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Mobil Tankers
Mobiloil (1) - (1925-1936)
See also : Voco (2) - (1935-1949)  &  GALE BALKS ATLANTIC RESCUE
 
The first "Mobiloil" was build in 1925. Renamed as "Voco", in 1936.
Sold in 1949 as "Ionian Explorer". Scrapped in 1955
 
"Mobiloil".
 
 "Mobiloil" berthed at Tenerife on 27th Feb., 1933.

Voco (II), ex Mobiloil - 1931

LOA 409'3", Beam 53', Depth 28'9", 7854 DWT,  52,948 bbls, Triple expansion engine 48" stroke, 11.5 knots
Built 1925 at Greenock Dockyard Company Limited, Scotland. Entered Socony's British-flag fleet by merger with Vacuum in 1931.
Voco, ex Mobiloil, was built especially for carrying lubricating oil, having three pump-rooms and numerous pipelines for the safe handling of many different and sensitive cargoes.
This specialisation confined her to practically the same run for her entire career - namely from the Paulsboro refinery to the lube-oil markets of Europe and the UK. Even during WWII, when she was requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Trans-port in February 1940, she was kept in that run, although in escorted convoys.
She escaped the submarine peril but did not come out of the war completely unscathed. Leaving New York harbour with a full cargo, she collided with the Chilean Choapa in the swept channel. Choapa had previously been in collision and was at anchor, presumably to one side; but after Voco hit her, Choapa was hit a third time by a third vessel of the same convoy. Choapa sank with a cargo of sugar and was a total loss. Subsequently both convoy vessels were held to be at fault.
Balanced against the foregoing is Voco's earlier peacetime rescue of the crew of the freighter Sisto 600 miles off the coast of Ireland, Voco saw the distress rockets, found Sisto badly damaged by the storm which was then in progress: her rudder broken, her lifeboats washed away, and her navigating bridge in splinters. Sixteen men were clinging to the deckhouse in the lee of the stack. Not able to lower her own boats due to the heavy sea, Voco sent out a radio call for aid, eventually bringing four other vessels to the scene. Although a lifeboat from New York made the actual rescue, Voco made it possible by cal-ming the rough seas with a liberal spread of company oil.
In January 1946, Voco was redelivered to her owners to resume loading at Paulsboro for the UK and northern Europe. Her last voyage, in late 1948, was the same as her first 23 years earlier - Paulsboro to Birkenhead, England, with a mixed cargo of lubricating oils.
In January 1949, Voco was sold to Compania de Navigacion, Cristobal, Panama. She was renamed Ionian Explorer by her new owners.

The Miramar Ship Index for "MOBILOIL"
IDNo:
1148653
Year:
1925
Name:
MOBILOIL
Keel:
Type:
Tanker
Launch Date:
2q. 1925
Flag:
GBR
Date of completion:
08.1925

DWT:
7854
Yard No:
407
Length overall:
Ship Design:
LPP:
120.2
Country of build:
GBR
Beam:
16.2
Builder:
Greenock DY
Material of build:
Location of yard:
Cartsdyke Mid
Number of screws/Mchy/Speed(kn):
1T-11.5

Subsequent History:
1936 VOCO - 1949 IONIAN EXPLORER

Disposal Data:
Scrapped at Rosyth 09.02.1955.

History :
ON
LR/IMO
ID
Year
Name
Tons
Change
Registered Owner
148653
1148653
1925
MOBILOIL
5090
Vacuum Oil Co.
148653
1148653
1925
VOCO
5090
1936
Vacuum Oil Co.
1148653
1925
IONIAN EXPLORER
5090
1949
Vergottis

Additional information :

MOBILOIL - (1925), built by : Greenock Dockyard Co Greenock, Yard No 407
Built: 1925, Ship Type: Tanker
Owner History: Vacuum Oil Company USA.

Additional information Starke & Schell registers :

MOBILOIL - 1925  BR     1T (aft)     (11½)
5,090 GRT for Vacuum Oil Co., Ltd., London    394.3 x 53.3
Tanker built by Greenock Dockyard Co., Ltd., Greenock   (8)     #407    148653
1936 - VOCO, s/o
1938 - Standard Transportation Co., Ltd., London
1941 - Socony-Vacuum Transportation Co., Ltd., London
1949 - IONIAN EXPLORER   Cia. de Navegacion Cristobal, S.A., Panama [Vergottis, Ltd.], PA
Broken up at Rosyth 1955 by Shipbreaking Industries, Ltd., arrived 09.02.1955.