Isthmian Line -Liberty Ships -Victory Ships -WWII

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Isthmian Name:	Steel Voyager	Period:	Modern

Gross Tonnage:	8,129	Net:	4,687
Dimensions:	492' 0" x 69' 7" x 29' 5"	MC Type:	C3-S-A2

Builder:	Ingalls Shipbuilding Corp. Pascagoula, MS	Hull # USMC Hull # Date of Build: Delivered:	420 876 1944 9/30/44
Engines:	2 Steam Turbines DR Geared to Single Screwed Shaft	Engine Builder:	General Electric Co. Lynn, MA
Navigation:	DF, ESD, GC, RDR, RT	Decks, etc.:	2 Decks & Open Shelter Deck

Began Isthmian Service:

1947

Ended Isthmian Service:

1973

----------------------------------- Vessel History -----------------------------------

Date	Vessel #	Vessel Name	Vessel Owner	Call Ltrs	Home Port	Flag
1944	APA 114	*USS Hamblen*	US Navy, as Combat Loaded Transport	-----	-----	US
1946	-----	*USS Hamblen*	US Maritime Commission	-----	-----	US
1947	252501	*Steel Voyager*	Isthmian Lines, Inc. New York	KIWV	New York	US

Events:
2/16/44: Keel laid.
7/30/44: Launched, sponsored by Mrs. Hugh J. Vickery.
9/30/44: Completed fo the US Navy as an Attack Transport (APA 114).
6/12/45: Commissioned after conversion, Capt. G. M. Wauchope in command.
1/23/46: Released.
5/1/46: Decommissioned at Norfolk.
5/7/46: Returned to U.S. Maritime Commission.
1946: Conversion contract awarded to Bethlehem Shipbuilding Division, Hoboken, NJ, at a cost of $516,698.
1947: 55,000 cubic feet of reefer space installed by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Birmingham, AL.
1947: Sold to Isthmian Lines.
10/48 - 2/49: Heavy weather damage to plates, floors, center keelson and intercostals; repair cost at Baltimore $25,201.
6/49: Aground; fit spare propeller and renew shaft at a cost of $14,575.
9/1/50: Hit submerged object; repair propeller, fit spare propeller and draw shaft.
5/10/51: At Djibouti, 0730 in sudden heavy squall, SS PONTRESINA, from Marseilles, broke moorings and struck the STEEL VOYAGER, from Philadelphia for Khoramshahr; no damage to vessel.
7/25/51: Struck pier.
1/9/52: At Khorramshahr, wooden BELLIUM NO. 533 commenced to make water at 10 PM along side STEEL VOYAGER and sank 1 hr later in an attempt to beach her between Sentab Jetty and the Customs loaded with 29 bales of lambskins destined for New York. 21 bales were recovered but were destroyed by Health Authorities.
2/3 - 2/14/52: Heavy weather.
2/9/53: From striking pier 7/25/51, partially renew 1 side plate and fair 1 in place, together with sundry damages. From heavy weather 2/3 - 2/14/52, renew 2 bottom plates, fair 5, together with sundry damages. All repairs and dry docking at New York.
5/10/52: Collision with steamer PONT RESINA. Renew 1 bow plate, together with sundry damages; repairs at New York.
2/9/53: From striking pier 7/25/51, 1 side plate partially renew and 1 fair in place, together with sundry damages. From heavy weather 2/3/52 - 2/14/52, 2 bottom plates renew and 5 fair, together with sundry damages. From collision with steamer POINT RESINA 5/10/52, 1 bow plate renew and sundry damages. All repairs and drydocking at New York.
3/2/53: Alleged crew negligence damaged turbo-generator; renew one row of rotor blades.
3/2/54: Trouble with turbo-generator; alleged crew negligence.
3/9/54: From alleged negligence of crew 3/2/54, Basrah for Baltimore, open up turbo-generator, remove rotor, reblade 1 row, bearings, carbon and labyrinth packing renew, together with sundry damages; repairs at New York.
5/1/59: From New Orleans, steamer STEEL VOYAGER, Galveston for Basrah, outbound, was in collision with tug HUGH PARKER and tow of six barges half mile below Mississippi River Bridge at 4 AM. Barges broke loose but all were recovered. No damage reported to tug or barges. STEEL VOYAGER reported slight damage to bow; Laing surveying. No casualities reported.
5/4/59: Barge WGN 81 sank after collision and could not be located.
5/6/59: STEEL VOYAGER left New Orleans for Baltimore.
8/15/62: From Basrah, Motor vessel CHUPRA reported in collision with steamer STEEL VOYAGER, New Orleans for Bombay, at Khorramshar anchorage. Understood STEEL VOYAGER bow damaged. STEEL VOYAGER sailed after accident without waiting.
8/17/62: From Bombay, Lloyd's Register surveyor appointed at agent's request to survey damage on arrival at Bombay 8/24/62.
8/29/62: From Bombay, Register surveyor reports damage as forecastle sheer, stem plate, bulwark and handrails of starboard side of forecastle indented or set in. Classification surveyor agrees to deferring repairs to U.S. port on completion of voyage.
9/1/62: From Bombay, steamer STEEL VOYAGER surveyed on behalf of CHUPRA: Surveyor advises soft nose bow plate indented in two places and breasthook plate buckled, also following damage on starboard side: Forecastle bulwark plate and handrails, forecastle sheerstrake plate, two ship's side frames and one bulwark bracket all buckled. Repairs deferred until end of present voyage.
