Ostedijk

The Ostedijk is a Dutch cargo ship that sent out a distress call on 17 February 2007 when it was about 20 kilometers off the northwestern tip of Spain (east of Estaca de Bares)
The ship was transporting 6,012 tons of a fertilizer NPK 15-15-15C from Porsgrunn in Norway to the Spanish Mediterranean city of Valencia. On the 17 February, the captain of the ship radioed that there was a "chemical reaction" in the ship's cargo, leading him to stop engines. The vessel was near the port of A Coruña. The Spanish authorities sent a support team to look at the ship but nothing wrong was detected and the "Ostedijk" was allowed to continue her voyage to Valencia. A day later, the captain radioed again that the chemical reaction in the cargo was continuing and that white smoke was coming out of # 2 section of the cargo hold. The Spanish authorities then towed the ship away from the coast and began consultation with technical experts.
Specialists were sent to the vessel, they took measurements with infrared cameras, estimating that the top of the fertilizer had reached about 200 °C. As time went by and no action was taken, the plume continued to grow. On the morning of the 20th, a nearby tugboat started throwing water over the ship's cover to cool down the cargo but the effect was negligible. Land personnel were sent aboard the ship to open the cargo containers on the 21st. As the cargo was aired, the smoke plume grew - in a matter of minutes it was about 10 meters in diameter and several hundred meters in length. On the 22nd, three special pipes/spears were inserted into the cargo and delivered water. The fire decayed over the following few days and by 1 March the fire was declared extinguished. "Ostedijk" was sent to the nearby port of Bilbao to unload the cargo.
The status of the current official investigation is unknown. However, this kind of incident is a well-known hazard with some types of NPK fertilizers, and is responsible for the loss of several cargo ships and chemical plants, (see examples in Ammonium nitrate disasters). Large stockpiles of the material can be a major fire risk due to their supporting oxidation, it may also detonate. Ammonium nitrate (AN), a common element in inorganic fertilizers like NPKs, exothermically decomposes into gases when heated to temperatures above 210 °C. The reaction can become self-sustaining (known as self-sustaining decomposition, or SSD), which is a thermal runaway (i.e. a fire event with a chemistry not based on oxygen consumption).
Analysis of plume images carried out at The University of Edinburgh shows a rapidly growing fire and gives an estimate of the evolution of the cargo mass loss rate, ranging from approximately 0.5 kg/s the first day to 12 kg/s on the last day. Aided by small-scale experiments with NPK samples, the study estimated that the power of the event was in the order of 6-30 MW on day five.


Challenger-class submarine

The "Challenger" class is one of the submarine classes of the Singapore Navy. They are extensively modernized versions of ex- submarines. "Challenger" and "Centurion" were retired in 2015.
History.
In 1995, the RSN acquired a "Challenger"-class vessel (formerly known as a from the Swedish Navy) and another three in 1997, making them Singapore's first underwater platforms. It is believed that the "Challenger" class were purchased to develop the required submarine operations expertise before selecting a modern class of submarines to replace them, since all the boats are over 50 years old.
Modernisation.
The "Challenger"-class submarines have undergone the Riken modernisation programme tailored to the specific operational conditions of the Singapore Navy. As the submarines were designed by the Swedish for operations in the Baltic Sea, various modifications were required to suit them to tropical waters. A comprehensive tropicalisation programme was carried out for all four submarines, which involved installing air conditioning, marine growth protection systems and corrosion-resistant piping.


List of submarine classes

This is a list of submarine classes, sorted by country. The navies of 46 states operate submarines.
Argentina.
Armada de la República Argentina:
Australia.
Royal Australian Navy:
Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Navy:
Brazil.
Marinha do Brasil:
Canada.
Royal Canadian Navy:
People's Republic of China.
People's Liberation Army Navy:
Denmark.
Royal Danish Navy:
Estonia.
"Kalev class" mine laying submarines
Estonian Navy:
Finland.
Finnish Navy:
France.
Marine Nationale:
Germany.
Kaiserliche Marine:
Kriegsmarine:
Modern German Navy:
Export Models:
Greece.
Hellenic Navy
Greek Navy:
India.
Indian Navy:
Indonesia.
Indonesian Navy:
Iran.
Iranian Navy:
Israel.
Israeli Navy:
Italy.
See list of submarines of Italy
Regia Marina:
Marina Militare:
Republic of Korea.
Republic of Korea Navy:
North Korea.
Korean People's Army:
Malaysia.
Royal Malaysian Navy:
Myanmar.
Myanmar Navy:
Netherlands.
See the list of submarines of the Netherlands
Royal Dutch Navy:
See also: Dutchsubmarines.com
Norway.
Royal Norwegian Navy:
Poland.
Polish Navy:
Portugal.
Portuguese Navy:
Russia (and Soviet Union).
Soviet Navy and Russian Navy:
Singapore.
Republic of Singapore Navy:
South Africa.
South African Navy:
Spain.
Spanish Navy:
Export models:
Sweden.
Swedish Navy:
Taiwan.
Republic of China Navy
Thailand.
Royal Thai Navy
Turkey.
Turkish Navy:
United Kingdom.
Royal Navy:
United States.
See the list of United States submarine classes
Ukraine.
Ukrainian Navy:


RMAS Typhoon (A95)

RMAS "Typhoon" (A95) was an ocean-going tug of the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service (RMAS). She was designed for ocean towing, rescue, salvage and fire-fighting. She is notable as being the first ship to leave the United Kingdom ahead of the task force for the South Atlantic during the 1982 Falklands War, and for her fishery protection role in the Cod Wars.
History.
The ship was repaired at Falmouth ship repair yard on 19 October 1979, and was also involved in the rescue of the Spanish butane tanker, MV Butaseis, which was aflame and drifting towards the village of Brixton, Devon. The tug stayed as part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary until included in the RMAS.
"Typhoon" saw service in the Falklands War from leaving the UK on 4 April 1982 until 20 July 1982 under Captain J N Morris with an all-civilian crew from Portland Naval Base. She also carried 2 Royal Naval Personnel, 1 for comms and 1 medic, they had the distinction of being first to leave and returned home 24 September 1982 as did HMS Hydra docking in last that day 24 September 1982 in Portsmouth.
Captain Morris and his civilian crew flew back from Port Stanley when Capt Stephens and the relief crew arrived in Port Stanley 20 July 1982. Under the command of Captain Bruce Stephens she returned to Portland with her new civilian crew. the 2 Royal Navy Crew remained on board until the vessel docked on 24 September 1982. She was the first ship – albeit a civilian vessel – to leave the UK ahead of the task force, and a member of the crew, the tugs bosun placed the Welsh flag on board RFA "Sir Galahad" just before "Typhoon" towed her out to sea to be scuttled by a submarine. During the war, the ship was heavily involved in logistic duties, transferring fresh water to the task force at a rate of 18 tons per trip, and loading part of 17 Brigade onto the MV Norland in preparation for the San Carlos landings. The ship was sold in 1989 and later converted into a trawler in 1992.


