Verde Islands. "West Lashaway" again made headlines in July 1937 when a crew member was handed to port authorities in chains after allegedly attempting to set fire to the vessel on the open sea and murder the captain. In 1938, the vessel played host to a wealthy big game hunter, his wife, their entourage and two "jungle yachts"—luxurious, air-conditioned trailers, which the hunter proposed to use as a base while tracking a mysterious ape he professed to have sighted on a previous expedition to the Congo. In 1939, the ship's crew was involved in a strike that won American merchant mariners a 25% wartime wage increase for "sailing in dangerous waters". On April 5, 1941 the "West Lashaway" docked in Boston and a stowaway female Basenji dog was found half-starved in the cargo hold. She had survived a 21 day journey from Monrovia, Liberia with a stop at Freetown before docking in Boston. She was adopted by a local breeder and became one of the earliest founders of the Basenji breed in the United States.
Sinking.
After the United States entered World War II in December 1941, "West Lashaway" continued to operate in the Africa trade. On the night of 30 August 1942, while returning to the United States from Matadi, Congo with nine civilian passengers and a cargo of 7,670 tons of tin, copper, cocoa beans and palm oil, "West Lashaway" was struck on the starboard side at around 2:30 pm by two torpedoes fired from . The ship sank very quickly—in two minutes or less—and consequently there was no time to launch any lifeboats. Fortunately, the vessel was also equipped with a number of prepared wooden rafts which floated free when the ship went down, allowing the survivors to board them.
Survivors' ordeal.
Shortly after the sinking, "U-66" surfaced and briefly opened fire with small arms, but soon departed, leaving a total of 42 survivors on four rafts from the ship's original complement of 56. The rafts stayed together for the first few days, but then two became separated and were never seen again. The remaining two, which had been lashed together, later decided to separate in hopes of increasing their chances of being found. One of these rafts contained 19 people, including the ship's captain, 11 crew, two armed guards, and five of the ship's original nine passengers including a missionary's wife, Mrs Bell, and her two children aged 13 and 11, and two children from another family. The captain and one of the armed guards died within the first few days, leaving a total of seventeen.
The occupants of this raft initially assumed they would be rescued quickly, but two weeks went by until even with strict rationing they were running low on food and water. They were eventually sighted by aircraft and some supplies dropped. After nineteen days on the open sea, they were rescued by the destroyer , but not before the rescuers had fired 16 rounds at the raft in the mistaken impression it was a German submarine. After transfer to the Dutch merchant steamship "Prins William Van Oranje", the survivors were landed at Barbados. One of the children, Robert Bell, would later write a book, "In Peril on the Sea: A Personal Remembrance", about the ordeal.
25 days after the sinking of "West Lashaway", the raft which had been cut loose washed up on the island of St. Vincent, with the body of Gunner's Mate 3/C Dalton Munn, and the sole survivor of this group, boatswain Elliott Gurnee.


HMS Titania

HMS "Titania" (pennant number F32) was a Royal Navy submarine depot ship. Most of those that saw service in the First World War were scrapped in the 1930s. "Titania", however, saw service in the Second World War. She was scrapped at Faslane, Scotland, in September 1949.
History.
Construction.
"Titania" was built in Glasgow, Scotland, by the Clyde Shipbuilding Co. (Glasgow, Scotland) originally as a merchant ship ordered by Royal Hungarian Sea Navigation Company "Adria" as "Károly Ferencz József". She was launched in March 1915 and commissioned by the Royal Navy as a submarine depot ship in November 1915.
1915–1919: 11th Submarine Flotilla, Blyth.
When she was first commissioned, in November 1915, she was stationed at Blyth and under the command of Captain Stanley L. Willis. In December 1915, the Eleventh Flotilla became the first directly supporting the submarines of the Grand Fleet. The flotilla was formed at first from submarines and taken from the Eighth Flotilla and HMS "Titania" as their depot ship. During the period in which "Titania" was the depot ship of the 11th Submarine Flotilla, other ships shared the role at various times, including , , , and . Other submarines of the G and J classes joined the flotilla and the D-class submarines were removed.
An account of life on the ship is to be found in Hawthorne (1980).
On 3 June 1916, following the Battle of Jutland, HMS "Titania" instructed submarine to locate and sink floating remains of the battlecruiser which had been abandoned during the battle to prevent the capture of materials. No remains were found.
On 28 October 1918, Captain Frederick Avenel Sommerville was put in command of HMS "Titania" and made Commander (S) of the 11th Submarine Flotilla based at Blyth. The Eleventh Flotilla was disbanded in March 1919.
1919–1929: 4th Submarine Flotilla, China.
Establishment of the 4th Flotilla.
On 1 October 1919, HMS "Titania" and were the two ships commissioned at Chatham as depot ships for the 4th Submarine Flotilla, China. At that time, another depot ship was already in service at Hong Kong, HMS "Rosario". "Rosario" had been converted to a depot ship in 1910 and was serving in Hong Kong as the depot ship for the Hong Kong Submarine Flotilla, which consisted of three C-class submarines, , and . These three submarines were built by Vickers, Barrow, commissioned on 1 February 1910 and sailed with HMS "Rosario" to Hong Kong in February 1911. They were all sold in Hong Kong on 25 June 1919. HMS "Rosario" was sold for scrap in Hong Kong on 11 December 1921.
Submarines of the 4th Flotilla.
The submarines of the 4th Flotilla that accompanied HMS "Titania" and HMS "Ambrose" were all of the L class.
Seven submarines accompanied HMS "Titania" on the voyage to Hong Kong. Submarines mentioned in the Ship's Log are , , , , , and . sank in Hong Kong harbour on 18 August 1923 during a typhoon. She was raised, refitted and put back into service. She was sold in Hong Kong on 30 June 1927, the first L-class boat to be sold.
Voyage to Hong Kong.
HMS "Ambrose", under the command of Cecil Ponsonby Talbot, left Devonport in October 1919 and sailed with six L-class submarines of the 4th Submarine Flotilla ("L1", "L3", "L4", "L7", "L9" and "L15") to Hong Kong, where she remained until 28 March 1928. The exact timing of "Ambrose" voyage to Hong Kong is not known. It appears that her arrival in Hong Kong was in January 1920.
After commissioning HMS "Titania" sailed to Malta. The Ship's Log shows that she left Chatham on 9 October 1919 and sailed via Sheerness to Portsmouth, arriving there on 14 October 1919. On 29 October she set sail for Malta, sailing via Gibraltar, where she stayed from 3 to 8 November 1919, arriving in Malta on 12 November.
On 18 February 1920 she and the remaining part of the 4th Submarine Flotilla, consisting of seven L-class submarines ("L2", "L5", "L6", "L8", "L19", "L20" and "L33"), under the command of Captain Frederick A. Sommerville, set sail for Hong Kong via Port Said, Suez, Ismailia, Aden, Colombo, Penang and Singapore. She arrived in Hong Kong on 14 April 1920. The ship's log records that HMS "Titania" weighed anchor and secured to Storm Signal Buoy at 10.17 a.m. on 14 April 1920. Gap Rock Light referred to in the Log is in the Wanshan Archipelago, to the south of Hong Kong Island. The reference to Waglan Light shows that she entered Hong Kong Harbour from the east through Tathong Channel and passed by the fishing village of Lye Mun (Lei Yue Mun) in Kowloon before docking. The exact location of Storm Signal Buoy is uncertain. It is likely to have been in the Admiralty area of Hong Kong Island, at the shore station .
In Hong Kong.
"Titania" fielded a football team in the Hong Kong Second Division League and the team won the championship in the 1921/22 and 1923/24 seasons.
Service in Hong Kong.
In her service life she made a number of voyages in the Far East. Between 1920 and 1926 she sailed several times on voyages from Hong Kong to destinations around the Far East.
She was recommissioned at Hong Kong in 1921, 9 February 1924 and 5 November 1926.
The Ship's Log for the period 1919 to 1924 shows that "Titania" was based at Hong Kong on many occasions. When away from Hong Kong the destinations were mostly along the Chinese coast, Shanghai, Wei Hai Wei, Tsingtau, and other destinations round the South China Sea and Malaya.
Return to Britain.
At the end of her service in Hong Kong, she returned to the UK via Malta. HMS "Ambrose" had already left Hong Kong on 28 March 1928 and returned to England.
A report in the "Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser" on 27 July 1929 notes that HMS "Medway" is undergoing trials.
A report in the "Straits Times" on 3 October 1929 mentions HMS "Titania" and . It appears that "Marazion" was serving with the 4th Flotilla, filling the void left by the departure of HMS "Ambrose". Note: submarines L23 and L27, mentioned in the article, were not present when "Ambrose" and "Titania" sailed to Hong Kong in 1920. It is not known when they arrived in Hong Kong.
A newspaper report in the "Straits Times" on 11 February 1930 notes the arrival of "Titania" back in England. It read as follows:
The submarines that sailed to Hong Kong in 1920 were "L1" to "L9", "L15", "L19", "L20", and "L33", a total of 13 submarines. "L9" was sold for scrap in Hong Kong. HMS "Ambrose" returned to England with "L1", "L2", "L4", "L5", "L7" and "L8". HMS "Titania" returned to England with six submarines, four of them from the those that sailed with her in 1920 and two more, "L23" and "L27". The six that sailed in 1920 were "L3", "L6", "L15", "L19", "L20" and "L33". It is not clear which ones did not return to England with "Titania".
1930–1940: 6th Submarine Flotilla, Portland/Blyth.
On 1 October 1930 she was commissioned at Chatham for the 6th Submarine Flotilla based at Weymouth/Portland.
In 1935 she was temporarily with the 3rd Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet.
On 16 July 1935 she was the Flagship of the Flag Officer Commanding Submarines at the Silver Jubilee Review at Spithead.
In 1936 she was attached to the 6th Flotilla, Portland.
On 20 May 1937 she took part in the Coronation Review at Spithead as the Flag Officer Submarines' Flagship.
In 1939 she was based at Blyth with the 6th Flotilla.
1940–1945: Holy Loch.
In 1940 HMS Titania was refitted on the Tyne and transferred to Holy Loch for the remainder of the war.
She was adopted by the people of Dorking, Surrey during the March 1942 Warship Week.
On 6 May 1942, (Lt. R. E. Boddington), (Lt. J. Whitton, RN), and (Lt. Denis John Beckley conducted practice attacks on a convoy made up of the submarine tenders (Capt. Roderick Latimer Mackenzie Edwards)) HMS "Titania" (Cdr. Harold Robson Conway) and their escort (Capt. (Retd.) A. E. Johnston), (Lt. Cdr. George William Dobson, RNR) and HMS "Boarhound" (formerly HMS "Terje" 2 (FY315), renamed on 19 January 1941; Skr. Sidney George Jinks, RNR).
In 1943 she served as a depot ship in sea trials of the Welman mini-submarine.
1945–1949: 5th Submarine Flotilla, Portsmouth.
In 1945 she was transferred to Portsmouth Naval Base to serve as a depot hulk for the 5th Flotilla.
Disposal.
In June 1949 she was broken up at Faslane.


