AIDAblu

AIDAblu is a "Sphinx"-class cruise ship, operated by the German cruise line, AIDA Cruises. "AIDAblu" is the seventh ship in the cruise line. The vessel was delivered by Meyer Werft on 4 February 2010. She is a sister ship to "AIDAdiva", "AIDAbella", "AIDAluna" with a half deck more, and is followed by similar "AIDAsol" and "AIDAmar". She has a passenger capacity of 2,050.
The name of "AIDAblu" was used for a former AIDA ship from 2004 to 2007.
Facilities.
"AIDAblu"has six restaurants, ten bars, of outer deck area and a theatrium.
It also has the first brewery installed on a cruise ship, where the beers served in the ship are brewed.
"AIDAblu" has 1096 cabins, 374 are on the inside and 722 on the outside.
The callsign is IBWX . IMO 9398888 . MMSI 247282500.
Incidents.
In 2010 Francesco Schettino, the captain of the ill-fated Costa Concordia before, was the captain of the Costa Atlantica, also a Carnival Corporation ship as it entered the port of Warnemünde, Germany, at too high a speed, allegedly causing damage to the "AIDAblu".
On 18 May 2020, whilst the ship was docked in Hamburg, a male Filipino crew member of "AIDAblu" who had worked in the galley department was found dead in his cabin. The crew member was not suspected to have died of COVID-19.


MV Sugar Transporter

MV Sugar Transporter was a British built Bulk carrier. It was launched on 25 March 1970 and was sunk at anchorage off Socotra Island near the Horn of Africa in 1991. It was also named the "Kefalonia Wind", "Sea Transporter", and "Sunset". The ship was owned by the Sugar Line Limited, as well as Oceanfever Marine.


Type F submarine

The were medium Imperial Japanese Navy submarines in commission during the 1920s. They were Japan's first true seagoing submarines and the earliest Japanese submarines classified as "second-class" or "medium" submarines.
Design and description.
The Type F submarines were designed by the Italian firm Fiat-Laurenti and built under license by Kawasaki-at Kobe, Japan. The Type F submarines were the Imperial Japanese Navy′s first true seagoing submarines, and when the Japanese adopted a three-tiered classification system of its submarines as first-class ("I"), second-class or medium ("Ro"), and third-class ("Ha") on 1 November 1924, the Type F submarines were the earliest to receive the second-class classification, as reflected in their low numbers in the "Ro" series, and in fact they were the earliest Japanese submarine classified as anything higher than third-class.
As built, Type F submarines had no deck gun, but soon after they were completed each of them had a /40 gun installed on her deck. The Type F submarines had non-cylindrical hulls intended to provide extra internal space, but the Japanese considered the hulls weak despite the provision of additional scantlings during construction to reinforce them. Because of their disappointing performance, they did not serve as the basis for any later Japanese submarine classes.
Class variants.
The "Type F" submarines were divided into two subclasses:
"Type F1 (Ro-1-class)".
The F1 subclass was ordered under the 1915–1916 naval program. Two were constructed between 1917 and 1920:
"Type F2 (Ro-3-class)".
The F2 subclass ("Ro-3"-class) was ordered in 1918. It was an improved version of the F1 subclass with a modified bridge. The Fiat diesel engines were unreliable and the F2 subclass′s top surface speed of was well below the intended . Additional F2 subclass units planned under the 1919 construction program were cancelled and replaced by the new "Kaichū"-type and Type L submarines.
Three submarines of the F2 subclass were constructed between 1919 and 1922:
Characteristics.
Sources


SS M O P 223-C

M O P 223-C was a suction hopper dredger that was built in 1946 by William Simons & Co Ltd, Renfrew, United Kingdom as Empire Forager for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold in 1949 to the Argentinian Government and renamed M O P 229-C. She was renamed La Descanisada later that year and then renamed "M O P 223-C" in 1958, serving until she was scrapped in 1976.
Description.
The ship was between perpendiculars ( overall), with a beam of . She had a depth of and a draught of . She was assessed at , .
The ship was propelled by two triple expansion steam engines, which each had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke. The engines were built by William Simons & Co. Ltd. Each engine drove a single screw propeller.
History.
The ship was built in 1941 by William Simons & Co. Ltd., Renfrew, United Kingdom. She was yard number 767. She was launched on 19 March 1946 and completed in April. Her port of registry was Greenock. The Code Letters GKLN and United Kingdom Official Number 169468 were allocated. "Empire Forager" was operated under the management of H. Abram Ltd.
In 1949, "Empire Forager" was sold to the Argentinian Government and was renamed "M O P 229-C". Her port of registry was Buenos Aires. She was operated by the Ministry of Public Works. Later that year, she was renamed "La Descanisada". She was renamed "M O P 223-C" in 1958. With the introduction of IMO Numbers in the 1960s, "M O P 223-C" was allocated the number 5215818. She served until 1976 when she was scrapped.


