SS Olockson

Olockson was a steam cargo ship built in 1918–1919 by Guy M. Standifer Construction Company of Vancouver 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. In March 1920, only on her second voyage, the vessel caught fire and had to be abandoned by the crew. The ship was subsequently towed to Baltimore where she was broken up in 1924.
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 1015 cargo ship was a standard cargo freighter of approximately 9,400 tons deadweight designed by Moore Shipbuilding Co. and adopted by USSB.
"Olockson" was part of the order for 10 vessels placed by USSB with Guy M. Standifer Construction Co. on 8 January 1918 and was laid down at the shipbuilder's yard on 3 January 1919 and launched on 11 September 1919 (yard number 6).
The ship had two main decks as well as forecastle and poop deck and was built on the Isherwood principle of longitudinal framing providing extra strength to the body of the vessel. The freighter had five main holds and also possessed all the modern machinery for quick loading and unloading of cargo from five large hatches, including ten winches and a large number of derricks. She was also equipped with wireless apparatus, had submarine signal system installed and had electrical lights installed along the decks.
As built, the ship was long (between perpendiculars) and abeam, a depth of . "Olockson" was originally assessed at and and had deadweight of approximately 9,419. The vessel had a steel hull with double bottom throughout with exception of her machine compartment, and a single 2,800 ihp 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 single-ended Scotch marine boilers fitted for both coal and oil fuel, with latter one being the main source.
Operational history.
While the steamer was still under construction she was allocated by the USSB to Pacific Steamship Company for Oriental service. However, with ever changing trade conditions, "Olockson" and another Shipping Board steamer, "Wawalona", were later reassigned to carry a cargo of flour for the Atlantic Coast with further delivery to Europe. On 17 November 1919 the freighter finally moved from the builder's yard and was berthed at the municipal dock in preparation for loading. She then took on board a large cargo of flour for Europe and lumber for Panama Canal Zone discharged from damaged steamer "Siletz" which was scheduled to go into drydock for repairs. Following an established USSB policy the Shipping Board ship could only continue with cargo to Europe if an equivalent amount of cargo space would be allocated by a foreign shipping operator, so "Olockson" were to discharge her cargo in one of the East Coast ports. The cargo transfer was completed by December 3 and the steamer then proceeded to load additional cargo eventually departing Portland on December 6. After an uneventful journey "Olockson" arrived at Balboa on Christmas Day discharging 953 tons of lumber there and then continuing on to the ports in the Northeast with the remaining cargo consisting of 7,128 tons of flour. She reached Philadelphia on 10 January 1920 where she unloaded part of her cargo before continuing on to New York.
She returned to Philadelphia on February 3 after being chartered by Barber Line to transport cargo to the Far East. After taking on board 2,500 tons of steel rails and 1,594,100 gallons of gasoline in cases and drums she cleared from Philadelphia on March 2 bound for Japan and Japanese-occupied Vladivostok. The freighter reached Cristóbal in the afternoon of March 11, and exited from the Panama Canal into the Pacific at 18:58 on March 12. The ship was under command of captain Thomas Endreson and had a crew of forty five.
At approximately 06:10 on March 13 a fire was discovered by the first assistant engineer while "Olockson" was approximately southwest by south off Punta Mala lighthouse and about from Balboa in approximate position . The fire was well under way and the engineer could barely escape the quickly spreading flames. A wireless call for help was sent out and U.S. Navy cruiser and tug "Gorgona" were dispatched to the ship's aid. Due to severity of the fire and considering the nature of the ship's cargo the captain ordered the crew to abandon ship. Several lifeboats were lowered and about half the crew of forty-five disembarked the burning vessel without any issues while the captain and the other half remained on board to try to fight off the fire. At about 9:00 some gasoline exploded in the aft hold tearing off the wireless house. A series of gasoline explosions followed forcing the rest of the crew to abandon the burning vessel by 11:00. The survivors were then picked up by steamer SS "Salvador" which responded to "Olockson"s call for help and was standing by. After picking up all the survivors, "Salvador" took course towards Balboa. In the afternoon of March 13 she encountered "Tacoma" and transferred all the survivors on board the cruiser. The tug reached the area in the morning of March 14 and took the burning freighter into tow bringing her to Balboa outer harbor by about 18:00 on March 17 where "Olockson" was immediately beached. Holes were cut in the steamer's hull while she was lying at low tide, and after arrival of high tide they were plugged by divers to ensure the water stays inside the burning holds. The fire was finally extinguished by approximately 17:30 on March 21. "Olockson" was then floated on April 19 and brought into inner harbor next day where she was berthed to unload any undamaged cargo. The unloading was finished by May 26 and in total all 2,500 tons of steel and 593,832 gallons of gasoline were salvaged from the burned vessel.
After examining the vessel USSB decided not to rebuild the ship but rather offered it for sale in "as is, where is" condition in September 1920. However, as no bids were received that matched USSB expected price of about 100,000 the sale fell through and the ship remained moored in Balboa for the next several years. USSB continued offering the vessel for sale, for example they did so in June 1922. "Olockson" was eventually sold to the Boston Iron metal Company of Baltimore. In April 1923 the vessel was loaded with scrap iron at Balboa and towed 2,239 miles by collier to Hampton Roads. She was then brought from there by tug "Joseph D. Wood" to Baltimore on 9 May 1923 and remained moored at the bottom of Fallsway for the next several months. The ship was eventually broken up and scrapped in February 1924.


SS Volendam

SS "Volendam" was a ton ocean liner operated by Holland America Line (Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij). She was built in 1922 by Harland & Wolff Ltd, in Govan, Glasgow. Her sister ship TSS "Veendam" was built by Harland & Wolff the following year. She operated on transatlantic routes between Europe and the USA, sailing the Rotterdam – New York and Rotterdam – Halifax (Nova Scotia) service.
Her overall length was and her beam was . She had two funnels and two masts. Four steam turbines drove twin screws, giving her a speed of . Passenger accommodation was divided into three classes and initially configured as: 263 in First class, 436 in Second class and 1,200 in Third class. She was purchased by Holland America Line while under construction, and launched on 6 July 1922. Her maiden voyage started on 4 November 1922 sailing from Rotterdam to New York.
In May 1926 she was refitted to carry First, Second, Tourist and Third class passengers, and by April 1930 changed yet again to carry First, Tourist and Third class. Her last Rotterdam – New York voyage commenced 5 April 1940. Therefore she managed to escape before the Netherlands was overrun and surrendered to the Germans in the May of 1940.
War service.
She was among many Allied merchant ships who escaped to Britain rather than be interned in occupied countries in World War II. Together with Holland America Line's she served in the Allied cause. She was then chartered to the British Ministry of War Transport and put into service. Under the terms of the charter the flag and crew would remain Dutch.
"Volendam" was assigned to the Children's Overseas Reception Board, a British Government scheme introduced in 1940 to evacuate UK school children overseas.
She sailed from Liverpool on Thursday 29 August 1940 as one of 33 ships in Convoy OB 205. Her Master was Captain J.P. Wepster and she had a crew of 273. She carried 879 passengers: 320 children with their escorts and 286 other passengers. She was also the convoy Commodore ship with Admiral G.H. Knowles aboard.
On 30 August 1940 whilst several hundred miles off Malin Head, Northern Ireland and heading into the Atlantic, she was attacked about 2300 hrs by the , firing two torpedoes that hit No. 1 hold and damaged and caused flooding in No. 2 hold. Captain Wepster then gave the order to abandon ship, and despite rough seas all 18 lifeboats got away safely. It was night-time and pitch-black. The only person lost was the 51-year-old Dutch purser Rijk Baron, who, as he was climbing down a rope ladder to one of the boats received a blow to the head from a swinging pulley, knocking him unconscious, causing him to fall into the sea and drown. A few weeks later his body washed up on the Scottish islet of Gunna (between the Inner Hebridean islands of Tiree and Coll) and he was buried in a churchyard on Tiree.
The passengers and children were quickly rescued by other merchantmen in the convoy, including the British oil tankers "Bassethound" (), and "Valldemosa" (), the Norwegian cargo ship "Olaf Fostenes" () (which rescued 231 survivors, including 75 children), and S-class destroyer . They were taken to Greenock and other west coast ports in Scotland on 1 September. All 320 children were rescued. "The Gourock Times", dated 6 September 1940, reported the event under the headlines "British Evacuee Ship Torpedoed", announced how cheerful the children had been and that their "Ordeal Was a Great Adventure". While the children had been selected from all over the country, 74 were from Scotland. Some children were later sent overseas again a few weeks later on the ill-fated .

A curious fact only emerged long after the war (details revealed in book published in 2014, Oceans Apart: Stories of Overseas Evacuees in World War Two, author Penny Starns). One child on board the Volendam, only referred to as Robert, a nine years old from Glasgow, was asleep throughout the entire ships evacuation, and only appeared to the surprised skeleton crew on board, after the rest of the children and escorts had all been evacuated to life-boats. He was transferred to a destroyer, and on landing, he and his parents were sworn to secrecy.

"Volendam" was taken in tow by the rescue tug and beached on the Isle of Bute. Later she was re-floated and repaired at a Clyde shipyard. When the damage was surveyed an unexploded second torpedo was found embedded in her bow. The U-boat had fired a spread of two torpedoes with a short interval; the detonation of the first may have blown off the warhead of the second torpedo.
The ship was converted to a troop transport and returned to service in July 1941. She was used to ferry troops to North Africa in 1942 and for the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, returning to North Africa with Italian and German prisoners. In 1944 she transported many US soldiers to northern France and continued until 1945. During this time she had carried over 100,000 troops.
Post-war.
Volendam returned to Rotterdam in July 1945, she was partly reconditioned. In August 1945, she carried British troops to Palestine – including the 3rd Battalion of Coldstream Guards. The ship landed at Haifa.
In 1946 she carried Dutch troops to what was then the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). In 1947 she was used in the Australia emigrant service and in June 1948 made her first Rotterdam – Quebec sailing for the Netherlands government with capacity for 1,500 single class passengers. On Tuesday October 17 1950 she departed Rotterdam for Sydney, arriving 6-weeks and 1 day later at her destination on Wednesday November 29th, 1950. She brought with her a ship-load of (mainly Dutch) immigrants, all eager to forge new lives in Australia. In September 1948 she started her first Rotterdam – New York sailing and commenced her last voyage on this route in February 1951.
In October 1951 she made her last Rotterdam – Quebec – Rotterdam voyage and in 1952 was scrapped at Hendrik Ido Ambacht.
Sources.
BBC WW2 People's War 'fair dealing' terms:
Helen Cleary – An editor and writer who wrote non-fiction for the BBC History website. She was a member of the WW2 People's War Team from September 2003 until November 2004. Phil Edwards – A freelance writer and researcher specialising in 20th-century history. In 2003 he was doing research on post-war Italy at Salford University. Bruce Robinson – Graduated with a first class degree in History from Cambridge University. He was a regular contributor to the BBC History website and had written for various publications, as well as charities including Shelter and the NSPCC. Victoria Cook – Victoria was a Cambridge History graduate, and a freelance historical researcher. She had previously worked on two major exhibits at the Imperial War Museum, London, and the Churchill Museum in the Cabinet War Rooms.