USS AFDM-2

USS "AFDM-2" (YFD-4) is an medium auxiliary floating drydock built in Mobile, Alabama by the Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company for the U.S. Navy. Originally named USS "YFD-4", Yard Floating Dock-4, she operated by Todd Shipyards at New Orleans, Louisiana for the repair of US ships during World War II. "YFD-4" was renamed an Auxiliary Floating Dock Medium "AFDM-2" in 1945 after the war. USS "AFDM-2" was tall, wide, length of (all three section connected), and has a displacement of 6,360 tons. AFDM-2 could lift capacity 9,000 tons and had two service cranes to lift material and parts for removing damage parts and the installation of new parts. The floating drydock can repair ships up to a beam of , as she is 90 feet wide between the wing walls. Ballast pontoons tanks are flooded with water to submerge or pumped dry to raise the ship. Submerged she can load a ship with a draft up to .
Hurricane Betsy.
Hurricane Betsy, Category 4, sank and damaged USS "AFDM-2" on 9 September 1965. USS "AFDM-2" was at Todd Shipyards on the west side of the Mississippi River in Algiers, New Orleans. "AFDM-2" had the water pumped out of her pontoon tanks and was raised for repair. The salvage ships MS "Cable" and and , an "Achomawi-class" fleet ocean tug, helped in the recovery of "AFDM-2". Due to the large size of "AFDM-2" two rescue and salvage ships, and arrived with three special support barges to help in the salvage. Land-based winches were also used in the recovery. On 25 August 1966 tugs returned "AFDM-2" to Todd Shipyards, eleven months after her sinking. Repairs where completed and she was put back in service. Divers had to repair more than 100 holes in "AFDM-2" to float her again.
Post US Navy use.
On 16 May 1995 she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Beaumont, Texas. On 11 February 1999 she was reactivated and transferred to the Government of the Dominican Republic. She was later sold to Gulf Copper & Manufacturing Corpation at Port Arthur, Texas and renamed "Mr. Morris". In 2013 , a landing ship, tank, now a museum ship, was repaired in "AFDM-2".


SS Katoomba

SS "Katoomba was a passenger steamship that was built in Ireland 1913, spent most of her career in Australian ownership and was scrapped in Japan in 1959. McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co owned her for more than three decades, including two periods when she was a troop ship. In 1946 the Goulandris brothers bought her for their Greek Line and registered her in Panama. In 1949 she was renamed Columbia".
In Australian civilian service "Katoomba" mostly worked scheduled coastal routes, initially between Sydney and Fremantle. For Greek Line she mostly worked transatlantic routes between Europe and North America, and her passengers included European emigrants. Between 1947 and 1949 Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT) chartered her for service between France and the French West Indies.
The ship was refitted in 1920, 1946 and 1949. She was a coal-burner until her 1949 refit, when she was converted to burn oil. "Columbia" was damaged by fires in 1952 and 1957 and a collision in 1956. She was laid up from 1957 and scrapped in 1959.
Building.
Harland & Wolff built "Katoomba" on slipway number 6 of its Belfast shipyard. Her yard number was 437. She was launched in 10 April 1913 and delivered to McIlwraith, McEacharn's Line, Pty on 10 July.
Her length overall was , her registered length was , her beam was and her depth was . Her tonnages were and . As built, she was worked by a crew of 170 and had berths for 557 passengers: 209 first class, 192 second class and 156 third class. She had four cargo holds, and they included of refrigerated space for perishable goods. In her forepart she had space to carry livestock.
"Katoomba" was propelled by what was called "combination machinery". She had three screws, a pair of four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines and a single low-pressure steam turbine. The reciprocating engines drove her port and starboard screws. Exhaust steam from their low-pressure cylinders powered the turbine, which drove her middle screw. Between them the three engines gave her a service speed of .
McIlwraith, McEacharn registered "Katoomba" in Melbourne. Her United Kingdom official number was 132443 and her code letters were JCPH. She was equipped for wireless telegraphy, operated by the Marconi Company. Until 1933 her call sign was VHN.
Early civilian service.
McIlwraith, McEacharn's senior Captain, Lionel Moodie Heddle, had supervised "Katoomba"s building. He commanded her on her maiden voyage from the UK to Australia and remained her master for 23 years, in both civilian and military service.
"Katoomba" began her maiden voyage by embarking passengers in Glasgow Scotland. They included a small party who disembarked when she briefly anchored in Plymouth Sound, England, and 237 passengers who were bound for Australia. On 11 August she reached Durban in South Africa for bunkering. Between Durban and Fremantle "Katoomba" fired all six of her boilers and reached speeds of more than .
"Katoomba" reached Fremantle on 24 August, Port Phillip on 29 August and docked in Melbourne the next morning. On 13 September she left Melbourne for Sydney, where on 18 September she was opened to news reporters and invited guests They were entertained by the ""Katoomba" Ladies Orchestra", which was in fact a chamber quartet of one pianist, two violinists and one singer. On 20 September "Katoomba" began scheduled service between Sydney and Fremantle "via" Melbourne and Adelaide.
First World War troop ship.
In the First World War "Katoomba" remained in civilian service until May 1918, when the Imperial Transport Department of the UK government requisitioned her and gave her the pennant number D610. She sailed from Australia across the Pacific Ocean, through the Panama Canal to New York, where she embarked US troops to take to Europe. She made a second transatlantic crossing bringing US troops to Britain, and was then transferred to the Mediterranean.
When the Armistice of 11 November 1918 was signed "Katoomba" was in Salonika. She then became the first British troop ship to pass through the Dardanelles since the Ottoman entry into World War I in 1914. On 14 November 1918 "Katoomba" left Istanbul carrying more than 2,000 troops of the Essex and Middlesex regiments and 26 released Allied prisoners of war whom the Ottoman Army had captured in 1916 at the siege of Kut. She made six round trips, repatriating a total of 14,000 British and Empire troops in one direction and Turks in the other. She visited Bombay in April 1919, then Britain, and in August returned to Australia, where she was returned to her owners.
Inter–war passenger service.
In 1920 "Katoomba" was refitted and returned to civilian service in Australian coastal waters. In 1934 the four-letter call sign VJDY superseded "Katoomba"s code letters and original three-letter call sign.
In the 1930s "Katoomba" undertook some Pacific cruises that proved very popular. In October 1935 she took more than 430 Methodists and Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga from Sydney to Fiji.
Second World War service.
In the Second World War "Katoomba" remained in civilian service until early 1941, when she was briefly requisitioned to take 1,496 troops from Brisbane to Rabaul, and then 687 troops from Sydney to Darwin. She was then returned to civilian service.
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and other targets in the Pacific (Australian date 8 December 1941), "Katoomba" was taking troops to Rabaul and being escorted by . In response to the attacks "Katoomba" was held at Port Moresby, then abandoned her trip to Rabaul and joined other ships evacuating civilians from New Guinea, Papua and Darwin.
In February 1942 "Katoomba" was again requisitioned as a troop ship. A USAAF fighter group's ground troops and crated Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft was bound for Ceylon aboard the troop ship , in convoy with and USAT "Willard A. Holbrook". However, when the convoy reached Australia, "Mariposa"' was withdrawn and "Katoomba" and another Australian troop ship, , were substituted.
"Duntroon", "Katoomba" and "Willard A. Holbrook" left Melbourne on 12 February. They reached Fremantle, where they joined and with aircraft for Java and formed Convoy MS 5. The convoy left Fremantle on 22 February, and "Langley" and "Sea Witch" later left the convoy to continue to Java. met MS 5 about west of Cocos Island on 28 February and escorted it to Colombo, where the convoy arrived on 5 March.
From Colombo "Katoomba" sailed to India, called at Karachi and then embarked 640 troops in Bombay. They were members of the Second Australian Imperial Force (Second AIF) who had served in the Middle East and were being redeployed to the south west Pacific. "Katoomba" left Bombay on 4 April, called at Colombo and Mauritius, reached Fremantle on 7 May and then continued via Adelaide to Sydney.
On 4 August 1942 "Katoomba" was again sailing from Fremantle to Adelaide when she survived being shelled by a submarine about off Albany, Western Australia.
In August 1943 "Katoomba" was in Port Moresby when a sling of ammunition fell into one of her holds, causing an explosion that started a fire. Her Chief Officer, JS Burns and three able seamen volunteered to enter the hold and fight the fire, despite the danger that it could detonate ammunition in the hold. In January 1945 Winston Dugan, acting Governor-General of Australia, announced that the four men were to be commended.
In November 1945 "Katoomba" was delayed in Brisbane for three weeks, as her 40 stokers refused to sail because they were two men short. On 19 November she left Brisbane for Bougainville to repatriate Australian troops. A letter was published, allegedly written after a meeting of 3,000 AIF and RAAF personnel on Bougainville awaiting repatriation, threatening that when "Katoomba" reached Torokina harbour all the stokers would be thrown overboard. On 27 November the ship called at Townsville, where the stokers asked for the Army Minister Frank Forde and Air Minister Arthur Drakeford to guarantee their safety.
Post-war civilian service.
In 1946 "Katoomba" was returned to her owners. That July the Goulandris brothers bought her for their Compañía Maritima del Este subsidiary. Goulandris brothers' Ormos Shipping Company, which traded as Greek Line, managed her. On 6 October "Katoomba" left Woolloomooloo, carrying 130 released Italian prisoners of war to be repatriated. She reached Genoa, where she was quickly refitted and her funnel was repainted in Greek Line colours.
Greek Line put "Katoomba" on the route between Piraeus and New York via Genoa and Oran. From 1947 until 1949 CGT chartered her and she sailed between France and the French West Indies. In 1949 "Katoomba" was again refitted in Genoa. She was converted from coal to oil-burning, she was renamed "Columbia", and her passenger accommodation was increased to carry 804 passengers: 52 first class and 752 second class.
After her refit and renaming, "Columbia" made one more trip to the Caribbean. Then on 25 November she left Genoa for Australia, reaching Fremantle on 17 December and Sydney on 26 December. From June 1950 she served Greek Line's route between Bremen and Montreal. In 1952 a fire damaged her in Bremerhaven. In 1954 Goulandris brothers transferred "Columbia"s ownership to another subsidiary, the Neptune Shipping Company.
On 18 August 1956 "Columbia" was in port at Quebec when the bow of Home Lines' "Homeric" struck her in fog. Tugs were towing "Homeric" at the time. of "Columbia"s starboard side was damaged, and some of her lifeboats were crushed. Greek Line arranged for her to be repaired in Bremerhaven.
In 1957 "Columbia" was transferred to the route between Liverpool and Quebec. However, in August she was again damaged by fire. On 21 October Greek Line withdrew her and laid her up at Bremerhaven.
In March 1958 "Columbia" was moved to Piraeus, where she remained laid up until August 1959, when she sailed for Japan to be scrapped. On 29 September she reached Nagasaki to be broken up.