SS Empire Flame

Empire Flame was a CAM ship that was built in 1941 by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold in 1945 and renamed Dunkery Beacon. A further sale to Finland in 1955 saw her renamed Rissa. Following a sale in 1961, she was renamed Augusta Paulin. She served until 1969 when she was scrapped.
Description.
The ship was a CAM ship built in 1941 by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead, Cheshire, United Kingdom. She was yard number 1060.
The ship was long, with a beam of . She had a depth of and a draught of . She was assessed at , , 9,905 DWT.
The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine, which had cylinders of 23½ inches (60 cm), 37½ inches (95 cm) and diameter by stroke. The engine was built by Cammell Laird. It drove a single screw propeller. The engine could propel the ship at a speed of
History.
The ship was built by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead, Cheshire in 1941 for the MoWT. She was launched on 12 May 1941 and completed in June 1941. The Code Letters BCLF and United Kingdom Official Number 166321 were allocated. Her port of registry was Liverpool. She was placed under the management of the Booth Steamship Co Ltd, London. As with all CAM ships, she was armed with a Hawker Sea Hurricane aircraft.
"Empire Flame" made her maiden voyage on 24 June 1941 when she sailed from Liverpool, Lancashire to the Clyde, arriving the next day. She sailed from the Clyde on 7 July to join Convoy OB 343, which had departed from Liverpool the previous day and dispersed at sea () on 21 July. Her destination was Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, which was reached on 23 July. Carrying a cargo of grain, "Empire Flame" departed from Halifax on 1 August with Convoy HX 142, which arrived at Liverpool on 18 August. "Empire Fame" sailed from Liverpool on 1 August with Convoy ON 12, which dispersed at sea () on 14 September. She arrived at Halifax on 21 September. "Empire Flame" sailed for Sydney, Nova Scotia on 27 September, arriving the next day. Carrying a cargo of grain, She departed on 29 September with Convoy SC 478, which arrived at Liverpool on 20 October. She left the convoy at the Belfast Lough on 18 October and joined Convoy BB 90 which arrived at Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire the next day. She sailed on to Avonmouth, Somerset, arriving on 21 October.
"Empire Flame" later sailed to Newport, Monmouthshire, from where she departed on 5 November for Milford Haven, arriving two days later. She sailed on 8 November to join Convoy ON 35, which departed from Liverpool on 9 November and dispersed at sea () on 27 November. "Empire Flame" was bound for Halifax, where she arrived on 27 November. She departed on 2 December, arriving at Sydney the next day. Laden with a cargo of grain, "Empire Flame" was a member of Convoy SC 58, which departed from Sydney on 4 December and arrived at Liverpool on 21 December.
"Empire Flame" departed from Liverpool on 13 January 1942 with Convoy ON 57, which dispersed at sea ( on 7 February. She was carrying the Convoy Commodore, Vice-Admiral Geoffrey Mackworth. She arrived at Halifax later that day, and sailed on 8 February for Portland, Maine, where she arrived on 10 February. "Empire Flame" sailed on 19 February for Halifax, arriving the next day. Laden with grain, she departed on 22 February with Convoy SC 71. The convoy arrived at Liverpool on 19 March. She was sailing without her Hawker Sea Hurricane at this time. "Empire Flame" sailed from Liverpool on 21 March with Convoy ON 78, which arrived at Halifax on 9 April. Laden with wheat, she returned to the United Kingdom with Convoy SC 80, which sailed on 18 April and arrived at Liverpool on 3 May. "Empire Flame" was a member of Convoy ON 94, which sailed from Liverpool on 12 May and arrived at Halifax on 25 May. She departed from Halifax on 9 June with Convoy HS 11, which arrived at Sydney two days later. Laden with general cargo, she then joined Convoy SC 87, which sailed on 12 June and arrived at Liverpool on 27 June.
"Empire Flame" was a member of Convoy ON 110, which departed from Liverpool on 6 July and arrived at Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 26 July. She left the convoy at Halifax on 22 July, joining Convoy XB 31 on 26 July and arriving at Boston two days later. "Empire Flame" left the convoy at the Cape Cod Canal and sailed to New York, arriving on 30 July. She sailed from New York on 13 August for Boston, where she joined Convoy BX 34, which sailed on 19 August and arrived at Halifax two days later. Carrying steel and general cargo, "Empire Flame" departed from Halifax on 22 August as a member of Convoy SC 97, which arrived at Liverpool on 7 September. She left the convoy at the Clyde, where she arrived that day. "Empire Flame" sailed from the Clyde on 20 September to join Convoy ON 132, which had sailed from Liverpool the previous day and arrived at New York on 8 October. She was carrying the Convoy Commodore, Rear-Admiral Sir Errol Manners KBE. She left the convoy at Halifax, arriving on 7 October. "Empire Flame" sailed from Halifax on 19 October to join Convoy SC 106, which had sailed from New York on 16 October and arrived at Liverpool on 5 November. She was carrying a cargo of grain and also fourteen passengers. "Empire Flame" was a member of Convoy ON 148, which sailed on 23 November and arrived at New York on 13 December. She was carrying the Convoy Commodore, Captain F H Taylor DSC, Royal Navy. She left the convoy at Halifax, where she arrived on 12 December, sailing the next day with Convoy HF 21, which arrived at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, on 15 December. "Empire Flame" returned to Halifax with Convoy FH 25, which sailed on 28 December, arriving two days later.
"Empire Flame" sailed on 7 January 1943 to join Convoy SC 118, which had departed from New York on 4 January and arrived at Liverpool on 29 January. She was carrying a cargo of grain. She sailed from Liverpool on 12 February for the Belfast Lough, arriving the next day. She the joined Convoy ON 167, which departed from Liverpool on 14 February and arrived at New York on 8 March. By this time, "Empire Flame" was no longer a CAM ship. She left the convoy at Halifax, where she arrived on 6 March. She then joined Convoy HF 41, which sailed on 10 March and arrived at St. John two days later. She departed from St. John on 23 March with Convoy FH 44, arriving at Halifax two days later. "Empire Flame" was a member of Convoy SC 125, which departed from Halifax on 31 March and arrived at Liverpool on 15 April. She was carrying a cargo of flour and the Convoy Commodore, Captain R G Clayton, DSC, Royal Naval Reserve.
"Empire Flame" was a member of Convoy ONS 6, which departed from Liverpool on 29 April and arrived at Halifax on 17 May. She was carrying the Convoy Commodore, Captain M J D Mayall, Royal Naval Reserve. She the joined Convoy HS 86, which departed on 19 May and arrived at Sydney the next day. "Empire Flame" then joined Convoy SQ 49, which sailed on 23 May and arrived at Father Point, Quebec, Canada on 27 May. "Empire Flame" later sailed to the Red Islet, from where she departed on 12 June with Convoy QS 52, arriving at Sydney on 16 June. She then joined Convoy SH 87, which sailed on 18 June and arrived at Halifax the next day. "Empire Flame" departed from Halifax on 27 June with Convoy SC 135, which arrived at Liverpool on 11 July. She was carrying a cargo of explosives, grain and vehicles. as well as the Convoy Commodore.
"Empire Flame" sailed from Liverpool on 8 August with Convoy OS 53 km, which split at sea on 17 August to form Convoy OS 53 and Convoy KMS 23G. She was carrying stores bound for Oran, Algeria, She was in the part of the convoy that formed Convoy KMS 23G, which arrived at Gibraltar on 18 August. She then joined Convoy KMS 23, which sailed from Gibraltar that day and arrived at Port Said, Egypt on 30 August. She left the convoy at Algiers, Algeria on 21 August. "Empire Flame" sailed on 26 September to join Convoy GUS 16, which had sailed from Alexandria, Egypt on 19 September and arrived at the Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States on 15 October. She left the convoy at Oran, Algeria the next day, sailing again on 12 October to join Convoy MKS 27, which had departed from Alexandria on 4 October and arrived at Gibraltar on 14 October. "Empire Flame" left Gibraltar on 21 October for Melilla, Spain, arriving the next day and then sailing for Gibraltar, where she arrived on 23 October. She then joined Convoy MKS 28G, which sailed that day and rendezvoused at sea on 24 October with Convoy SL 138, the combined convoys arrived at Liverpool on 5 November. "Empire Flame" was carrying a cargo of iron ore. She left the convoy at Loch Ewe on 5 November and joined Convoy WN 502 which sailed on 7 November and arrived at Methil, Fife the next day. She then joined Convoy FS1268A, which sailed on 9 November and arrived at Southend, Essex the next day. She left the convoy at Middlesbrough, Yorkshire on 10 November.
"Empire Flame" sailed from Middlesbrough on 3 December to join Convoy FN 1194, which had departed from Southend the previous day and arrived at Methil on 4 December. She then joined Convoy EN 315, which sailed on 5 December and arrived at Loch Ewe the next day. She sailed on to the Clyde, arriving on 8 December.
"Empire Flame" sailed from Middlesbrough on 3 December to join Convoy FN 1194, which had departed from Southend the previous day and arrived at Methil on 4 December. She then joined Convoy EN 315, which sailed on 5 December and arrived at Loch Ewe on 6 December. She sailed on to the Clyde, arriving on 8 December. "Empire Flame" sailed on 25 December to join Convoy OS 63 km, which had sailed from Liverpool that day and split at sea on 7 January 1944 to form Convoy OS 63 and Convoy KMS 37. She was carrying stores and vehicles bound for Oran. "Empire Flame" was in the part of the convoy that formed Convoy KMS 37G and arrived at Gibraltar on 9 January. She then joined Convoy KMS 37, which sailed that day and arrived at Port Said on 20 January. She left the convoy at Algiers on 11 January. "Empire Flame" sailed on 24 January to join Convoy GUS 28, which had departed from Port Said on 15 January and arrived at the Hampton Roads on 15 February. She left the convoy at Gibraltar on 26 January. She sailed on 6 February to join Convoy OS 66, which had formed at sea the previous day and arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone on 15 February. "Empire Flame" was a member of Convoy STL 12, which sailed on 22 February and arrived at Lagos, Nigeria on 29 February. She left the convoy at Takoradi, Gold Coast on 27 February. She sailed on 8 March with Convoy STL 13A, which arrived at Lagos on 9 March. "Empire Flame" sailed the next day with Convoy LGE 1, which later dispersed at sea. She arrived at Douala, French Cameroons on 13 March. She departed on 27 March and arrived at Lagos on 30 March, sailing that day with Convoy LTS 15, which arrived at Freetown on 6 April. "Empire Flame" sailed with Convoy SL 155 on 11 April. She was carrying West African produce, as well as three passengers and two bags of mail. The convoy rendezvoused at sea with Convoy MKS 46 on 23 April, The combined convoys arrived at Liverpool on 3 May.
"Empire Flame" departed from Liverpool on 2 June with Convoy OS 79 km, which split at sea on 11 June to form Convoy OS 79 and Convoy KMS53. She was carrying stores bound for Naples, Italy. She was in the part of the convoy which formed Convoy KMS 53G and arrived at Gibraltar on 13 June. She sailed the next day with Convoy KMS 53, which arrived at Port Said on 24 June. She left the convoy at Augusta, Sicily, Italy on 21 June, sailing that day with Convoy VN 48, which arrived at Naples on 22 June. "Empire Flame" sailed on 11 July with Convoy NV 51, which arrived at Augusta the next day. She sailed on 13 July to join Convoy MKS 55, which had departed from Port Said on 8 July and arrived at Gibraltar on 20 July. "Empire Flame" sailed on 23 July to join Convoy OS 83, which had formed at sea that day and arrived at Freetown on 3 August. She sailed for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, arriving on 14 August. "Empire Flame" sailed on 26 August for Freetown, where she arrived on 9 September. She sailed on 18 September with Convoy SL 171, which rendezvoused at sea with Convoy MKS 62 on 30 September. The combined convoys arrived at Liverpool on 8 October. She left the convoy and sailed to Falmouth, Cornwall, arriving on 7 October, sailing later that day for Southend, where she arrived on 9 October. "Empire Flame" sailed the next day with Convoy FN 1506, which arrived at Methil on 12 October. She left the convoy at Immingham, Lincolnshire on 11 October.
"Empire Flame" sailed on 23 October to join Convoy FN 1519, which had departed from Southend that day and arrived at Methil on 25 October. She then joined Convoy EN 449, which departed on 26 October and arrived at Loch Ewe on 28 October. "Empire Flame" then sailed to Halifax and joined Convoy XB 134, which sailed on 15 November and arrived at Boston on 17 November. She left the convoy at the Cape Cod Canal that day and sailed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, arriving on 18 November. She sailed on 10 December for Boston, from where she sailed on 13 December with Convoy BX 137, arriving at Halifax on 15 December. She sailed with Convoy SC 163 on 17 December, arriving at Liverpool on 31 December. "Empire Flame" was carrying a cargo of explosives and general cargo.
"Empire Flame" was a member of Convoy OS 110 km, which sailed on 11 February 1945 and split at sea () on 15 February. She was carrying a cargo of coal, stores and vehicles bound for Naples. She was in the part of the convoy that formed Convoy KMS 84G and arrived at Gibraltar on 19 February, but she sailed on to Naples, arriving on 24 February. "Empire Flame" sailed on 28 February for Piraeus, Greece, where she arrived on 3 March. She sailed a week later for Augusta, arriving on 12 March and sailing the next day for Bône, Algeria, where she arrived on 15 March. She sailed again on 18 March for Gibraltar, arriving on 21 March and sailing that day with Convoy MKS 90G, which arrived at Liverpool on 28 March. "Empire Flame" was carrying a cargo of iron ore. She left the convoy and sailed to Southend, arriving on 29 March and then joining Convoy FN1676, which sailed that day and arrived at Methil on 31 March. She left the convoy at Middlesbrough, arriving on 30 March.
"Empire Flame" sailed on 14 April to join Convoy FN 1688, which had departed from Southend that day and arrived at Methil on 16 April. She then joined Convoy EN 487, which sailed the next day and arrived at Loch Ewe on 19 April. "Empire Flame" sailed on the Belfast Lough, arriving on 20 April and sailing the next day to join Convoy ONS 48, which had sailed that day from Liverpool and arrived at Halifax on 4 May. She then joined Convoy XB 162, which sailed on 5 Mary and arrived at Boston on 7 May. She left the convoy at the Cape Cod Canal and sailed to New York, arriving on 7 May. "Empire Flame" sailed on 18 May for Nuevitas, Cuba, from where she sailed on 5 June for the Hampton Roads, where she arrived on 11 June. She sailed the next day for Falmouth, arriving on 26 June and sailing that day for Cardiff, Glamorgan, where she arrived the next day.
"Empire Flame" sailed on 15 August for Antwerp, Belgium, arriving on 18 August. She departed on 2 September for Cardiff, where she arrived on 4 September. She sailed on 7 September for Cape Henry, Virginia, arriving on 25 September. She sailed from the Hampton Roads the next day for Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Atlantique, France, arriving on 13 October. She then sailed to Brest, Finistère, France, from where she sailed on 13 October for an unrecorded destination.
Before 1945 was out, "Empire Flame" was sold to the Crawford Shipping Co Ltd, London and renamed "Dunkery Beacon". She was sold in 1955 to OY Larus AB, Finland and renamed "Rissa". The Code Letters OFVN were allocated. Her port of registry was Helsinki. She was operated under the management of Rolf Simberg, Malmi, Helsinki. The Finnish Official Number 1170 was allocated. She was assessed at , , 9,905 DWT. "Rissa" was sold in 1961 to Paulins Rederi A/B, Finland and renamed "Augusta Paulin". Her port of registry was changed to Turku. She was operated under the management of Kommanditbolaget Ab Paulin Chartering Oy & Co Kommandiittiyhtiö. In 1962, she was assessed as Ice Class II and the Finnish Official Number 1396 was allocated. In 1964, "Augusta Paulin" was reassessed at 10,063 DWT. With the introduction of IMO Numbers in the late 1960s, "Augusta Paulin" was allocated the IMO Number 5030608. In 1967, her port of registry was changed to Nagu. The ship was scrapped in May 1969 in Shanghai.


