MS ''Transpet'' was a

tanker Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum ta ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

nian registry. Laid down as MV ''Avoca'' and acquired by the

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) 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, 19 ...

(MARCOM) on a loan charter basis and renamed USS ''Petaluma'' (AOG-69), she was to be a type T1 built for the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. She was named after the

Petaluma River The Petaluma River is a river in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin that becomes a tidal slough for most of its length. The headwaters are in the area southwest of Cotati. The flow is generally southward through Petaluma's old town, ...

, in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. ''Petaluma'' (AOG-69) was never commissioned into the US Navy.

Construction

''Petaluma'' (AOG-69) was laid down on 14 February 1945, under a

(MARCOM) contract, MC hull 2629, by the

St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company The St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company was created in Jacksonville, Florida during World War II to build Liberty ships. Company history The company was established by local shipbuilder and repairer Merrill-Stevens with $17 million invested by ...

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the c ...

, Florida; acquisition by the

was cancelled 26 August 1945. ''Petaluma'' was launched on 5 May 1945, and was about 85% complete when, due to the end of World War II, the ship's US Navy reassignment was canceled. Although initially restored to her original name of ''Avoca'' by her original owners, the unfinished ship was completed by the

Maryland Drydock Company The Maryland Drydock Company was a shipbuilding company that operated in Baltimore, Maryland during the 20th century. The company started life in 1920 as the Globe Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company of Maryland. Its president at this time was B. ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, in October 1947, and sold to the

National Petroleum Transport Corporation National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

where she was renamed ''Transpet''.

Career

From 1947 until 1951, ''Transpet'' flew the US flag. In 1951 ''Transpet'' was registered under the

nian flag and placed under the operation of

D.K. Ludwig DK (or variants) may refer to: In arts and entertainment Film and television * ''DK'' (film), a 2015 Indian film * Derek "DK" Kitson, a character in the television series ''Third Watch'', played by Derek Kelly * Dark Kingdom (professional wre ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

for the British-American Oil Company. On 29 October 1951, the tanker departed

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

for Halifax, loaded with of gasoline and kerosene. The following day, the ship suffered an explosion in the engine room while in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Two seamen were killed in the blast; the other eighteen members of the crew abandoned the sinking ship and were rescued by the British ship ''Ottinge'' and landed at

North Sydney, Nova Scotia North Sydney (Scottish Gaelic: ''Suidni A Tuath'' or ''Am Bàr'') is a former town and current community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Located on the north side of Sydney Harbour, along the eastern coast of Cape Breto ...

. In May 1954, the Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company announced that its "sea scanar" device had located the wreck of ''Transpet'' at a depth of about off

Miscou Island Miscou Island (french: Île Miscou) is a Canadian island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the northeastern tip of Gloucester County, New Brunswick. It is separated from neighbouring Lamèque Island to the southwest by the Miscou Channel with bot ...

. It was the first time the "sea scanar", which had been in use as a fish finder off the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous ...

, had been used in a salvage operation and the first wreck located using it.

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transpet Type T1-M-BT1 tankers Klickitat-class gasoline tankers Ships built in Jacksonville, Florida Ships built in Baltimore 1945 ships Merchant ships of the United States Merchant ships of Panama Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence Shipwrecks of the New Brunswick coast Maritime incidents in 1951