SS El Occidente

SS "El Occidente was a cargo ship for the Morgan Line, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Company. During World War I, she was known as USAT "El Occidente in service with the United States Army and as USS "El Occidente" (ID-3307) in service with the United States Navy. At the end of war, she reverted to her original name of SS "El Occidente".
Built in 1910, SS "El Occidente" was one of four sister ships that carried cargo and a limited number of passengers for the Morgan Line. She was acquired by the U.S. Army after the United States entered World War I in April 1917, and converted to carry horses and mules to France. In February 1918, she fought a 20-minute gun battle with two German submarines, destroying the periscope of one. In August 1918, the ship was transferred to the U.S. Navy and continued transporting animals through the end of the war.
"El Occidente" returned to the Morgan Line in 1919 and sailed with them until June 1941, when the entire Morgan Line fleet was purchased by the United States Maritime Commission. While serving as a civilian-crewed cargo ship during World War II, "El Occidente" was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine "U-435" on 13 April 1942.
Early career.
SS "El Occidente" was a cargo and passenger steamship launched on 24 September 1910 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. of Newport News, Virginia (yard no. 133), and delivered to the Atlantic division of the Morgan Line on 2 December 1910. She was the newest of four sister ships; the older three being , "El Mundo", and . "El Occidente" was , was long by abeam, and made . The vessel sailed for the Morgan Line, the brand name of the Southern Pacific Steamship Company (a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad), which employed her to carry cargo and a limited number of passengers between New York and New Orleans, the eastern terminus of the Southern Pacific line.
In April 1913, "The New York Times" reported that "El Occidente", loaded only with cargo, had rammed a schooner in fog off the New Jersey coast. Responding to a wireless message, the Savannah steamer "City of Montgomery" came alongside "El Occidente" to offer assistance, but was refused. The name and fate of the schooner were not reported.
World War I.
After the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, the United States Army, needing transports to get its men and materiel to France, had a select committee of shipping executives pore over registries of American shipping. The committee selected "El Occidente" and thirteen other American-flagged ships that were sufficiently fast, could carry enough fuel in their bunkers for transatlantic crossings, and, most importantly, were in port or not far at sea. After "El Occidente" discharged her last load of passengers and cargo, she was officially handed over to the Army on 30 May.
Before any troop transportation could be undertaken, all of the ships had to be hastily refitted. Of the fourteen ships, four, including "El Occidente", were designated to carry animals and cargo; the other ten were designated to carry human passengers. The four ships designated to carry animals had to have ramps and stalls built. All the ships had to have gun platforms installed, before each ship docked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard to have the guns themselves installed. All the ships were manned by merchant officers and crews but carried two U.S. Navy officers, Navy gun crews, quartermasters, signalmen, and wireless operators. The senior Navy officer on board would take control if a ship came under attack.
The American convoy carrying the first units of the American Expeditionary Force was broken into four groups; "El Occidente" was in the fourth group with , , and , and escorts consisting of cruiser , U.S. Navy transport , and destroyers , , and . "El Occidente" departed with her group on the morning of 17 June for Brest, France, steaming at an pace. A thwarted submarine attack on the first convoy group, and reports of heavy submarine activity off of Brest resulted in a change in the convoy's destination to Saint-Nazaire.
"El Occidente" departed Saint-Nazaire on 14 July in the company of her convoy mates "Dakotan", "Montanan", and "Edward Luckenbach". Joining the return trip were Army transport , Navy armed collier , Navy oiler , and cruiser , the flagship of Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, the head of the Navy's Cruiser and Transport Force.
Sources do not reveal "El Occidente"'s movements over the next eight months. But in April 1918, the "Chicago Daily Tribune" reported on an encounter "El Occidente" had with two German submarines that had occurred on 2 February. In a 20-minute running gun battle, Naval Armed Guardsmen aboard "El Occidente" exchanged fire with two U-boats, one on the port and one on the starboard. The news item reported that "El Occidente"'s gunners had demolished the periscope of one of her attackers.
"El Occidente"'s next recorded convoy trip took place on 23 March, when she sailed with Navy transports and , Army transport ship , and cruiser , arriving in France on 4 April. "El Occidente" next sailed on 18 May with , , stores ship , and Italian steamer . Rendezvousing with a contingent of transports from Newport News— , , , and Italian steamer —the convoy was escorted by American cruiser , and destroyers and . The convoy arrived in France on 30 May. On 10 July, "El Occidente" departed Newport News with Navy transports , , "Martha Washington", , but had to return to port with a leaky gas injector.
On 27 August 1918, "El Occidente" was transferred to the Navy and commissioned the same day with Lt. Commander E. S. Campbell, USNRF. "El Occidente" loaded cargo and 585 horses and mules, and sailed for France on 17 September. Five animals died or were destroyed during the voyage. Offloading her cargo at Saint-Nazaire and Verdun, "El Occidente" returned to the U.S. on 1 November.
In port when the Armistice with Germany was signed on 11 November, "El Occidente" loaded of cargo and 800 animals for a second Navy voyage. Departing on 17 November for Verdun, the ship arrived there on 19 December. Returning to Baltimore for repairs and alterations which included the removal of her armament and the stalls for animal cargo, "El Occidente" sailed again on 15 January 1919 for Bordeaux where she unloaded cargo for the Army of Occupation and embarked 90 passengers for return to the United States. She was decommissioned at New York on 18 March 1919, and delivered to the United States Shipping Board the same day.
Interwar civilian service.
Returned by the USSB in March 1919, "El Occidente" resumed cargo service with the Morgan Line, where she had almost 15 years of routine operation. However, in the 1930s, sailing on a New York – Galveston route, "El Occidente" was involved in several notable events.
In July 1933, "El Occidente" had a fire in her No. 1 cargo hold while she was southbound out from Norfolk, Virginia. "El Occidente"'s initial radio message reported that her crew had the blaze under control, but when that proved not to be the case, she headed in, docked at the Norfolk grain elevator, and requested assistance from local firefighters.
In September 1935, "El Occidente" came to the aid of Morgan passenger liner , which had been driven onto French Reef by the Labor Day Hurricane. "Dixie" had been headed from New Orleans to New York when she grounded on the reef, located about south of Miami, Florida and off shore. "El Occidente", one of 15 ships that responded to "Dixie"'s distress calls, carried two loads of passengers and baggage from "Dixie" to Miami. There was no loss of life during the grounding or the rescue of "Dixie"'s passengers.
In January 1937, "El Occidente" issued a distress call while she was in the Gulf of Mexico. After she reported a fire while some south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, U.S. Coast Guard cutters and and German freighter "Leubeck" all responded to the call. Before any reached the burning vessel, "El Occidente" reported that she had gotten the fire under control and needed no further assistance. "El Occidente" headed to Galveston. The following month, "El Occidente" issued another distress call, this time for a broken rudder while off the Virginia Capes. Coast Guard cutter responded and towed "El Occidente" to Norfolk, delivering her there on 7 February.
World War II.
In June 1941, the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) announced that it had requisitioned the entire Morgan Line fleet of ten ships, including "El Occidente" and her remaining sister ships, "El Oriente" and "El Mundo". The ships were to finish previously scheduled cargo runs and be handed over to the USMC over the following six weeks. The USMC had been charged with assembling a U.S. fleet to "aid the democracies" fighting Germany in World War II, and paid $4.7 million for all ten ships and a further $2.6 million for repairs and refits.
"El Occidente" was handed over to the War Shipping Administration at Galveston on 7 July and assigned to United States Lines, Inc., for operation. The cargo ship was placed under Panamanian registry by U.S. Lines. Little is known of "El Occidente"'s movements over the six months, but on 30 January 1942, she left Boston for Halifax loaded with a general cargo. Arriving at Halifax on 1 February, she joined Convoy HX 174 and headed for Liverpool on 7 February, arriving at her destination on 21 February.
Two days later, "El Occidente" sailed for Reykjavík, where she arrived on 1 March, just in time to depart with Convoy PQ 12 for Murmansk. After the convoy arrived at Murmansk on 12 March, "El Occidente" unloaded her cargo and took on a partial ballast load of chromium ore. She departed in Convoy QP 10 on 10 April. At 01:29 on 13 April, while at position , German submarine under the command of Siegfried Strelow fired one or two torpedoes which struck "El Occidente" in the engine room, nearly breaking the vessel in half. "El Occidente" went down stern first within two minutes, with no time to launch lifeboats. Within 30 minutes of her sinking, , one of the convoy's escorts, rescued 21 of the ship's 41-man crew; the remaining 20 crewmen died.