Farragut-class destroyer

Two classes of destroyer of the United States Navy are known as the "Farragut" class:


SS Hawaiian Shipper

Hawaiian Shipper was a Modified Type C3 cargo ship which was built in 1941 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey for the United States War Shipping Administration. She was transferred to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Fulmar. She was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) in 1942 and renamed "Hawaiian Shipper". Converted in 1943 to a troopship for the United States Navy. To the USMC in 1946 and renamed America Transport. Sold in 1958 to the States Steamship Company and renamed Washington. Renamed Michigan and sold to the United States Maritime Administration in 1960. She was sold to the Waterman Steamship Corporation in 1969 and renamed Morning Light, she was scrapped in 1973 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Description.
The ship was overall, between perpendiculars, with a beam of . She had a depth of at the freeboard deck, at the shelter deck and a draught of 28 ft 7in (8.72 m). She was assessed at , , .
The ship was propelled by two steam turbines, driving a single four-blade screw propeller of diameter and pitch through double reduction gearing. The propeller was of cast bronze. It was made by the Cramp Brass and Iron Foundry. The turbines were made by the De Laval Steam Turbine Company. They were rated at 9,350 shp maximum. Driving the propeller at 85 rpm, it could propel her at . Steam was supplied by two Foster Wheeler D type marine water tube boilers. Her range was .
The ship had five cargo holds. Hold 1 was accessed by a hatch by and had a capacity of . Hold 2 was accessed by a hatch by and had a capacity of . There was a tank under the hold with a capacity of 1,621 tons. Hold 3 was accessed by a hatch by and had a capacity of . Hold 4 was accessed by a hatch by and had a capacity of . Hold 5 was accessed by a hatch by and had a capacity of . There was a tank under the hold with a capacity of 250 tons. Seven bulkheads divided the ship into eight watertight compartments.
History.
"Hawaiian Shipper" was a Modified Type C3 cargo liner built as yard number 188 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey for the Matson Navigation Company. She was launched on 12 April 1941. The ship was christened by Mrs F. A. Bailey, the wife of the vice president of the Matson Navigation Company. Sister ship was launched after her. She was completed in May 1941. The United States Official Number 240590 and Code Letters WHEQ were allocated. Her port of registry was San Francisco. "Hawaiian Shipper" was built for the New York to Hawaii route. Operated under the direction of the United States War Shipping Administration, she was temporarily chartered to the Isthmian Line and sailed from New York on her maiden voyage on 26 May 1941. Her destination was Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. She called at Balboa, Panama, departing on 8 June and arriving at Los Angeles on 16 June. She sailed two days later for San Francisco. "Hawaiian Shipper" departed on 1 July for Honolulu, Hawaii, sailing from there on 19 July for Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, where she arrived on 13 August. She sailed three days later for Fremantle, Western Australia, where she arrived on 23 August, departing that day for Sydney, where she arrived on 1 September. "Hawaiian Shipper" then sailed for Honolulu, from where she sailed on 14 September for San Francisco, arriving on 19 September
"Hawaiian Shipper" was transferred to the Ministry of War Transport and renamed "Empire Fulmar". She departed from San Francisco on 5 October for Los Angeles, California, arriving later that day. She sailed three days later for Balboa, where she arrived on 16 October, departing that day for Norfolk, Virginia, United States. "Empire Fulmar" arrived on 20 October. She sailed on 25 October with Convoy CARGO, which arrived at the Clyde on 4 November.
"Empire Fulmar" sailed from the Clyde on 22 December for Cape Town, South Africa, from where she sailed on 17 January 1942 for Aden, arriving on 29 January. She sailed on 3 February for Suez, Egypt, where she arrived on 23 February. "Empire Fulmar" was a member of Convoy KR 1, which departed from Kilindini Harbour, Kenya on 10 March and arrived at Colombo, Ceylon on 20 March. She was carrying a cargo of artillery, ammunition, vehicles and 26 military personnel. She sailed from Colombo on 28 March for Bombay, India, where she arrived on 2 April. She departed on 21 April for Mombasa, Kenya, arriving on 27 April and sailing three days later for Durban, South Africa, where she arrived on 5 May. "Empire Fulmar" departed the next day for Cape Town, where she arrived on 8 May. She sailed on 12 May for Trinidad, arriving on 27 May and sailing four days later for Baltimore, Maryland, United States, where she arrived on 8 June.
"Empire Fulmar" was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) later that month and renamed "Hawaiian Shipper". Her original port of registry, Official Number and Code Letters were reinstated. She departed from New York on 13 July as a member of Convoy AS 4, which joined Convoy WS 21P at sea on 5 August. She arrived at Cape Town on 13 August, sailing three days later for Aden, where she arrived on 29 August. She sailed later that day for Suez, arriving on 3 September. "Hawaiian Shipper" sailed on 16 September for Aden, arriving on 19 September and departing the next day for Mombasa. She sailed two days later for Beira, Mozambique, where she arrived on 1 October. She sailed on 13 October for Cape Town, arriving on 18 October and departing four days later for New York, where she arrived on 14 November. "Hawaiian Shipper" sailed for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 20 November, arriving the next day.
She was converted to a troopship for the United States Navy. "Hawaiian Shipper" was a member of Convoy UGF 5, which departed from the Hampton Roads on 9 February 1943 and arrived at Casablanca, Morocco on 19 February. She sailed on 27 February to join Convoy GUF 5, which had departed from Oran, Algeria the previous day and arrived at the Hampton Roads on 11 March. "Hawaiian Shipper" was a member of Convoy UGF 7, which departed from the Hampton Roads on 2 April and arrived at Gibraltar on 12 April. She sailed on to Oran, arriving the next day. She sailed with Convoy GUF 7, which departed on 18 April and arrived at the Hampton Roads on 30 April. She left the convoy and put in to Bermuda, arriving on 11 May before sailing to New York. "Hawaiian Shipper" departed from New York on 16 May for Boston, Massachusetts, arriving two days later. She then sailed to Reykjavik, Iceland, departing on 23 June for New York, where she arrived on 1 July.
"Hawaiian Shipper" sailed from New York on 16 July for the Clyde, arriving on 26 July. She was a member of Convoy TA 54A, which departed from the Clyde on 3 August and arrived at New York on 11 August. She was a member of Convoy UGF10, which departed from the Hampton Roads on 21 August and arrived at Oran on 2 September, returning with Convoy GUF 10, which sailed on 9 September and arrived at the Hampton Roads on 21 September. "Hawaiian Shipper" was a member of Convoy UT 3, which departed from New York on 8 October and arrived at Liverpool on 17 October. She was carrying general cargo and 2,200 troops of the 15th Field Artillery Battalion, United States Army. She put into the Belfast Lough then sailed on 19 October for the Clyde, arriving the next day. She sailed on 29 October to join Convoy KMF 25A, which had departed from Liverpool on 27 October and arrived at Alexandria, Egypt on 11 November. "Hawaiian Shipper" left the convoy and put in to Palermo, Sicily, Italy on 7 November. She sailed on 11 November to join Convoy MKF 25A, which had departed from Port Said, Egypt on 31 October and arrived at the Clyde on 24 November. She was a member of Convoy TU 3, which sailed from the Clyde on 30 November and arrived at New York on 11 December. She sailed on 22 December for New Orleans, Louisiana, arriving on 26 December.
"Hawaiian Shipper" sailed on 1 January 1944 for Cristobal, Cuba, arriving on 6 January. She then sailed to Balboa, departing on 7 January for Bora Bora, French Polynesia, where she arrived on 20 January. She sailed the next day for Nouméa, New Caledonia, arriving on 28 January. She sailed three days later to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, where she arrived on 2 February. "Hawaiian Shipper" departed on 12 February for San Francisco, California, arriving on 26 February. She sailed on 23 March for Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, arriving on 27 April. She then sailed to Langemak Bay, returning to Milne Bay on 30 April and sailing two days later for San Francisco, where she arrived on 20 May.
"Hawaiian Shipper" sailed on 3 June for Port Hueneme, California, arriving two days later and departing on 9 June for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where she arrived on 16 June. She sailed on 30 August for San Francisco, arriving on 4 September. She sailed on 24 September for San Diego, California arriving the next day and departing on 26 September for Pearl Harbor, where she arrived on 2 October. "Hawaiian Shipper" sailed a week later for the Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands, arriving on 16 October. She then sailed to Roi Island, from where she departed on 25 October for Majuro and Makin, Gilbert and Ellice Islands, arriving on 2 November. "Hawaiian Shipper" sailed two days later for Pearl Harbor, arriving on 17 November. She departed four days later for San Diego, where she arrived on 27 November, sailing that day to San Francisco, arriving the next day. "Hawaiian Shipper" departed on 17 December for Langemak Bay. The troops sailing on her had been told that there were plenty of supplies and films on board, but only film available was "Orchestra Wives", starring Glenn Miller.
"Hawaiian Shipper" arrived at Langemak Bay on 2 January 1945, sailing that day for Hollandia, Netherlands East Indies, where she arrived two days later. "Hawaiian Shipper" was a member of Convoy GI 7, which departed from Hollandia on 26 January and arrived at Leyte, Philippines on 31 January. She returned with Convoy IG 10, which sailed on 23 February and arrived at Hollandia on 2 March. She departed on 4 March for Milne Bay arriving two days later and sailing on 8 March for Pearl Harbor, where she arrived on 19 March. "Hawaiian Shipper" sailed the next day for San Francisco, where she arrived on 25 March.
"Hawaiian Shipper" sailed on 11 April for Port Hueneme, from where she departed on 17 April for Pearl Harbor, arriving on 23 April. She sailed two days later for the Enewetak Atoll, arriving on 2 May. She departed the next day, making a return voyage to Saipan, Mariana Islands and then returning to Saipan, from where she sailed on 14 May for San Francisco. "Hawaiian Shipper" departed on 5 June for Los Angeles, California, arriving two days later and sailing on 9 June for Balboa and Cristobal, from where she sailed on 18 June for Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France, arriving on 29 June. She sailed three days later for New York, arriving on 10 July. She departed on 17 July for Gibraltar, arriving on 25 July and sailing that day for Naples, Italy, where she arrived on 28 July. She loaded troops bound for Lingayen, Philippines. "Hawaiian Shipper" sailed on 1 August from Cristobal for Balboa, News of the surrender of Japan reached the ship and her destination was changed. She departed from Balboa on 16 August for New York, where she arrived on 21 August. The last redeployment vessel to transit through the Panama Canal, she brought home 1,819 troops.
"Hawaiian Shipper" sailed on 7 September for Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, arriving on 17 September. She sailed the next day for Baltimore, Maryland, arriving on 29 September. She departed on 6 October for Port Said, where she arrived on 19 October before sailing to Suez, from where she departed the next day for Karachi, India, arriving on 27 October. She sailed the next day for Suez and Port Said, departing from that port on 6 November for New York, where she arrived on 20 November. "Hawaiian Shipper" sailed on 1 December for Port Said, arriving on 15 December and sailing that day for Karachi, where she arrived on 23 December. She sailed the next day for Singapore, arriving on 1 January 1946. "Hawaiian Shipper" then sailed to Seattle, Washington, where she arrived on 21 January. On 11 April she was placed in reserve at Olympia, Washington.
In 1946, "Hawaiian Shipper" was returned to the USMC and renamed "America Transport". She was sold to the States Steamship Company in 1958 and renamed "Washington". She was renamed "Michigan" in 1960. She was sold to the Waterman Steamship Corporation in 1969 and renamed "Morning Light". She was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1973.