SS Waterville Victory


USS Mountrail

USS "Mountrail" (APA/LPA-213) was a of the US Navy in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War era. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type. "Mountrail" was named for Mountrail County, North Dakota.
Construction.
"Mountrail" was laid down 24 June 1944, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract , MCV hull 561, by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2, Richmond, California; launched 20 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Margaret H. Marshall; and commissioned 16 November 1944, Commander Robert R. Stevens in command.
Service history.
World War II.
Following shakedown, "Mountrail" embarked troops at Seattle and sailed for the Philippines 10 January 1945.
Invasion of Okinawa.
Reaching Leyte Gulf 21 February, she put to sea with men of the 77th Infantry Division for amphibious training off Leyte before departing San Pedro Bay 21 March to join a convoy for the Okinawa invasion. She arrived off Kerama Retto 26 March. While she landed troops 2 April, her gunners shot down three planes.
Transport duties.
"Mountrail" departed Kerama Retto and arrived San Francisco 22 May, to load troops for the Philippines, whom she disembarked at Manila. Returning San Francisco 5 August, she sailed with more troops, landing them at Batangas, Luzon, 11 September. At Leyte Gulf she took on occupation troops whom she landed at Hakodate, Japan, 4 October. then carried Marines from Japan to Tsingtao, China, before sailing for home 5 November.
First decommissioning.
She decommissioned 12 July 1946, and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Stockton, California.
Korean War.
With the outbreak of the Korean War, "Mountrail" recommissioned 9 September 1950, and sailed 22 December, for the Far East to carry men between Japan and Korea until returning San Diego 2 August 1951. On 28 May 1952, she sailed for her second tour of duty with the 7th Fleet operating between Hong Kong and Korea for the next 6 months. On 14 October 1952, she joined in the feint off Kojo, Korea, which tricked the Communists completely.
Operation "Passage to Freedom".
"Mountrail" returned to Long Beach in December and trained on the West Coast until sailing for Japan 28 November 1953. She sailed between the Philippines and Japan until August. when she Joined Operation Passage to Freedom, the massive evacuation of refugees from North to South Vietnam.
Second decommissioning.
She returned to Long Beach 9 October 1954, and decommissioned 1 October 1955, to return to the Pacific Reserve Fleet, and later transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay, California, 7 June 1960.
Third commission.
"Mountrail" recommissioned 22 November 1961, and sailed to join Amphibious Squadron 12, US Atlantic Fleet. During training, she operated in the Atlantic and Caribbean, strengthening American forces at Guantánamo Bay during the Cuban Missile Crisis of fall 1962. In October and November 1964 she took part in NATO landing exercises in southern Spain, and 8 February 1965, she left Norfolk, Virginia for her first deployment with the 6th Fleet. She took part in exercises off Norway in June and July, returning Norfolk 20 July.
Into 1969, "Mountrail" had continued annual deployments with the 6th Fleet, strengthening the amphibious capability of this bulwark of freedom in the Mediterranean.
Final decommissioning.
She was decommissioned 13 August 1970, with delivery to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) the same day. "Mountrail" was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Lee Hall, Virginia. She was struck from the Navy Vessel Register on 1 December 1976. On 19 September 1984, she was withdrawn from the fleet for stripping, being returned 14 August 1985.
On 28 September 1989, she was traded-out, along with "Santa Barbara", , and , to Exxon Shipping Company, for "Exxon Lexington". She was immediately resold to Rivson International, Inc. On 15 March 1990, she was again sold by Bomar Resources, formerly Rivson Int., Inc., to Eckhardt Marine, Gmbh, for scrapping in India or Bangladesh. She was withdrawn from the fleet 1 June 1990, with scrapping in India final 21 May 1991.
Awards.
"Mountrail" received one battle star for World War II service and three for Korean War service.
Bibliography.
Online resources
External links.


Barracuda-class submarine

"Barracuda" class may refer to one of several classes of submarine:


Maersk Eindhoven

Maersk Eindhoven is a container ship in the Maersk Line fleet. The vessel was built in 2010 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in the Ulsan, South Korea ship-yard. The ship is named after the Dutch city of Eindhoven.
Design.
General characteristics.
The ship has a total length of , a beam of and draft of . The deadweight tonnage of "Maersk Eindhoven" is 142,105 metric tons and the gross tonnage of the ship is 141,716.
Power and propulsion.
The "Maersk Eindhoven" is powered by a single Hyundai-Wärtsilä 12RT-flex96C-B low-speed two-stroke crosshead diesel engine. It has a total power of at 102 rpm and auxiliary diesel generators with a power output of . The ship also has a emergency diesel generator. It burns heavy fuel oil with a and of machine diesel oil. Its range is .


Hesper and Luther Little

The Hesper and Luther Little were two schooners that were left abandoned in Wiscasset, Maine. Both ships were built in Massachusetts in the second decade of the 20th century, and wound up under one owner by 1932. Despite efforts to make use of the two schooners, this last owner went bankrupt and died shortly afterwards. Both ships were now essentially abandoned where their owner had left them in Wiscasset. Despite efforts to save the ships as tourist attractions, both were finally demolished in 1998 having by that time been reduced to piles of debris by the elements.
History.
The "Hesper", and "Luther Little" were both built in Somerset, Massachusetts in the later half of the 1910s, each having a different career. Both ships had donkey engines that were used for things like the capstan, and hoisting the anchor, but no auxiliary power. Their usage was primarily to ship coal and lumber, but by the mid 1920s new steam powered vessels were making cargo sailing ships obsolete. One by one the ships were taken out of service, and found their way to Wiscasset where they were placed up for auction.
The two ships were purchased by Frank Winter in 1932, he was an entrepreneur who had also bought the Wiscasset And Quebec Railroad in order to operate a Boston-to-Wiscasset coal and lumber business. He had the idea to have the ships bring coal north to Wiscasset, and bring lumber back to the south. The railroad was to be used to bring lumber, and coal to the interior parts of Maine. This idea never came to pass though as Frank's business suffered through a series of bad events that led to the railway being ripped up in 1934 in order to pay debts owed. The two schooners were left abandoned in Wiscasset Harbor by Frank who died shortly after his business became defunct.
As time went by both ships deteriorated at different rates, the "Hesper" suffered the most from the decay having been set on fire at least twice. There were efforts made to try and preserve the ships, but the town of Wiscasset did not want to spend the money to do so. For decades the ships sat where they had been left becoming a tourist attraction as they were highly visible from U.S. Route 1. Both ships kept their shapes until the mid 1990s when the remains bore more resemblance to piles of debris. The "Hesper", and "Luther Little" were finally demolished, and carried off to a local landfill in the late 1990s after a storm had destroyed what was left of them. People were allowed to take whatever remains they wanted from the landfill until what was left was finally run through a wood chipper.
"Hesper".
The "Hesper" was built in 1918 by Crowninshield Shipbuilding which was located in Somerset, Massachusetts. Her launch on July 4, 1918 was delayed by a faulty slipway. The Hesper made several voyages after that to Europe and South America. In 1925, she was grounded while entering Boston but was freed with the assistance of tugs. She then was moved around different ports in Maine in the late 1920s before she finally ended up in Portland. Frank Winter bought the Hesper in 1932, and had her towed to Wiscasset where she arrived in September of that year. After her abandonment she had her masts cut down in 1940, and five years later her aft deckhouse was burned to celebrate the end of World War II. Despite the damage she was able to be boarded as late as the 1960s, a few explorers were even able to access her lower decks. In 1978 another fire further damaged the ship, a salvager though was able to make off with a wooden plank of the ship that said "Hesper" on it possibly saving it from destruction. By the early 1990s the Hesper had disintegrated into a pile of debris, her end came in 1998 when it was decided by the town to demolish what was left of the ships.
"Luther Little".
The "Luther Little" was built in 1917 by Read Brothers Co which was also located in Somerset, Massachusetts. Unlike the "Hesper" though, her small coal boiler also provided heat and hot water to the ship’s forward and main cabins in addition to mechanical work. In June, 1918 her crew managed to rescue two balloonists who had crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Delaware. Other than this event, she was used in coastal/deep water trades early on in her career but was nearly lost in 1920 when she was grounded in Haiti. By the mid 1920s she was laid up until she was purchased in 1932 by Frank Winter who had her towed alongside the "Hesper" in Wiscasset. After Winter's death both ships were forgotten until 1965 when the Wiscasset Industrial Development Committee looked into possibly restoring the Luther Little as a tourist attraction. The plan would have involved burning her to the waterline in order to preserve the ship, but this was never done. By the 1970s the deckhouse fixtures had been stripped, and water had made its way into the 200 ft cargo hold. In 1995 her masts collapsed in a storm, soon after her hull which had stood intact finally gave way as well. In 1998 she was demolished along with the Hesper, with the remains going to the local landfill.
In popular culture.
In 1985, folk singer/songwriter Gordon Bok did a song called "Wiscasset Schooners". Included in the group singing were Lois Lyman (the song's author), and her husband. Bok included the song on his albums "Schooners", and "Harbors of Home".