Balilla-class submarine

The "Balilla" class were the first submarines to be built for the Italian navy following the end of World War I. They were large ocean-going cruiser submarines designed to operate in the Indian Ocean based in Italy's East African colonies. The design was double-hulled and based on the German Type UE 2 U-boats, one of which, was supplied to the Italians as a war reparation. A auxiliary diesel engine was installed as an extra generator.
During the war, the boats were stationed in the Mediterranean in 1940 but proved too large to be effective patrol submarines. Their only success was the sinking of the British submarine by on 15 October 1940. After 1941 they were used as transport submarines to supply Italian forces in North Africa. The surviving boats were scrapped after the war.
One submarine, , was built for the Brazilian Navy to a modified design.
Design.
The design of the "Ballila" class consisted of a strong double-hull which gave the ships a maximum diving depth of , though reached in trials. The boats displaced 1,427 tons surfaced and 1874 tons submerged. They were long with a beam of and a draught of . The boats were considered to have poor stability.
The submarines were powered by two Fiat diesels for surface cruising and two Savigliano electric motors for use while submerged driving two shafts. These created and respectively. The second diesel engine was for auxiliary purposes and for recharging the batteries, novel at the time of the boats construction. This gave the ships a speed of surfaced and submerged. However, the initial design called for the ability to reach speeds of surfaced and submerged; the subs never reached these marks. The "Ballila"-class boats had a range of at .
The "Ballila" class was armed with six torpedo tubes with four located in the bow and two in the stern. The submarines carried a load of 16 torpedoes, with two reloads for each bow tube and one reload for each stern tube.
The class was also armed with one 1924 model /27 calibre deck gun that was placed in a shielded mounting in the forward section of the conning tower. In 1934, the class underwent a refit that upgraded the model to a /45 calibre gun. The ships also received two machine guns placed two single mounts.
"Humaytá" sub-class.
"Humaytá" was ordered by the Brazilian navy as a deep-diving submarine. Modifications to the standard "Ballila" design include the placement of the diesel and electric motors further forward, the elimination of the bow planes and a different distribution of the ballast tanks throughout the submarine. The submarine was longer at with a shallower draught, . The vessel displaced 1,390 tons surfaced and 1,884 tons submerged.
The submarine was powered by two Ansaldo diesels with one electric motor creating and respectively. This gave the ship a speed of surfaced and submerged.
"Humaytá" differed in armament too. The submarine was equipped with the six torpedo tubes with four located in the bow and two in the stern. However, the vessel had only a deck gun and carried 16 mines.
Ships.
All ships were built by OTO in Muggiano. "Humaytá" was a modified version of this design built for the Brazilian Navy in 1927. The ship was retired in 1950.


Uda-class oiler

The "Uda" class (Project 577) is a class of replenishment oiler built for the Soviet Navy between 1962 and 1967.
Construction.
Project 577 vessels were built at the Vyborg, USSR shipyard during the 1960s and were designated VTR "Voyenyy Tanker", Military Tanker) by the Soviet Navy. They are capable of replenishment at sea and an A-frame kingpost provides 2 amidships refueling positions. They are also capable of refueling over the stern.
The Project 577 is similar in design to a US Navy AO fleet tanker or a Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet support tanker and performs the same operational role. Unlike US or British vessels of this type, the Project 577 does not have facilities for helicopters and is incapable of vertical replenishment.
There are provisions for fitting eight ZIF-75 57mm AA guns in quad mounts, plus 1 MR-302 Strut Curve and 2 MR-103 Bars radar, but no weapons systems have been reported fitted to the "Uda" class since the 1960s.
Ships in class.
There were 9 vessels in the class.


SS South Bend Victory


USS Blue Jacket

USS "Blue Jacket" is a name used more than once by the U.S. Navy:


Heroic Ace

M.V.Heroic Ace is a PCTC (Pure car and truck carrier) owned by M.O.L (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines), one of the three largest car carrier companies in the world. With a capacity of 6,400 RT 43 cars, it belongs to a class of car carriers that include the largest car carriers in the world.
She was built in 2003 at the Minami Nippon shipyard in the Inland Sea, Japan, as part of a series of 12 large car carriers. Her sister ships include Courageous Ace and Splendid Ace (built at Minami Nippon), Martorell, Progress Ace and Prominent Ace (built at Shin Kurushima yard), and Liberty Ace, Utopia Ace, Paradise Ace and Freedom Ace (built at M.H.I Kobe).
The vessel's bows and superstructure were specially designed with additional rounding off to enable them to navigate at higher speeds.
Ship's Particulars.
The vessel is fitted with a large stern ramp, and two side midship ramps. The stern ramp is located on number 7 car deck. The midship ramps are capable of being lifted up to reach number 6 car deck, and hence can service both numbers 6 and 7 car decks.
M.V. (Motor Vessel) Heroic Ace has 13 car decks, including movable decks. The decks are moved using a hydraulic deck lifter which is part of the ship's equipment and operated by the ships officers. The vessel plies on a worldwide route, and has traded in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
As of 2011, the ship was managed by Wilhelmsen ship management - earlier called Barber ship management. The ship's officers belonged to India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ship's crew was Indian.


