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Tascalusa (2) - (1947-1963)
The second "Tascalusa".
( Photo thanks to Edward O. Clark )
TASCALUSA
LOA 501 '4", Beam 68', Depth 37', ex CATAWBA, 15,910 DWT, 132,646 bbls
Westinghouse turbines, cross-compound, double reduction gears, developing 12,000SHP at 105RPM 16.5 knots
Launched 23 December 1941 and commissioned 12 February 1942 at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Sparrows Point, Maryland, as CATAWBA.
The Catawbas were an important Siouan tribe in South Carolina which aided the colonists during the American Revolution. There is a North Carolina county bearing that name, as well as a grape, a Wine made from it, a rhododendron, and a tree of the catalpa family.
In 1939, Socony-Vacuum built six “M”class tankers, modified at the g0vernment’s expense to make them suitable for naval auxiliaries. The government retained an option to purchase the ships, and with the coming of War the six High Speed Tankers became government-owned.
CATAWBA made one coastal trip for Socony-Vacuum and several to New Zealand for WSA before being tagged in August 1942 by Navy authorities at Pearl Harbor to replace a Navy oiler of that name, lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea. In uniform, her name was USS NEOSHO, and as A0-48 she had a good War record.
After the War, the Navy retained three of the ships and Socony-Vacuum elected to repurchase two of them. In June 1947, reconditioned for commercial use, CATAWBA re-entered the company fleet, renamed TASCALUSA.
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"Tascalusa", 15,919 dwt - South African flag, owned by Mobil Tankers Co. S.A.,
and build in 1942 by Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard Inc., Sparrows Point, Md.
HISTORY :
CATAWBA.
Yardnr. 4356. USMC nr. 145. Official nr. 241358.
Keel laid 8-7-1941. Launched 23-12-1941. Completed 15-2-1941. Gr. 9920 t., Net. 5928 t., Dw. 15850 t. L.o.a. 159,57 m., Br. 20,78 m., Dr. 9,19 m. Engine: 2 steam turbines, manufactured by Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee. 12000 B.h.p., 8808 kW. Speed 15 knots. 26 tanks.
History:
CATAWBA-1941 completed for Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, New York, U.S.A.
CATAWBA-1942 Renamed Neosho 18 July.
CATAWBA-1942 Acquired by the Navy, 4 August.
CATAWBA-1942 Converted Naval service at Bethlehem Steel Co., Union Iron Works, San Francisco, CA.
AO-48 NEOSHO-1942 Commissioned USS Neosho (AO-48), 16 September.
AO-48 NEOSHO-1945 Decommissioned, 13 December.
AO-48 NEOSHO-1946 Struck from the Naval Register, 3 January.
AO-48 NEOSHO-1946 Returned to the Maritime Commission, 30 June, at the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Lee Hall, VA.
AO-48 NEOSHO-1947 Sold by the Maritime Commission, 23 June, and renamed SS Tascalusa, returned to the Socony Vacuum Oil Co.
TASCALUSA-1947 for Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, New York, U.S.A.
TASCALUSA-1955 for Socony-Mobil Oil Co., Inc., New York, U.S.A.
TASCALUSA-1958 for Mobil Tankers Co., SA , New York, U.S.A.
Additional Reports :
Reported Ascalusa sold to shipbreakers in Germany. Broken up 7 Oct. 1963 Hamburg. [ By Eckhardt & Co. ]
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The Miramar Ship Index for
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CATAWBA
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IDNo / IMO
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5353165
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Year
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1942
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Name
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CATAWBA
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Flag
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USA
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Owner
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Socony-Vacuum Oil Co Inc., New York
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Type
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Tanker
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Tons
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9930
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DWT
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15850
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LOA
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152.9
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LPP
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148.7
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Beam
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20.7
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Dept
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11.28
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Draft
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9.04
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Machinery
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1ST-16.5
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kW
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8832 kW
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ShipDesign
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T2
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Builder
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Bethlehem-Sparrows Point SY
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Yard
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Sparrows Point
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Yard No
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4356
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Country built
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USA
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Keel
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08.07.1941
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Launch
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23.12.1941
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Completed
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12.02.1942
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Subsequent History
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1942 NEOSHO - U.S.Navy, USA
1946 CATAWBA - U.S.Govt., USA
1947 TASCALUSA - Socony-Vacuum Oil Co Inc., USA New York
1955 TASCALUSA - Socony-Mobil Oil Co Inc., USA New York
1958 TASCALUSA - Mobil Tankers Co SA, PAN Panama
1963 Reported ASCALUSA sold to shipbreakers in Germany.
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End
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1963
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Disposal Data
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Scrapped Hamburg 07.10.1963. [ By Eckhardt & Co.]
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