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Socony Vacuum (1) - (1934-1954)
See also : General Plan "Socony Vacuum (1)"
"Socony Vacuum" was built in 1935 by New York Shipbuilding, Camden, NJ., yard no. 414.
Keel laid on Mar 19, 1934, launched Jan 18, 1935.
Oil tanker (Standard Oil), 500 feet, 126750 barrels.
Operated by Socony-Vacuum Oil Co.
Scrapped at Faslane, 1954.
Sister vessel is the Magnolia (1) - (1935-1954)
"Socony Vacuum (1)", inbound, August 16th, 1925.( Photo Copyright William B. Taylor )
Socony Vacuum
LOA 500 ' 1 "; Beam 65 ' 9 "; Depth 37' 14,880 DWT; 126,743 bbls
De Laval turbines, cross-compound, double reduction gears, developing 4000 SHP at 75 RPM 12.6 knots.
Launched 18 January and commissioned 2 April 1935 at New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey.
It seemed proper that the first ship built after the Socony merger with Vacuum be called Socony-Vacuum, especially since the new ship was bigger and faster than others that went before, and the first to be powered by steam turbines.
Socony Vacuum began her career in domestic trade, with a few foreign reaches to Japan and Australia in 1936 and a few coast-to-coast voyages. She escaped destruction during the first awful months of 1942 when the German U-boats moved so ruthlessly against merchant shipping on the US east coast, even though she incurred the grave risk of stopping in submarine-infested waters on 21 January 1942 to rescue 22 survivors of the torpedoed Latvian freighter Cilvaira.
In April 1942, at Key West, Florida, Socony Vacuum was requisitioned for war service by WSA, operating thereafter in all theatres of the war. She tramped the Atlantic in support of both the North African and Normandy invasions. She crossed the Pacific to Australia and New Zealand, supporting the US fleet in its farflung raids against Japan.
Having served throughout the war with zeal and luck, she was returned to us in February 1946. She was one of the five ships of the pre-war fleet which survived the world conflict.
Although laid up in late 1953 and her im-mediate future undetermined, Socony Vacuum was still part of the US-flag fleet as late as January 1954.
Scrapped at Faslane, 1954.
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Additional information Starke & Schell registers :
SOCONY-VACUUM - 1935 USA 1ST (aft)(13)
9,511 GRT for Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., Inc., New York, 484.0 x 66.0
Tanker build by New York SB. Co., Camden, N.J., (3), #414, 233715
Broken up at Faslane 1954 by Shipbreaking Industries, Ltd., arrived. 26.7.54.
The Miramar Ship Index for "SOCONY-VACUUM"
IDNo:
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2233715
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Year:
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1935
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Name:
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SOCONY-VACUUM
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Keel:
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Type:
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Tanker
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Launch Date:
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18.01.1935
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Flag:
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USA
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Date of completion:
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03.1935
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Tons:
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9511
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Link:
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-
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DWT:
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Yard No:
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414
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Length overall:
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Ship Design:
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LPP:
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147.5
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Country of build:
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USA
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Beam:
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20.1
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Builder:
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New York SB
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Material of build:
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Location of yard:
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Camden, NJ
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Number of screws/Mchy/ Speed(kn):
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1ST-13
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Subsequent History:
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Disposal Data:
Scrapped at Faslane 26.07.1954 [ By Shipbreaking Industries ]
History:
ON
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LR/IMO
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ID
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Year
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Name
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Tons
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Change
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Registered Owner
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233715
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2233715
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1935
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SOCONY-VACUUM
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9511
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-
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Socony-Vacuum Oil Co Inc.
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