MV Minerva

The Minerva is a cruise ship built in 1989, and originally intended as a Soviet research vessel, the "Okean". The deal to purchase her fell through and Swan Hellenic (at the time a subsidiary of P&O Cruises) purchased her in 1996 and renamed her "Minerva".
History.
She sailed with Swan Hellenic until her lease ran out in 2003. She briefly sailed with Saga Cruises as the "Saga Pearl", and was then chartered to Abercrombie & Kent as the "Explorer II", making voyages to Antarctica and South America from December to April with up to 198 passengers. From May to November, she sailed for the German-owned travel company Phoenix Reisen as the "Alexander von Humboldt".
In July 2007 it was announced that the ship had been acquired by the relaunched Swan Hellenic line and the name would revert to "Minerva". In early 2012, "Minerva" received a multi-million-pound, 83-day refit.
In January 2017, Swan Hellenic went into administration and cancelled cruises on "Minerva" until further notice.


SS A. B. Hammond

SS "A. B. Hammond" was a liberty ship built by California Shipbuilding Corporation of Los Angeles, and delivered in February 1944 to the War Shipping Administration (WSA).
It was scrapped in 1963 following grounding damage.
References.


Regatta-class cruise ship

The "Regatta" class is a class of cruise ships that are owned by Oceania Cruises.
The "Regatta"-class ships were built in 1998–2000 for Renaissance Cruises as a part of their . They have a gross tonnage of 30,277 and can accommodate a maximum of 824 passengers in 343 cabins.
When Oceania Cruises was founded in 2002, they took three of the R-class ships: "R One" which they rechristened , "R Two" which they rechristened , and "R Five" which they rechristened . Oceania referred to these collectively as the "Regatta" class.
Beginning in April 2012, "Insignia" began what was initially announced as a two-year lease to Hapag-Lloyd, who is currently operating the ship as . It returned to the fleet In 2014.


Pegasus-class container ship

The Pegasus class is a series of 14 container ships. Six ships were built by Samsung Heavy Industries for the Singapore based Eastern Pacific Shipping. Another six ships were built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering for Minsheng Financial Leasing and China Bank of Communications Financial Leasing. The last two ships are built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and are owned by Ship Finance International. The 14 ships are operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company. The ships have a maximum theoretical capacity of 19,224 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) to 19,462 TEU.
The class is made up of three series of ships, each built at a different shipyard. The ships are all similar in size but do have a somewhat different design. The ships are chartered to MSC by various companies.


Barbarossa-class ocean liner

The "Barbarossa" class was a class of ocean liners of North German Lloyd and the Hamburg America Line of the German Empire. Of the ten ships built between 1896 and 1902, six were built by AG Vulcan Stettin, three were built by Blohm & Voss, and one was built by Schichau-Werke; all were built in Germany. They averaged and featured twin screw propellers driven by quadruple-expansion steam engines.
History.
Early career.
The first four ships of the class, , , , and , were launched in 1896 for North German Lloyd ( or NDL) in a combination class usable on several of NDL's routes. The class was intended to be called the "Bremen" class, but delays in the building of that ship caused the class to instead be named after "Barbarossa". Despite the name of the class, the first ship launched was "Friedrich der Grosse" in August—at , the first German ship over —followed by "Barbarossa", "Königin Luise", and "Bremen" at monthly intervals. These first four ships were used on Australian, Far East, and North Atlantic routes for NDL. On Australian and Far East voyages, the liners transited the Suez Canal, and were, along with NDL's , the largest ships regularly using the canal. The size of these liners was a principal reason for the canal's deepening; "Bremen", on one trip to Australia, became the first ship to transit the newly deepened canal.
The latter six ships, two for NDL and four for the Hamburg America Line (German: "Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft" or HAPAG) were launched between June 1899 and November 1901. NDL's two liners, and were launched a year apart in June 1899 and June 1900, respectively, and were used on Far East and North Atlantic routes. Beginning in 1904 they were mainly used on the Italy–New York route.
Of the four HAPAG liners, two, and , were launched in November 1899 and September 1900 for the Far East mail routes that HAPAG and NDL shared. Displeased with the Far East service, HAPAG withdrew and transferred "Hamburg" to North Atlantic service and traded "Kiautschou" to NDL for five freighters in 1904. "Kiautschou", renamed by NDL to "Princess Alice", became the only "Barbarossa"-class ship to sail for both of the major German passenger lines. She stayed on the Far East mail route until 1914.
The last two "Barbarossa" ships were and , launched in August and November 1901. "Moltke" spent time on North Atlantic and Mediterranean routes; "Blücher" on North Atlantic and South American routes.
World War I.
At the outbreak of World War I, rather than face capture or destruction at the hands of the British Royal Navy, most of the "Barbarossa"-class ships were interned in neutral ports. "König Albert" and "Moltke" were interned at Genoa, while "Blücher" was interned at Pernambuco, Brazil. Five ships were interned at U.S.-controlled ports: four—"Barbarossa", "Friedrich der Grosse", "Prinzess Irene", and "Hamburg"—were interned at Hoboken, New Jersey, and "Princess Alice" was interned at Cebu, Philippine Islands. Only "Königin Luise" and "Bremen" were in German ports, where they remained throughout the war. In September 1914, "Hamburg" was briefly renamed and chartered to the American Red Cross. Sailing under the name "Red Cross", she made one roundtrip voyage to Europe before returning to New York, and her previous name.
As Italy, the United States, and Brazil successively joined the war, each seized the interned "Barbarossa" ships (along with all other German and Austro-Hungarian ships) and renamed them. In Italy, "Moltke" became "Pesaro", while "König Albert" became hospital ship "Ferdinando Palasciano"; in Brazil, "Blücher" became "Leopoldina". The five ships interned under U.S. control all became United States Navy transport ships, and were renamed as follows:
These five ex-German transports carried over 95,000 American troops to France before the Armistice.
Postwar service.
At the conclusion of World War I, war reparations permanently assigned the eight seized ships to the nations that held them. Further, "Königin Luise" and "Bremen", safely laid up in Germany during the war, were assigned to the UK. Apart from those two, only two other "Barbarossa"-class ships changed national registry after the war. Brazil sold "Leopoldina" (the ex-"Blücher") to the French "Compagnie Générale Transatlantique" which operated her under the name "Suffren". "Pocahontas" (the ex-"Prinzess Irene") was laid up in Gibraltar after mechanical failures and was purchased by NDL in 1923. She became the only member of the "Barbarossa" class to resume sailing under the German flag. First renamed "Bremen" and later "Karlsruhe" (to free the name "Bremen" for a newer ship), she sailed primarily on the Bremen–New York route.
In 1922, "City of Honolulu" (the ex-"Friedrich der Grosse"), sailing on her first roundtrip on the Los Angeles–Honolulu route for the Los Angeles Steamship Company, caught fire and burned in a calm sea. No one on board was killed or injured when the lifeboats were launched, and when towing the burned hulk proved unsuccessful, the ship was sunk by gunfire from a United States Coast Guard Cutter; she was the only member of the "Barbarossa" class to sink. By the end of the 1920s, six more "Barbarossa" ships had met their ends at the hands of shipbreakers, and none of the remaining three ships would survive the next decade. All were scrapped by 1935, bringing an end to the career of the "Barbarossa" class.


