SS Mongolia (1922)

The SS "Mongolia" was a steam turbine-driven twin-screw passenger-and-cargo ocean liner launched in 1922 for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) for service from the United Kingdom to Australia. Later in P&O service it sailed for New Zealand, and in 1938 it was chartered to a P&O subsidiary, the New Zealand Shipping Company, as SS "Rimutaka".

In 1950 it was sold to become the SS "Europa", carrying immigrants to the United States from Europe; later, it became a Bahamas cruise ship, the SS "Nassau". Its final incarnation was under a Mexican flag as a Los Angeles to Acapulco cruise liner, the SS "Acapulco", making it the only ocean liner to ever fly the Mexican flag. The ship was scrapped in 1963.cite book
url = http://books.google.com/books?id=R8bmQL-ijCMC&client=firefox-a
title = The Dictionary of Nautical Literacy
author = Robert McKenna
year = 2003
publisher = McGraw-Hill Professional
isbn = 0071419500]

SS "Mongolia", 1922–1938

The P&O ordered SS "Mongolia" from Sir W G Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. Ltd. of Newcastle upon Tyne on November 22, 1918, but construction was delayed by postwar refits of existing ships and she was not launched until August 24, 1922. After fitting out and sea trials the "Mongolia" was delivered to P&O on April 26, 1923. The ship cost an estimated ₤1 million.

She left London on her maiden voyage to Sydney on May 11, 1923 on what was at first a 4-weekly mail service, that service being increased to fortnightly from 1925. She was converted to oil fuel in 1928.

Notable incidents included a collision on July 16, 1933 with the tanker SS|British Venture and a breakwater in Copenhagen, followed by running aground; and a collision with MS|Villa de Madrid off Marseilles on December 3, 1936.

She was laid up for sale in 1937.

SS "Rimutaka", 1938–1950

In 1938, the P&O transferred the ship under long-term charter to their subsidiary, the New Zealand Shipping Company, who renamed her SS "Rimutaka", the third ship of that name, registered at Plymouth. She was reconfigured at this time to carry 840 tourist class passengers; before entering service, she was in collision with SS|Corfleet off the Nore. After repairs, she departed for New Zealand for the first time on December 12, 1938. The "Rimutaka" worked a route from London, through Panama, to Auckland, New Zealand and terminating at Wellington, New Zealand.

She suffered a fire in her No. 3 hold on March 9, 1939. In September of that year, she was requisitioned for conversion to an armed merchant cruiser due to the outbreak of World War II, but was released from that service before any conversion occurred. Instead, the "Rimutaka" was requisitioned for the Liner Division between May 12, 1940 and June 14, 1946, but remained in UK—New Zealand service for most of the war.

After hostilities ceased, she continued in NZSC service on the same route; her last voyage with the company was in 1950, departing Wellington for London in January, 1950. She was returned to parent P&O for sale.

SS "Europa", 1950–1951

On March 3, 1950 the ship was transferred from P&O to the Home Lines-affiliated Compania de Navegacion Incres SA (Incres Shipping Company) of Panama for £95,000. (Th She was renamed the SS "Europa", converted to take 614 tourist class passengers, was stripped of her refrigerated cargo space, and placed into service transporting stateless immigrants from Europe to the United States and Canada. She was Italian-crewed, and first sailed from Genoa; later crossings began from Antwerp and later Le Havre. A stop en route was made at Plymouth to collect British immigrants. The destinations were Halifax, Nova Scotia and New York City. The "Europa" continued in this service until the end of September, 1951.cite web
last =
first =
title = Italian Immigrant and Europa Crew Dr. Vincenzo Berglieri
url = http://www.pier21.ca/wp-content/uploads/files/stories/immigrants/Italian_Immigrant_and_Europa_Crew_Dr_Vincenzo_Berligeri.pdf?PHPSESSID=c748f53af06bd04465470a21bdb72256
work = Online Story Collection
publisher = Pier 21, Canada's Immigration Museum
year =
quote =
accessdate = 2008-05-06]

SS "Nassau", 1951–1961

After this, the ship was renovated in Genoa to become the Incres Nassau Line's SS "Nassau", a cruise ship sailing from New York City to Nassau in the Bahamas. Her cargo holds were removed and swimming pools and other amenities were fitted, suiting her to her new role. This was the first time a ship was employed year-round as a cruise ship. In 1954 her registry was transferred to Liberia.

SS "Acapulco", 1961–1963

The ship was purchased in 1961 by Natumex Line ( _es. "Compania Navegacion Turística Mexicana SA"), a Mexican government-owned company, to provide a fortnightly service between Acapulco and Los Angeles. She underwent a rebuild by the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co., Ltd. of Glasgow, Scotland including the fitting of a new bow and funnel. The "Acapulco" then sailed for the United States, where it initially failed inspections by the United States Coast Guard. [cite web
last =
first =
title = Disaster and Shipwreck Files: A
url = http://www.uscg.mil/history/webshipwrecks/Disaster_A.html
publisher = U.S. Coast Guard
work = Historian's Office
year = 2003
quote =
accessdate = ] On its third trip from California, it suffered a mechanical breakdown at sea.

In 1962, she went to the Seattle World's Fair to serve as a hotel ship.

In 1963, she was laid up at Manzanillo, and in 1964 she was towed to Japan for scrap, arriving at Osaka on December 15, 1964 for breaking up at Sakai. Demolition commenced on January 6, 1965.cite book
last = Smith
first = Eugene Waldo
title = Passenger Ships of the World, Past and Present
url =
year = 1978
publisher = G. H. Dean
location = Boston
isbn =
quote = ]

References

External links

* [http://sflib1.sfpl.org:82/record=b1036171 Photo at the San Francisco Public Library]