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Royal Arrow (1) - (1916-1946)
See also : The gun crew of the SS Royal Arrow in 1943
The first "Royal Arrow", was built in 1916, seen here during Sea Trials.
Sold to Italy in 1946 as "Laura Corrado", scrapped in 1959.
( Photo thanks to Raymond Eckhoff )
"Royal Arrow" broadside view of the Royal Arrow under way, May 2nd, 1939.( Photo Taylor, William B. )
"Royal Arrow" at Aden, 1944.
( Photo thanks to Derek Wilson )
From the book : Mobil Book of Ships
Royal Arrow
LOA 457 ' - Beam 58 ' - Depth 41 '
11,960 DWT - 82,148 bbls
Quadruple expansion steam engine 54" stroke - 2959IHP
Launched 30 October and commissioned on 16 December 1916 at New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey.
Royal Arrow shook herself down by making six round trips between Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and New York before entering the offshore export trade out of San Francisco. During WWI, she remained in the Pacific, being com-mandeered by the government only for backhaul cargoes of coconut oil and copra out of the Philippines. Her voyag-es for the next five years read like an index to a map of the Far East.
In 1922 she was brought to the US east coast for the domestic trade. For 19 years - which is a life-span in itself for vessels carrying corrosive cargoes - Royal Arrow wore her own groove between Texas and the north. In April 1941 she was transferred (by inter-company sale) to Brilliant Transportation Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary set up for marine purposes. Her registry was changed to Panamanian. Nevertheless, upon US entry into WWII, she was requisitioned for war service by WSA.
For 3 1/2 years she successfully ran the gauntlet of enemy U-boats and surface raiders, lifting war cargoes mostly out of Abadan, Iran, for Australia and India, with only rare returns to a Stateside port. She was returned to us in De-cember 1945, worn out and depleted, but still flying the Panamanian flag and still fit for service. Already she was li-ving on a year-by-year certificate granted because of the war emergency; and when the last one expired in Decem-ber 1946, Royal Arrow reached the end of the line. Her last year of service had been as vigorous as any which had preceded it. She had shown profits to the last.
And yet Royal Arrow was not sold for 10 cents on the dollar for scrap. She was sold at a good price as a "going" unit to Corrada Societa Di Navigazione, Genoa, Italy, renamed Laura Corrada, and in 1954 was listed as being still in ser-vice for her new owners.
Royal Arrow, at home and abroad, in two wars, under two flags, was the last of the Arrow boats. She outlived them all.
Finally she was sold and scrapped at Spezia where she arrived on 7 July 1959.
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The Miramar Ship Index for "ROYAL ARROW"
IDNo:
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2214581
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Year:
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1916
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Name:
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ROYAL ARROW
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Launch Date:
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30.10.1916
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Type:
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Tanker
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Date of completion:
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12.1916
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Flag:
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USA
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Keel:
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DWT:
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Yard No:
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168
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Length overall:
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|
Ship Design:
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|
LPP:
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142.5
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Country of build:
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USA
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Beam:
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19.1
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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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1Q-10.5
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|
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Owner as Completed:
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Standard Tptn Co Inc, New York
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Subsequent History:
1946 LAURA CORRADO
Disposal Data:
Scrapped at Spezia 07.02.1959.
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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Name change
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Main Owner
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214581
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2214581
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1916
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ROYAL ARROW
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7794
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Standard Tptn Co.
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2522
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2214581
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1916
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LAURA CORRADO
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7794
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1946
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Corrado
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Additional information Starke & Schell registers :
ROYAL ARROW - 1916 USA 1Q (aft) (10½)
7,794 GRT for Standard Transportation Co., Inc., New York 467.6 x 62.7
Tanker built by New York SB. Co., Camden, N.J., (12), #168, 214581
1931 - Standard-Vacuum Transportation Co., Inc., New York
1935 - Socony-Vacuum Oil Co., Inc., New York
1941 - Brilliant Transportation Co., S.A., Panama, PA
1946 - LAURA CORRADO "Corrado" Soc. Anon. di Nav., Genoa, IT, 2522
Broken up at La Spezia 1959 by Cantieri Navali del Golfo, arrived 07.02.1959.