SS Daniel H. Hill

SS "Daniel H. Hill" (MC contract 875) was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after Daniel Harvey Hill, a Confederate general who commanded units from North Carolina in the American Civil War.
The ship was laid down by North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in their Cape Fear River yard on November 29, 1942, and launched on December 27, 1942. "Hill" was chartered to American Export Lines until August 1946 by the War Shipping Administration. From December 1946 until October 1947 she was chartered to Lykes Brothers Steamship Company, who delivered "Hill" to the Mobile Fleet of the National Defense Reserve Fleet at the end. She was scrapped in 1964.


MSC Orchestra

MSC Orchestra is a cruise ship that was built in 2007 for MSC Cruises. She is the second ship of the "Musica" class. She could at the time accommodate 2,550 passengers in 1,275 cabins. Most inside cabins were later refitted with two bunk beds and therefore she can now accommodate 3,200 passengers. Her crew complement is approximately 990.
Eight passengers, 4 Bulgarians and 4 Lithuanians, were arrested during 2010 after cocaine, worth an estimated £1.4m, was found on board whilst berthed at Dover, United Kingdom. Seven of the passengers pleaded guilty and the eighth was convicted at trial.
Design.
The cruise ship has length of and beam of . "MSC Orchestra" has draft of and gross tonnage of 92,409. The ship has capacity for 2,550 passengers and a crew complement of 987.
Accidents & Incidents.
On February 22, 2019, due to an unknown navigational error, "MSC Orchestra" collided with "MSC Poesia" as it was departing Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Orchestra also hit a pier. Both ships only sustained minor damage and were cleared to depart.


Nemo H2

The Nemo H2 is a passenger ship developed by Fuel Cell Boat for 88 people in Amsterdam for which the power for the electric motor is generated by a fuel cell on hydrogen. It is the first boat for 88 people in the Netherlands with a fuel cell. The keel laying was in Hasselt in 2008 and the first boat is in operation on the canals in Amsterdam since December 2009.
Specification.
A boat for 87 passengers, 21.95 m long and 4.25 m wide with a depth of 1 meter and a height of 65 cm above the water, an 11 kW electric bow thruster and a 55 cm/75 kW electric azimuth thruster, 6 hydrogen storage tanks with a pressure of 35 MPa for 24 kg of hydrogen, with a 60-70 kW PEM fuel cell and an integrated 30-50 kW battery . The ship has a 9-hour range at a cruising speed of 9 knots. The hydrogen station is powered by NoordzeeWind for the electrolysis of water and has a production capacity of 60 m3 of hydrogen per hour which would be sufficient for two cruise boats.


SS Cuba Victory

SS "Cuba Victory" was built and operated as Victory ship class cargo ship which operated as a cargo carrier in World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War.
Construction.
"Cuba Victory" was laid down under U.S. Maritime Commission contract by Permanente Metals Corporation, Richmond, California on 31 March 1944, under the Emergency Shipbuilding program. She was launched on 27 June 1944 and was delivered to the War Shipping Administration (WSA) on 19 August 1944.
The SS "Cuba Victory" was used near the end of World War II. The ship’s United States Maritime Commission designation was VC2-S-AP3, hull number P No. 1 (530), Victory #530. The Maritime Commission turned her over to a civilian contractor for operation. Victory ships were designed to replace the earlier Liberty Ships. Liberty ships were designed to be used just for WW2. Victory ships were designed to last longer and serve the US Navy after the war. The Victory ship differed from a Liberty ship in that they were: faster, longer and wider, taller, with a thinner stack set farther toward the superstructure and had a long raised forecastle.
World War II.
During World War II "Cuba Victory" operated as a merchantman and was chartered to the Mississippi Shipping Company. With a civilian crew and United States Navy Armed Guard to man the ship guns. SS "Cuba Victory" served in the Pacific Ocean in World War II as part of the Pacific war. SS "Cuba Victory" Naval Armed Guard crews earned "Battle Stars" in World War II for the assault occupation of Okinawa. "Cuba Victory" used its guns to defend herself and other ships at Okinawa. Three Victory ships at Okinawa sank: SS Canada Victory, SS Logan Victory and SS Hobbs Victory. "Cuba Victory" and other ships were attached April 27, 1945 in the Battle of Okinawa. On 12 May 1945 at night in fog on her way back home, the "Cuba Victory", about a 100 miles from the remote US Navy base at Ulithi, collided with the ammunition ship SS "Saginaw Victory". The damage to both ships was substantial. The two ships went to the Truk Island (now called Chuuk Lagoon) to have the damages checked. An escort ship took the two ships back to Ulithi. The "Cuba Victory" was repaired and put back into service.
Post World War II.
Many wanting to escape the war damaged Europe and find new opportunities to work traveled to Argentina after World War II. The "Cuba Victory" made two trips from Europe to the Port of Buenos Aires, Argentina. "Cuba Victory" docked at the port on 29 August 1946 and again on 4 January 1947 with new immigrants. After the war in 1948 the "Cuba Victory" was laid up at Beaumont, Texas in the reserve fleet there.
Korean War.
For the Korean War the "Cuba Victory" was removed from the reserve fleet and put back in service. She was operated by the Moore-McCormack cargo line. SS "Cuba Victory" served as merchant marine naval ship supplying goods for the Korean War. About 75 percent of the personnel taken to Korea for the Korean War came by the merchant marine ships. The SS "Cuba Victory" transported goods, mail, food and other supplies. About 90 percent of the cargo was moved by merchant marine naval to the Korean war zone. SS "Cuba Victory" made trips between 1950 and 1952 helping American forces engaged against Communist aggression in South Korea. After the war she was returned to the reserve fleet.
Vietnam War.
In 1966 the "Cuba Victory" was reactivated for the Vietnam War. On 24 May 1868 while unloading ammunition at Cat Lai in upper part of the Saigon River in the Nhà Bè District, she was hit by a Viet Cong artillery shell and suffered significant damage. The attack killed three dockworkers and two tugboat crew. The USS "Mataco" (AT-86) a Navajo-class fleet tug towed her down the river. "Cuba Victory" returned to Beaumont reserve fleet. In The 1985 "Cuba Victory" was scrapped in Brownsville, Texas.


SS M.I.T. Victory

The SS "M. I. T. Victory was a Victory ship built during World War II and used as a troop transport. She was later named USAT "MIT Victory and finally USAT "Lt. Alexander R. Nininger". Note: In 1944 there was a different transport ship named "Alexander R. Nininger, Jr.".
Service life.
"M. I. T. Victory" was part of the series of Victory ships named after educational institutions, in this case the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her design type was VC2-S-AP2/WSAT. Her Maritime Commission (MCV) hull number was 819 and her shipyard number was 2472. She was a War Shipping Administration Transport (WSAT) designed to carry 1,597 troops.
She was launched and christened on 12 May 1945, shortly after V-E Day. Her sponsor was Mrs. Margaret H. Compton, wife of MIT President Karl T. Compton, who also attended. She was completed on 5 June 1945, 74 days after being laid down.
"M. I. T. Victory"'s library was donated by MIT through the American Merchant Marine Library Association. While bringing back G.I.s from Europe after World War II, the ship published a mimeographed newspaper, "Tech Times", for those on board.
One of her more notable passengers was Mary Jane Keeney, a GRU agent involved in the "Amerasia" Affair. In March 1946, after working with the Allied Staff on Reparations in Europe, Keeney returned on board "M. I. T. Victory" to New York City. Shortly after arriving the FBI observed her passing an envelope to Joseph Bernstein, which was delivered to Alexander Trachtenberg, a communist party official.
On 30 August 1946, the ship was transferred to the US Army and became U. S. Army Transport (USAT) "M.I.T Victory". She made her maiden voyage as an Army Transport from New York to Bremerhaven, Germany, departing on September 13, 1946, carrying troops to Europe. A hurricane was encountered en route and the trip took 13 days.
She was later renamed to USAT "Lt." "Alexander R. Nininger", using the Army practice of naming their vessels after Medal of Honor winners.
Fate.
On 16 September 1949, she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet in the Hudson River. The Army transferred title to the Maritime Commission on 8 December 1949. On 31 October 1969 she was transferred to James River, Virginia. On 16 July 1974, she was sold for $555,100 to Sparreboom Shipbrokers for scrapping. At 1030 EDT, on 23 August 1974 she was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet and sent to the breaker's yard in Rotterdam.
Artifacts.
The christening bottle for the "M. I. T. Victory" is in the MIT Historical Collection. The brass builder's plate was likely removed by MARAD, but has not been cataloged as of this writing.