SS City of Brunswick

City of Brunswick was a steam cargo ship built in 1921 by Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Company of Tampa for the United States Shipping Board as part of the wartime shipbuilding program of the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) to restore the nation's Merchant Marine. The freighter ran aground and was wrecked on her first commercial trip to Europe off Halifax in August 1921.
Design and construction.
After the United States entry into World War I, a large shipbuilding program was undertaken to restore and enhance shipping capabilities both of the United States and their Allies. As part of this program, EFC placed orders with nation's shipyards for a large number of vessels of standard designs. Design 1027 cargo ship was a standard cargo freighter of approximately 9,500 deadweight designed by Oscar Daniels and adopted by USSB.
"City of Brunswick" was the last of the order for 10 vessels placed by USSB with Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Co. on 30 October 1917 and was laid down on 27 October 1919 and launched on 17 February 1921 (yard number 10), with Mrs. S. L. High of Brunswick, Georgia being the sponsor. The vessel was named in honor of town of Brunswick in Georgia whose residents finished first in their district in subscription for the fourth Liberty Loan. The ship was a two-deck three-island steamer built on the Isherwood principle of longitudinal framing, had six main holds and also possessed all the modern machinery for quick loading and unloading of cargo from five main hatches, including ten winches and a large number of derricks. The vessel had electric lights installed along the decks and was also equipped with wireless.
The dock tests were held on April 12 in the presence of Shipping Board officials and were successfully passed. The sea trials were conducted on April 27 in Tampa Bay and in the Gulf of Mexico. After their successful completion "City of Brunswick" returned to the shipyard to finalize construction and was handed over to the USSB at the end of May, and officially commissioned on May 31.
As built, the ship was long (between perpendiculars) and abeam, a depth of . "City of Brunswick" was originally assessed at and and had deadweight of approximately 9,493. The vessel had a steel hull with double bottom, and a single 359 nhp triple-expansion steam engine, with cylinders of , and diameter with a stroke, that drove a single screw propeller, and moved the ship at up to . The steam for the engine was supplied by three Foster Water Tube boilers fitted for oil fuel.
Operational history.
Following delivery to USSB the ship remained berthed in Tampa for two months before being handed over to Page & Jones of Mobile to operate on the Gulf Coast of the United States to Europe route. The vessel departed on her maiden voyage in ballast from Tampa to New Orleans for loading on July 18. After loading approximately 4,500 tons of wheat and flour the ship sailed from New Orleans for Mobile on 28 July 1921. In Mobile the freighter took on board nearly 1,500,000 feet of pine lumber and 80 bales of cotton and cleared from the port on August 9. The vessel, however, developed problem with her machinery and had to return for repairs, finally departing for Antwerp on August 15.
Sinking.
"City of Brunswick" was proceeding on her first trip to Europe when on 25 August 1921 she suddenly started experiencing problems with one of her boilers. As the ship was close to Canadian coast, captain Rossi decided to call in at Halifax for repairs. Soon after midnight the ship ran full speed aground on The Sisters, the outermost of the eastern Sambro ledges, lying approximately two miles away from the Sambro Island Light. As the ship went aground, she injured her bottom and came to stop with the bulk of the ledge rocks being roughly amidships. The vessel started taking on water right away but her position was in no way dangerous. After examining the situation and being unable to dislodge the ship from the rocks, a distress signal was sent out and picked up by the wireless station in Halifax as well as tanker SS "Montrolite". The tanker arrived in about an hour, and several tugs that were dispatched from Halifax, arrived at the scene by about 02:00 on August 26. After waiting for daybreak several attempts were made to move the freighter from her current position, but all of them proved to be unsuccessful. The crew abandoned the ship in early afternoon of August 26 after the ship started settling with large portion of the hull already being submerged. As the crew abandoned the ship a significant amount of looting by the locals took place before the authority could step in and put a stop to it. After examining the wreck on August 27, the owners declared "City of Brunswick" total loss. On September 24 the ship broke into two and sank with only the masts protruding from the water. On 14 February 1922 the wreck and the cargo were sold to William McFatridge of Halifax for 2,000.


Aleksandr Suvorov (ship)

Aleksandr Suvorov () is a "Valerian Kuybyshev"-class "(92-016, OL400)" Soviet/Russian river cruise ship, cruising in the Volga–Don basin. On 5 June 1983 "Aleksandr Suvorov" crashed into a girder of the Ulyanovsk railway bridge. The catastrophe led to 176 deaths yet the ship stayed afloat, was restored and still navigates. Her home port is currently Nizhny Novgorod.
History.
The ship was built at "Slovenské Lodenice" in Komárno, Czechoslovakia in 1981 and was named after the 18th century Russian generalissimo Alexander Suvorov. Her length is 135.7 m, width 16.8 m, draft 2.9 m, and power 3 × 736 kW (2208). She has three engines and four decks. Her cruising speed is , and her passenger capacity is 400. During the 1980s "Aleksandr Suvorov" was a flagship of the "Volga-Don Lines" and was based at Rostov-on-Don.
1983 accident.
On 5 June 1983 "Aleksandr Suvorov" sailed from Rostov to Moscow. There were 330 passengers, 30 crew and 35 service personnel aboard. It is believed that some unregistered passengers were also aboard the ship. At approximately 22:00 an auction was advertised as taking place in the cinema hall on the upper deck. A TV translation was to take place at 22:45, which attracted many passengers to the upper deck. The chief mate Vladimir Mitenkov and helmsman Uvarov operated the ship from the wheelhouse, which was also on the upper deck. Captain Vladimir Kleymenov was resting in his cabin. The ship was sailing at , the maximum speed. The ship reached the sixth span of the bridge (instead of passable second span) which was lower than the main deck. At that moment a freight train went over the bridge. Controllers at the bank had noticed that "Aleksandr Suvorov" had come to the wrong span. They sent a radio message to the ship, but there was no reply. They then launched a warning flare, but it was too late. The span cut the deck house and the cinema hall, whilst the lowest deck was undamaged. The impact damaged the bridge, derailed some cars, and some of their contents fell onto the ship. "Aleksandr Suvorov" continued for another 300 metres (1000 ft) after the bridge. The rescue boats reached "Aleksandr Suvorov" 40 minutes later.
Soon after the tragedy Ulyanovsk was declared a closed city. Volunteers became blood donors and made makeshift coffins. Most of the injured survivors had avulsed wounds as a result of being hit by grain and coal from the train cars.
Investigation.
Immediately after the catastrophe different versions of events circulated amongst the population, varying from the drunkenness of the crew to criminal activity. A special commission under Heydar Aliyev investigated the disaster.
The commission proposed four official versions:
There was a switch tower on the bridge which looked similar to the navigation sign which was there to indicate the right span to use for passing under the bridge. Railwaymen and sailors had previously argued about the illumination of the bridge, but there was speculation that Aliyev protected the Soviet Railways minister Boris Beshchev and the crew of the "Suvorov" were accused. An expert proved that Mitenkov and Uvarov, who were killed in the accident, were sober.
After the accident, Captain Kleymenov was picked up at the dam near the bridge footing. He was in swimming trunks and was distraught. As he had failed to prevent the accident and had not provided a proper order, he was condemned to ten years imprisonment, but was released six years later. He died of an infarction in 1990.


USS Ability (AFDL-7)

The third USS "Ability" (AFD-7/AFDL-7) was a small auxiliary floating drydock in the service of the United States Navy.
Construction.
The construction of "AFD-7", a one-section, steel, floating dry dock built at Eureka, California, by the Chicago Bridge & Iron Co., was begun sometime early in 1943 and was completed in April 1944.
Service history.
The small, non-self-propelled auxiliary floating dry dock was then towed to the east coast for duty at the US Coast Guard base at Curtis Bay, Maryland, where she began a long career of docking small naval combatants (up to the size of destroyer escorts) for hull repairs.
At the end of World War II, the vessel returned to the Pacific and proceeded via Pearl Harbor to Guam. While serving there, she was redesignated "AFDL-7" in August 1946. Following brief operations at the naval operating base at Guam, "AFDL-7" was taken out of service on 1 January 1947, and laid up with the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Some time in 1948, she was towed back to Hawaii and laid up at Pearl Harbor. New Year's Day 1950, found her at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for repairs, which lasted into the following year. Two years later, she was back at Pearl Harbor still inactive. She was inactive, in reserve, there until June 1970, when she was transferred, on loan, to the United States Army for service in South Vietnam. In October 1971, the small dry dock was returned to the United States Navy and laid up at Guam. On 1 January 1973, she was reactivated and served at various advanced Pacific bases. She remained in this status through 1980.
During this period of service, "AFDL-7" was named "Ability" on 7 June 1979. While at Guam, she was taken out of service early in 1981. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 15 February 1981. She was sold for scrap on 1 July 1982.
Bibliography.
Online resources
External links.


MS William Nott


MV Serengeti

MV "Serengeti" is a Lake Victoria passenger and cargo ship operated by the Marine Services Company Limited of Mwanza, Tanzania.
"Serengeti" has a ramp in her bow for road vehicle access. In design she is a vehicular and passenger ferry, but MSC operates her in tramp trade.
She was built in 1988 for the Tanzania Railways Corporation Marine Division. In 1997 the Marine Division became a separate company, Marine Services Company Ltd.


