MV ''Macoma'' was one of nine Anglo Saxon Royal Dutch/Shell

oil tankers An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined cr ...

converted to become a

Merchant Aircraft Carrier A merchant aircraft carrier (also known as a MAC ship, the Admiralty's official 'short name') was a limited-purpose aircraft carrier operated under British and Dutch civilian registry during World War II. MAC ships were adapted by adding a flig ...

(MAC ship). The group is sometimes collectively known as the Rapana Class. Macoma was launched on 31 December 1935 at Nederlandse Scheepsbouw Mij, Amsterdam as an oil tanker and entered service the following year. She was converted to a MAC ship from late 1943 to April 1944, and commissioned 1 April 1944. As a MAC ship, she had no aircraft hangar, and continued to carry normal cargoes, although operating under Royal Navy control. Only her air crew and aviation support staff were naval personnel. In the case of the ''Macoma'', these were provided by the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

including the Dutch Fleet Air Arm 860 and 861 squadrons. The Macoma and her sister were the first aircraft carrying vessels with a flight deck to be operated under the flag of the Netherlands. After the war, MV ''Macoma'' was reconverted and returned to merchant service as an oil tanker and served in that role until scrapped in Hong Kong in 1959.

References

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