SS Cyrus Hamlin


SS Beaverford

SS "Beaverford" was a cargo liner registered in the United Kingdom and operated by the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. She was built in 1928 for service between Montreal and London.
In the Second World War "Beaverford" took part in North Atlantic convoys from Canada to the UK. Her final voyage was with Convoy HX 84, which dispersed on 5 November 1940 when the attacked it. "Scheer" shelled and torpedoed "Beaverford", sinking her with all hands.
Construction.
"Beaverford" was the first of a class of five cargo ships built for Canadian Pacific in 1927 and 1928. Her sister ships were "Beaverdale", "Beaverburn", "Beaverhill" and "Beaverbrae". They Designed to carry 10,000 deadweight tons of cargo and 12 passengers. They were fitted with 80,000 cubic feet of insulated cargo space and 20,000 cubic feet of refrigerated cargo spaces for meat and fruit. Barclay, Curle & Co of Glasgow launched "Beaverford" on 27 October 1927 and completed her on 21 January 1928.
The ship was fitted with Erith-Roe mechanical stokers, the first automatic stokers in the Merchant Navy of the UK. They fed six corrugated furnaces with a combined grate area of . These heated two single-ended boilers and four water-tube boilers with a combined heating surface of . The boilers supplied steam at 250 lbf/in2 to six Parsons steam turbines whose combined power output was rated at 1,574 NHP. The turbines drove twin screws via single-reduction gearing. They were among the most efficient steam engines of their time.
Identification.
"Beaverford"s United Kingdom official number was 149983. When completed she was given the code letters LBCS. In 1934 code letters were superseded by radio call signs and "Beaverford" was given the call sign GNMB.
Pre-war service.
The "Beaver" ships maintained a fast cargo schedule between London and Montreal in the summer and London and Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia in the winter. They were registered in London and had mostly British crews. "Beaverford" was adopted by Downhills Central School in Tottenham via the British Ships Adoption Society. School pupils toured the ship when it was in port and the ship's officers visited the school. On 2 July 1938 "Beaverford" rescued 400 passengers from the Cunard liner , which had run aground in the Saint Lawrence River near Bic Island, Quebec.
War service.
With the onset of war, the fast and modern "Beaver" ships were requisitioned by the UK Admiralty to carry high-value stores. On 16 September 1939, just a fortnight into the war, "Beaverford" sailed in HX 1, the first convoy of the war to leave from Halifax. Early in 1940 she was fitted with two naval guns: a four-inch gun on her stern and a three-inch gun on her bow, to make her a defensively equipped merchant ship. She remained owned by Canadian Pacific with a Merchant Navy crew, supplemented by two DEMS gunners. By the autumn of 1940 she had made 16 crossings of the North Atlantic and had survived a U-Boat attack on convoy HX 55 in July 1940.
Final voyage and loss.
"Beaverford" sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on October 28, 1940 as part of Convoy HX 84. She was carrying refined aluminum and copper, maize, meats and cheese and a large cargo of ammunition in her holds along with a deck cargo of crated aircraft and timber. "Beaverford" had a crew of 77. Most were from Britain but three were Canadians including one of her two gunners. She was commanded by the 60-year-old Captain Hugh Pettigrew from Coatbridge, who had sailed with Canadian Pacific since 1910, was a veteran of naval actions at Gallipoli, and as a First Officer had survived the torpedoing of "Medora" by west-southwest of Mull of Galloway in 1918.
On 5 November Convoy HX 84 was midway across the Atlantic when the German pocket battleship "Admiral Scheer" located and attacked it. The attack began at 17:15. The convoy's only escort, the Armed Merchant Cruiser , ordered the convoy to scatter. In an engagement that won the commander of "Jervis Bay" a posthumous Victoria Cross, the escort steered directly towards "Admiral Scheer". Hopelessly outgunned, "Jervis Bay" was set afire and sank 22 minutes later. "Admiral Scheer" now began to attack the convoy, first sinking the freighter "Maidan" with all hands. The tanker was set on fire but did not sink. "Admiral Scheer" next sank the freighters "Trewellard" and "Kenbane Head".
"Beaverford" had fled south, but "Scheer" caught her up and illuminated her with starshell. "Beaverford" transmitted a final wireless message: "It is our turn now. So long. The captain and crew of SS Beaverford".
"Scheer" fired 83 shells at "Beaverford". 71 were from its 150 mm guns, with 16 hitting the freighter, and 12 were from the cruiser's 280 mm main guns, with three hits. The shelling was observed and recorded in the log aboard the freighter "Fresno City", ten miles off and also fleeing south. "Beaverford" was badly damaged, but the cargo of timber on her deck kept her afloat, and to save ammunition "Scheer"s commander, KzS Theodor Krancke, ordered that she be finished off with a torpedo. The torpedo hit the fore part of "Beaverford", lifting her bow and detonating the ammunition in her hold. The ship blew apart and the stern was last seen sliding into the ocean. All aboard were killed.
It was now completely dark, but "Scheer" went on to find and sink one more ship, "Fresno City", from which the attack on "Beaverford" had been observed an hour before. "Admiral Scheer" sank six of the 38 ships from the convoy.
Recognition.
In 1944 an article supposedly based on accounts from one of the other ships in Convoy HX 84 was written by Norman Mackintosh, published in the magazine "Canada's Weekly" and republished in the "Evening Standard" in London which praised the sacrifice of "Beaverford": "For more than four hours she was afloat, followed by the raider, firing and fighting to the last. Using the big reserve of engine power for speed, and superb seamanship for steering and manoeuvering to baffle and evade the enemy's aim, for all that time she held her own, hit by shells but firing back and delaying the raider hour by hour while the rest of the convoy made their escape."
However, given that the convoy ships were scattering in all directions, it is unlikely that anyone on another ship could have reliably seen all of this. The story is also contradicted by the account "Scheer"s captain wrote after the war. Krancke paid generous tribute to the courage of "Jervis Bay", and of a small burning freighter that fired back just before she sank (this must have been "Kenbane Head"). But he did not mention any battle with "Beaverford", which he records only as a ship carrying a deck cargo of timber that "Scheer" caught up with as it fled at speed far to the south of the main action. When finally caught, "Beaverford" proved hard to sink by gunfire, and was therefore torpedoed to save ammunition.
The sinking of "Beaverford" was witnessed from "Fresno City", also fleeing south. Her captain's log recorded: "The Beaverford, bearing 110 degrees East South East was attacked and set on fire, distant about 10 miles". There is no mention of any fight or any return fire from "Beaverford", and far from being a four or five hour battle, "Beaverford" was attacked only 50 minutes after "Kenbane Head" and about an hour before "Scheer" caught up with "Fresno City". There was no time for any such battle.
Some writers complain that "Beaverford" received no official recognition for its role in the battle, but that may be because the story only emerged years later, and is unsupported by credible evidence.
Memorials.
Tower Hill Memorial, the UK Merchant Navy monument in London, records the names of all 77 members of "Beaverford"s crew who were killed when she was sunk. The names of the three Canadians in her crew, Clifford Carter, Laughlin Elwood Stewart, William Lane Thibideau, are inscribed on the Sailors' Memorial at Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, Nova Scotia which overlooks the harbour mouth whence "Beaverford" made her final departure in 1940.
In a special service on 20 May 1944 a painting and memorial plaque were installed at Downhills Central School, which had adopted "Beaverford". The plaque read "SS Beaverford, our ship, lost with all hands in action 5th November 1940". The school was closed in 1964 as part of school amalgamations and both the painting and the memorial plaque disappeared. The plaque later turned up in a junk shop.
Captain Pettigrew's widow, HG Pettigrew, was welcomed in Halifax when she immigrated in 1948 and her late husband was lauded as the man "who took over the task of covering the convoy against the German pocket battleship... and gained five hours for the convoy before "Beaverford" was sank with all hands."
In 1946 Canadian Pacific perpetuated "Beaverford"s name in the postwar restoration of its fleet when it acquired a replacement ship, "Empire Kitchener", which it renamed "Beaverford". Under that name she sailed until CP sold her in 1962.


List of tankers

This is a list of tankers. The list includes merchant tankers as well as naval tankers that do not fall into more specialized lists such as List of replenishment ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and List of Type T2 Tanker names.


CMA CGM Corte Real

CMA CGM Corte Real is the third Explorer class containership built for CMA CGM. It is named after Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte Real. It was delivered in August 2010.


Harushio-class submarine

The "Harushio" class is a diesel-electric submarine class operated by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The design is an evolution from the being slightly larger and with better noise reduction. "Asashio", has been modified to test air-independent propulsion (AIP), and the remaining vessels were decommissioned and replaced by the "Oyashio"-class.
"Natsushio", "Hayashio", "Arashio" and "Asashio" are all named after World War II destroyers.