SS Lane Victory

SS "Lane Victory" is an American Victory-class cargo ship used in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. The ship was preserved in 1989 to serve as a museum ship in the San Pedro area of Los Angeles, California. As a rare surviving Victory ship, she was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark.
SS "Lane Victory" was named after Lane College, which was established as a high school for black youths in 1882 at Jackson, Tennessee by Isaac Lane, a bishop of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America.
World War II.
"Lane Victory" was built in Los Angeles by the California Shipbuilding Corporation and launched on May 31, 1945. On her first voyage, June 27, 1945, "Lane Victory" carried war supplies in the Pacific. The War Shipping Administration gave the operations of the ship to the American President Lines. United States Merchant Mariners operated the ship. The United States Navy Armed Guard, who manned the ship's guns, worked as signalmen and radiomen. She made two Pacific cruises, beginning July 10, 1945 to Manus Island, and the second starting August 30, 1945 to Guam, Saipan and Hawaii. The trip to Guam was to bring food to the island. On the way "Lane Victory" sailed through a typhoon and was tossed around for 14 days. On February 27, 1946 her second voyage ended. With the end of World War II, she started shipping aid. In March 1946 she started delivering goods to Europe under the Marshall Plan. With the end of the aid plan, on May 11, 1948 "Lane Victory" was laid up at Suisun Bay, California.
Korean War.
In 1950 "Lane Victory" was taken out of storage and by October 1950 was back in service. She was then deployed to evacuate Korean civilians and United Nations personnel at Wonsan, North Korea. During December 1950 she evacuated over 3,800 U.S. troops and 1,100 vehicles from Hungnam while under attack during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. "Lane Victory" offloaded troops, vehicles and cargo as the cruiser and destroyers laid down a covering fire. After unloading she evacuated 7,010 men, women and children, taking them south to safety. When the ship arrived 7,011 passengers disembarked, as a baby had been born during the voyage. On October 10, 1953 she was laid up in Suisun Bay, California storage. An annual Korean War tribute day is held aboard SS "Lane Victory" in honor of those saved.
Vietnam War.
In 1966 the ship was restored to duty again for the Vietnam War. She also saw duty during the conflict moving ammunition and supplies to and from the war zone in Vietnam. On April 29, 1970 "Lane Victory" was laid up again at Suisun Bay for storage in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.
During her three-war career, she traveled through the Far East Pacific, made a few transatlantic crossings and one circumnavigation of the globe.
Post-war.
Because of the ship's excellent condition in storage at Suisun Bay, the Maritime Administration decided to set aside "Lane Victory" for preservation. President Ronald Reagan signed into law H.R. 2032 on October 18, 1988, which turned over the ship to the United States Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II. Joe Vernick, John Smith and a group of Merchant Marine veterans had worked for years for the ship to be released from the Reserve Fleet.
Volunteers from the United States Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II worked for three years to restore the ship to working condition after she had sat, slowly decaying, in Suisun Bay for nearly two decades. Many upgrades were performed in order to bring "Lane Victory" up to Coast Guard standards. She was drydocked in 1992, and her hull was proved sound. On September 10, 1992 her sea trials started and proved her seaworthy.
In May 1994 "Lane Victory" sailed south along the Baja Peninsula with the intention of joining the Liberty ship on the 50th Anniversary of D-Day in France. On May 2, 1994 she passed the Sailing Vessel Blythe Spirit about 500 feet off the starboard side according to the day log of S/V Blythe Spirit. This encounter was just north of Cabo San Lucas. Before reaching the Panama Canal the "Lane Victory" had engine problems that prevented it from going across the Atlantic Ocean in time to arrive for the D-Day Anniversary. It was reported on the Maritime Mobile Service Net later in May that the Victory Ship had chosen to return after repairs were completed to a California port to await the return of the "Jeremiah O'Brien".
In June 1994 "Lane Victory" participated in a mock Normandy invasion in the Santa Barbara Channel in celebration of the 50th anniversary of D-Day. In September 1994 she escorted the Liberty ship from San Pedro to San Francisco in celebration of "Jeremiah O'Brien"s return from her voyage to Normandy.
On October 9, 2007 SS "Lane Victory" received a Special Heritage Award from the World Ship Trust in San Diego.
She serves as a training facility for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles City Fire Department, local law enforcement agencies, FBI, the U.S. Coast Guard and other United States Armed Forces.
Museum ship.
After her 1988 acquisition by the U.S. Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II, "Lane Victory" was towed to the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro on June 12, 1989. She was turned into a museum and work ship again. In 1990 "Lane Victory" was designated a National Historic Landmark. A volunteer crew maintain and operate the ship and her two onboard museums. On September 13, 2000 Congress passed Resolution 327, recognizing SS "Lane Victory" as a representative of the service and sacrifices of the U.S. Merchant Marine to the nation during times of conflict: "Whereas vessels of the United States merchant marine fleet, such as the S.S. LANE VICTORY, provided critical logistical support to the Armed Forces by carrying equipment, supplies, and personnel necessary to maintain war efforts"
In February 2012 she moved from Berth 94 in Los Angeles Harbor by the Vincent Thomas Bridge to Berth 46 in Los Angeles Harbor at the end of Harbor Boulevard-Miner Street, south of the bridge. She was reopened to the public on February 17, 2012. She was moved, again, to Berth 49 in early 2013 as Berth 46 was being converted into a future super cruise ship dock.
Usage in Hollywood.
"Lane Victory" has been used in a number of movies, TV shows and commercials because of her excellent working condition. The ship's wakes were used in the 1997 blockbuster movie "Titanic" for the titular ocean liner's wakes. She also served as the setting for the climax of the comedy film "The Pest" the same year.
Other films in which the ship appeared are: "Black Ops (Deadwater)" (2008), "Flags of Our Fathers" (2006), "GI Jane" (1997), "Pearl Harbor" (2001), "The Thin Red Line" (1998) and "U-571" (2000). "(note: this is a partial list)"
The ship was featured in "Visiting... with Huell Howser" Episode 406.
Some TV shows she was featured in are: "Alias, Baywatch, California Gold, Mail Call" (episode #70), "MacGyver", "Murder She Wrote", the National Geographic Channel, "NCIS", "Port Chicago Mutiny" (TV movie), "Return of the Pirates" (History Channel), "Special Ops Mission" and "Unsolved Mysteries". In the "King of the Hill" episode "Returning Japanese: Part 2" (2002), Cotton is sent back to the U.S. aboard "Lane Victory". "(note: this is a partial list)"
In 1999 the ship was used in a Ford Super Duty commercial and Disney's "Golden Dreams" commercial. "(note: this is a partial list)"
The engine housed in "Lane Victory"s forward hold exhibit space was used as the engine for the fictitious gunboat in "The Sand Pebbles" (1966).
Awards.
"Lane Victory" earned one ribbon for World War II service, two for Korean War service – United Nations Korea Medal & Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation – and one for Vietnam War service.


Umiak I

Umiak I is a purpose-built ice-strengthened bulk carrier constructed for the Voisey's Bay Nickel Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vale, to transport ore from the Voisey's Bay Mine.
According to an article in the April 2006 issue of "The Gossan" an internal publication of the Voisey's Bay Nickel Company, the "Umiak" had completed her sea trials in Japan, and her delivery was expected in May 2006. "Umiak is the Inuktitut name for a supply boat or sometimes called a woman's boat, and is a fitting name for a vessel carrying concentrate from Voisey's Bay".
"Umiak I" makes twelve trips per year, transporting a total of 360,000 tonnes of nickel concentrate, worth $1.5 billion CAD.
Fednav also operates a similar ice-strengthened bulk carrier, "Arctic", which shares the load with "Umiak I". On 30 October 2012, Fednav announced it had ordered a third icebreaking cargo vessel from Universal Shipbuilding Corporation's Tsu shipyard in Japan. The Polar Class 4 vessel, "Nunavik", entered service in January 2014.
Design.
"Umiak I" is long and has a beam of . Fully laden, she draws of water and has a deadweight tonnage of 31,992 tons. Designed for operations in Arctic ice-infested waters and assigned ice class ICE-15 by Det Norske Veritas, she has a sloping icebreaker bow and a hull strengthened for independent operations in ice up to thick without icebreaker escort.
A bulk carrier designed to carry nickel concentrate, "Umiak I" has five holds with a combined grain capacity of 40,490 cubic metres. She is geared with three cranes, one 50-ton crane serving holds 1 and 2, and two 30-ton cranes serving holds 3, 4 and 5. In addition to bulk cargo, she can also carry re-supply cargoes for the production operations, including fuel oil.
"Umiak I" is powered by a seven-cylinder MAN B&W-Hitachi 7S70ME-C low-speed two-stroke diesel engine producing . The main engine is coupled directly to a ducted controllable-pitch propeller. The variable-pitch propeller allows backing and ramming in heavy ice conditions without reversing the engine, and the nozzle protects it from ice impacts and provides additional thrust. In open water, "Umiak I" can achieve a speed of with only 35% engine load. In ice, she can maintain a speed of with the aid of a water deluge system in the bow. For onboard electricity generator, she is fitted with three six-cylinder STX-built MAN 6L23/30H generating sets.
Media.
"Umiak I" was featured in an hour-long documentary in season 5 of Mighty Ships.


