SS ''Mayaguez '' was a U.S.- flagged

container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...

that is best known for its 12 May 1975 seizure by

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

forces of Cambodia, which resulted in a confrontation with the United States at the close of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

Service history

The ''Mayaguez'' was first launched in April 1944 as SS ''White Falcon'', a U.S.

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The c ...

C2-S-AJ1 freighter built by

North Carolina Shipbuilding Company North Carolina Shipbuilding Company was a shipyard in Wilmington, North Carolina, created as part of the U.S. Government's Emergency Shipbuilding Program in the early days of World War II. From 1941 through 1946, the company built 243 ships in al ...

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the ship was sold to Grace Line and renamed the SS ''Santa Eliana''. Seeking to containerize its coffee bean traffic from Venezuela, in 1960 Grace had the ''Santa Eliana'' and her sister ship ''Santa Leonor'' lengthened and widened by the Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and converted into the first U.S.-flagged, all-container ships devoted to foreign trade, with a capacity of 382 containers below-deck plus 94 on-deck. With Grace Line's plans repeatedly frustrated by longshoremen opposition in both Venezuela and New York, the ship was sold in 1964 to the American container line Sea-Land Service and renamed SS ''Sea'', and then SS ''Mayaguez'' (named after the city of Mayagüez on the west coast of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

) in 1965. Her sister ship was renamed ''Land'' and then ''Ponce'' (after the city of Ponce on the south coast of Puerto Rico). In 1967, Sea-Land began regular container service under contract to the

Military Sea Transportation Service The Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all U ...

(MSTS) in support of American forces in Southeast Asia, with the ''Mayaguez'' being one of many Sea-Land ships employed. In 1975 the ''Mayaguez'' was sailing a regular route: Hong Kong – Sattahip, Thailand – Singapore. On 7 May 1975, about a week after the fall of Saigon, ''Mayaguez'' left Hong Kong on what was said to be a routine voyage.Levinson, 2006, pp. 179–183

Capture and recovery

The "''Mayaguez'' incident" took place between

Democratic Kampuchea Democratic Kampuchea was the official name of the Cambodian state from 1976 to 1979, under the government of Pol Pot and the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), commonly known as the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge's capture of the capital Phno ...

(today known as the Kingdom of Cambodia) and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

from 12 to 15 May 1975, less than a month after the

took control of the capital Phnom Penh ousting the U.S.-backed

Khmer Republic The Khmer Republic (, ; ) was a Cambodian state under the United States-backed military dictatorship of Marshal Lon Nol from 1970 to 1975. Its establishment was formally declared on 9 October 1970, following the 18 March 1970 coup d'état w ...

. After the Khmer Rouge seized the ship in a disputed maritime area, the U.S. mounted a hastily-prepared rescue operation.Wetterhahn, pp 43–46 U.S. Marines recaptured the ship and attacked the island of

Koh Tang Koh Tang (), also known as Tang Island, is the biggest of a group of Cambodian islands off the coast of Sihanoukville Province in the Gulf of Thailand. The island is situated approximately off the southwest coast of Cambodia. There are no perm ...

where it was believed, in error, that the crew were being held as hostages. Encountering stronger than expected defenses on Koh Tang, three

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

helicopters were destroyed during the initial assault and the Marines fought a desperate day-long battle with the Khmer Rouge before being evacuated.Wetterhahn, p. 167Wetterhahn, pp. 209–249 ''Mayaguez''s crew were released unharmed by the Khmer Rouge shortly after the attack on Koh Tang began.Wetterhahn, p. 201

Later career

Duly retrieved from Khmer Rouge forces, the ''Mayaguez'' was taken out of service and eventually scrapped in 1979.Wetterhahn, p 314

Citations

General and cited references

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayaguez Type C2-S-AJ1 ships World War II merchant ships of the United States Merchant ships of the United States Container ships Vietnam War merchant ships of the United States 1944 ships Ships built in Wilmington, North Carolina Captured ships