Purga-class patrol ship

The Purga class, Russian designation Project 22120 Purga (blizzard), is a series of ice-strengthened patrol ships designed by Petrobalt Design Bureau and being built by Almaz for the Russian Coast Guard. Project 22120 is a new generation border patrol vessel with an icebreaking capability, allowing it independent navigation in areas with ice thickness up to 0.6 m during winter-spring and up to 0.8 m during summer-autumn season. The class is intended for operations in waters near Sakhalin, Russia's largest island.
Ships.
Italics indicate estimates


USS Okanogan (APA-220)

USS "Okanogan" (APA/LPA-220) was a that saw service with the US Navy in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. She was of the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship design type and named after Okanogan County, Washington.
Construction.
"Okanogan" was laid down 10 August 1944, under Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCV hull 568, by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2, Richmond, California; launched 26 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. E. J. Husted; and acquired and commissioned 3 December 1944, Commander Frederick Fender, USNR, in command.
Design.
"Okanogan"s primary mission as an attack transport was to carry and disembark with her own landing craft, a full battalion of troops, and to evacuate troops, casualties, and prisoners of war from the objective. In line with this, she was equipped with all facilities for the troops embarked; messing, berthing, medical and dental care, and recreational facilities.
Service history.
World War II.
"Okanogan"s first mission began 16 February 1945, when she sailed from San Francisco bound for Hawaii with the staff of Transport Division 57, along with a number of Navy, Marine, and civilian passengers.
Invasion of Okinawa.
At Pearl Harbor "Okanogan" embarked some 740 Army assault troops, reinforcements for Okinawa, where she arrived 17 April. After five days off the fiercely embattled island, "where the fleet had come to stay", she sailed for Saipan, with 160 battle casualties. At Saipan 1,000 veterans embarked for San Francisco which she reached 1 June.
Transport duties.
"Okanogan" voyaged across the Pacific and between the combat areas twice more as the war closed.
Post-war service.
Only brief periods in West Coast ports broke her heavy schedule, brought on by the urgent need to redeploy troops for occupation duties and to return combat veterans to the United States. She completed a voyage at San Francisco 9 January 1946, and a month later sailed for Norfolk, Virginia, her home port for operations with the Atlantic Fleetfor the next four years.
Peacetime missions.
As the Navy and Marines sharpened the techniques of warfare born in wartime, "Okanogan" made reserve training cruises and took part in maneuvers and exercises along the eastern seaboard, in the Caribbean, and, in the fall of 1949, in the Hawaiian Islands.
Korean War.
"Okanogan" rejoined the US Pacific Fleet upon the outbreak of the Korean War, and in August 1950, loaded part of the 1st Marine Division at San Diego for Japan. These troops had been urgently requested by General Douglas MacArthur for a counter-offensive against North Korean aggression. "Okanogan" landed the men at Inchon 15 September, in an amphibious assault of incredible difficulty. The skill with which the operation was executed won acclaim from General MacArthur, who exclaimed "...the Navy and Marine Corps have never shone brighter …". "Okanogan" landed men of the same division in the assault on Wonsan 26 October.
"Okanogan" evacuated three thousand refugees from Chinampo in December; one more was born at sea and later named for the ship by its grateful parents. In January 1951, "Okanogan" brought more troops to Inchon, and in April served as flagship in demonstration landings at Kojo.
Returning to San Diego in May 1951, "Okanogan" trained indefatigably for future combat assignments. In September and October she carried men of the US Air Force to Yokohama, and sailed again for Japan in March 1952, carrying Naval Beach Group One. She transported the staff of Landing Ship Flotilla One to Kojedo, Korea, and carried out amphibious exercises off Japan, before returning to Long Beach in December.
Peacetime service.
For the next eight years, "Okanogan" continued a tight program of training both for herself and for Marines when she was not deployed to the Far East. Such six to seven-month cruises were made in 1954, 1956, 1958, and 1959. An experience of her 1958 cruise illustrates the ability of the Navy to make a world-wide response to any crisis. When the US 6th Fleet landed Marines in Lebanon, in July, "Okanogan", half a world away, at once proceeded to Okinawa, ready to load more Marines and carry them to the Mediterranean should they be needed.
During 1959 "Okanogan" was in San Francisco for overhaul and San Diego for refresher training.
Amphibious Squadron SEVEN including "Okanogan" left Long Beach on 16 February 1960, and after participating in a large scale amphibious exercise in Taiwan, a search and rescue operation and deterrent operations in the Taiwan Straits. "Okanogan" remained in Southeast Asia conducting amphibious exercises on Luzon in the Philippines and visited various ports. Her first mission, in preparing to return to Long Beach, was the delivery of ten landing craft to the Laotian government; her second, the loading of Thai and Vietnamese art treasures for a planned tour of the United States. "Okanogan" returned to Yokosuka Japan to reconfigure # 1 and 4 hatches and per-voyage repairs. "Okanogan" returned to Long Beach 25 July. For the remainder of the year "Okanogan" conducted amphibious exercises off the coast of California.
The Laotian situation entailed changes of embarkation plans for the 4th Marine Regiment. On 11 March 1961,while Amphibious Squadron SEVEN including "Okanogan" was in Hawaii, originally intended for an amphibious assault exercise on California beaches, the Marines were instead carried, under Top Secret orders, to Buckner Bay Okinawa where Amphibious Squadron SEVEN joined the amphibious squadron and an amphibious command ship already in WESTPAC until tensions abated. Amphibious Squadron SEVEN returned to Long Beach on 22 May 1961. "Okanogan" was in Portland Oregon for overhaul, San Diego for refresher training and amphibious exercises off the coast of California.
Amphibious Squadron SEVEN departed Long Beach for the Western Pacific on 22 January 1962. "Okanogan" operating as part of Amphibious Ready Group SEVENTH Fleet. She remained in Southeast Asia conducting amphibious exercises on Luzon in the Philippines and visited various ports. OKANOGAN returned to Long Beach on 24 July. During international tensions brought on by the discovery of Russian missile sites in Cuba, Amphibious Squadron SEVEN including "Okanogan" embarked units of the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade and sailed from San Diego on 27 October, with two reinforced amphibious squadrons and the amphibious command ship . The Panama Canal was closed to commercial shipping and on 5 November warships of Amphibious Group THREE arrived in Panama. The 22 amphibious ships passed thru the canal to the Caribbean. "Okanogan" operated with the Atlantic Fleet until tensions abated with the withdrawal of the missiles. "Okanogan" returned to Long Beach on 15 December 1962. For the remainder of 1962, the ship remained in Long Beach with the heavy cargo remaining aboard.
During 1963–1964, "Okanogan" again cruised with the 7th Fleet in the Western Pacific. When she once again left Long Beach 19 April 1965, it was for direct participation in the Vietnam War.
Vietnam War.
Through May and June 1965, "Okanaogan" carried men and ammunition between Okinawa and Da Nang, Chu Lai, and Qui Nhơn; from July to November, she served as station ship at Da Nang, providing the Navy Support Activity there with berthing and messing facilities for 700 to 900 persons. Her boats operated 18 to 20 hours a day in this essential support for build-up of one of the major bases for the Allied effort to repel Communist aggression.
"Okanogan" returned to Long Beach 17 December, and in June and July 1966, again voyaged to South Vietnam, carrying Marine communications technicians. On 17 November 1966, she returned to Da Nang as station ship. As a member of Amphibious Force Pacific, "Okanogan" continued her mission in transporting, training and supporting the fleet into 1968.
Decommissioning.
She was decommissioned 5 February 1970, with delivery to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) 20 April 1971. "Okanogan" was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay Group, Benecia, California. She was struck from the Navy Vessel Register on 1 June 1973.
Fate.
On 2 October 1979, Nissho-Iwai American Corporation, traded SS "Santa Rita" for "Okanogan". She was withdrawn 19 November 1979, to be scrapped by Dong Kuk Steel, South Korea.
Decorations.
"Okanogan" received one battle star for World War II Service, six for Korean War Service, four for Armed Forces Expeditionary Service, and five campaign stars for Vietnam War Service.
Bibliography.
Online resources
External links.