MV Tulagi

The MV "Tulagi" was a merchant ship built in 1939 and operated by the Burns Philp shipping line to carry cargo between the Pacific Islands and Australian ports. With the outbreak of World War II the Tulagi formed part of the Allied merchant navy fleet supplying the war effort throughout the Pacific and Indian Ocean theatres.
Design and construction.
"Tulagi" was a cargo ship built by Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock of Kowloon, Hong Kong (yard no. 804) for shipping line Burns Philp. She was designed to carry produce from the Pacific to Mexico, a new enterprise for the company. She was launched on 30 March 1939 and was completed that July.
She measured , , long (overall), and abeam. Her draught was .
She was equipped with two 6-cylinder Harland and Wolff diesel engines of the Burmeister & Wain type, built under sublicense by Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock. These two-stroke cycle single acting engines had a combined power output of and drove twin screw propellers. The ship had a service speed of .
Early career.
In the early part of the Second World War, the "Tulagi" had led a charmed life, surviving an intense Japanese air attack on the 16 February Allied convoy carrying reinforcements and supplies to Kupang (escorted by the heavy cruiser , the destroyer ), and the surprise Japanese attack on Darwin on 19 February 1942.
Sinking.
The "Tulagi"s luck ran out in March 1944 while undertaking a voyage from Sydney to Colombo in Ceylon, carrying 1800 tons of flour and 380 bags of mail. In command was Captain Leonard Walter "Dusty" Millar, with a crew of 15 Australian officers, 26 Indian seaman, 7 Malay and 5 Royal Australian Navy Reservist (RANR) Gunners, making a total complement of 54 personnel.
On 28 March 1944 at 00:10, the "Tulagi" was located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, around 300 km south east of the Chagos Islands, when she was hit by two torpedoes fired by the . This U-boat, under the command of Kapitän Ottoheinrich Junker, had been rendezvousing with two other submarines of the "Monsun" Submarine Group and the German supply ship "Brake". The "Tulagi" sank in less than a minute, on her starboard side, stern first.
Fifteen men survived the sinking, eleven Australians, three Malays and one Indian. The survivors were divided between four rafts tied together by painters. On 7 April, one of the rafts was cast adrift and on 21 April, one of the three remaining rafts was broken up to make the remaining two rafts more comfortable for the 15 survivors. The survivors on the rafts were:
Raft 1.
J.R. Ward (Chief Engineer)
D.G. Jacobs (Purser)
R.T. Charles (2nd Officer)
Ali Bin Sariwee (Malay Quartermaster) Note: Ali was from Jahore, Singapore
Amos Helwend (Malay Quartermaster) Note: Amos was from Barbar Island in Indonesia
Kalipan (Malay Quartermaster) Note: Kalipan was from Alor Island in Indonesia
Basu Mian Abdul Bhooya (Indian greaser).
Raft 2.
E.J. Board (3rd Officer)
G.L. Smedley (4th Engineer)
J.D. Brown (Cadet Officer)
H.R. Boyce (Petty Officer - RANR)
D.K. Johnson (Able Seaman RANR)
H.M. Morton (Able Seaman RANR)
J.F. Murphy (Able Seaman RANR)
C.H. Webber (Able Seaman RANR)
Food rations obtained from the raft supplies for the first 27 days comprised half a biscuit and 12 milk tablets per day per man, plus two squares of chocolate for the first six days. On 24 April, food rations were reduced to a quarter of a biscuit per day per man, and two days later the last of the rations were consumed, except for a small number of malted milk tablets. On 19 May, the two rafts became separated and drifted apart.
The raft carrying Board, Smedley, Brown and the five RANR personnel was not heard of again, but in the evening of 25 May, the other raft came ashore in Bijoutier Island in the Seychelles Group, 59 days after the Tulagi was sunk.
At the beginning of the drift, the total rations consisted of 45 biscuits, two tins of chocolate and six tins of malted milk tablets per raft. Water was not a problem in the early part of the voyage due to frequent heavy rain. In May however, it became scarce and was reduced at one stage to 3 oz per man per day. Rations were supplemented by an occasional fish caught by the Malays using an improvised spear made from a pair of scissors lashed to a raft stanchion. Fishing lines in the rafts were useless as the hooks had been stolen. In all 27 fish, along with two birds and one small turtle, were captured in this manner and eaten raw. However, there were long periods with no solid food - up to 10 days at one stage and nine days on another. All three Australian survivors stated that they owed their lives to untiring perseverance and unselfishness of the Malay seamen spearing fish, catching birds and capturing every drop of rain.
The seven survivors were rescued from Bijoutier Island on 26 May 1944, by Louis Gendron, a plantation supervisor from nearby Alphonse Island.
Estimated distance travelled: 1598 nm (approximately 2959 km)
Average drift per day: 27.6 nm (approximately 51.1 km)


MV Skorpios II

MV Skorpios II is a Chile-registered cruise ship owned and operated by Cruceros Skorpios. The ship was built in 1988 on Skorpios, Chile shipyards under SOLAS and IMO regulations and under the ABS (American Bureau of Shipping), Class Nr 890.56.66, A1 ice. Its remodeled in equipment cabins, bathrooms and dining 2010. It has certificate of registration number 2567 of the Directorate General of Maritime Territory of Chile and International Load Line Certificate. Its capacity is up to 106 passengers based on double occupancy, has 53 cabins distributed in 4 decks.


MS William Lester


SS West Humhaw

SS "West Humhaw" was a steel–hulled cargo ship built in 1918 as part of the United States Shipping Boards emergency World War I shipbuilding program.
The ship was delivered just weeks before the end of the war and immediately commissioned into the U.S. Navy as USS "West Humhaw" (ID-3718), but completed only one relief mission on the Navy's behalf before decommissioning in January 1919. "West Humhaw" subsequently operated as a merchant ship, firstly in transatlantic service and later on the trade routes between the U.S. and Africa.
With the outbreak of World War II, "West Humhaw" participated in a small number of Allied convoys before being sunk by off Takoradi, Ghana on 8 November 1942.
Construction and design.
"West Humhaw" was built in Seattle, Washington in 1918 at the No. 1 Plant of the Skinner & Eddy Corporation—the 15th in a series of 24 steel–hulled Design 1013 cargo ships built by Skinner & Eddy for the USSBs emergency wartime shipbuilding program. The ship was laid down on 27 June, launched just 51 working (62 calendar) days later on 28 August, and completed on 14 September—a total time under construction of 64 working (79 calendar) days, making "West Humhaw" one of the fastest-built ships of the war.
"West Humhaw" had a design deadweight tonnage of 8,800 tons and gross register tonnage of 5,600. The ship had an overall length of 423 feet 9 inches, a beam of 54 feet and a draft of 24 feet 2 inches. She was powered by a Curtis geared turbine driving a single screw propeller, delivering a service speed of 11.5 knots. For wartime service, "West Humhaw" was armed with one 5"/51 caliber and one 3"/50 caliber gun.
Service history.
U.S. Navy service, 1918-1919.
Immediately on completion, "West Humhaw" was turned over to the U.S. Navy on 13 September, and commissioned as USS "West Humhaw" (ID-3718) at the Puget Sound Navy Yard on 16 September for operation with the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS), Lt. Comdr Arthur Ravens, USNRF, in command.
Loading a full cargo of flour for delivery to Europe, "West Humhaw" departed Seattle on 5 October, bound for the east coast of the United States, transiting the Panama Canal and arriving at New York on the 31st. On 12 November—the day after Armistice Day—"West Humhaw" departed for La Pallice, France, arriving two weeks later. From La Pallice, the ship sailed on to Bordeaux, where she unloaded her cargo and departed once more for New York on 21 December, arriving on 12 January 1919.
On 27 January, a few days after her return to the U.S., "West Humhaw" was decommissioned, struck from the Navy List, and returned the same day to the United States Shipping Board.
Interwar years.
Following her decommissioning, "West Humhaw" was quickly placed into merchant service by the USSB as SS "West Humhaw". The vessel's movements in the interwar period are poorly documented, but it appears that the ship was initially placed into transatlantic service. The Ellis Island ship database records that "West Humhaw" made a number of voyages from 1919 through the early 1920s from various ports in Europe, such as Danzig, Poland; Hamburg, Germany; Plymouth and London, England; and Pauillac, France, to New York.
"West Humhaw" was eventually turned over to the American-West African Line for operation between the U.S. and Africa. The date of the turnover is not available, but by 1924 "West Humhaw" was already operating between New York and African destinations such as Nigeria, Liberia, the Cape Verde and Canary Islands, and Côte d'Ivoire. After her turnover to the American-West African Line, the ship would remain under the control of this company for the rest of her career.
World War II.
Following the outbreak of World War II, "West Humhaw" like most other U.S. merchant ships was fitted with some defensive armament, which in "West Humhaw"s case included a 4-inch gun, two 20mm antiaircraft guns, and two .30 caliber machine guns. To man the weapons, a group of 16 U.S. Navy armed guards was provided.
With America's entry into the war in December 1941, "West Humhaw" soon found herself part of the Allied convoy system. In July–August 1942, "West Humhaw" participated in convoys sailing from Trinidad to New York via Key West, Florida. In September, the ship returned in convoy to Trinidad via Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. From this point the ship appears to have proceeded independently to Freetown, Sierra Leone, on her way to Lagos, Nigeria.
On her way to Freetown, "West Humhaw" came across a lifeboat on 13 October, containing 18 survivors from another ship of the American-West African Line, , which had been sunk by about a week earlier. Eight of the ship's crew had been killed in the attack. "West Humhaw" rescued the men and took them on to Freetown. The remaining survivors from "John Carter Rose" were picked up by the Argentinian tanker "Santa Cruz" and taken to Recife, Brazil.
Loss.
On 4 November 1942, "West Humhaw", laden with a cargo of 2000 tons of lubricating oil and 3,915 tons of general cargo, including cable drums and trucks as deck cargo, departed Freetown with a small escorted convoy of three ships, bound for Takoradi, Ghana. At 23:47 hours on 8 November, the convoy was attacked by . "U-161" fired four torpedoes, one of which hit and damaged the merchant ship "Benalder" and another of which struck "West Humhaw". Once it became clear the vessel could not be saved, "West Humhaw"s crew abandoned ship, which sank by the bows in about thirty minutes. Fortunately, no lives were lost in the attack, and the survivors were rescued after about 45 minutes by the Motor Launch HMS "ML-281", which transferred them to Takoradi.