Aviso

An aviso was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication.
The term, derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word for "advice", "notice" or "warning", an "adviso", was later adopted by the French and Portuguese navies to classify their medium-sized warships designed for colonial service. The term continued to be used in the French Navy to classify the patrol frigates until 2012, when the remaining ships of the class were reclassified as offshore patrol ships. It is equivalent to the modern use of "sloop" in other countries.
Description.
The "Dictionnaire de la Marine Française 1788–1792" (by Nicolas-Charles Romme) describes "avisos" as "small boats designed to carry orders or dispatches". This use became obsolete with the development of means of communicating detailed information at a distance.
French "avisos" used during the world wars had displacements of 300–700 tons, speeds of , main armaments usually of two 100 mm guns, two 138 mm guns, or four 100 mm guns. Colonial "avisos", such as the intended for overseas service, were larger.
The Portuguese Navy used "avisos" to operate in the waters of the Portuguese Empire. The Portuguese built the 1st rate class of 1,780 tons and the 2nd rate ( and "Pedro Nunes" classes of 950 to 1,090 tons).
In some navies the term is now used to include combat-capable ships larger than patrol boats, but smaller than corvettes. They typically have roles in anti-submarine warfare and coastal defence. In NATO classification they are usually recognized as corvettes.
The Argentine Navy has several ships classified as "avisos". , an 800-ton vessel used for non-combat tasks, built as a US Navy fleet tug, was attacked and damaged during the 1982 Falklands War.


Danit-class container ship

The "Danit" class is a series of 23 container ships built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea. The ships have a maximum theoretical capacity of 13,050 to 14,036 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).


AIDAvita

AIDAvita is the second ship in AIDA Cruises' fleet. "AIDAvita" was built in 2002 by the German shipyard Aker MTW in Wismar. She is identical to "AIDAaura".


Coastal submarine

A coastal submarine or littoral submarine is a small, maneuverable submarine with shallow draft well suited to navigation of coastal channels and harbors. Although size is not precisely defined, coastal submarines are larger than midget submarines, but smaller than sea-going submarines designed for longer patrols on the open ocean. Space limitations aboard coastal submarines restrict fuel availability for distant travel, food availability for extended patrol duration, and number of weapons carried. Within those limitations, however, coastal submarines may be able to reach areas inaccessible to larger submarines, and be more difficult to detect.
History.
The earliest submarines were effectively coastal submarines, but as modern submarine tactics developed during World War I, the advantages of rapid construction and portability encouraged development of UB torpedo launching, and UC minelaying coastal submarines in 1915 to operate in the English Channel. These coastal submarines displaced only 15 to 20 percent the weight of a contemporary conventional U-boat, could be built in one-quarter the time it took to complete a conventional U-boat, and be delivered on railway wagons to operating bases in Belgium. Improved versions of UB and UC coastal submarines were devised. Total production of German coastal submarines during World War I was 136 type UB and 95 type UC.
German submarine construction between the world wars began in 1935 with the building of 24 Type II coastal submarines. These coastal U-boats, with another eight completed prior to hostilities, made North Sea combat patrols during the early months of World War II and then served in the Baltic Sea training crews to operate ocean-going submarines. The 30th U-boat Flotilla of six Type II U-boats was transported overland on the Autobahn and then down the Danube for combat patrols in the Black Sea until September 1944.


Triumph-class container ship

The "Triumph" class is a series of 6 container ships that now operated by the Japanese shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE). The ships have a maximum theoretical capacity of 20,182 TEU.
The ships were ordered by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) in 2015. Four ships were built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea. The remaining two were built by Imabari Shipbuilding in Japan and are chartered from Shoei Kisen Kaisha.