SS West Nohno

SS "West Nohno" was a cargo ship of the United States Shipping Board (USSB) launched shortly after the end of World War I. The ship was inspected by the United States Navy for possible use as USS "West Nohno" (ID-4029) but was neither taken into the Navy nor ever commissioned under that name.
"West Nohno" was built in 1919 for the USSB, as a part of the "West" ships, a series of steel-hulled cargo ships built on the West Coast of the United States for the World War I war effort, and was the 24th ship built at Northwest Steel in Portland, Oregon. Completed too late for that conflict, she operated for a number of years as a merchant ship sailing to African ports for the American West African Line.
In November 1941, "West Nohno" became the first American merchant ship to be armed prior to the United States' entry into World War II. Shortly after the U.S. entry to that conflict, she was employed for one roundtrip to the Soviet Union in March 1942. After her return, she sailed mainly between the United States and United Kingdom ports. In 1943, a civilian crewman aboard "West Nohno" was convicted of sedition for trying to incite a rebellion among members of the ship's crew and Naval Armed Guard. In February 1944, she sailed from the United States for the final time, and was scuttled in June as part of the "gooseberry" breakwater off Utah Beach during the Normandy invasion, earning a battle star for the ship.
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 USSB for emergency use during World War I. All were given names that began with the word "West", like "West Nohno", the one of some 40 "West" ships built by the Northwest Steel of Portland, Oregon. "West Nohno" (Northwest Steel yard number 24, USSB hull number 1080) was launched 12 February 1919 and completed in May 1919.
"West Nohno" was , and was long (between perpendiculars) and abeam. She had a steel hull and had a deadweight tonnage of . Sources do not give "West Nohno"s other hull characteristics, but , a sister ship also built at Northwest Steel had a displacement of 12,200 t with a mean draft of , and a hold deep. "West Nohno" power plant consisted of a single steam turbine that drove a single screw propeller, which moved the ship at up to .
Early career.
"West Nohno" was inspected by the United States Navy after completion for possible use and was assigned the identification number of 4029. Had she been commissioned, she would have been known as USS "West Nohno" (ID-4029), but the Navy neither took over the ship nor commissioned her.
Information on "West Nohno"s early career is incomplete, but through the end of 1920 the cargo ship sailed on a New York – Glasgow route. By early 1922, "West Nohno" was sailing for the USSB-owned American West African Line. The principal ports visited by American West African ships were Dakar, Freetown, Monrovia, and Lagos. News items reported that "West Nohno" also visited Teneriffe, Accra, Las Palmas, Grand-Bassam, Seccondee, and Saint Vincent. "West Nohno" was still on African routes as late as 1928, when the USSB began accepting bids for the purchase of the American West African Line.
From 1928 to 1941, little is known about "West Nohno"s activities. At some point during this period, she was laid up as part of a reserve fleet, in which she remained as late as 1939. By May 1941, now under ownership of the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) (a successor to the USSB), the ship had been reactivated and was scheduled to sail in Red Sea service under the operation of American Export Lines. In this Red Sea service, ships would carry materiel for the British to Red Sea and Gulf of Aden ports and carry strategic materials needed by the United States on return journeys.
World War II.
When amendments to the U.S. Neutrality Acts in late 1941 allowed United States merchant ships to be armed for service in the Atlantic, "West Nohno" became the first vessel so equipped when a large deck gun and three anti-aircraft gun emplacements were installed by workers at the Tietjen & Lang Drydock in Hoboken, New Jersey in late November. Navy officials, citing secrecy concerns, would not reveal the size of the gun, but allowed that the bore was between . While at the shipyard, "West Nohno"s wheelhouse and radio shack were reinforced with thick walls of concrete to protect against machine-gun bullets, and the ship was repainted "battleship gray".
After her guns were installed, "West Nohno" had made her way to Sydney, Nova Scotia, by 27 December when she sailed as a part of transatlantic Convoy SC 86. With her destination set for Murmansk, "West Nohno" peeled off from the convoy and headed to Reykjavík, Iceland. While at anchor in Iceland, "West Nohno" experienced a winter storm from 15 to 19 January 1942. On 15 January, the storm, packing winds of and gusts of up to , drove "West Nohno" into , damaging the heavy cruiser. Apparently suffering no major damage herself in the collision, "West Nohno" joined Arctic convoy PQ 9, which sailed on 1 February and arrived at Murmansk nine days later. Though the convoy had arrived at its destination, the danger of German attack was still present. The nearest German airfield was away—about 7 to 10 minutes flying time—which gave almost no advance warning of air raids. German dive bombers would silently glide in below Soviet anti-aircraft fire, drop their payloads, and fly away. Despite the fact that Murmansk had limited port facilities and typically slow unloading of cargo, sometimes requiring ships to remain in port for weeks or months, "West Nohno" was ready to sail in Convoy QP 8 on 1 March, returning to Reykjavik on 11 March. She sailed for Halifax eleven days later and arrived on 7 April.
"West Nohno" had made her way to Hampton Roads, Virginia, by 29 May, when she sailed for Key West, Florida. After her 4 June arrival at Key West, she began a nine-month journey to Alexandria, Cairo, and other ports. During this extended voyage, three crewmen entered one of "West Nohno"s fuel tanks to clean it while the ship was at Suez on 29 September 1942. The crewmen did not use gas masks and were soon overcome by fumes. The second mate of the Norwegian tanker "Britannia", Henning Vaagsnes, entered the tank and removed all three men. Two of "West Nohno"s men survived but the third, despite two hours of attempts to revive him by Vaagsnes, did not. For his efforts, Vaagsnes received a pair of binoculars from U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt and a gold watch from the ship owners. He was also awarded St. Olav's medal with Oak Branch, a medal awarded for personal courage and bravery by the Norwegian government.
In February 1943, the "West Nohno" completed her nine-month journey when she arrived at Mobile, Alabama, after sailing via Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and Key West. The "Chicago Daily Tribune" reported that during this voyage, seaman James Orville Couchois had incited subordination and disloyalty among the crew. The head of the Naval Armed Guard detachment aboard "West Nohno" reported Couchois' activities, as well as comments from other crew members on the ship. After the ship had docked at Mobile, Couchois was removed from the ship and ultimately faced a trial for sedition. Couchois, who was the deck manager for the National Maritime Union of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, was convicted and sentenced to a prison term of five years.
In late March, "West Nohno" began the first of three Boston–Liverpool round trips. On the Halifax–Liverpool leg of this first trip, she had some unspecified problem that required her return to Halifax, but it must have been a minor problem since she sailed again for Liverpool a week later. The cargo ship returned to Boston on 3 June and began her second voyage to Liverpool on 30 June. While in the UK she called at Loch Ewe, Methil, and Oban in July and August before her 6 September return to Boston. Her third journey was an extended one that began by sailing from Boston on 3 October. She arrived at Liverpool three weeks later. During the next seven weeks, she made her way to Milford Haven, from which she began her last westbound transatlantic crossing on 13 December. "West Nohno" arrived in Boston on 5 January 1944.
Final voyage.
"West Nohno" had been selected to become one of the blockships for the Allied invasion of France, then in the planning stages. Though the specific modifications performed on "West Nohno" are not revealed in sources, modifications for other ships do appear. In November 1944, "The Christian Science Monitor" reported that blockships dispatched from Boston, like "West Nohno", had been loaded with "tons of sand and cement" and had been rigged with explosive charges before departing the port. Further, existing antiaircraft weapons had been moved higher up on the ship and supplemented by additional guns. An account by Cesar Poropat, chief engineer aboard , another blockship dispatched from Boston, mentions that transverse bulkheads aboard that ship were cut open to facilitate sinking.
"West Nohno" departed Boston on 24 February and arrived at Halifax two days later. Departing from that port on 29 February, she sailed in Convoy HX-281 and arrived at Milford Haven on 15 March. She departed there for Portsmouth the same day. "West Nohno"s whereabouts and movements through early June are not recorded. Other ships that had been selected as blockships assembled in a "corncob" fleet at Oban, though it's not clear if "West Nohno" did or not. The "corncob" fleet was the group of ships intended to be sunk to form the "gooseberries", shallow-water artificial harbors for landing craft. Poropat reports that once the ship crews were told of their mission while anchored at Oban, they were not permitted to leave the ships.
Three "corncob" convoys, consisting of what one author called the "dregs of the North Atlantic shipping pool", departed from Poole and reached the Normandy beachhead the next day, shortly after the D-Day landings. Poropat reports that the corncob ships traveled under cover of darkness and, stripped of all unnecessary equipment, carried no radios, having only a signal lamp (with a spare bulb) for communication. Once at the designated location, the ships were put into position and scuttled over the next days, under heavy German artillery fire. Naval Armed Guardsmen manned the guns on all the gooseberry ships to protect against frequent German air attacks; "West Nohno"s gunners assisted in shooting down several planes on 10 June. All the while, harbor pilots—about half of the New York Bar Pilots Association, according to one source—carefully positioned the ships. "West Nohno" and were the last two ships sunk off Utah Beach when they went down on 11 June. Even though she had been sunk, "West Nohno" continued to serve as an antiaircraft platform manned by Navy gun crews until 18 June, and by Army crews after that date. "West Nohno"s naval gunners were awarded a battle star for participation in the Normandy Landings.
Awards.
Harold T. Andrews was an ordinary seaman on the SS "West Nohno" on September 15, 1942 when the ship was in Suez, Egypt, There an engineer officer had been overcome by gases in a forepeak tank. Andrews lost his life trying to rescue the engineer. He was given the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal by The President of the United States. For the President the award was given by Admiral Emory S. Land.
Bibliography.


SS Western Maid

Western Maid was a cargo ship that was built in 1918 by the Northwest Steel Company, Portland, Oregon, USA. She was built for the United States Shipping Board (USSB), but was commissioned into the United States Navy on completion as USS "Western Maid, with the pennant number ID-3703. In 1919 she was decommissioned and returned to the USSB. In 1937 she was passed to the United States Maritime Commission. In 1940 she was transferred to the British Ministry of Shipping and renamed Empire Cormorant", passing to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) in 1941. In 1945 she was scuttled in the North Atlantic with a cargo of obsolete war "matériel".
Description.
The ship was built in 1918 by Northwest Steel Co, Portland Oregon. Yard number 13, she was launched in August 1918, and completed that month.
She had a depth of or and a draught of 24 feet inch (7.33 m). Her tonnages were , 5,139 tons under deck; .
Her engine was a steam turbine made by the De Laval Steam Turbine Co of Trenton, New Jersey. It was rated at 594 NHP and drove her single screw propeller via double reduction gearing. This made her a comparatively fast freighter for her day, capable of up to .
History.
Originally laid down as "Aisne" for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, she was taken over by the USSB and launched as "Western Maid". On completion, the ship was passed to the United States Navy and commissioned on 17 August 1918 as USS "Western Maid", with the pennant number ID-3703. She was operated by the Naval Overseas Transportation Service. The Official Number 120372 was allocated.
"Western Maid" started her maiden voyage on 21 August 1918, transporting a cargo of flour from Portland to Arica, Chile, and a cargo of nitrates from Arica to New Orleans, Louisiana via the Panama Canal, arriving on 23 October. "Western Maid" departed New Orleans on 11 November, taking 6,082 tons of general cargo to New York, where she arrived on 17 November. On 10 January 1919 "Western Maid" was allocated to the War Department for use as a transport. That day, "Western Maid" was involved in a collision in New York Harbour. The owners of the other vessel attempted to sue the USSB for damages, but the case was dismissed as it was held that "Western Maid" was "engaged in public service". She departed New York with a cargo of grain for Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom for delivery to the Food Administration Grain Corporation or resale to Allied governments. Engine trouble forced a return to New York, and she resumed the voyage on 14 January. "Western Maid" called at Falmouth and Plymouth and then sailed to Rotterdam, Netherlands before returning to the United States, arriving at Baltimore, Maryland on 12 March 1919.
"Western Maid" was decommissioned on 20 March 1919 and returned to the USSB. By 1930 she had been allocated the United States Official Number 216754 and the Code Letters LKMT. In 1937, she was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission. In 1940, "Western Maid" was transferred to the British Ministry of Shipping and renamed "Empire Cormorant". She was placed under the management of R Chapman & Son, Newcastle upon Tyne. Her port of registry was London and she bore the UK official number 168086 and Code Letters GNFF. In 1941 "Empire Cormorant" was transferred to the MoWT, remaining under the management of Chapman.
"Empire Cormorant" was a member of Convoy HS 36, which departed Halifax, Nova Scotia on 29 July 1942 and arrived at Sydney on 31 July. "Empire Cormorant" then joined Convoy SC 97, which departed Halifax on 22 August and arrived at Liverpool, United Kingdom on 7 September. She was carrying general cargo bound for Cardiff, Wales. On 29 September 1943, Spitfire Vb aircraft BM177 was loaded on board "Empire Cormorant". It was delivered to Portugal on 19 October. "Empire Cormorant" was a member of Convoy MKS 31, which departed Gibraltar on 23 November and arrived at Liverpool on 7 December. She was on a voyage from Casablanca, Morocco to the River Mersey with a cargo of phosphates. On 3 January 1944, cargo loaded on board "Empire Cormorant" included Spitfire Vb aircraft W3648 and BM176. They were delivered to Portugal on 17 February.
Scuttling.
In 1945 "Empire Cormorant" was loaded with a cargo of obsolete chemical ammunition and on 1 October she was scuttled in the North Atlantic beyond the continental shelf, 120 nautical miles (138 miles; 222 km) northwest of Ireland. Her wreck is at in of water.
"Empire Cormorant" was one of four redundant cargo ships that the Admiralty used to dispose of chemical ammunition in the same area of the North Atlantic in 1945. The others were on 11 September, on 30 October, and on 30 December.