Sergey Yesenin-class motorship

"Sergey Yesenin" class is a class of Russian river passenger ships. It is named after Sergei Yesenin.
Three-deck cruise ships built in Austria, 1984–1986.


USS Apollo

USS "Apollo" (AS-25) was an in the United States Navy.
Construction.
"Apollo" was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 860, on 24 June 1943 at Pascagoula, Mississippi, by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation; launched on 6 November 1943; sponsored by Mrs. James B. Hill; and acquired by the Navy and placed in reduced commission on 31 December 1943, Commander Charles D. Schutz in command, for passage to her conversion yard. The vessel proceeded to the Atlantic Basin Iron Works, Brooklyn, New York, and was decommissioned there on 14 January 1944 to undergo conversion for naval service as a submarine tender. "Apollo" was recommissioned on 29 September 1944, Captain John C. McCutchen in command.
Service history.
Pacific Fleet, 1944–1945.
After loading stores, the new submarine tender got underway for shakedown in the waters off New London, Connecticut, and in Block Island Sound. She then took on spare parts and equipment at New London before departing Connecticut on 6 November, bound for the Panama Canal.
"Apollo" transited the Panama Canal on 13 November; paused briefly at San Diego, California, for replenishment; and continued on to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On 10 December, the ship set a course for Guam, Mariana Islands, and arrived in Apra Harbor 11 days later. She then commenced providing services to various submarines of the Pacific Fleet. Her tour of duty at Guam ended on 10 July 1945, when the vessel got underway to return to Pearl Harbor. Shortly after her arrival, her crew resumed submarine tending activities.
Following the Japanese capitulation, "Apollo" set sail on 27 August for the east coast of the United States. She transited the Panama Canal on 12 September and continued on to New Orleans, where she dropped anchor on the 16th. The ship resumed her voyage on 30 October; arrived at Yorktown, Virginia, on 3 November; and began unloading her ammunition. Four days later, "Apollo" sailed on to New London. Upon reaching that port on the 8th, the tender took up the task of placing submarines of the New London Group, 16th Fleet, in an inactive status.
Decommissioning , 1946–1974.
On 16 October 1946, "Apollo" was placed in commission, in reserve. She was decommissioned on 12 February 1947 and was berthed at New London. On 1 July 1963, her name was struck from the Navy list, and the vessel was transferred to the Maritime Administration for layup in the James River. She was sold to the Union Minerals & Alloys Corporation for scrapping in 1974.
Bibliography.
Online resources
External links.


SS Alfred Victory


SS Fizik Kurchatov

SS "Fizik Kurchatov" () was a "Leninsky Komsomol"-class multi-purpose tweendecker freighter owned by the Soviet Black Sea Shipping Company. She was powered by steam turbine engines. The ship was named after Soviet physicist Igor Kurchatov (1903–1960).
"Fizik Kurchatov" was one of the Soviet ships which participated in Operation Anadyr, as one of nine Soviet ships which returned missiles to the USSR after the Cuban Missile Crisis, and also took part in the 1973 Arab–Israeli War.
History.
The "Fizik Kurchatov" keel was laid down at the Kherson Shipyard on 20 March 1961. By that time, the shipyard had built seven of her sister ships. The ship was completed in June 1962 and transferred to the Black Sea Shipping Company on 30 June of that year.
Operation Anadyr.
The maiden voyage of the ship was from Nikolayev port to Cuba. The ship loaded cargo in Nikolayev port. Her cargo was an air defense battalion and its equipment. After unloading in Cuba, the "Fizik Kurchatov" loaded sugar and returned to the USSR in June 1962. Other sources say that the ship was built in May and delivered to the Black Sea Shipping Company after this voyage.
Some sources say that the "Fizik Kurchatov" maiden voyage began before 25 July, when 1,131 tons of general cargo and trucks were loaded on her main deck. Although she sailed from Odessa with Ghana her declared destination, she arrived in Cuba on 7 August.
Her second voyage reportedly began in September 1962, when she loaded 9,500 tons of general cargo (including portions of a missile division) and sailed from Odessa. Oran, an Algerian port, was declared her destination but she arrived in Cuba.
Cuban Missile Crisis.
On 23 October 1962, she was still in Cuba.
The "Fizik Kurchatov" left Cuba on 7 November 1962, and was photographed by U.S. reconnaissance planes during her return to the Soviet Union. She returned six canvas-covered missiles, which had been aimed at the United States, to the USSR on her open main deck.
1973 Arab–Israeli War.
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War and the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, was fought by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel from 6 to 25 October 1973. At least twenty-three Soviet merchant ships carried military cargoes to Syria and Egypt in October and November 1973, including eight "Leninsky Komsomol"-class cargo ships; the "Fizik Kurchatov" among them. According to U.S. intelligence, the "Fizik Kurchatov" made three voyages from Soviet Black Sea ports to Syria and Egypt between October and November 1973:
Ethiopian cargo.
The "Fizik Kurchatov" delivered P-205 and P-206, two Zhuk-class patrol boats, to Ethiopia in October 1982 when the Soviet Union supplied the African country's new fleet.
Fate.
The "Fizik Kurchatov" was renamed the "Kurchat" and her home port became George Town, Cayman Islands on 30 April 1986. She was scrapped in Kaohsiung, China in August of that year.


Jingei-class submarine tender

The were a class of submarine tenders of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and served from the 1920s through World War II. Two vessels of this class were built between 1922 and 1924 under the Eight-eight fleet plan.
Background.
The IJN planned to build over 100 submarines under the Eight-eight fleet plan, and it was recognized that support ships would be needed. The "Jingei" class was planned specifically for this purpose. The duties of a submarine tender included serving as a flagship for the Submarine Division Commander and as a depot ship for the nine "Kaichū"-type submarines in a division.
Design.
At first, the "Jingei" class was planned as a 14,500 ton submarine tender. However, the specifications were revised to 8,500 tons (standard), as stipulated by the Washington Naval Treaty. This treaty would turn out to have a great impact on the Japanese shipbuilding industry. The IJN had intended to develop a large naval fleet, but under the treaty stipulations, its size had to be greatly reduced. As a result, many shipbuilding companies incurred financial difficulty.
The IJN contracted the design and construction of "Jingei" to Mitsubishi. Naval contracts were directed toward Mitsubishi to prevent it from suffering the financial difficulty that had befallen other companies. The IJN provided only a specifications, allowing greater freedom of design. The IJN recycled eight "Tosa"-class coal/oil-fired boilers for the development of the "Jingei" class. Mitsubishi engineers worked on the design until the displacement of "Jingei" was reduced to 8000 tons in the basic plan. However, the maximum speed was increased by 2.5 knots.
When Mitsubishi designers went to work developing the "Katori"-class cruiser, they implemented many design innovations that had been developed during their work on "Jingei". As a result, the "Katori"-class cruisers came to resemble the "Jingei"-class submarine tenders.
Service.
The "Jingei" and its sister ship, the "Chōgei", took over the duties of the submarine tenders "Karasaki" and "Komahashi". The two new "Jingei"-class ships were welcomed by the sailors of the submarine fleets. However, the "Jingei"-class submarine tenders were unable to support the "Kaidai"-type submarines. This duty was taken up by the 5,500 ton "Kuma"- and "Nagara"-class cruisers.
In 1934, both "Jingei"-class ships were converted to training ships. Following the "Tomozuru" Incident that occurred on 13 March 1934, all ships of the Japanese Navy were subject to inspection and renovation of design flaws that would put the ship in danger of capsizing. Renovations were begun on the "Jingei" in November 1934 at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal. Overhaul of the "Chōgei" was started in October 1935 at Kure Naval Arsenal. Both ships were equipped with new ballast tanks and bilge pumps.
On 15 November 1940, the two "Jingei"-class ships were returned to Submarine Division Command and replaced the "Takasaki" and the "Tsurugizaki", both of which had been flexibly designed and were converted to aircraft carriers. The IJN "Jingei" was assigned to the 7th Submarine Division, 4th Fleet. The IJN "Chōgei" was assigned to the 3rd Submarine Division, 6th Fleet.