World-class cruise ship

The "World" class is a class of cruise ships being built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France for MSC Cruises. There are four vessels planned, with the lead vessel, "MSC World Europa", under construction and set to be delivered in 2022.
History.
Planning.
In April 2016, MSC Cruises unveiled a new class of cruise ships that it calls the "World" class after it signed a letter of intent for up to four "World"-class vessels from STX France, an order worth approximately €4.5 billion, at Élysée Palace. The announcement came after MSC revealed it had already finalized the order for two of the ships. The "World" class design would become the third new prototype ordered by MSC in recent years, following its commitments to the "Meraviglia" and "Seaside" classes. Details also initially revealed that each ship in the class was estimated to measure approximately over and house over 2,700 cabins for a guest capacity of around 5,400 passengers, making the "World"-class ships part of the second largest class of cruise ships in the world. MSC also announced all ships in the class would be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Timeline.
The ships were originally expected to be delivered in 2022, 2024, 2025, and 2026, respectively. The contract for the final two ships, now set to be delivered in 2025 and 2027, respectively, was signed in January 2020.
On 31 October 2019, MSC announced the name of the first "World"-class ship as "MSC Europa" and held the ship's steel-cutting ceremony at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, inaugurating the construction for the ship. The ship was later revealed to be renamed "MSC World Europa", announced during her keel-laying ceremony on 29 June 2020.
Design and specifications.
In May 2017, at the delivery ceremony of "MSC Meraviglia" held at the STX France shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, MSC Cruises released new details and renderings of the class of ships. In the announcement, MSC revealed that each of the four ships it had ordered would hold a guest capacity of 6,850 passengers across 2,760 passenger cabins, more than any cruise ship. Each ship would measure long and wide and integrate a "Y"-shape hull design for expansive views and a "G"-shape bow design for fuel efficiency and stability. Initial features announced included square cabins, a glass pool lounge, and sections designed specifically for families. The aft of the ships would also be open, with the lower promenade deck flanked by balcony cabin towers. The ships were later revealed to measure approximately .
As all ships are designed to be powered by LNG, this would reportedly allow them to sail with a 99% decrease in sulfur dioxide emissions, an 85% decrease in nitric oxide emissions, and a 20% decrease in carbon dioxide emissions, when compared with non-LNG-powered ships. "MSC World Europa" will also become the world's first ship to implement an LNG-powered fuel cell. The 50-kilowatt fuel cell demonstrator aboard the ship will incorporate solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology and use LNG to produce onboard electricity and heat and reportedly further reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% compared with conventional LNG engines.


SS Ansel Briggs


Altay-class oiler

The "Altay" class (Project 160) is a class of replenishment oiler built for the Soviet Navy between 1967 and 1972.
Construction.
The "Altay"-class vessels were built for the USSR by the Finnish shipbuilding yard Rauma-Repola. Over 60 vessels of this type were built for Soviet service, most with the fishing fleet and merchant fleet. Only six vessels were ordered for service with the Soviet Navy. Project 160 tankers can refuel one ship at a time from either side or over the stern.
Operational history.
1993 "Yel'nya" incident.
In April 1993, while in reserve with the Black Sea Fleet at Sevastopol, "Yel'nya" was taken over by Ukrainian dissidents. After a brief seizure, control was reestablished by the Russian Navy. "Yel'nya" was later transferred to the Baltic Fleet.
2021 "Kola" Gulf of Suez collision and Suez Canal obstruction.
On 23 March 2021, "Kola", along with "Steregushchiy"-class corvette "Stoikiy", were in the northern part of the Gulf of Suez when "Kola" collided with civilian bulk carrier "Ark Royal". The two ships, which were both approaching Suez, sustained light damage, according to the Russian Navy. "Kola" and "Ark Royal" resumed sailing after the collision.
That same day, "Kola" and "Stoikiy" were in the Gulf of Suez when the container ship "Ever Given" ran aground in the Suez Canal, completely obstructing the canal. "Kola", along with "Stoikiy" and around 350 other ships on both sides of the canal, were forced to wait for the "Ever Given" to be refloated. Initially, "Kola" and "Stoikiy" were the only known military vessels to have been affected by the obstruction, however since normally military ships do not transmit their position to commercial websites, an unknown number of military ships were involved, with the Spanish amphibious assault ship Juan Carlos I being among the first ships to move through the canal. At the time of the incident, maritime tracking website vesselfinder.com temporarily misidentified "Kola" as "Stoikiy" (specifically "Russian Warship 545"); this was corrected on 25 March. As of 29 March, "Kola" was still anchored in the Gulf of Suez.
Ships in class.
There were six vessels in the class.


