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Voco (2) - (1935-1949)
See her as : Mobiloil (1) - (1925-1936)
The second "Voco".( Photo thanks to Michael Pryce )
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.
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The Miramar Ship Index for "MOBILOIL"
IDNo:
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1148653
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Year:
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1925
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Name:
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MOBILOIL
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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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2q. 1925
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Flag:
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GBR
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Date of completion:
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08.1925
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DWT:
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7854
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Yard No:
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407
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Length overall:
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Ship Design:
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LPP:
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120.2
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Country of build:
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GBR
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Beam:
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16.2
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Builder:
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Greenock DY
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Material of build:
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Location of yard:
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Cartsdyke Mid
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Number of screws/Mchy/Speed(kn):
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1T-11.5
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|
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Subsequent History:
1936 VOCO - 1949 IONIAN EXPLORER
Disposal Data:
Scrapped at Rosyth 09.02.1955.
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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148653
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1148653
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1925
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MOBILOIL
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5090
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Vacuum Oil Co.
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148653
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1148653
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1925
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VOCO
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5090
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1936
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Vacuum Oil Co.
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|
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1148653
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1925
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IONIAN EXPLORER
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5090
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1949
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Vergottis
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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.