2/9/63: Propeller struck log.
5/19/63: Propeller struck log.
5/20/63: Propeller damaged at New Orleans.
6/17/63: Vessel lost propeller blade.
6/18/63: STEEL VOYAGER, Houston for Calcutta, arrived Port Said.
8/3/63: From Calcutta, surveyor reports part of one blade of reconditioned propeller thrown off during passage to Port Said, causing ship to vibrate; damaged blade reported further broken off approximately 43" from tip. Surveyor recommends damaged propeller to be removed and renewed at next drydocking. Temporary repairs according to recommendations of classification surveyor carried out by ship's personnel. Permanent repairs deferred until vessel's arrival in United States.
10/7/63: From damage alleged sustained by the vessel's propeller on 5/20/63 at New Orleans; it is also stated the vessel lost a propeller blade on 6/17/63: Propeller remove, condemned, new propeller install, tailshaft draw for examination, together with sundry damages and removals. Repairs completed at Galveston. The vessel's logbooks were examined and it was noted the vessel struck logs on 2/9/63 and 5/19/63.
2/10/64: From Bermuda: steamer STEEL VOYAGER, New Orleans for Calcutta, arrived with deck and shelter deck cargo shifted.
2/11/64: At Bermuda: Locomotive port side No. 4 shifted half overside. Steel plates on top of No. 4 hatch shifted and landed on cargo between hatch and locomotive. No. 3 shelter and 'tween deck cargo shifted, restow in existing position. Locomotive and steel plates being restowed. Expected date of departure 2/13/64.
2/13/64: STEEL VOYAGER left Bermuda for Pakistan.
10/19/67: From Philadephia: Steamer STEEL VOYAGER, from India via New York for Houston, docked at Pier 96 South: Fire started at 7 PM in No. 1 hold containing cargo of jute. Hold sealed off; using chemicals to extinguish.
10/20/67: Fire reported extinguished in PM.
10/24/67: Fire extinguished.
11/2/67: From New York: From damage alleged sustained 10/19/67 in consequence of fire in cargo of jute in No. 1 hold while discharging at Pier 96 South, Philadelphia: No. 1 hold upper 'tween deck wash down and paint, hatchboards and cargo battens renew, lower 'tween deck wire-brush, scrape and paint, hatch boards and cargo battens renew, lower hold wash down and paint, tank top ceiling and cargo battens renew, port and starboard shell plating scrape and paint, carbon dioxide system check out, pipework partially renew, lower hold hatch ladders one renew and two remove, fair and refit; vessel to be examined further in dry dock. Repairs deferred. The fire broke out on 10/19 and was finally extinguished on 10/24, before reported 10/20. During this period No. 1 hold was flooded in efforts to extinguish fire and it was reported that vessel took the bottom forward.
11/7/67: The owners of STEEL VOYAGER state the vessel will dry dock at Mobile.
11/6/67: STEEL VOYAGER arrived Mobile.
11/7/67: Vessel left Mobile for Houston.
12/8/67: From New York: From damage alleged sustained to propeller and stern gear due to apparent striking at some time and place unknown but discovered at Mobile on 11/6/67: Propeller remove, recondition and hold for owners, spare propeller install, tailshaft draw and examine, liner polish, gland repack, outer stern tube bushing draw, remove to shop, fracture weld and bush build up and machine, stern tube build up and machine, outboard stern bearing rewood and bore, stern frame skeg fractures vee and weld, shoe reinforcement plate install, rudder and rudder post fractures vee and weld, together with sundry damages and removals; repairs completed.
6/3/68: From Calcutta: Steamer STEEL VOYAGER, from Houston, reported sustained damages while entering King Georges Dock due to contact with lock wall about 6:50 PM.
10/21/70: From Charleston: Steamer STEEL VOYAGER, Baltimore and New York for Savannah and Taiwan, put in with fire in No. 5 hatch, general cargo.
10/22/70: STEEL VOYAGER left Charleston for Savannah.
12/31/70 - 1/2/71: Report from San Francisco, STEEL VOYAGER, voyage Far East to Astoria, assured States Marine Corp., sustained heavy weather damage.
9/5/72: Surveyed in drydock at Brooklyn for damaged sustained June or July 26 in consequence of striking a submerged object en route Honolulu to New York via Panama Canal; repairs completed.

Disposition Date	Comments
1973	Sold to Long Jong Industry Co., Ltd. and delivered at Kaohsiung 8/16/73. Scrapped 8/73 Kaohsiung. Reported 9/73: Sold to the Republic of China (Taiwan) for Scrapping.

The information on this page is the kind contribution of Skip Lewis. Skip, whose dad sailed for Isthmian, is an avid collector and researcher of everything Isthmian. In his quest, he has used many sources and publications including Lloyd's of London and Imperial Steel by John Atherton. Thank you, Skip. Copyright © 2003-2007 - All rights reserved.

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