USS Adhara

USS "Adhara" (AK-71) was a in the service of the US Navy in the Pacific theater in World War II. Named after the star Adhara in the constellation Canis Major, it was the only ship of the Navy to bear this name.
Construction.
"Adhara" was laid down 16 September 1942 as liberty ship SS "G. H. Corliss" under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MC hull 425, by Permanente Metals Corporation, Yard No. 2, Richmond, California; launched on 27 October 1942; sponsored by Miss Ginny Simms, the lead vocalist for Kay Kyser's orchestra; acquired by the Navy on 6 November 1942; renamed "Adhara" (AK-71); and commissioned on 16 November 1942, Commander William W. Ball, USNR, in command.
Service history.
"Adhara" sailed from San Francisco, on 27 November bound for the South Pacific. For the next eight months, she served as a member of Service Squadron (ServRon) 8 transporting cargo and passengers between the ports of Tutuila, Samoa; Efate, New Hebrides; Espiritu Santo; Guadalcanal; Tulagi; Nouméa, New Caledonia; and Wellington, New Zealand.
While at Guadalcanal on 7 April 1943, "Adhara" was among several ships subjected to a Japanese air attack. Five bombs exploded close aboard "Adhara" and punctured her hull in three places. The ship received jury patching at Espiritu Santo and then steamed to Australia for repairs.
After emerging from dry dock at Wellington, "Adhara" got underway for the west coast of the United States and on 10 July entered the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California. When again ready for action, she sailed on 6 September for the South Pacific. Upon arrival at Nouméa, the cargo ship rejoined ServRon 8 and once more served as an inter-island transport. Her labors took her to the Treasury Islands; the Russell Islands; Emirau, Green Islands; and to various ports in New Guinea, New Hebrides, New Georgia, the Admiralty Islands, Guam, Tinian, Saipan, and Eniwetok. The ship served at Okinawa from 8 to 27 May during the fighting for that island.
Decommissioning.
Following Japan's capitulation in mid-August, "Adhara" arrived at Seattle, Washington, on 30 August and remained in availability there through 27 September. She then got underway for the east coast of the United States. The ship paused in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard to have her naval equipment removed and then continued on to Baltimore, Maryland, where she arrived on 21 November. "Adhara" was decommissioned on 7 December 1945, and returned to MARCOM on 11 December 1945. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 3 January 1946.
Final disposition.
"Adhara" was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River Group, Virginia.
The ship resumed her former name, "G. H. Corliss", and carried it until she was sold for scrap on 26 October 1971 to Hierros Ardes, S.A., a Spanish firm, for $71,520, that took delivery of the vessel almost a month later, on 23 November 1971.
Awards.
"Adhara" won two battle stars for her World War II service.


SS Mormactide


MSC Rosaria

MSC Rosaria is a container ship built in 2007 by the Daewoo Mangalia Heavy Industries in Mangalia, Romania and currently operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A.. She is the fourth ship delivered to the Swiss company in a series of 12 ordered.
The ship has a container capacity of 4,860 TEU.


SS Charles H. Marshall

SS "Charles H. Marshall" was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Charles H. Marshall, an American businessman, art collector and philanthropist who was prominent in society during the Gilded Age.
Construction.
"Charles H. Marshall" was contracted on 22 April 1943 by the United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) with J.A. Jones Construction Company, Panama City, Florida as MARCOM Hull 2329. She was laid down on 11 October 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Clarence Graham, the wife of the assistant work manager of outfitting at JAJCC, launched on 17 November 1944 and delivered ten days later.
History.
On delivery on 27 November 1944, Polarus Steamship Co., Inc., New York, were appointed managers of "Charles H. Marshall" by the War Shipping Administration and she was registered with Official Number 246833 and home port of New York. On 9 April 1947 she was sold to Polarus Steamship and by 1950 renamed "Polarus Pioneer".
After a series of sales and name changes she was returned to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) on 23 December 1963, under an exchange program, and placed in the James River Reserve Fleet, in Lee Hall, Virginia.
She was sold for scrapping, 22 February 1972, to Eckhardt and Co., for $62,222. She was withdrawn from the fleet, 27 March 1972.


Dublin-class ship of the line

The "Dublin"-class ships of the line were a class of seven 74-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir Thomas Slade.
Design.
The "Dublin"-class ships were the first 74-gun ships to be designed for the Royal Navy, and marked the beginning of a more dynamic era of naval design than that in the ultra-conservative Establishment era preceding it.
Slade's draught was approved on 26 August 1755 when the first two orders were transmitted to Deptford Dockyard. The design was some 4½ feet longer than the preceding 70-gun ships of the 1745 Establishment, with the extra length making provision for an additional (14th) pair of 32-pounder guns on the lower deck compared with the 13 pairs of the 70-gun ships. They were nominally ordered as 70-gun ships (although always designed to carry 74), but redesignated as 74-gun during construction.


CC-class submarine

The CC-class submarine was the first class of submarines used by the Royal Canadian Navy. Designed as diesel-electric submarines for use as coastal defence, they were originally purchased by the province of British Columbia from a shipbuilder in Seattle, Washington, which had built the submarines for the Chilean Navy. Acquired by Canada they saw no battle while in service during the First World War and were paid off in 1920. They were the first Canadian warships to pass through the Panama Canal. Both ships were discarded in 1925.
Design.
The two submarines were not identical. The design called for diesel-electric submarines for use as coastal defence. However, the Electric Boat Company employed two separate designs with the same internal machinery for the submarines. "CC-1" was built to the design 19E and "CC-2" was built to design 19B. The layout of the torpedo tubes within the boats led to different hull forms. "CC-1" was armed with five torpedo tubes, four forward and one astern. This gave the submarine a bluff bow shape. "CC-2" was armed with three torpedo tubes of the same size, two forward and one astern. This gave "CC-2" a tapered bow. Both ships used Whitehead Mk IV torpedoes that had a range of at . The only source for these torpedoes in Canada was 's stock and it took some time before they were shipped to the submarines.
Due to their different designs, the two submarines had different measurements. "CC-1" displaced 313 tons and had a length of , a beam of and a draught of . "CC-2" displaced 310 tons, had a length of , a beam of and a draught of .
The boats could dive and unlike modern submarines, the main ballast and trim tanks were located internally. The boats were powered by MAN 6-cylinder diesel engines constructed in the United States under licence. The CC class could carry of diesel fuel. The two submarines were designed to make surfaced and submerged, however "CC-1" made in sea trials in November 1917.
Origin.
An order for two submarines had originally been placed by Chile in 1911 with the Electric Boat Company of New Jersey. The order was subcontracted to Seattle Construction and Drydock Company for a total of $818,000. The Electric Boat Company then designed and built a boat in a way that could be taken apart and shipped across country to Seattle to be assembled. After sea trials, the submarines now named "Iquique" and "Antofogasta" were refused by the Chilean officials as they had failed to achieve the radius of action demanded in the contract. At the same time, Chile had allowed its progress payments to fall in arrears. This led the Seattle shipbuilding company to find ways to get rid of the submarines.
During a meeting of citizens in Victoria, British Columbia in the buildup to the First World War, J.V. Paterson, the president of the Seattle Construction and Drydock Company, revealed that his firm was willing to sell the two submarines that had recently been completed. This was brought to the attention of Sir Richard McBride, premier of British Columbia. After speaking with several local stakeholders, McBride informed the Government of Canada and the Naval Service (Royal Canadian Navy) that there were two submarines for sale and that they should purchase them for the offered price of $575,000 each. While awaiting their response, McBride agreed to buy the submarines using funds from the government of British Columbia.
On the eve of the First World War, the two submarines left Seattle at 2200 hours on 3 August 1914, sneaking out of harbour as the clearance papers for the two boats had not been obtained at the time. They sailed to meet the tugboat SS "Salvor" outside Canadian waters. At that point, on 4 August 1914, the payment of $1.15 million was made for the two boats.
The next day, the United States Navy dispatched the cruiser to search for the submarines, however by the time the ship reached the area where they had been, the two boats were gone. On 7 August, the Government of Canada passed an Order in Council assuming responsibility for and purchasing the two warships from British Columbia, the only province of Canada to have owned warships. In keeping with an earlier Australian practice when two British E-class submarines had been renamed "AE 1" and "AE 2" by adding the "A" in front of the class to denote Australia, the two submarines purchased by Canada, resembling British C-class submarines, had two "C"s placed in front of their names to denote Canada and their apparent class.
Criticism of purchase.
Led by former minister William Pugsley, there was an divergence of opinion concerning the purchase of the submarines. Initially heralded by Prime Minister Robert Borden as a masterstroke, rumours began to circulate about problems developing on the submarines and the exorbitant cost the Government of British Columbia, and then Canada, had paid and that Paterson, the president of Seattle Construction, had pocketed a large commission. These rumours led to the submarine purchase being investigated by a Royal Commission into dubious war purchases.
The Royal Commission headed by Sir Charles Davidson, heard from Philip Watts, the former director of naval construction for the Royal Navy and advisor to the Chilean government regarding the initial design of the submarines, through his letter to the Admiralty during the initial process of acquisition. His assessment was that the boats had been built too heavy. Electric Boat Company had admitted to that the submarines had displayed dangerous diving characteristics and had been in the process of developing alterations to the design when the ships were purchased by the Canadian government. The neutrality of the United States had prevented them from having any further involvement once war had been declared.
When Electric Boat Company testified, they gave truth to the rumours that Paterson had made a profit off the boats, the sale price they had provided Paterson when he requested the information from the parent company had been lower. The defence of the decision lay in the timing of the deal, the eventual US neutrality, and the Admiralty recommendation to purchase the boats when they had been informed. These three points swayed the Royal Commission in finding in favour of McBride's decision.
Operational history.
After commissioning, though without torpedoes, because those had yet to arrive from the east coast, "CC-2" was deployed on 13 August 1914 to the Strait of Juan de Fuca as a deterrent to the German raider threat. Later "CC-1" joined her as the threat, given form by Admiral Von Spee's Pacific Fleet, increased. However, problems plagued the two boats and they were withdrawn from active service in September 1914 for refit.
With as their tender, the two boats were based at Esquimalt, British Columbia. They were called "No.1" and "No.2" until October 1914 when they officially received their new names "CC-1" and "CC-2" respectively. Their refit in September and October 1914 was primarily focused on three problems. The first problem was the instability while diving. The boats, especially "CC-2", developed uncontrollable negative buoyancy when the ballast tanks were vented. If the tanks were left partially full, the boats would take dangerous nose or tail dives. This required a reduction in weight which led to the removal of all unnecessary stores, fuel and spare parts. This eventually limited the patrol range of the class to only a few days at a time.
The second problem facing the boats was the tendency of the cylinders in the diesel engines to overheat. This problem was never rectified and the cylinders would eventually crack after six hours of running at full speed. This was due to early engine design and metallurgical inadequacies. The third and final problem was temperamental emptying of tanks during diving or surfacing. This was rectified by the refitting of faulty valves. After refitting, the ships performed various patrol and training cruises along the west coast.
Transit to east coast.
In 1916 it was suggested by naval planners to bring the CC-class submarines to the east coast. During 1917 that became a reality as the Admiralty ordered the two subs and "Shearwater" to Europe. On 21 June 1917 the three ships left Esquimalt. Off Cape Blanco, the fleet ran into a gale and "CC-2" rolled heavily in the seas, seawater contaminating the sub's batteries. Half the crew was incapacitated by chlorine gas. The high seas also caused the propellers on both the submarines to be tossed out of the water, in turn causing the engines to over-rev. The stabilisation of this problem later caused the battery cells to start to break down and eventually short-circuit and start electrical fires.
The electrical fires led the crews to only operate one diesel engine at a time, as the other was usually under repair. "CC-1" had to be towed from that point onward to San Francisco. "CC-2" worked until San Francisco and then both submarines were towed to San Diego. Confined to port-hopping down the coast and passing through the Canal Zone, the fleet had to stop at Kingston, Jamaica to make repairs.
Moving on from Kingston, the three vessels spent five days at Charleston, South Carolina making more repairs. The fleet attempted to set out, but returned to Charleston for more repairs. They left again and hit a storm, the fleet limping into Norfolk, Virginia, where the submarines spent two weeks in the US Navy dockyard. "CC-1" was towed by "Shearwater" to Newport, Rhode Island where after another six days of repair, the fleet set out to finish the transit, arriving at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 17 October 1917.
End of service.
Following their arrival at Halifax, it was found that the two submarines both need an engine overhaul and that neither would be available until mid-August 1918. However, the Admiralty insisted that the submarines be made ready for duty in Europe and ordered them to refuel and proceed to the Mediterranean Sea. Only after the Admiralty was informed of their dire condition did they rescind that order and then ordered them for use as coastal defence on the east coast.
While under repair at Halifax, the two submarines survived the Halifax Explosion unscathed. The Royal Canadian Navy then devised a plan to utilise the two subs in anti-submarine training for the surface vessels. This was done on Cape Breton Island. "CC-2" and "Shearwater" were sent to Bras d'Or Lake and trained the trawler and drifter crews in the use of their hydrophones. The two subs finished the war as training vessels, not going on patrol again before the Armistice.
Following the war, the Royal Navy transferred the H-class submarines "H14" and "H15" to Canada. The Royal Canadian Navy could not operate both the H class and the CC class, so the decision was made to place the CC class in reserve. The two submarines were put up for sale in 1920 and were packaged with "Niobe" for disposal. The three vessels were discarded in 1925.


