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LEICESTER (1944)
Service dates: 1947-1950
Official number: 169824
Shipping lines: FEDERAL STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY
Ship type:
General Cargo Liner.
Career
- 22.01.1944
- Launched.
- 05.02.1944
- Delivered as Samesk for the US War Shipping Commission but chartered to the Ministry of War Transport (New Zealand Shipping Company, managers).
- 25.04.1947
- Sold to the Federal Steam Navigation Company for £135,300 and renamed Leicester.
- 30.07.1947
- Abandoned when her ballast shifted 650km (400 miles) south-west of Newfoundland, bound Tilbury to New York when she encountered a hurricane. Five lives were lost. The remaining crew were picked up by the steamers Tropero and Cecil N Bean.
- 27.09.1948
- Taken in tow by the motor tug Foundation Josephine but both were driven ashore at the entrance to St George’s harbour, Bermuda on 7th October.
- 19.10.1948
- Refloated and brought into Hamilton.
- 24.10.1948
- Left in tow of the motor tug Kevin Moran for New York but diverted to Baltimore for repairs which were completed on 14th December.
- 15.09.1950
- Sold for £110,000 to the Nassau Maritime Company Ltd, London (Ante Topic, manager) and renamed Inagua.
- 1952
- Ricardo Arco became the manager.
- 1958
- Register transferred to Nassau, Bahamas.
- 1958
- Transferred to the Cia Nav Termar SA, Monrovia (Ante Topic, manager) and renamed Serafin Topic.
- 1962
- Renamed Jela Topic.
- 1965
- Sold to the Viking Shipping Company Ltd, Monrovia (Pacific Steamship Agency Inc, managers) and renamed Viking Liberty.
- 21.01.1966
- Grounded at Trinidad, bound Recife to New York.
- 01.02.1966
- Arrived at New Orleans where repairs were found to be uneconomic.
- 02.1966
- Sold to Poul Christensen, Copenhagen, and resold to Spanish shipbreakers.
- 27.08.1966
- Arrived in tow at Santander.
- 30.08.1966
- Demolition commenced.