United States lightship Swiftsure (LV-83)

Light Vessel Number 83 (LV-83) "Swiftsure " is a lightship and museum ship owned by Northwest Seaport in Seattle, Washington. Launched in 1904 at Camden, New Jersey and in active service until 1960 after serving on all five of the American west coast's lightship stations, it is the oldest surviving lightship in the United States, the only one still fitted with its original steam engine, and the last lightship with wooden decks. LV-83 was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, and has been undergoing major restoration since 2008.
Description.
As built, LV-83 was one of the nation's new third-generation lightships, with an all-steel hull, wooden decks, and a powerful double-expansion steam engine. It measured on the keel, 133 feet overall, with a beam of and a draft of , and was rated at 668 tons. The beakhead roller on the bow was later removed, reducing length overall to 129 feet 6 inches.
The ship's aids to navigation currently include a 1,000-watt beacon light, a 140-decibel Diaphone horn, and a foredeck fog bell. At the time of launching, however, the beacon consisted of a chandelier of three oil lamps that could be hoisted up the masts from the deck. These were originally powered by whale oil, then first converted to kerosene, and finally electrified in 1930. A 12-inch diameter steam whistle was the primary sound signaling device on board with the 1,000-lb bell standing by as the auxiliary. For a time, LV-83 was also fitted with an underwater bell with a mechanical striker that would strike out the ship's identity as a submarine signal. Sound carries much farther in water, extending the range of the ship's signals. The underwater bell was removed when a radio beacon was fitted on the ship for long-range signaling.
For propulsion, LV-83 was driven by a single 8-foot diameter screw powered by a 375-horsepower marine steam engine, originally fed by a pair of coal-fired fire-tube Scotch boilers. The ship had two coal bunkers, each with a capacity of 75 tons, and freshwater tankage for more than 11,000 gallons. In 1934, the Scotch boilers were replaced with modern oil-fired watertube boilers, improving endurance, speed of bunkering, and speed in raising steam while simultaneously reducing the size of the boiler room crew.
During active service, LV-83's normal crew complement was 15, with 10 on duty at any given time. The others were on shore leave rotation. Crew size did fluctuate slightly with technological modifications such as the labor saving oil-fired boilers or the successive waves of new electronic devices like radio and radar. During World War II, the ship's complement increased to more than 30 to man the guns fitted aboard for war duty.
History.
LV-83 was launched in Camden, New Jersey in 1904, and was deployed to the West Coast to serve on the Blunt's Reef lightship station. Since the Panama Canal would not be completed for another decade, LV-83 (accompanied by LV-76) had to steam around the tip of South America and north to San Francisco to reach its first station assignment at Blunts Reef off Crescent City, California. While there, the ship rescued 150 people from the steamer "Bear" after that ship ran aground on the reef in dense fog.
Formerly known as Relief, LV-83 had numerous names on its sides, all of which indicated the location of its station. "Swiftsure" refers to the Swiftsure Bank near the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates Washington from Vancouver Island. She also guided ships near Umatilla Reef and the Columbia River Bar.
The ship was decommissioned in 1960, and purchased by Northwest Seaport in 1966. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989, and is on the Washington State Heritage Register. LV-83 is docked on Lake Union, in Seattle, Washington, where a long-running restoration was begun in 2008. LV-83 is open to visitors on most summer weekends, or by appointment.


MSC Oliver

MSC Oliver is one of the largest container vessels (as of May 2015) in the world, together with her sister ships "MSC Oscar", "MSC Zoe", "MSC Maya" and "MSC Sveva". The vessel was delivered in March 2015 by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (South Korea). According to the official statement of the CEO of Mediterranean Shipping Company, the ships are part from a bulk order for 20 vessels with same size, which will be used for cost optimizations of the company. With the new ships, the management of MSC are trying to fight the low freight rates and increased capacities of shipping.
Name.
The ship is named Oliver after the CEO of MSC, Diego Aporte's nephew.
Construction.
"MSC Oliver" and its sister ships were ordered by MSC in December 2013 and was completed in March 2015. The maiden voyage was planned for the beginning of April 2015 and the ship serves MSC's liner service between Asia and North Europe. "MSC Oliver" was built in Geoje shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (yard number 4278). The container ship is valued at worth of 140 million USD.
Design.
"MSC Oliver" has an overall length of , moulded beam of and maximum summer draft of . The deadweight of the cargo ship is and the gross tonnage is . The total capacity is 19,224 TEU and on board of the vessel there are 1,800 reefer points. According to its owner, the ship has better than 35% lower CO2 emissions per TEU than earlier container ships.
Engineering.
The main engine of the container ship "MSC Oliver" is MAN B&W 11S90ME-C (10.2) with MCR of 62,500 kW at 82.2 rpm and NCR of 56,250 kW at 79.4 rpm. Such power is enough for the ship to reach service speed of and maximum speed of . The optimized engineering and propulsion system decrease the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by over 35% per TEU compared to conventional ships of the company.


American Queen

American Queen is said to be the largest river steamboat ever built. The ship was built in 1995 and is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat, built by McDermott Shipyard for the "Delta Queen" Steamboat Company. Although the "American Queen's" stern paddlewheel is indeed powered by a steam plant, her secondary propulsion, in case of an emergency and for maneuverability around tight areas where the paddle wheel can not navigate, comes from a set of diesel-electric propellers known as Z-drives on either side of the sternwheel. She has 222 state rooms for a capacity of 436 guests and a crew of 160. She is long and wide.
The Str. "American Queen" was retired to the reserve fleet in Violet, Louisiana, on 20 November 2008. Due to the failure of Majestic America Line (her owner) she was returned to the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) who held her $30 million mortgage. The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration records the ship's movement to the Beaumont Reserve Fleet on January 22, 2009. As of April 2011 "American Queen" is under contract for $15.5 million to HMS Global Maritime, based in New Albany, Indiana. Based on the August, 2011 U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration inventory, the ship was sold on August 2, 2009, and departed the Beaumont Reserve Fleet for Memphis, Tennessee. The new operator, The American Queen Steamboat Company announced plans to return her to Mississippi River service from a port in Memphis, Tennessee. She rejoined her fellow sternwheeler steamboats "Natchez", "Chautauqua Belle", "Minne-Ha-Ha", and the "Belle of Louisville". She is currently in service.
In 2012 the "American Queen" participated for the first time in the Great Steamboat Race. She came in second place.
The "American Queen" Steamboat is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
In 2013 "American Queen" was fully refurbished and expansions were made to her dining areas and public venues.
Facilities.
The "American Queen" has health and wellness facilities that include a spa with masseuse located on main deck and a gym and pool located between the fifth and sixth decks. For dining, the vessel offers formal dining in the "J.M. White Dining Room" located on main deck and a casual, 24-hour dining option called the "Front Porch Cafe" located on Deck 3. There is also the "River Grill & Bar" which is an outdoor bar on Deck 5 that offers drinks and cookout-style food during good weather. There are also several entertainment venues including the "Grand Saloon" - a stage theater modeled after Ford's Theatre. Other entertainment options include a movie theater on Deck 3, musical performances in the "Engine Room Bar" on Deck 2 and numerous card games and reading materials in the "Gentlemen's Card Room", "Ladies' Parlor", "Mark Twain Gallery" and "Chart Room".
Themed voyages.
"American Queen" passengers experience themed voyages with special appearances by various performers and lecturers, such as Lewis Hankins as Mark Twain. The Civil War themed voyage includes historians as guest speakers, and the Twain cruise features Cindy Lovell and other Twain scholars.
Routes.
The "American Queen" has cruised the Mississippi River from its mouth to as far north as St. Paul, Minnesota. She has also traveled the entire length of the Ohio River, the Tennessee River as far up as Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Cumberland River as far up as Nashville, Tennessee and the Illinois River as far up as Ottawa, Illinois. In addition to these rivers, the "American Queen" enters the Yazoo Diversion Canal when visiting Vicksburg, Mississippi, Lake Ferguson when visiting Greenville, Mississippi and the Allegheny River when visiting Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The riverboat has also traversed the Gulf of Mexico in order to reach maintenance and repair facilities in Morgan City, Louisiana and Beaumont, Texas.
Media appearances.
In 2007, "American Queen" was the subject of an episode of the Discovery Channel TV series "Superships", and is available to view on digital download platforms such as iTunes and Amazon Prime Video.
In 2009, "American Queen" was featured in an episode of "Little People, Big World" in which the Roloff family took a cruise aboard the vessel.
In 2018, "American Queen" was featured in an episode of "Cruising with Jane McDonald." The show followed British singer Jane McDonald on a cruise aboard the American Queen from New Orleans to Memphis.


Golf-class submarine

The Project 629, (Russian: проект–629, lit. "Projekt-629"), also known by the NATO reporting name of Golf class, were a class of the diesel electric powered ballistic missile submarines that served in the Soviet Navy. They were designed as six Zulu class submarines were successfully modified to carry and launch Scud missiles. All Golf boats had left Soviet service by 1990, and have since been disposed of. According to some sources at least one Golf-class submarine was operated by China, to test new SLBMs.
Class history.
Project 629 was started in the mid-1950s along with the D-2 missile system which it was to carry, and was based on the Foxtrot. Design task was assigned to OKB-16, one of the two predecessors (the other being SKB-143) of the Malachite Central Design Bureau, which would eventually become one of the three Soviet/Russian submarine design centers, along with Rubin Design Bureau and Lazurit Central Design Bureau ("Lazurit" is the Russian word for lazurite). The submarine was originally designed to carry three R-11FM ballistic missiles with a range of around 150 km. These were carried in three silos fitted in the rear of the large sail behind the bridge. They could only be fired with the submarine surfaced and the missile raised above the sail but the submarine could be underway at the time. Only the first three boats were equipped with these—the remaining ones were equipped with the longer range R-13 missiles.
The first boats were commissioned in 1958 and the last in 1962.
The boats were built at two shipyards — 16 in Severodvinsk and 7 in Komsomolsk-na-Amure in the Far East. An 8th in the Far East went to China. Fourteen were extensively modified in 1966–1972 and became known as 629As by the Soviet Navy and Golf IIs by NATO (the original version having been designated Golf I). The major change was the upgrade of the missile system to carry R-21 missiles which could be launched from inside their tubes with the submarine submerged and increased speed. In later years a few were converted to test new missiles and others had different conversions.
All boats had left Soviet service by 1990. In 1993, ten were sold to North Korea for scrap. According to some sources, the North Koreans are attempting to get these boats back into service.
An organization of defectors from North Korea, named In-Kook Yantai, published a report in 2016 entitled "North Korea's Nuclear and WMD Assessment". In that report, North Korean defector Kim Heung-kwang said a 3,500 ton nuclear-powered submarine, one of a pair, was due for launch before 2018. It was described as having four missile launch silos in the sail and is generally thought to refer to a re-powered Golf II class vessel.
In 1959 the project technology was sold to China which built a single modified example in 1966, which is still in service.
Project Azorian.
On March 8, 1968, northwest of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean the Golf II class submarine "K-129" sank due to an explosion brought on by unknown cause, the accident being registered by the SOSUS network. The entire crew of 98 was lost and the vessel sank with three ballistic nuclear missiles as well as two nuclear torpedoes. The United States recovered parts of the submarine in July 1974 from a depth of around 5 km, in an operation named Project Azorian.
Two nuclear submarines that had been facing retirement, and , were rebuilt and pressed into service as deep sea search vehicles. After "Halibut" discovered a sunken Soviet submarine containing at least one intact ballistic missile complete with nuclear warhead, Melvin Laird, United States Secretary of Defense under President Richard Nixon, approved Azorian. Six years later, 1560 nautical miles north of the Pearl Harbor, a mechanical claw descended to the bottom of the Pacific and, guided by computers on board the Glomar Explorer, clamped onto the mass of twisted, rusting steel and began slowly raising it to the surface. It is unknown for sure how successful the effort was, but the United States has admitted to recovering a portion of "K-129", which included six bodies of Soviet sailors that were buried at sea with full honors.