SS Christopher Columbus

The SS "Christopher Columbus" was an American excursion liner on the Great Lakes, in service between 1893 and 1933. She was the only whaleback ship ever built for passenger service. The ship was designed by Alexander McDougall, the developer and promoter of the whaleback design.
"Columbus" was built between 1892 and 1893 at Superior, Wisconsin, by the American Steel Barge Company. Initially, she ferried passengers to and from the World's Columbian Exposition. Later, she provided general transportation and excursion services to various ports around the lakes.
At , the ship was the longest whaleback ever built, and reportedly also the largest vessel on the Great Lakes when she was launched. "Columbus" is said to have carried more passengers during her career than any other vessel on the Great Lakes. After a career lasting four decades, she was retired during the Great Depression and scrapped in 1936 by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company at Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Background and proposal.
The history of the "Columbus" is linked with that of the whalebacks, an innovative but not widely accepted ship design of the late 1880s, and of their designer, Alexander McDougall. A Scottish immigrant, Great Lakes captain, inventor and entrepreneur, McDougall developed the idea of the whaleback as a way to improve the ability of barges to follow a towing vessel in heavy seas. Whalebacks were characterized by distinctive hull shapes with rounded tops, lacking conventional vertical sides. Waves thus broke across their hulls with considerably less force than when striking a conventional hull. Water could also flow around the rounded turrets which resembled gun turrets on contemporary warships; the superstructure and deckhouses were mounted on these turrets. The rounded contours of whalebacks gave them an unconventional appearance,
and McDougall's ship and barge designs were received with considerable skepticism, resistance, and derision. As they had porcine-looking snouts for bows, some observers called them "pig boats".
After McDougall was unable to persuade existing shipbuilders to try his designs, he founded the American Steel Barge Company in Superior, Wisconsin in 1888, and built them himself. McDougall actively promoted his design and company by sending the SS "Charles W. Wetmore" to London, and starting another shipyard in Everett, Washington, which built the SS "City of Everett". When the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, to be held in Chicago, Illinois, was in the planning stages, McDougall recognized another opportunity to publicize his design. The "Columbus", conceived as an elaborate ferry, was intended to demonstrate that the whaleback design would work well in passenger service, and would be able to travel at high speed. The ship's name honored the explorer Christopher Columbus as did the World's Columbian Exposition itself, timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of his first voyage to the New World.
Construction and Columbian Exposition.
The World's Fair Steamship Company ordered the construction of the "Columbus" at an estimated cost of $360,000. The job was undertaken at McDougall's American Steel Barge Company works in Superior, Wisconsin, starting in the fall of 1892.
The hull framing, which included nine bulkheads, was completed on September 13, 1892. The ship's propulsion mechanisms were next installed, consisting of a single four-bladed, diameter, pitch propeller, the two reciprocating triple-expansion steam engines (with three cylinders of , and diameters in a common frame with a stroke) manufactured by Samuel F. Hodge & Co. of Detroit, Michigan, and six steel tubular return Scotch boilers, ( diameter by long), built by Cleveland Shipbuilding Company. The rounded hull top was then added, followed by the six turrets, which were substantially larger than those employed on freighter whalebacks. The ship was launched on December 3, 1892, after which two superstructure decks were mounted on the turrets along the centerline of her hull to afford access to her two internal decks, one in the turrets and one in the hull below.
She was fitted out over the remainder of late 1892 and early 1893. Electric lighting was used, and she was elegantly furnished. Her grand saloon and skylighted promenade deck contained several fountains and a large aquarium filled with trout and other fish of the lakes. The cabins and public spaces were fitted out with oak paneling, velvet carpets, etched glass windows, leather furniture and marble. Shops and restaurants were provided for the passengers.
McDougall's American Steel Barge Company had committed in the contract that the "Columbus" would be built and delivered in three months, making her one of the fastest-built large ships of her time. The builders further promised rapid loading and unloading, predicting that the vessel would be able to embark 5,000 passengers in five minutes, and disembark the same passengers in even less time. The "Columbus" was specified to be able run the from the dock downtown to the fairgrounds at Jackson Park and 64th Street in 20 minutes.
McDougall set up another holding company, the Columbian Whaleback Steamship Company of Duluth, Minnesota, to own and operate the "Columbus". She was commissioned on May 13, 1893. Her first captain was John McArthur, who had captained other whalebacks for McDougall's firms, starting with the first powered whaleback, the "Colgate Hoyt", built in 1890. McDougall was quoted as having said to McArthur, "There is your steamboat; take her down to Chicago and make a success of her."
McArthur did just that. Painted in all white livery, the "Columbus" made multiple round trips per day, sailing along the Lake Michigan shoreline from the Randolph Street/Van Buren Street dock to the Jackson Park site of the World's Columbian Exposition's Beaux arts "White City" exposition fairgrounds. A contemporary souvenir booklet called her "the greatest marine wonder of its time", and another publication dubbed her the "Queen of the Lakes." She had an estimated capacity of 4,000–5,000 passengers on her four decks, but it was reported that she carried 7,000 on her maiden voyage. The Goodrich Transit Line steamer "Virginia" (later the USS "Blue Ridge") is said to have raced against her.
The "Columbus" carried between 1.7 and 2.0 million passengers (sources differ) during the exposition, with only one fatality, a crew member. In recognition of that success, the commissioners of the exposition presented Captain McArthur with a gold watch engraved with a representation of the ship. McArthur went on to captain other whalebacks including the , which became the , the only whaleback surviving today.
Regular service.
After the exposition ended the "Columbus" entered passenger service, and an additional deck (third superstructure, fifth total) was added during the 1899–1900 winter season. Despite the "Columbus"' success at the exposition, and McDougall's promotional efforts, the whaleback design never caught on. By 1900, the last whalebacks had been built in Superior: the "Alexander McDougall" in 1899 (the last powered ship), and the "John Smeaton", the last whaleback barge. The American Steel Barge Company was sold to the American Ship Building Company, becoming their Superior Works, and switched to more conventional laker designs.
In 1899 the "Columbus" was leased to and operated by the Goodrich Transit Line,
whose steamer "Virginia" had been a perennial racing rival. She changed hands in 1905 to the Milwaukee & Chicago Transportation company – possibly a Goodrich holding company – and again in 1909 to Goodrich Transit Line. Her livery was at some point between 1906 and 1909 changed to a black hull with yellow accents, and she was placed in service on the route between Chicago and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The "Columbus" remained with the Goodrich line for several years. Although she was used for excursions elsewhere around the Great Lakes, her regular schedule was a daily trip to Milwaukee, leaving Chicago mid-morning, sailing to Milwaukee for a two-hour stopover, and then returning ("see advertisement right"). She made daily round-trip excursions from the Goodrich docks at the Rush Street Bridge.
"Columbus" had at least three accidents. In June 1895 she suffered an explosion caused by a steam pipe becoming disconnected while she was underway. Accounts differ, but some claim that this happened during a race with her rival, "Virginia". In July 1905, she collided with the schooner "Ralph Campbell" in the Chicago River. On June 30, 1917, she was involved in her most serious accident, a collision with a water tower. The collision happened in Milwaukee while she was being maneuvered by tugs away from her dock. The Milwaukee River current caught her, spinning her sideways, and her bow sheared off two legs of the Yahr-Lang Drug Company's water tower, toppling it and flooding "Columbus"' decks with about . The collision killed 16 passengers and severely damaged her pilot house, putting her out of service for the rest of the year.
The "Columbus" was one of the first ships to be fitted with an on-board radio, installed by 1909, when she was allocated the call letters "KC". "Columbus" and the SS "Chicago" used radio to help coordinate the rescue of over 200 passengers from the Goodrich liner "City of Racine" when the "Racine" was disabled off Waukegan, Illinois, in Lake Michigan.
In 1915, the SS "Eastland" capsized while docked in the Chicago River, with the loss of over 800 lives. Officials subsequently ordered many passenger ships to undergo stability testing, which the "Columbus" passed easily. Even with 7,500 sandbags (simulating passengers) piled on one side, and tugboats pulling in that direction, she listed only 12 degrees. "Columbus" was featured at the Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago in 1932–33.
Disposition.
The "Columbus" was taken out of service in 1933, and changed hands twice during the Great Depression, in 1933 and again in 1934. She was scrapped in 1936 at the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
SS "Christopher Columbus" carried 1.7–2 million passengers in her first year alone, and is estimated to have carried more passengers than any other vessel on the Great Lakes. She was one of the most photographed passenger ships on the lakes, and souvenir postcards of her are still widely available. One of her anchors, the design of which was patented by McDougall on February 3, 1891, is displayed at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia.


