Mariner class
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The C4-S-1a Mariner-class (C4-S-1a), after the name of the MARAD draft, Mariner , (since almost all buildings ended in this name) is a series of steam turbine-powered Liberty replacement ships of the United States Navy . They were put into service from 1952 and were the fastest cargo ships in the world when they were built.
history
After the Schuyler Otis Bland (AK-277) , built only once as a C-3 prototype, had convinced the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) of the necessity of a successor series for the Liberty freighters and Victory ships , the Korean War accelerated reevaluated by transports. At the beginning of the Korean conflict, three passenger ships under construction for American Line were taken over and put into service as troop transports for the Military Sea Transport Service (MSTS). The introduction of faster troop suppliers equipped with RoRo facilities also showed the importance of higher speeds.
Against this background, the US Congress released US $ 350 million for the construction of 35 ships of the newly designed C4-S-1a Mariner class . Under the supervision of Admiral Edward L. Cochrane, it was decided not to attempt further development of the existing designs, but to construct a new, larger and faster type of ship. The Mariner ships were technically much more advanced than the war structures and had, for example, hydraulic folding hatch covers to close the four holds in front of the superstructure and the two holds aft. With their powerful propulsion system, they were designed for a speed of 20 knots, which is 1.5 to 2 knots faster than the Bland class.
The first ship of the ships manufactured in US shipyards from 1951 onwards was the Keystone Mariner , which was delivered on February 29, 1952 . After the end of the Korean War, MARAD offered some of the ships to American shipping companies for sale. At first, they were skeptical because the new type of ship was too big, too fast and also technically considerably more demanding. Some ships were taken over by the US Navy and converted there accordingly. The rest was initially launched. Little by little, however, various shipping companies were convinced of the advantages of the Mariners . Over time, the demand for the ships increased and when all Mariner built under government supervision were sold, some shipping companies ordered another 17 or 18 newbuildings. In other countries too, fast freighters began to be built according to similar designs.
1955, after completion of the construction program, 29 ships had been built for the following shipping companies: nine for the United States Lines , eight for the American President Lines , seven for the Pacific Far East Lines , two units each for the Pacific Transport Lines and the Matson Navigation Company , as well as a Mariner to the American Banner Line , whereby the two ships planned for the shipping company Matson were converted into two construction contracts for the two passenger ships Monterey and Mariposa in 1956/57 .
In retrospect, the Mariner is probably the most successful construction of the MARAD, especially because it resulted in many replicas and designs based on it around the world before the age of the container.
A curious peculiarity on the fringes of the Mariner-class ships were the "National Defense Features", technical facilities such as sealed extra nozzle blocks on the turbines to increase the performance, the use of which on civilian ships was subject to contractual penalties.
The ships (selection)
Cargo ships
- The first ship of the class under construction was the Keystone Mariner , which was laid down on June 15, 1951 and launched on February 29, 1952 with hull number 583 at the Sun Shipbuilding yard in Chester . It was completed on July 31, 1952 and scrapped in Kaohsiung on June 23, 1984 .
- The first completed ship of the class, however, was the Old Dominion Mariner launched on April 25, 1952 with the hull number 490 at the Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Newport News . It was completed on July 3, 1952 and also demolished in Kaohsiung from June 1987 .
In the course of containerization, most shipping companies used the opportunity towards the end of the 1970s to mothball their mariner as part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet for a fee.
Cargo ship conversions
Some ships were later rebuilt to adapt them to the needs of the time. For example, in 1971 the American Mail Line had three of its mariners ( Washington Mail , Japan Mail and Philippine Mail ) enlarged at Bethlehem Steel's shipyard in San Francisco and converted into 203.60 m long container ships, which could transport four times the number of containers. The United States Lines also had eight of their original Mariner converted to the MARAD Design C6-S-1w in 1970/71 . The Master Mariners , later introduced by the APL shipping company , and the 23 knot Seamaster were real advancements in the series .