IRIS Shahid Nazeri

Shahid Nazeri () is a high-aspect-ratio twin-hull vessel operated by the Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran.
Name.
The vessel is named after Mohammad Nazeri, the first commander of the IRGCN marines. It has been referred to as support ship HARTH 55 by the American military intelligence agencies.
Description.
The vessel is 55 meters long with a claimed long-range support capability of 5,400 nautical miles (10,000 kilometers). With a super-slender aluminum hull, she is capable of carrying some 100 troops and has also a helipad for one aircraft. "Shahid Nazeri"'s speed is reportedly 28 knots.
Operational history.
"Shahid Nazeri" was commissioned in September 2016 at Bushehr.
In April 2017, satellite imagery suggested that "Shahid Nazeri" was relocated to an operational naval base at the headquarters of 1st Naval Region in Bandar Abbas. The vessel did not participate in the Exercise Velayat 95 and only made "brief stints into nearby waters". "Shahid Nazeri" was among Iranian vessels that participated in Marine Security Belt joint wargame with the Chinese and Russian navies, whose units were led respectively by destroyer "Xining" (DDG-117) and frigate "Yaroslav Mudry" (FF-777).
Analyses.
Kelsey D. Atherton of the "Popular Science" opined that the vessel is "mostly for show" and "[i]t’s unclear how the "Nazeri" fits into this larger speedboat-heavy strategy". Chris Biggers commented at Bellingcat that "[a] high-speed catamaran-like vessel could be useful" for Iran for establishing itself as a regional power, as well as moving operations beyond the Strait of Hormuz. Farzin Nadimi, an associate fellow with The Washington Institute, wrote in 2020 that "Shahid Nazeri" could be the flagship of the IRGC's naval forces because it has not been deployed for long-range missions and spends most of its time moored at the command headquarters.


MS Elias D. Knight


SS General Vallejo


HMS Andromeda (F57)

HMS "Andromeda was a of the Royal Navy. She was built at HM Dockyard Portsmouth. She was launched on 24 May 1967 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 2 December 1968. She took part in the Falklands War and was sold to India in 1995, for use as a training ship, being renamed INS "Krishna. She was finally decommissioned in May 2012.
Construction.
"Andromeda" was one of three "Leander"-class frigates ordered on 12 January 1965, the other two being and . She was laid down at HMNB Portsmouth on 25 May 1966, launched on 24 May 1967 and commissioned on 2 December 1968 with the Pennant number "F57".
"Andromeda" was a Batch 3, "Broad-Beamed" "Leander", and as such was long overall and at the waterline, with a beam of and a maximum draught of . Displacement was standard and full load. Two oil-fired boilers fed steam at and to a pair of double reduction geared steam turbines that in turn drove two propeller shafts, with the machinery rated at , giving a speed of .
A twin 4.5-inch (113 mm) Mark 6 gun mount was fitted forward. A single Sea Cat surface-to-air missile launcher was fitted aft (on the Helicopter hangar roof), while two Oerlikon 20mm cannon provided close-in defence. A Limbo anti-submarine mortar was fitted aft to provide a short-range anti-submarine capability, while a hangar and helicopter deck allowed a single Westland Wasp helicopter to be operated, for longer range anti-submarine and anti-surface operations.
As built, "Andromeda" was fitted with a large Type 965 long range air search radar on the ship's mainmast, with a Type 993 short range air/surface target indicating radar and Type 978 navigation radar carried on the ship's foremast. An MRS3 fire control system was carried to direct the 4.5-inch guns. The ship had a sonar suite of Type 184 medium range search sonar, Type 162 bottom search and Type 170 attack sonar, together with a Type 199 variable depth sonar (VDS).
Between 1977 and 1980, "Andromeda" underwent a major reconstruction, in which the ship's armament and sensors were greatly revised. The 4.5 inch gun turret, Sea Cat launcher and Limbo anti submarine mortar were removed, with a sextuple Sea Wolf surface-to-air missile launcher and four Exocet missiles fitted forward. Two triple STWS-1 torpedo tubes allowed anti-submarine torpedoes to be launched, while the ship's hangar and flight deck was enlarged to allow a Westland Lynx helicopter to be carried instead of the smaller Wasp. A completely new radar outfit was fitted, with a Type 967 air-search radar and a Type 968 low-level air warning and surface search radar fitted back to back on the ship's foremast, and with a Type 1006 navigation radar fitted lower down on the ship's foremast. A Type 2016 long-range search sonar replaced the Type 184 sonar, while the Type 162 bottom search sonar was retained. Displacement increased to standard and full load, while speed dropped to .
Royal Navy Service.
Beira Patrol.
In 1969, "Andromeda" was deployed to the Persian Gulf and Far East as leader of the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, taking part in the Beira Patrol, a deployment that was used to prevent oil reaching Rhodesia via Mozambique. On 1 June 1970, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker , on her way to refuel "Andromeda", struck an uncharted pinnacle of rock off the Seychelles, and sank. "Andromeda" was the first ship on the scene of the accident, and helped to rescue the crew of "Ennerdale", the wreck of which was later destroyed by explosives. Later that year, "Andromeda" returned to European waters. On 23 October 1970, the Liberian-flagged tanker collided with the tanker off the Isle of Wight and caught fire with 13 killed aboard "Pacific Glory". The blazing "Pacific Glory" ran aground on 24 October, and "Andromeda" took part in the large scale clean up operation. On 9 October 1970, "Andromeda" and her helicopter went to the aid of the tug RMAS "Samsonia" which had suffered a mechanical breakdown when towing the landing ship in bad weather through the Pentland Firth. In 1971 she was present at Portsmouth Navy Days. In August 1971 she joined the 6th Frigate Squadron as leader.
Cod Wars.
In 1973, "Andromeda" took part in the Second Cod War, patrolling to intervene in case of interference on British fishing by Icelandic vessels. On 11 August 1973, "Andromeda" was rammed by the Icelandic gunboat . The following year, "Andromeda" had to evacuate British civilians from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus after Turkey had invaded it. In 1975, during the Third Cod War, the Icelandic gunboat rammed "Andromeda" on 28 December, damaging her guardrail and a chaff launcher. On 7 January 1976, "Andromeda" was involved in another ramming, this time with the gunboat "Þór". Both warships were damaged, with "Andromeda" receiving a dent as a result of this collision, and had to return to Devonport for repairs.
Falklands War.
In 1977, "Andromeda" took part in the Fleet Review of the Royal Navy, during the Silver Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. Between November 1977 and December 1980, "Andromeda" underwent modernisation, including the addition of Exocet and Sea Wolf missiles at Devonport dockyard. "Andromeda" took part in the Falklands War in 1982, returning to the United Kingdom from a deployment in the Western Atlantic in April 1982, before sailing for the South Atlantic as part of the 'Bristol Group', entering the Total Exclusion Zone on 25 May. She mainly acted as a close-escort for the aircraft carrier , receiving no damage during the war. After visiting South Georgia in August, she sailed for home, reaching Devonport on 10 September.
Varied duties.
In the subsequent years of the 1980s, "Andromeda" performed a number of varied duties, patrolling the Persian Gulf on Armilla Patrol, and deployments to the Falklands and West Indies. In late summer of 1984, "Andromeda" docked at Baltimore Harbor in the US for 10 days, on her way from the Falklands back home to England.
Armilla deployment 1983. Ports visited included Djibouti, Cochin, Singapore, Mombasa, Mauritius, Reunion and the Maldives
Falklands 1984
Armilla deployment 1985. Ports visited included Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Mombasa and Gibraltar.
Sale.
Between 1990–91, "Andromeda" underwent a refit. She was decommissioned two-years later. "Andromeda" was sold to the Indian Navy in 1995, where she was commissioned as the training ship, INS "Krishna". Her armament had been reduced to two Bofors 40 mm guns and two Oerlikon 20 mm cannons.
Fate.
"Krishna" was decommissioned on 24 May 2012 at Mumbai, 44 years to the day after her launch. The ship was sunk in the Bay of Bengal for target practice by Indian Navy ships.