Yoshino Maru

Yoshino Maru (Kanji:) was an 8,950-ton Japanese troop transport during World War II, which sank on 31 July 1944 with great loss of life.
"Yoshino Maru" was built in 1907 as "Kleist" for the Norddeutscher Lloyd by the Schichau-Werke in Danzig, Germany.
In 1919, she was ceded to the United Kingdom as war reparation, who sold her in 1921 to the Japanese government, where she was renamed "Yoshino Maru". In 1929, she was sold to Kinkai Yusen and used as an ocean liner.
At the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, she was requisitioned as a transport ship by the Imperial Japanese Navy.
On 31 July 1944, she was travelling in Convoy MI-11 from Moji, Japan, to Miri, Borneo, with 5,063 soldiers on board, when the convoy was attacked by a United States Navy submarine wolfpack. At 3:40 AM, torpedoed and sank "Yoshino Maru" with four torpedoes; losses aboard ship included 2,442 soldiers, as well as 18 gunners, 35 crewmen, and 400 cubic meters (14,120 cubic feet) of ammunition.


MV Flevoborg

MV "Flevoborg" is a cargo ship registered in the Netherlands and operated by Wagenborg. Completed in 2010, "Flevoborg" ran aground in the St. Lawrence River off Sainte-Croix, Quebec in 2017.
Description.
"Flevoborg" has a , a and . The vessel is long overall with a beam of . "Flevoborg" is powered by a Wärtsilä 9L32C diesel engine driving one propeller rated at at 750 rpm and one bow thruster rated at . This gives the vessel a maximum speed of . The vessel has two holds and has a capacity of grain/bale.
Service history.
Constructed by Ferus Smit in Leer, Germany with the yard number 392, the ship was completed in March 2010. "Flevoborg" is registered in the Netherlands with its home port at Delfzijl and operated by Wagenborg. On 21 June 2017, "Flevoborg" lost power while transiting the Saint Lawrence River. The vessel was taking a cargo of corn from Montreal and was off Sainte-Croix, Quebec when it ran aground. The vessel was re-floated by changing the levels of water in the ballast and the rising tide. The engine did not restart and tugboats arrived to tow "Flevoborg" to Quebec City, arriving on 22 June to undergo inspection and repairs. While aground, the vessel had been out of the main channel and no oil leaked.


SS Arcadia Victory


List of ocean liners

This is a list of ocean liners past and present, which are passenger ships engaged in the transportation of passengers and goods in transoceanic voyages. Ships primarily designed for pleasure cruises are listed at List of cruise ships. Some ships which have been explicitly designed for both line voyages and cruises, or which have been converted from liners to cruise ships, may be listed in both places. Also included are cargo liners designed to carry both cargo and passengers.
Legend.

Single name.
The following ships were not renamed anytime during their career.
Multi-name.
Note: "The ships listed here were renamed, and in some cases multiple times in their careers."


MV Porto

The MV "Porto" was a Portuguese-owned cruise ship. She had operated by Portuscale Cruises until sold for scrap in 2017.
The ship was built in 1965, as the Istra. She was purchased by Arcadia Shipping Company, Lisbon in 2000 and was completely reconstructed from the hull up, being renamed Arion. She was put in service with Classic International Cruises
On 17 September 2012 reports announced that she was detained in Montenegro for failure to pay fuel costs. Fellow ships "Athena" and "Princess Danae" were detained for similar issues.
Following the liquidation of Classic International Cruises, "Arion" was purchased by a Portuguese entrepreneur and remained flagged under the Portuguese flag. The ship was renamed "Porto" in 2013, and operated by the Portuguese cruise company Portuscale Cruises.
In 2017, the ship was sold for € 1.05 million for scrapping and broken up on 5 November 2018 at Aliaga.


Fame-class ship of the line

The "Fame"-class ships of the line were a class of four 74-gun third rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir John Henslow. After the name-ship of the class was ordered in October 1799, the design was slightly altered before the next three ships were ordered in February 1800. A second batch of five ships was ordered in 1805 to a slightly further modified version of the original draught.


SS Yoshida Maru

The was a Japanese cargo ship owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha. The ship was built in 1941 by Hakodate Dock at Hakodate on the northern island of Hokkaidō.
History.
The "Yoshida Maru" was built at Hakodate; and she left port in August 1941 on her maiden voyage.
The 2,921-ton vessel had a length of 310 feet (93 m), and her beam was 45 feet (13.8 m). The single turbine, single screw propulsion produced an average speed of .
World War II.
"Yoshida Maru" was requisitioned as an auxiliary gunboat/minelayer and transport ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was armed with 3 guns of 12 cm and machineguns.
On 18 January 1944, she was sunk by the submarine "USS Flasher" at 140 miles west-southwest of Minami-Tori-shima, .


CSCL Indian Ocean

CSCL Indian Ocean is a container ship, operated by China Shipping Container Lines.
She was built in Ulsan, Korea, by Hyundai Heavy Industries, and launched on November 15, 2014.
At the time of her construction she, and her four sister ships, "CSCL Globe", "CSCL Pacific Ocean", "CSCL Atlantic Ocean" and "CSCL Arctic Ocean", were the largest container ships afloat, each carrying 19,100 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers. Chinese officials said the vessels cost $136 million each to build.
On February 3, 2016 "CSCL Indian Ocean" grounded in the River Elbe, while approaching Hamburg, Germany. Her rudder controls were reported to have malfunctioned. It took almost a week to free her from the sandbank, because she grounded at high-tide. Her fuel was unloaded, and she was finally freed, February 9, six days later, during the next spring tide. Twelve tugboats were required to assist in freeing her. Two dredgers had helped cut away at the sandbank, near the grounding.
"CSCL Indian Ocean"s grounding triggered commentary over the wisdom of building such large vessels.