Passenger ship conversions
The size and speed of the Mariner design in the 1950s were roughly equivalent to the values of an average passenger ship. The shipping company Matson Lines succeeded in signing a contract with the US government to convert two existing Mariner ships into passenger ships in order to integrate them into their west coast liner service. The main point here was the welded construction of the Mariner, as it was relatively easy and inexpensive to convert it into a passenger ship instead of building it from scratch.
- In 1955 the Pine Tree Mariner was acquired and converted into the Mariposa by 1956 . 1957 followed by the sister ship Monterey , which arose from the Free State Mariner built in 1952 . The sisters were relatively simply furnished, but still comfortable and known for good service and good cuisine. Both ships were sold to the Pacific Far East Line in 1971 when Matson began to focus more on the cargo business. When the state aid to maintain the service in 1978, the regular service of the two ships also ended. The Mariposa was sold and had various other owners and names until it was finally scrapped in 1996. The Monterey was converted into a pure cruise ship in 1988 and acquired in 1990 by the Mediterranean Shipping Company , which used it for cruises in the Mediterranean. After being renamed Monte for her final demolition trip to India , she reached Alang on November 3, 2006 .
- Another ship in the Mariner class, the Badger Mariner, was converted into a passenger ship for American Banner Lines in 1957. The resulting Atlantic , with only 40 seats in first class, but 860 seats in tourist class, was based on the transatlantic service of the Holland America Line ships Ryndam and Maasdam . Since this service was not a commercial success, the ship was sold in 1959 to American Export Lines, which used it in the New York-Mediterranean service. In 1968 the Atlantic was launched and in 1971 CYTung bought the ship and renamed it Universe Campus , in 1976 it was renamed Universe . On April 6, 1996 it finally arrived in Alang for demolition.
Military conversions
In the course of the modernization of the US Navy with faster attack transports (APAs), several new Mariner ships were converted in the 1950s:
- In 1958, the Diamond Mariner became the largest and fastest attack transport at the Todd shipyard, the USS Paul Revere (APA-248).
- The Prarie Mariner , launched on February 13, 1954 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey and delivered to MARAD on May 25, 1954 , was transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet on January 6, 1955. On March 16, 1959, it was brought to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Baltimore for conversion, which converted it into an "attack transport". On July 6, 1961, she entered service as the USS Francis Marion (APA-249).
Already at the end of the 1950s it became clear that landing transport ships would be overtaken by time as the landing units were restructured to include amphibious vehicles and helicopters. Therefore, the APAs began to be replaced during the 1960s. In 1969 the ships that were still in existence became inactive LPAs while retaining their numbers. The last of them were sold abroad in 1980.
- The Evergreen Mariner was laid down on February 16, 1953 at the Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Corp shipyard in San Francisco on behalf of the Maritime Administration and launched on December 22, 1953. On June 10, 1954, it was renamed USS Tulare (AKA-112) and converted into an attack cargo ship at its shipyard . It was returned on January 10, 1956 and entered service on January 12, 1956 by the US Navy. It was also renamed LKA-112 on January 1, 1969, decommissioned on March 31, 1986 and deleted on August 31, 1992.
- The Military Sealift Command operates the USNS Observation Island (T-AGM 23). The Observation Iceland expired on 15 August 1953 at the shipyard New York Shipbuilding Corporation as Empire State Mariner launched. The US Navy acquired the ship in September 1956 and had it converted into a missile surveillance ship at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. After it was given to the reserve fleet by the Maritime Administration from 1972 to August 1977, the US Navy classified it from then on as a missile range instrumentation ship T-AGM 23 of the Military Sealift Command.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ship data in the Miramar Ship Index (English) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Ship data in the Miramar Ship Index (English) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Ship data in the Miramar Ship Index (English) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Ship data in the Miramar Ship Index (English) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ ship data on Miramar Ship Index (English) ( Page no longer available , searching web archives ) Info: The link is automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- Harms, H .: New Standard Cargo Ships in the United States of America . In: Berendt, E. (Ed.): Journal of the Association of German Engineers . Deutscher Ingenieur Verlag, Düsseldorf 1953, p. 510 .
Web links
- Page about Mariner class (English)