British B-class submarine

The B class was a class of 11 submarines, built by Vickers in Barrow-in-Furness for the Royal Navy, and launched in 1904–06. One boat was sunk by a collision in 1912, but the remainder served in World War I. Three boats protected the transfer of the British Expeditionary Force to France in 1914, but were soon relegated to local defence and training duties. Six submarines were in the Mediterranean when the war began and were quickly sent to the Dardanelles to prevent a breakout by the German battlecruiser and the light cruiser into the Eastern Mediterranean. "B11" ventured into the Dardanelles in December 1914 and sank the elderly Turkish ironclad .
The arrival of more modern submarines to blockade the Dardanelles made the B-class boats redundant and they were mostly withdrawn to Malta in 1915. They were transferred to Venice after Italy entered the war, where "B10" became the first submarine to be sunk by air attack in 1916. The B-class submarines were transferred back to Malta in late 1916 as they were no longer deemed suitable for combat. In mid-1917 they were converted to surface patrol boats and sent to patrol the Otranto Barrage. They proved to be unreliable and were soon sent back to Malta where they were finally paid off. Only "B3" was still in commission when the war ended and that was only because it was being used for experimental work and serving as a target to train anti-submarine forces. All surviving boats were sold for scrap in 1919–21.
Design and description.
The B-class boats were similar in design to the preceding A class and intended for coastal patrol work. The boats had a petrol engine for surface propulsion and batteries for underwater propulsion. The design was intended to overcome the limitations of speed, endurance and seakeeping that affected the boats of the A class, and the boats were substantially larger than the earlier class. The B-class submarines were long overall. They had a beam of and a draught of . They displaced on the surface and submerged. The boats were over longer, slightly wider, and displaced more than more than the older boats. Their additional size increased their buoyancy and made them far less liable to unexpectedly plunge beneath the surface in bad weather. The addition of a deck casing above the hull also improved their seakeeping abilities.
Diving planes were initially only fitted at the stern, but additional planes were mounted on the conning tower during construction of "B1", "B2", and "B3"; "B4" was not fitted with them and it is uncertain if the remaining boats received them during construction. These greatly improved the boats' depth-keeping, surfacing and diving abilities compared to the A-class boats. These were later exchanged for bow planes; the last boat to receive them was "B6", which did not get hers until January 1916. The B-class submarines lacked any internal bulkheads which exposed the crew to the petrol engine's exhaust fumes. Mice were used to detect any concentrations of carbon monoxide inside the hull. Ventilation was provided for the batteries, but none for the crew's living area. No accommodations were provided for the crew and they were forced to improvise while at sea. In recognition of this issue, the crew's endurance was only expected to be four days during the summer and three days during the winter.
The submarines' hulls were tested to a nominal depth of by filling the hull with water and subjecting it to a pressure of , but the maximum operational depth was considered to be . Nonetheless several boats safely dived to during World War I. It took about three minutes to dive the boat due to the shape of the boat and that it could dive out of control if water was pumped into the ballast tanks too quickly. Submerged endurance was officially considered to be 10 hours, but several boats were submerged for 16 hours during the war.
Propulsion.
The B-class submarines had a single 16-cylinder petrol engine that had a designed output of and drove a single propeller. This engine was developed by Vickers from the Wolseley engine used in the "A" class. Submerged the submarine used an electric motor powered by 159 battery cells at a working voltage of only 100 volts. This originally lasted only three hours and 45 minutes at full speed, but this time was continually increased over the career of the boats as more powerful batteries were fitted.
On the surface the petrol engine gave a top speed of while the maximum speed submerged was . This was about the same speed surfaced as the older submarines, but the B-class boats were about slower underwater. They carried a maximum of of petrol that provided a range of at a speed of .
Armament.
The B-class boats were armed with a pair of 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes side by side in the bow and angled slightly downwards. Space was provided for a pair of reloads, but the addition of extra equipment over the years meant that they could only be carried if an equivalent weight of fuel was discarded. By the start of World War I the boats could carry the 18-inch Mark VIII torpedo which had two speed and range settings. At the torpedo had a range of , but a range of at . It had a warhead that consisted of of TNT.
History.
Each submarine was built by Vickers at their Barrow-in-Furness shipyard. "B1" was originally ordered as "A14" in the 1903–04 Naval Programme, but it was cancelled and reordered as the first boat of the new class. The remaining 10 boats were ordered as part of the 1904–05 Programme.
In mid-1912 most of the B-class submarines were transferred to the Mediterranean. "B6", "B7", and "B8" were sent to Gibraltar while "B9", "B10" and "B11" sailed for Malta. "B1", "B2", "B3", "B4", and "B5" remained in the United Kingdom, the latter four assigned to the 3rd Submarine Flotilla. During exercises in October 1912 off Dover with the 6th and 7th Torpedo Boat Flotillas was rammed amidships by the German passenger liner SS "Amerika" on 4 October 1912. Cut nearly in half, she sank almost immediately and only one man was rescued by the submarine .
World War I.
Home waters.
By the beginning of World War I, "B3", "B4", and "B5" were at Dover and were deployed on a line between Calais and the Goodwin Sands to protect the passage of the British Expeditionary Force to France. Each submarine would sail from Dover before dawn to be secured at the buoy marking their billet at dawn, the idea being that they would be able to slip from the buoy when they spotted an enemy ship and manoeuvre to attack. That this was not a good tactic was proved when "B3" narrowly avoided a torpedo from a German U-boat on the morning of 2 October. Nonetheless the scheme was successful and the BEF crossed to France without loss.
"B1" remained at Portsmouth for local defence and training duties through 1916 before being paid off. "B3" and "B4" were transferred to Ardrossan by the end of 1915 to relieve two even more obsolescent A-class boats on local defence duties in the Firth of Clyde. "B3" was transferred to Leith during mid-1916 where she was fitted with an experimental hull-mounted directional hydrophone system and later sent to Rosyth in 1917 where she was used as either a target to train anti-submarine forces or experimental work for the rest of the war. "B4" was paid off before the end of 1916. "B5" moved to Portsmouth during 1915 where she too was paid off before the end of 1916.
Mediterranean waters.
The three Malta-based boats were sent to the Dardanelles in mid-September 1914 to prevent a sortie by the German battlecruiser and the light cruiser into the Eastern Mediterranean. The entrance to the Dardanelles was patrolled from dawn to dusk by these boats as well as four French submarines which arrived later. Neither the British nor the French submarines had enough battery power or underwater speed to combat the south-flowing currents in the Dardanelles to reach the Sea of Marmara, but "B11" was selected for a sortie that would attempt to penetrate as far as the town of Chanak, halfway up the Dardanelles, because she had the newest, and thus most powerful, batteries. Special guards were fitted over the forward diving planes to make sure that any mooring wires of mines would not get entangled and dragged down to the boat.
On 13 December 1914, "B11", commanded by Lieutenant Norman Douglas Holbrook, entered the Dardanelles in the early morning. Shortly after departure one of the guards broke and began banging against the hull, making a lot of noise and vibration. Lieutenant Holbrook ordered the boat to the surface in an attempt to cut the guard loose even though the boat was in full view of the Turkish guns defending the entrance. They succeeded before dawn revealed their presence to the Turks and proceeded up the Dardanelles at a depth of to avoid the Turkish minefields. Two and a half hours later "B11" came to periscope depth and Holbrook spotted the elderly Turkish ironclad "Mesudiye". He fired one torpedo that struck the ship, which settled by the stern and then capsized. Before sinking, "Mesudiye" spotted "B11" and fired on her periscope which revealed her position to the shore batteries. Attempting to leave the area, "B11" briefly grounded herself, breaking the surface, but was able to get herself off. "B11"s compass became fogged and prevented the submarine from navigating at depth; instead Holbrook had to con the boat at periscope depth which meant he had to go through the minefields, not below them. Nevertheless, the boat made it back safely; Holbrook was awarded the Victoria Cross, his First Lieutenant, the Distinguished Service Order and every enlisted man the Distinguished Service Medal.
"B6" and "B8" arrived from Gibraltar in mid-February 1915 as did "B7" a month later. Other, more modern submarines followed, and several attempts were made to reach the Sea of Marmara. The British submarine ran aground in April during one of these attempts and had to be abandoned. "B6" was sent to destroy her with torpedoes to prevent the Turks from salvaging her. One of the torpedoes hit a barge alongside and the other torpedo missed. After running out of fuel it drifted down the Dardanelles and was recovered by the destroyer which returned it to "B6". "B11" attempted again the following day, but was thwarted by fog.
The B-class boats were deemed redundant once more capable submarines arrived in early 1915 and most returned to Malta. "B6" and "B11", however, were sent to Alexandria where they conducted patrols along the Libyan coast to prevent arms deliveries to rebellious tribesmen. During one incident on 16 August 1915 a party of Arabs and officers in European uniforms were spotted displaying a flag of truce. The two submarines anchored and Lieutenant Holbrook was rowed ashore to talk to them. They opened fire, killing one man and wounding three, including Holbrook. The submarines were soon withdrawn from this task as they were totally unsuitable for this duty, lacking any deck armament at all.
Adriatic waters.
In September 1915, after the Italian declaration of war on the Central Powers, the transfer of the B-class boats to the Adriatic was suggested by the Admiralty. Originally they were to be based at Brindisi, but this was changed to Venice as there were already 14 British and French submarines based at Brindisi. "B4", "B7", and "B9" were the first to arrive, but "B4" collided en route with the Italian tug escorting them and required immediate docking upon her arrival. "B9" made the first patrol on 18 October and a total of 81 patrols were made by the "B"-class submarines before they ceased in October 1916. Nothing of note was directly accomplished by the submarines, but they fulfilled the ultimate goal of keeping the Austro-Hungarians from attacking the Italian coast.
"B11", now commanded by Lieutenant Gravener, encountered an Austro-Hungarian seaplane on 11 November that had been forced down by engine trouble. "B11" attempted to engage the seaplane with the one Maxim gun she had aboard, but it jammed almost immediately and Gravener attempted to ram the aircraft. The Austrians managed to restart their engine, however, and flew off, easily avoiding Gravener's ramming attempt. On 17 January "B11" encountered another seaplane with engine trouble. This time the Austrians were unable to repair their engine and were captured. "B9" was spotted by an Austrian seaplane on 29 March and eventually forced to dive after both sides failed to damage each other with machine gun fire. "B7" had a narrow escape off the Austrian naval base at Pola three months later when she was damaged by another seaplane that jammed her diving planes in the "hard to rise" position which meant she could not submerge until they were repaired. Both "B8" and "B11" were missed by torpedoes fired by Austrian submarines in early 1916. On one patrol the gear teeth of "B11"s steering mechanism were stripped which made the rudder loose and the boat unsteerable. Relieving tackles were rigged, despite the heavy seas, but they parted under the strain after 15 minutes. Slowly the boat began to drift towards the enemy coast, but a northwesterly breeze sprang up before dawn and the seas moderated which allowed her to make about by going astern. By this time she was overdue and the Italians began to search for her. She was towed back to Venice by an Italian destroyer that found her about mid-morning.
"B10" became the first submarine sunk by air attack when she was sunk at her mooring in Venice on 9 August 1916 after a near-miss during an Austrian air raid. The bomb blew a hole about in diameter in her pressure hull. She was re-floated, but a fire gutted her while she was under repair and she was sold for scrap.
The B-class boats had reached the limits of their usefulness and the survivors were withdrawn to Malta on 30 October where they were paid off pending a decision on their fate. In August 1917 the boats were converted at Malta to surface patrol boats with a raised wheelhouse, given a 12-pounder gun and renamed "S6" to "S9", and "S11". They were assigned to patrol the Otranto Barrage, but their age and small size worked against them and they were soon paid off at Malta where they were sold after the war.


Neptune-class ship of the line

The "Neptune"-class ships of the line were a class of three 98-gun second rates, designed for the Royal Navy by Sir John Henslow. All three of the ships in the class took part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.