Incheon-class frigate

The "Incheon"-class frigates (Hangul: 인천급 호위함, Hanja: 仁川級護衛艦), also known as the Future Frigate eXperimental or FFX during development, are coastal defense frigates of the Republic of Korea Navy. The lead ship was launched on 29 April 2011. The "Incheon"-class frigates will replace the aging fleet of corvettes and frigates, and take over multi-role operations such as coast patrol, anti-submarine warfare and transport support. Later batches are planned to be specialized on anti-air and anti-submarine warfare. An improved version is being introduced as the Daegu-class frigate; this was previously known as Batch II of the Incheon class.
Development.
In the early 1990s, the Korean government plan for the construction of next generation coastal ships named "Frigate 2000" was scrapped due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. But the decommissioning of the destroyers and the aging fleet of "Ulsan"-class frigates, the plan was revived as the Future Frigate eXperimental, also known as FFX in the early 2000s.
The Republic of Korea Navy initially wanted twenty-four 3000 ton frigates to replace the "Ulsan"-, "Pohang"- and -class coastal fleet of 37 ships. It was later decided that six 2700 ton ships will be constructed for the first batch. In 2008, the plan was further downgraded to 2300 tons when president Lee Myung-bak took office, with the number of ships for the first batch down to six. 8 ships are planned for the second batch of FFX with the final goal of 20-22 frigates.
In 2010 the construction of the first FFX frigate was awarded to Hyundai Heavy Industry and in April 2011 the first of its class, ROKS "Incheon" was launched. The ship is named after the western port city of Incheon, representing the Republic of Korea Navy's initiative to defend the western islands due to the constant clashes with the North Korean navy in this area.
Armament.
The "Incheon"-class frigate's main gun is the 127mm/L62 Mk. 45 Mod 4 naval gun. This was chosen over a smaller 76mm for naval barrage support in amphibious landings and superiority in ship to ship firing. Point-defense armaments include a single 20 mm Phalanx CIWS and a RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile Block 1 21-round launcher. The anti-submarine warfare armaments consists of K745 LW "Cheong Sahng-uh" (Blue Shark) torpedoes. Anti-ship capability is provided by SSM-700K "Haeseong" (Sea Star) long-range anti-ship missiles, each with performance similar to the American Harpoon. Land-attack capability is provided by the recently developed Tactical Ship to Land attack missile, which is derived from the SSM-700K "Haeseong"; initially, the land attack missiles were planned to start arming batch 2 "Incheon"-class ships, but feasibility studies showed they could be retrofitted to batch 1 ships, which began in September 2016, enhancing their flexibility and deterrence capabilities with -range tactical missiles.
Export market.
A variant of the "Incheon" class was offered by Hyundai Heavy Industries to the Philippines' Department of National Defense for their requirement of two new frigates. On 24 October 2016, the contract to supply two brand new general purpose stealth frigates was signed between the Department of National Defense, represented by Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana, and Hyundai Heavy Industries, represented by its Senior Vice President Mr. Ki Sun Chung, under the presence of officials from the DND, AFP, PN, HHI, and the South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines.
In November 2012, it was reported that Israel was mulling a deal to purchase four "Incheon"-class frigates from South Korea, which would be built jointly by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Israel Shipyards. Israel is also transferring their technology to the "Incheon"s. The 1,400-ton frigates under negotiation with Israel are said to be priced at about US$100 million each.


Jang Bogo-class submarine

The Jang Bogo"-class submarine (Hangul: 장보고급 잠수함, Hanja: 張保皐級潛水艦, formerly romanised as Chang Bogo") is a variant of the Type 209 diesel-electric attack submarine initially developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) of Germany, intended for service with the South Korean Navy and Indonesian Navy. A Daewoo (DSME)-upgraded model of the "Jang Bogo" class Type 209 was exported by Korea to Indonesia in 2012, amid heavy competition from Russian, French, and German-Turkish consortiums including from Germany's original Type 209. The variant was considered for possible purchase by Thailand as well, as both newly built and second-hand options. The class is named for ancient Korean maritime figure Jang Bogo.
Armaments.
The "Jang Bogo"-class submarines are armed with eight bow torpedo tubes and fourteen torpedoes. The ships are also armed with Sub-Harpoon missiles and can be armed with 28 mines in place of torpedoes and Harpoon missiles. The class is armed with SUT - Surface and Underwater Target Torpedoes.
Upgrades.
The South Korean "Jang Bogo"-class submarines, originally based on Type 209/1200, had reportedly been heavily upgraded from a time early in the 21st century, which if properly undertaken was supposed to include domestic hull stretch augmentation from 1,200 tons to 1,400 tons, and installment of domestically developed Torpedo Acoustic Counter Measures (TACM). These upgrades could have been affected due to Korean economic problems of the late 1990s, which affected other plans to acquire nine 1,500-ton AIP-equipped boats or upgrade six 1200 boats to 1,500-tons AIP-equipped boats, although the more ambitious plan to acquire nine 1,800-ton Type 214 AIP submarines was preserved and put under progress, which will reportedly be wrapped up in 2018 when all submarines of the type are scheduled to be commissioned. Outfitting the submarines with Sub-Harpoon launching capability was a part of the upgrade, and this seems to have been properly carried out by 2002 on at least one submarine. By 2007, "Na Daeyong" and "Lee Eokgi" were demonstrated to have the capability. In the 2008 RIMPAC the submarine Lee Sunshin also demonstrated its sub-harpoon capability. By 2009 it was reported that nine South Korean-modified 1,400-ton Type 209 submarines were in service with the ROKN. As of 2011 they were reported to be 1,200-ton Type 209 submarines. They can equip the White Shark heavy torpedo, and can possibly equip submarine-launched Hae Sung anti-ship missiles later on. LIG Nex1 began producing TACM for unspecified submarine types of the ROKN as well, which finished development in 2000. AIP and flank-array sonars are planned for future modernizations. The "Jang Bogo" class offered to Indonesia will already be in stretched and augmented forms including guided missile-launching capabilities and a surface displacement of 1400 tons, quite similar to the original plan to upgrade the existing "Jang Bogo"-class submarines of ROKN to similar specifications.
A science documentary by EBS reported that "Jang Bogo"-class submarines will undergo major generational overhaul and refit every eight to twelve years. The overhaul and refit involves periodic cutting, complete disassembly, and re-welding of the hull for the upgrade or total replacement of the submarine's old engines, navigational equipment, batteries, and other essential equipment with their modern counterparts. Hull stretch may also have taken place in some of the "Jang Bogo"-class vessels since the early 2000s, but it has neither been completely confirmed nor denied. Some "Jang Bogo"-class vessels are demonstrated to have sub-Harpoon launching capability when previously the class was lacking it. ROKN is committed to build and maintain a submarine force of 26 attack submarines until 2025, excluding small and midget submarines, though it is not clear how many submarines among those will belong to the "Jang Bogo" class. The oldest commissioned "Jang" "Bogo-"class submarine by then will be 32 years old.
Lithium-ion battery power stacks are being developed to increase the underwater endurance of "Jang Bogo"-class submarines by two to three times, offering four to five times the power density of Type 209's current lead-acid batteries and as much as twice the power density of Type 214's BZM 120 fuel cells.
Sales.
In December 2011, DSME won a contract to build three 1,400-ton "Chang Bogo"-class submarines for Indonesia at a cost of $1.07 billion. Construction of the submarines will start in January 2012 for delivery by 2015 and 2016, for commissioning in the first half of 2018. They'll be equipped with torpedoes and guided missiles. The submarines are described to be Korea's original model, bigger and more advanced than Indonesia's refurbished Type 209/1300. Initially the offered submarines were going to be in-service ROKN submarines. The sale will be done without the involvement of German companies. South Korea is currently the only country outside Germany independently offering the Type 209 for sale. Indonesia was also offered two license built Type 209 submarines manufactured by a group of Turkish (SSM - Undersecretariat for Defense Industries) and German companies (HDW/ThyssenKrupp), a deal reported to be valued at $1 billion. SSM was also offering the leases of Type 209 submarines until new submarines could be completed. The offer has since been superseded by the DSME submarine contract. In early 2012, the Korean defense firm LIG Nex1 exhibited its latest suite of indigenously developed submarine sensors, submarine combat systems, and heavy-weight torpedoes and wire-guided torpedoes in Indonesia for potential use by the Indonesian Navy's submarine forces.
Improved "Jang Bogo" class.
In 2011, DSME signed a contract with Indonesia on for the supply of three Improved "Jang Bogo"-class submarines. These submarines will be equipped with Atlas Elektronik CSU 90 hull-mounted passive and active search-and-attack sonar and flank sonar arrays, Indra's Pegaso RESM system and Aries low-probability of intercept radar, L3's MAPPS integrated platform management systems and Safran's Sigma 40XP inertial navigation systems.
The improved submarines are also known as s.
In 2019, South Korea signed another contract worth US$1.02 billion to sell three 1,400-ton submarines to Indonesia and would be supported through a loan agreement.
Incidents.
On July 15, 2020 05:00 UTC, Norwegian merchant ship "Hoegh London" (IMO 9342205) and unknown ship of South Korean Navy's Jang Bogo-class submarine were collided near Gadeokdo Island, Busan, South Korea.


