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AROUND SOUTH AMERICA
MS Clio.
When war was declared in Europe on September 3, 1939, the Panama Transport Company tanker Clio was undergoing re-pairs at New York. She took departure on September 15 while under the command of Captain Maurice W. Carter, with Chief Engineer Peter Nelson in charge of the engineroom, and arrived at Caripito on the 24th to take on her first wartime cargo, 82,125 barrels of Quiriquire crude oil. This was discharged at Aruba on the 29th and on October 1 the Clio sailed for Santos with 74,302 barrels of fuel oil. She
transported three more cargoes during the rest of the year-one from Caripito to Aruba, another from Aruba to Montevideo, and the last from Aruba to Recife.
In 1940 the Clio carried 1,232,447 barrels of petroleum products while covering 49,932 nautical miles. The first two months found her running from Venezuela to New York but on March 26 she left Aruba, passed through the Panama Canal, and ar-rived at Iquique to discharge 78,447 barrels of Diesel and fuel oils. Leaving Iquique on the 10th the vessel went to Talara to lift a cargo of crude for Campana and on May 29 she arrived at Caripito, thus completing a trip around South America. After a voyage from Caripito to Recife she went around South America again between July 7 and September 14, visiting Talara, Cal-lao, and Campana. Her last four voyages of the year were from Caribbean to United States east coast ports.
On February 10, 1941, while under the command of Captain Daniel H. Larsen, with Chief Engineer Frank F. Cordua in the engineroom, the Clio arrived at the Standard-Vacuum Company's terminal at Kudamatsu, near Tokuyama, Honshu, Japan. She proceeded from there to Kobe and left there on February 23. Returning to San Pedro on March 22 she was repaired and on May 1 departed for Antofagasta, Chile, with 77,223 barrels of bunker "C". Then at Talara she loaded 85,386 barrels of cru-de for delivery to Montevideo,reaching there July 3.
Change to Danish Command
This was to end her Pacific and South American voyages. On July 26 she left Caripito and after dropping off 82,594 barrels ofQuiriquire crude at Aruba, proceeded to Las Piedras for 81,110 barrels of Venezuelan crude, which were delivered at Balti-moreon August 6.
A crew change was effected on August 15, 1941, when her American seamen were replaced by Danes. Under Danish com-mand she sailed to Houston and picked up her first transatlantic cargo. This load, of Pool Diesel oil, was the first of two to be delivered atGlasgow.
In February, 1942 the Clio left Glasgow on the 8th and arrived at Houston March 9 to begin a series of Canadian and east coast runs.
She remained in this service until the end of 1943 and discharged at Halifax seven times, Portland five times, and once each at Providence and New York.
Voyages from New York to Aruba consumed the first five months of 1944 and on May 16 the Clio was dispatched to Puerto La Cruz for 90,763 barrels of crude oil. This cargo was discharged at Philadelphia and the vessel then went to Las Piedras for another Philadelphia cargo. For the next six months she made deliveries at New York four times, and once each at Bal-boa, Cristobal, and Philadelphia. The Clio remained on these coastwise and Canal Zone schedules until V-J Day, September 2, 1945, when she was anchored in the harbor at Cristobal awaiting berth to discharge.
The MS Clio was built in 1926 by Vulcan-Werke A.G. at Stettin-Breedow, Germany.
A twin-screw vessel of 12,650 deadweight tons capacity on international summer draft of 27 feet, 2 inches, she has an over-all length of 489 feet, 7 inches, a length between perpendiculars of 469 feet, 7 inches, a breadth moulded of 63 feet, and a depth moulded of 35 feet, 6 inches. With a cargo carrying capacity of 103,000 barrels, she has an assigned pumping rate of 4,000 barrels an hour.
Her Diesel engines develop 3,100 indicated horse· power and give her a classification certified speed of 10.6 knots.
The wartime transportation record of the Clio was in summary as follows:
The American wartime masters of the Clio were Captains Maurice W. ,Carter, Ivar Boklund, and Daniel H. Larsen.
In charge of her engineroom during the same period were Chief Engineers Peter Nelson and Frank F. Cordua.
The Scandinavian masters of the Clio during the war were Captains Poul Kildegaard, August Nesse, and Adolf Andersen.
Associated with them were Chief Engineers Svenning Hegna, Carl H. Jorgensen, Peder I. Andersen, Christian H. Hansen,
and Aage Schmidt.
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