Rigoletto (ship, 1955)

Rigoletto

Ship data flag  Sweden Ship type Car transporter Shipping company O. Wallenius, Stockholm Shipyard Howaldtswerke, Kiel Commissioning 1955 Whereabouts Sank on July 3, 1980 after a fire on board in the roadstead of Messina

Ship dimensions and crew length 78.6 m ( Lüa ) 76.2 m ( Lpp ) width 13.1 m measurement 1,905 GRT

Machine system machine 1 × diesel engine Top speed 12.5 kn (23 km / h) propeller 1

Transport capacities Load capacity 2,765 dwt Vehicle capacity 240 cars

Others Registration numbers IMO no. : 5294943

The Rigoletto was the first new construction of a pure car transporter planned as such .

history

The Rigoletto and her sister ship , the Traviata , started up in 1955 for the Swedish shipping company Wallenius Lines . The two vehicles of this new type of ship were built at the Howaldtswerke in Kiel . These diesel-powered ships began regular trans-Atlantic car transport to the Great Lakes . In the same year, the shipping company had the new Jakara freighter building converted into a bulk goods transporter for cars . Mainly new Volkswagens , but also other new cars such as Saab or Volvo, were brought to the United States and Canada .

In 1968 the Rigoletto was sold and renamed Maddalena Lofaro . The ship sailed under this name until July 1, 1980, when it caught fire about 30 nautical miles southeast of Cape Spartivento and finally sank on July 3, 1980 in the roadstead of Messina.

Loading facilities

Both the sisters Rigoletto and Traviata , as well as the converted Jakara , were loaded and unloaded in the conventional way despite their design for car transport. It was only with the Aniara , built in 1963 , that the design of car transporters as RoRo ships, which is still valid today, prevailed.

Trivia

After the Rigoletto was sold in 1968, the Traviata was renamed Rigoletto and kept this name in La Spezia until it was demolished in 1979 .

Web links

• Website of the shipping company Wallenius with photos of the Rigoletto

Footnotes

1. ↑ The Rigoletto at Miramar Ship Index (accessed May 25, 2009)
2. ↑ The Traviata at Miramar Ship Index (accessed May 20, 2009)
3. ↑ Wallenius ship list at benjidog
4. ↑ Further information from boatnerd