Leon Trionfante-class ship of the line

The "Leon Trionfante"-class were a class of at least fourteen 70-gun third rate ships of the line built by the Venetian Arsenale from 1716 to 1785, in four different series with minor changes in the ships' length. In 1797, when Venice fell to the French, Napoleon captured several ships of the class, still unfinished in the Arsenal: he chose one of them, forced the shipbuilders to have it completed and added it to his fleet "en route" for Egypt. After Campoformio, the remaining vessels were destroyed by the French to avoid their capture by the Austrian Empire.
Design and history.
Almost all the ships of this class were planned and started before 1739, completed to a 70%, then stored in the roofed shipbuilding docks of the Arsenale to be finished and launched when the Venetian Navy need them, a solution the British Royal Navy adopted only in 1810, when the docks at Chatham were covered.
This decision, mostly due to the chronic lack of funds of the Republic of Venice in its final years, led to retain in service older and inferior ships than the ones built at the same time for the British Royal Navy and the French Royal Navy. Moreover, contemporary third rates had heavier guns (32-pounders on the gun deck and 18-pounders on the upper gun deck), even if the armament of those ships could be brought up to 72-74 guns. Except for the "Leon Trionfante" and the "Diligenza", none of this class' ships remained in service for more than fifteen years.


USS De Grasse (AK-223)

USS "De Grasse" (AP-164/AK-223), originally SS "Nathaniel J. Wyeth", was a active with the United States Navy during World War II. It was the second ship of the Navy to bear the name De Grasse, named after French Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse.
Construction.
"De Grasse" was launched 24 February 1943, as liberty ship SS "Nathaniel J. Wyeth" by the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation, Portland, Oregon, under a Maritime Commission contract. She was sponsored by Mrs. V. Palmer, acquired by the Navy on 28 October 1943, and converted by the United Engineering Company in Alameda, California. "De Grasse" was commissioned 8 November 1943, with Lieutenant Commander W. Jordon, USNR, in command. She was reclassified AK-223, 20 August 1944.
World War II Pacific Theatre operations.
Supporting the Allied invasion forces.
"De Grasse" sailed from Port Hueneme, California, 22 November 1943, with construction battalion troops and cargo, arriving at Pearl Harbor 2 December. Along with training assault troops in the Hawaiians, she carried men and equipment to the Marshalls and Gilberts on two voyages in February and March 1944. On 29 May she departed Pearl Harbor for the invasion of the Marianas, and between 20 and 25 June and again on 2 and 3 July lay off Saipan to land reinforcements. "De Grasse" returned to Pearl Harbor 27 July and until the end of 1944 transported troops among the Marshalls, the Gilberts, and the Marianas, and trained men in the Hawaiian area for amphibious assaults.
"De Grasse" sailed from Pearl Harbor 17 January 1945, to carry troops from Eniwetok, Guam, Saipan, and Majuro to Ulithi, staging point for the Okinawa operation. "De Grasse" arrived off Okinawa 26 April, and the following day landed men and supplies at Ie Shima. After two voyages to carry Army hospital units from Nouméa and Espiritu Santo to Okinawa, she sailed from Okinawa 5 August for San Francisco and overhaul.
End-of-war activity.
"De Grasse" was assigned to Operation Magic Carpet duty after the war. She returned to San Francisco 23 January 1946, was decommissioned 28 March 1946, and delivered to the War Shipping Administration the same day for disposal.
"De Grasse" received three battle stars for World War II service.


Nichioh Maru

Nichioh Maru is a ro-ro car carrier built for the transport of Nissan cars and parts around Japan. The ship employs various features designed to promote energy efficiency, including solar power panels, an electronically controlled diesel engine, LED lighting in the ship's hold and living quarters, and low friction paint on its hull. According to its owners it will achieve a fuel reduction of up to nearly 1,400 tons annually, with an annual reduction of 4,200 tons of CO2 emissions.