SS West Madaket

West Madaket was a freighter built in 1918–1919 by Skinner & Eddy Corporation of Seattle 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.
Construction.
"West Madaket" was built in 1918 as a commercial cargo ship at Seattle, Washington by the Skinner and Eddy Corporation. Launched on 5 October 1918, she was acquired by the U.S. Navy for World War I service upon completion on 31 October 1918, assigned naval registry Identification Number (Id. No.) 3636, and commissioned the same day as USS "West Madaket" at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, with Lieutenant Commander B. U. Heald, USNRF, in command.
Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, "West Madaket" completed her sea trials too late to see service before World War I ended on 11 November 1918. She departed for the United States East Coast on 18 November 1918 with a cargo of 7,031 tons of flour consigned to European food relief. Voyaging via the Panama Canal, she arrived at New York City on 16 December 1918 and departed on 22 December 1918, bound for Europe. She made port at Falmouth, England, on 5 January 1919 and pushed on, that same day, for Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where she discharged her cargo until 23 January 1919.
Returning to New York on 9 February 1919, "West Madaket" loaded 6,841 tons of general cargo and made a voyage to Le Verdon-sur-Mer, France, returning to New York on 28 April 1919.
"West Madaket" was decommissioned on 8 May 1919 at Newport News, Virginia, and was transferred to the United States Shipping Board on the same day.
Once again SS "West Madaket", she remained in the custody of the Shipping Board until the United States Maritime Commission was established and replaced the Shipping Board in 1936. She then continued in Maritime Commission service into World War II. On 5 May 1943, while steaming with Convoy ONS 5, she was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by .


MV Expansion


Twin City Liner

The catamaran Twin City Liner has been a link on the Danube river between the two capitals, Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia since 1 June 2006. The path between the two European capitals takes approximately 75 minutes.
History.
The first catamaran was built in Norway between the autumn of 2005 and the spring of 2006. The routing was across Skagerrak, on the Northern Sea after the channel Rhine-Main-Danube to Vienna. For this and due to the weight, the shipyard of Norwegian "Båtservice Mandal" developed a high speed catamaran in aluminium with a hydrojet which can also be used in summer at low tide. The sinking depth in water guaranteed by the contract is 80 cm. To minimize the impact of the waves, complex model tests of the Austrian Institute for Maritime Technology (Schiffbautechnische Versuchsanstalta) took place. The catamaran is totally climate-controlled, and can accommodate 106 passengers and crew (a captain, two sailors and catering staff).
On May 14, 2007, the Twin City Liner failed in Vienna, in the district of Erdberg, on the right bank of the Danube Canal and had to be rescued by firemen from Vienna. After repair and administrative authorization, it was returned to service. A similar accident occurred July 28, 2009, when the captain tried to avoid a floating tree trunk near the gateway Erdberg.
During a press conference on August 20, 2007, the Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs and Finance Vienna Renate Brauner discussed the acquisition of the second Twin City Liner. This second "Twinni," as nicknamed by the media, was also built by "Båtservice Mandal" and made the same journey.
On May 13, 2008, the Twin City Liner docked in the central port of Vienna below Reichsbrücke. The maiden voyage of the new catamaran, with the registration number A-40631, was conducted immediately after its christening by President Heinz Fischer and his wife Margit Fischer, and the priest of the Cathedral of Vienna Anton Faber, as part of a state visit to Bratislava. During a stopover in Devín, Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic and his wife boarded the ship and then continued the journey.
Besides minor changes to the technical equipment and form, the new Twin City Liner can accommodate up to 126 passengers: 106 seats forward in the passenger cabin, eight seats in the "VIP" cabin on the upper deck and twelve outdoor seats for travel during the summer. The commercial operation of the second Twin City Liner began 31 August 2008.
There have been studies conducted for the purchase of a third vessel to develop a fast connection based on the Twin City Liner to Budapest or Belgrade. From Bratislava, travelers might go to Piestany or contemporary art museum Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum to Čunovo.
In January 2019, it was announced that a new, larger Twin City Liner would begin operating on March 29, 2019. This Twin City Liner was built in England by Wightshipyard. It took 62,000 working hours, 25 tons of aluminium, and 60 square meters of window glass to complete the 7 million euro vessel. It is powered by four Di16 V8 Scania 4400BHP Ehardt engines, and four Kamewa Rolls-Royce jets.
Twin City Liner 3
Length : 39.9 meters
Width : 11 meters
Height : 5.9 meters
Draft : 0.8 meters
Dead weight : 70 tons
Seats : 250
Captain's Lounge: 35
Top speed : 81 km / h
Cruise speed : 60 km / h
Power : 4400 hp
Route and timetables.
Unlike most other ships sailing on the Danube, the Twin City Liner does not leave the port of Reichsbrücke but the station in the city center, on the Danube canal between Schwedenplatz and Marienbrücke (Vienna) to bypass the dam of the power plant Freudenau. In July 2010, a new wharf was opened.
The arrival point in Bratislava is only a few minutes walk from the old town.
The ships sail from May to September four to five times a day in each direction, and in April and October, three to four times. Besides the planned operating hours (evenings and from mid - December to April), ships can be chartered.
Users.
Users are mainly tourists and inhabitants of Vienna and Bratislava, mostly businessmen. As seats are limited booking favors roundtrips between morning and evening. In addition, the ticket price depends on the day of the week.
Owner.
The ship owner is the "Central Danube Region GmbH", which initiated and developed the project. The partners are as operators DDSG Blue Danube, belonging to the Wien Holding which includes the businesses run by the city of Vienna.


