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History | |
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Name |
|
Namesake |
|
Owner |
|
Operator |
|
Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co |
Yard number | 346 |
Laid down | 27 April 1931 |
Launched | 14 November 1931 |
Acquired |
|
Commissioned | 14 June 1941 |
Decommissioned | 4 January 1946 |
Maiden voyage | 24 March 1932 (New York-San Francisco) |
In service | 18 March 1932 |
Stricken | 21 January 1946 |
Homeport | New York |
Identification |
|
Fate | Scrapped 1971 |
General characteristics [1][2] | |
Class and type |
|
Type | civilian: passenger & cargo liner |
Tonnage | 6,963 GRT, 3,184 NRT |
Displacement | 11,345 tons (at maximum draft) |
Length |
|
Beam | 60.2 ft (18.3 m) |
Draft | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
Depth | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
Installed power | 4 oil fired Babcock & Wilcox header-type boilers, 350 psi 230° superheat driving GE generator sets for main propulsion and auxiliary power[1] |
Propulsion | 2 GE 4,200 kw, 5,500 hp at 125 rpm, twin 15 ft 6 in (4.7 m), 3 blade screws[1] |
Speed |
|
Capacity |
|
Complement | 238 |
Crew | Commercial: 105 |
Armament | one single 5 in (130 mm)/38 dual purpose gun mount, four 3 in (76 mm) guns |
USS Tarazed (AF-13) was the United Fruit Company cargo and passenger liner Chiriqui that was acquired by the United States Navy through a sub bareboat charter from the War Shipping Administration (WSA) which acquired the ship by bareboat charter from the company. The ship served as a Mizar-class stores ship in World War II. In peacetime before and after the war she carried fruit and passengers; in war she supplied troops and ships in the field. In 1958 she was sold to a German shipping line and renamed Blexen which was scrapped in 1971 after 39 years' service.
Chiriqui was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Newport News, Virginia for the United Mail Steamship Company, a subsidiary of the United Fruit Company, in 1932 as one of six sister ships driven by turbo-electric transmission. Three of the ships were built by Newport News Shipbuilding with Talamanca being the first of the group and class followed by Chiriqui and Peten (originally Segovia, later Jamaica) with Antigua, Quirigua and Veragua built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding, Baltimore.[1] Chiriqui was laid down 27 April 1931 as yard hull number 346, launched 14 November 1931 and delivered 18 March 1932.[3] The ship was named for Chiriquí Province, Panama.[4]
Basic design parameters for all six ships, designated the company's "Mail class" due to the design including requirements for mail carriage contracts, were first implemented in Talamanca at Newport News and later in the other two ships built there including Chiriqui.[1][5][6][note 1] That design was for a ship 446 ft 9 in (136.2 m) overall length, 430 ft (131.1 m) length on 24 ft (7.3 m) waterline, 415 ft (126.5 m) length between perpendiculars, 60 ft (18.3 m) molded beam, 36 ft 9 in (11.2 m) depth molded to upper deck, 24 ft 9 in (7.5 m) molded maximum draft, 11,345 tons displacement at maximum draft, 6,963 GRT, 3,183 NRT, 196,000 cu ft (5,550.1 m3) cargo capacity, 1,450 tons of fuel oil and 626 tons fresh water capacity.[1]
Chiriqui was registered with U.S. Official Number 231468, signal KDCH, at 6,963 GRT, 3,184 NRT, registry length of 415.4 ft (126.6 m), 60.2 ft (18.3 m) beam, 24 ft (7.3 m) depth, 10,500 horsepower, 105 crew and home port of New York.[2]
Chiriqui arrived in New York 17 March for delivery the next day and sailed 24 March 1932 for San Francisco to be placed in service on the company's Pacific coast routes from San Francisco to Panama.[7]
The January—March schedule for 1933 shows Chiriqui, Talamanca and Antigua on the route San Francisco to Balboa, Panama with return to San Francisco to include calls at Puerto Armuelles, Panama and Los Angeles. Effective May 1933 with Antigua sailing for Balboa the three ships maintained a weekly service taking eight days between San Francisco and Balboa with round trip for each ship taking nineteen days. Intercoastal connecting service for passengers and cargo was formed by the ships connecting in Panama. That schedule remained through 1936. In January 1939 the Pacific ships changed to operate on the New York to Panama route.[8][9]
Tarazed was decommissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana on 4 January 1946 receiving one battle star for World War II. On the same day the ship was returned to the War Shipping Administration for operation as Chiriqui by United Fruit under a WSA General Agency Agreement for conversion back to commercial service. The name Tarazed was struck from the Navy list on 21 January 1946.[10][11] On 15 June 1947 the ship was redelivered to United Fruit for commercial operation.[10] Schedules for 1950 show Chiriqui, Antigua and Quirigua operating from New Orleans to Havana and Puerto Barrios, Guatemala returning to New Orleans. A 1952 schedule shows Chiriqui and Quirigua operating a route of New Orleans to Cristóbal, Panama and Tela, Honduras with return to New Orleans.[8]
In September 1957[10] United Fruit sold Chiriqui to Union-Partenreederei T/S of Bremen, Germany, which also acquired her United Fruit sister ship Jamaica. Union-Partenreederei changed Chiriqui's name to D/S Blexen.