USNS Asterion (T-AF-63)

The SS "Arcadia Victory" was a Victory ship built during World War II for cargo shipping. She was launched by the California Shipbuilding Company on 1 July 1944 and completed on 22 September 1944. The ship’s United States Maritime Commission designation was VC2- S- AP3, hull number 41.
In 1961 she was rebuilt as a refrigerated store ship and renamed the USNS Asterion (T-AF-63) was an "Asterion"-class stores ship acquired by the United States Navy in 1961. Her task was to carry stores, refrigerated items, and equipment to ships in the fleet, and to remote stations and staging areas.
War.
"Arcadia Victory" served in both World War II and the Korean War as cargo ship. "Arcadia Victory" steamed the Mediterranean Sea taking ammunition and supplies to US troops at Crete, Rhodes, Turkey and Egypt in a convoy. "Arcadia Victory" was hit by a torpedo in her bow. Her water tight bulkheads were closed, so she stayed afloat. The "Arcadia Victory"'s bow hold had spare engine parts, so the ammunition in the other holds did not exploded. Her crew was rescued and "Arcadia Victory" was beached off shore.
Pre-recommissioning activity.
The second vessel to be named Asterion by the US Navy, "AF-63" was laid down under a United States Maritime Commission contract (MCV hull 41) on 10 June 1944 at Los Angeles, California, by the California Shipbuilding Corporation., as Arcadia Victory. Launched on 27 July 1944 and sponsored by Mrs. James T. Wishart, Arcadia Victory was delivered to her operators, the American President Lines (APL), on 3 September 1944. She operated under the APL shipping line's flag until laid up late in 1952.
Acquired by the Navy.
Removed from the National Defense Reserve Fleet berthing area at Suisun Bay, California, on 7 November 1961, Arcadia Victory was acquired by the US Navy from the United States Maritime Commissionon 12 November 1961. Renamed Asterion and classified as a store ship, AF-63, on 4 December 1961, the ship was taken to the Willamette Iron and Steel Company. of Portland, Oregon, where she underwent conversion to a refrigerated stores ship.
Assigned to MSTS.
Placed in service with the US Navy's Military Sea Transportation Service, (MSTS) (later Military Sealift Command, (MSC) in September 1962 as USNS "Asterion" (T-AF-63), the ship operated in the MSTS (later, MSC), Pacific Area, delivering fresh and frozen foods to Pacific and Far Eastern ports. On 5 June 1963, Asterion suffered minor damage to her bow in a collision off San Francisco, California, with the Japanese freighter MV Kokoku Maru. The USCGC Magnolia (WLB-328) from US Coast Guard Base Yerba Buena Island San Francisco California responded to the vessels distress calls and provided assistance for both ships. The MV Kokoku Maru sustained heavy damage, and the USCGC Magnolia (WLB-328) evacuated 19 her crew to San Francisco California.
Carrying "everything from steak and spuds, to mobile cranes and dynamite," Asterion; the winner of the MSTS "Smart Ship Award" in 1967, operated in the Pacific Ocean for the next decade; her "ports of call" ranged from Settahip, Thailand, and Saigon, South Vietnam, to Seattle, Washington, San Francisco, and Yokohama. As American involvement in the Vietnam War grew, Asterion's itinerary included the ports of Qui Nhon, Cam Ranh Bay, and Danang.
Decommissioning.
Asterion arrived at Yokohama on 8 June 1973 from her last voyage as a "reefer ship" and her name was struck from the Navy list on 15 June 1973. Transferred, at Yokohama Japan, to the Maritime Administration for disposal, she was sold to N. W. Kennedy, Ltd., of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 31 August 1973. Resold to Far Eastern shipbreakers for scrapping in 1973.
References.
US Department of Homeland Security. United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
http://www.uscg.mil/history/


Mstislav Rostropovich (ship)

The Mstislav Rostropovich () (former Mikhail Kalinin) is a "Valerian Kuybyshev"-class (92-016, OL400) Soviet/Russian river cruise ship, cruising in the Volga basin. The ship was built by Slovenské Lodenice at their shipyard in Komárno, Czechoslovakia, and entered service in 1981. At 3,953 tonnes, "Mstislav Rostropovich" is one of the world's biggest river cruise ships. Her sister ships are "Valerian Kuybyshev", "Mikhail Frunze", "Feliks Dzerzhinskiy", "Fyodor Shalyapin", "Sergey Kuchkin", "Aleksandr Suvorov", "Semyon Budyonnyy" and "Georgiy Zhukov". "Mstislav Rostropovich" is currently owned by Vodohod and operated by Vodohod for foreign tourists. Her home port is currently Nizhny Novgorod.
Features.
"Mstislav Rostropovich" is the first Vodohod four-star cruise vessel. After reconstruction in 2008–2011 all rooms are equipped with automatic climate control system. The ship has two restaurants, three bars, solarium, sauna and resting area.


PIL P-class container ship

The P-class is a series of 12 container ships originally built for Pacific International Lines (PIL). The ships were built by Yangzijiang Shipyard in China and have a maximum theoretical capacity of around 11,923 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). In 2020 four of the ships were sold to Seaspan and two other ships were sold to Wan Hai Lines.


SS The Lambs


Damen Stan 3307 patrol vessel

The Damen Group has designed and sold the Damen Stan 3307 patrol vessel -- part of its family of Damen Stan patrol vessels of different sizes.
Design.
The vessels employ an axe-bow, a new design that Damen claims improves seakeeping. The bow's leading edge is vertical, where most ships have a diagonal leading edge. The diagonal leading edge causes the bow to have more buoyancy when struck by a big wave, which increases the vessel's tendency to pitch and yaw. The model 3307 is long and wide.
The patrol vessel design is based on an earlier fast crew delivery vessel, commonly employed servicing offshore oil platforms.


Sovereign Maersk-class container ship

The "Sovereign Maersk" class is a series of 11 container ships built for Maersk Line. The ships were built by Odense Steel Shipyard in Denmark and have a maximum theoretical capacity of around 9,640 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).


USS Maartensdijk (ID-2497)

USS "Maartensdijk" (ID-2497) was a freighter seized by U.S. Customs when the United States declared war against Germany in World War I. "Maartensdijk" – a Dutch-owned vessel—was used by the Navy to transport military cargo across the Atlantic Ocean in support of Allied troops in Europe.
Seized by U.S. Customs.
"Maartensdijk", a steel cargo steamer, was built as "Rapallo" by Furness Withy & Co., Ltd., West Hartlepool, England, in 1902. Prior to World War I, she sailed the Atlantic sealanes and in 1918 was owned by Holland-American Line, Rotterdam, Netherlands. "Maartensdijk" was seized by U.S. Customs at New York City 20 March 1918; turned over to the Navy 21 March; and commissioned 28 March for duty with NOTS.
World War I service.
After loading Army cargo, "Maartensdijk" departed in convoy for European waters 10 April. Steaming via Halifax, Nova Scotia, she reached St. Nazaire, France, 14 May, discharged her cargo, and sailed for the United States 15 June. During the closing months of World War I she made two more cargo runs out of New York and Boston, Massachusetts, to French ports.
Post-war service.
She returned to New York City 2 days after the signing of the Armistice. Sailing from Boston 12 December, she carried additional cargo to French ports and returned Army supplies to the United States. In all, she transported more than 27,000 tons of supplies during her four cargo runs to France.
Post-war decommissioning.
"Maartensdijk" returned to New York City 9 February 1919. She decommissioned there 25 February 1919; transferred to the U.S. Shipping Board the same day; and subsequently was returned to her owner, Holland American Line.


Asterion II

Asterion II is a Greek ferry and is the newest in ANEK Lines' fleet. She is a Ro-Ro/Passenger ferry, built in 1991 at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at Kobe, Japan and put into service by ANEK in 2018 (previously operated under different names and owners). She holds a total of 720 passengers, 840 cars and 117 trucks and has 451 beds for passengers. She has two 14-cyl MAN-B&W-Mitsubishi 14V52/55B engines, with combined power of 18,460 kW and reaches speeds of up to 22 knots. She was named after Asterion of Crete, a mythical king of Crete and has the flag of Cyprus, making it the only ship of the fleet with a non-Greek flag. It also features 3 Daihatsu 6DL-28 electric engines of 1,800 ps each (5,400ps) and 3 1500KVA FEK55E-10 generators. The ship belongs to the Sing-Lloyd class.
History.
1990-2011, Construction and first years.
The ship was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kobe, Japan. She was launched on 8 November 1990. The ship was originally named "Ishikari" after a river in Hokkaido and had to replace an older ship named Ishikari, who was sold in Strintzis Lines by 1990. 7. Delivered on 18 March 1998 at Taiheiyō Ferry (Pacific Ferry Co). She was routed on the line Nagoya - Sendai - Tomakomai, but was also used as a cruiser on the Ogasawara islands.
2010-Today.
In March 2011, she was sold to Golden Spring Enterprise, Panama and Chinese Wanfang International Shipmanagement and renamed to GRAND SPRING for an amount of $8 million. After its purchase, modernization and maintenance works took place. At this time, she was routed on Wehai-Pyoengtaek line, connecting China with South Korea, before moving to Great Promise Industrial HK, Panama in February 2012. In 2015, she was laid up in Weihai, China and in February 2016 she raised the Sierra Leone flag, with Freetown being its homeport. At this time, South Korean Gwangyang Line planned to route her in the Gwangyang-Shimonosheki line, connecting South Korea with Japan. However, the project failed and the ship was completely abandoned.
In March 2018, she was sold to Alphaglobe Shipping of Limassol, Cyprus, with management by ANEK Lines and renamed "Asterion II", before being repaired and refurbished by Naval Works Voudouris at Perama. Once most of the work was completed, the ship was drydocked and painted in the ANEK LINES livery. On 18 June the ship departed for the port of Patras where for a few days, the retrofit continued. On 28 June, after a few postponements, it went into service replacing Asterion, which was chartered from Brittany Ferries, and Elyros.
Route.
Asterion II serves the ferry line Patras-Igoumenitsa-Venice


Type B submarine

The was a class of submarine in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) which served during World War II. The "Type-B" submarines were similar to the "Type-A" apart from not having the headquarters installation.
Class variants.
The "Type-B" submarines were divided into four classes:
"Type-B" ("I-15" class).
Project number S37. Twenty boats were built between 1937 and 1944 under the Maru 3 Programme (Boats 37 - 42) and Maru 4 Programme (Boats 139 - 152).
"Type-B Mod.1" ("I-40" class).
Project number S37B. Six boats were planned under the Maru Kyū Programme (Boats 370 - 375), all boats were completed. On the outside this class looked the same as the "I-15" class; however, they were built from high-tensile strength steel and equipped with diesel engines of a simpler design.
"Type-B Mod.2" ("I-54" class).
Project number S37C. Twenty-one boats were planned under the Maru Kyū Programme (Boats 627 - 636) and Kai-Maru 5 Programme (Boats 5101 - 5114). Eighteen boats were cancelled in late 1943, because the IJN was setting the as 1945's main submarines.
"V22A Type".
Project number S49A. Eighteen boats were planned under the Kai-Maru 5 Programme (Boats 5115 - 5132). However, all boats were cancelled in late 1943, because the IJN concentrated on production of from 1945 onwards