SS Cubadist

Cubadist was a steam tank ship built in 1915–16 by Fore River Shipbuilding Company of Quincy for the Cuba Distilling Company of New York. The vessel was extensively employed on East Coast to Cuba route during her career and disappeared without a trace on one of her regular trips in February 1920.
Design and construction.
Cuba Distilling Company of New York was founded in 1907 to process and utilize molasses, the main by-product of sugar refining which was left unused until then. The company intended to transport blackstrap molasses to the United States where it would be used to produce cattle feed, vinegar and technical alcohol. Early in 1915 in light of their rapidly increasing business, Cuba Distilling decided to enlarge their fleet operating between their sugar plantations in the West Indies and the ports on the East Coast of the United States and an order was placed with Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation for three steam tankers of approximately 8,000 tons deadweight.
"Cubadist" was the first vessel on that order and was laid down on 24 August 1915 at the builder's shipyard and launched on 8 April 1916 (yard number 247), with Miss Lucy Pettengill Currier, 16-year-old daughter of Hon. Guy W. Currier of Boston, being the sponsor.
The ship had two main decks with a top gallant forecastle, long poop deck and short bridge and had her machinery located aft. The tanker was built on the transverse system, had her hold subdivided into eleven oiltight, two watertight and two non-watertight bulkheads and also had nine cargo tanks. The vessel was designed by the shipyard's naval architects to accommodate the owners requirements for the ship being able to carry both petroleum and molasses in bulk. Because of the difference in density between molasses and oil, different set of tanks were to be used depending on the type of cargo being carried. The total capacity of the main and double bottom tanks was 2,342,500 and 382,000 gallons, respectively. The pump room was located amidships and contained both main cargo pump, and an auxiliary ballast pump that could have been used to handle oil cargo independently of the main pump. The tanker was also equipped with wireless apparatus located in the bridge house, had submarine signal system installed and had electrical lights installed along the decks.
As built, the ship was long (between perpendiculars) and abeam, a depth of . "Cubadist" was originally assessed at and and had deadweight of approximately 8,120. The vessel had a steel hull with double bottom throughout, and a single 488 Nhp (2,400 ihp) vertical 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 single-ended Scotch marine boilers fitted for both coal and oil fuel.
The tanker was delivered to her owner on 26 May 1916 and was put into Boston Navy Yard drydock for cleaning and painting.
Operational history.
After final touches were applied at the Navy Yard, "Cubadist" was immediately pressed into service and left Boston on 28 May 1916 in ballast for Cuba. There she loaded 1,800,000 gallons of molasses and sailed out from Matanzas on June 5 reaching Boston on June 10 being somewhat delayed en-route by the gale and fog. At the time, her cargo was one of the largest to be delivered to Boston and was going to be used to distill industrial alcohol needed in production of smokeless powder. During June and July 1916 the tanker made several more trips to Cuba transporting molasses to ports on the East Coast such as Baltimore and Boston. In August she was reassigned to carry petroleum and oil from Port Arthur and Mexican oilfields in Túxpan and Puerto Lobos to Philadelphia and remained in that role through an early part of 1917. For example, she brought a full cargo of oil from Mexico to Philadelphia on 8 February 1917.
In October 1917 following United States entry into World War I, "Cubadist" together with many other vessels over 2,500 tons capacity was requisitioned by the United States Shipping Board for service with their Emergency Fleet Corporation. The tanker remained employed on her regular routes under her current owners until December 1917, when she was chartered to work as an auxiliary oiler. "Cubadist" remained chartered to EFC until February 1918 when she was returned to her owners. As part of her EFC service, she, for example, brought fuel oil to Bermuda in February 1918 to replenish British cruiser during the latter's stay at Camber.
Following the end of hostilities the tanker was released by the EFC and returned to her regular schedule. "Cubadist" spent 1919 largely in molasses trade but also made several voyages to Mexican ports of Puerto Lobos and Tuxpan to bring oil to Philadelphia and Baltimore. For example, on 14 November 1919 she arrived at Baltimore with 55,000 barrels of Mexican oil and immediately left for Puerto Rico port of Guánica. On one of her usual trips from Cuba with a cargo of molasses she went aground when entering Delaware River near Reedy Island but was able to refloat herself and get to her destination.
Fate.
"Cubadist" cleared out from New Orleans on her last voyage on 20 February 1920 bound for Havana. The tanker was under command of captain Harry L. Michelson and had a crew of thirty nine. Upon arrival in Cuba, the vessel loaded her usual cargo of approximately 1,600,000 gallons of molasses and departed Havana on February 26 bound for Baltimore. On February 29 the ship reported her position as being about south-southwest of Diamond Shoals Lightship and that she were to reach Baltimore on March 2. There were no further communications coming from the vessel, and the tanker never arrived at her destination. As a storm developed later in the day in an approximately the same area as the last reported position of "Cubadist", it was believed that the tanker broke in two and sank rapidly during the gale similarly to her sister ship a month earlier. On March 15 steamer "Lake Elizabeth" observed small pieces of wreckage in the water approximately 50 miles northeast from Diamond Shoals consisting of mattresses, wooden parts of bridge and fire bucket, however, no positive identification could have been made about the name of the vessel these things came from.


Amphion-class submarine

The Amphion" class (also known as the "A" class and Acheron" class) of British diesel-electric submarines were designed for use in the Pacific War. Only two were completed before the end of hostilities, but following modernisation in the 1950s, they continued to serve in the Royal Navy into the 1970s.
Development and service.
The "Amphion" class were ordered by the British Admiralty in 1943, upon the realisation that the new Pacific theatre of war following the attack on Pearl Harbor needed a new type of submarine. They were originally designed to replace the S-class and T-class submarines, which were too slow and unable to dive deep enough to be suited to Pacific waters during World War II. They were essentially the same size as the T class, arranged for fast, simple construction and to utilize much of the materials and equipment set aside for the T boats. They had a high, flared bow for excellent sea performance and had effective air conditioning, essential for Far East submarine operations. They were operated by a crew of between 60 and 68.
Originally, 46 submarines were ordered, but only 18 were launched (10 by Vickers-Armstrong in Barrow-in-Furness) and 16 commissioned, the other two hulls being used for crush testing. The class was designed for quick construction, using an entirely welded hull which could be fabricated in sections, a technique new to Britain but standard for Nazi Germany's U-boats. Each submarine took about 8 months from keel-laying to launching, compared with around 15 months for the earlier T class, but only two of the boats were completed before the end of the war: , launched in August 1944, and in January 1945; neither saw action.
The "Amphion" class was one of only two new British submarine designs produced during World War II, the other being the X-craft 4-man submarines. Wartime experience had shown that submarines had to operate further from the United Kingdom and with larger patrol areas than had been foreseen—in the Far East and Mediterranean for example—so the faster and slightly larger A class was designed to have a longer range than the T class, with accommodation suitable for longer missions.
After World War II various modifications were made to these Overseas Patrol Submarines, as they were known. A snort mast based on the "schnorkel" used by U-boats during the war, a radar which could be used from periscope depth, and a night periscope were added to the A- and surviving T-class submarines.
In response to the start of the Cold War in the early 1950s their target changed from surface ships to Soviet submarines. In January 1948 the primary operational function of the British submarine fleet was announced to be interception of Soviet submarines slipping out of their bases in Northern Russia, potentially to attack British and Allied merchant vessels. The following April Assistant Chief of Naval Staff Rear-Admiral Geoffrey Oliver circulated a paper in which he proposed that British submarines take a more offensive role, attacking Soviet submarines off the Northern Russian coast and mining the waters in the area. With the dramatically reduced surface fleet, he commented that this was one of the few methods the Royal Navy had for "getting to the enemy on his home ground".
The A and T classes were refitted for their new role between 1955 and 1960 with a complete rebuild of the forward and after hull section, lengthening and streamlining of the upper decks and conning towers, removal of deck guns to improve underwater speed and noise, removal of external torpedo tubes, and greatly improved sonar. When was lost in 1951 all the "Amphion" class were briefly confined to port pending investigation into her loss.
During the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation in the mid-1960s, some "Amphion"-class submarines were fitted with a QF 4-inch Mk XXIII gun to counter blockade running junks. They were the last British submarines to carry a deck gun.
The "Amphion" class served the Royal Navy for almost three decades as the backbone of the Royal Naval Submarine Service, and was gradually replaced with the "Porpoise" and patrol classes that began to be phased in during 1958. The last operational "Amphion"-class boat, , was decommissioned in 1974.
Boats.
Built at HM Dockyard, Plymouth.
These were the two vessels which were launched but not completed.
Cancelled orders.
In 1945, besides the two vessels at Devonport, the following orders were cancelled:


USS Lake Tulare (ID-2652)

USS "Lake Tulare" (ID-2652) was a cargo ship of the United States Navy that served during World War I and its immediate aftermath.
Construction and acquisition.
"Lake Tulare" was laid down under a United States Shipping Board (USSB) contract as the commercial cargo ship SS "War Valour" in 1917 by the Superior Shipbuilding Company in Superior, Wisconsin as hull number 530. Her name was changed to SS "Lake Tulare" while she was under construction, and she was launched on 15 December 1917 and completed in April 1918.
On registration the ship was given official number 216066 and signal letters LJTD. "Lake Tulare" was length overall, length between perpendiculars, breadth, mean draft, depth of hold and registry crew number of 28. Ownership remained with USSB during subsequent military service until sold in 1919.
After her completion in 1918, the United States Army acquired her for use as a cargo ship.
U.S. Navy career.
The U.S. Navy acquired "Lake Tulare" from the Army for use during World War I and assigned her the naval registry identification number 2652. "Lake Tulare" was delivered to the Navy and commissioned as USS "Lake Tulare" (ID-2652) at Cardiff, Wales on 19 October 1918. Lieutenant Commander A. G. Herbertson, USNRF, was in command at commissioning.
The ship, armed with one 3-inch, 50 cal gun, was assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) for use as a coal transport between ports in the United Kingdom and France. Operating out of Cardiff, a major coal port, she performed these duties through the end of the war in November 1918 and into 1919.
Transferred to the United States Food Administration on 1 March 1919, "Lake Tulare" carried food from British and French ports to Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Danzig, Germany, until 14 July 1919, when the Food Administration returned her to the Navy and she resumed military cargo runs.
Decommissioning and disposal.
After steaming to New York City in the late summer of 1919, "Lake Tulare" was decommissioned on 15 September 1919 and was returned to the U.S. Shipping Board the same day.
Later career.
The Shipping Board sold "Lake Tulare" to the International Coal Transportation Company of New York City in 1919 which owned the ship into 1923. That year the ship was sold to K. Th. Einersen of Kristiana, Norway. In 1924, she was sold to Skibs. A/S Manitowoc, also of Kristiana, and renamed "Bestik". In 1931, "Bestik" was sold to the China Merchants Navigation Company of Shanghai, China, and renamed "Hai Hsiang". "Hai Hsiang" was sold again in 1938, to William Hunt and Company, Ltd., of Shanghai.
On 8 December 1941, Japanese aircraft bombed and sank "Hai Hsiang" at Szechuen, China. Her wreck was raised in 1946 and scrapped.