MS Tunis (1935)

Construction

Tunis was constructed in 1935 by Helsingørs Jernskibs og Maskinbyggeri A/S, Elsinore, Denmark for Det Forenede Dampskibs Selskab (DFDS), Copenhagen, Denmark. The ship was the first of four almost identical ships built for DFDS. Tunis, hull 231 was followed by Marocco, hull 232, in 1936. In 1938 Algier, hull 251, and Sicilien, hull 252, were delivered. The later ships were nominally greater in capacity than the first two ships but with identical dimensions.Reference "Poulsen" contains a list of ships built by the shipyard, pages 155-161. Page 158 shows the two 1936 ships at , , 2,000 BHP with speed of 13 knots. The 1938 ships are respectively , (Algier)/ (Sicilien), 1,600 IHP with speed of 13 knots

Laid down 10 August 1935 as yard hull number 231 the ship was launched 8 November 1935. Trials took place on 14 January 1936 with delivery to the company on 15 January. Tunis, signal OYJH, was a one deck vessel with a cruiser stern, , , 271.7 ft registered length, 40.4 ft beam and 16.6 ft depth. Tunis was powered by a single 5 cylinder, 338 n.h.p. Burmeister & Wain 550-VF-90 type diesel engine driving one screw for a speed of 12.5 knots.

Commercial service

Tunis was one of four similar cargo ships in commercial service for Det Forenede Dampskibs Selskab (DFDS), Copenhagen, operating between northwest Europe and the Mediterranean. On 18 January 1936 Tunis made a maiden voyage from Copenhagen to Antwerp. The ship then operated on a route from Copenhagen and Antwerp to the Mediterranean until beginning a Copenhagen to North America route in 1939/1940. The change was due to a surge in freight to North and South America at the start of war in Europe. All four of the new DFDS ships, Tunis, Marocco, Algier and Sicilien were put into Atlantic service. When Germany occupied Denmark on 9 April 1940 Tunis departed Copenhagen for New York arriving on 15 April 1930, days after the United States had declared seizure of Danish ships.

There was no Danish government in exile, the government completely subject to German influence, and Danish ships were thus considered by Britain and France to be enemy ships subject to seizure. Danish ships not seized by the belligerents sought refuge in neutral ports, particularly the United States. In New York a Danish Shipping Committee, without government powers, attempted to negotiate an "understanding" with representatives of the British and French governments without success. Under German pressure the Danish government ordered the ships in neutral ports to remain there and their crews to refuse any service including a law in Denmark prohibiting crews in neutral ports to sign on with other ships. The shortage of ships and crews among the Allied belligerents and neutral United States led to the United States seizing Danish ships on 30 March 1941. Denmark officially protested the seizure as against international law and demanding immediate return to no avail. In 1958 the United States offered Denmark $5,396,202 in settlement of claims for use and loss of all forty vessels including Tunis.

Tunis was one of forty Danish merchant vessels, totaling , seized by the United States Coast Guard and then requisitioned for use or transfer of title under the Ship Requisition Act.Public Law 101, Acquisition of Domestic or Foreign Merchant Vessels. Most of the Danish ships were delivered to the War Shipping Administration (WSA), registered in Panama for diplomatic reasons, and operated under new names by commercial companies as WSA agents.The United States Maritime Commission in a letter dated August 20, 1941 appealed to Danish seamen "to serve the cause of democracy" by remaining with the vessels as crew. Tunis was delivered to WSA in New York on 21 July 1941 and simultaneously chartered to Marine Operating Company, Inc. for operation. On 11 August 1941 WSA delivered the ship under Executive Order to the Navy under bareboat charter for operation as an transport.

U.S. Navy service

The War Shipping Administration delivered the ship to the Navy under bareboat charter on 11 August 1941. The ship was renamed Aquila, designated AK-47, on 3 September 1941. After conversion for naval service by the Sullivan Drydock and Repair Corporation Aquila was commissioned on 24 October 1941.

Aquila began a series of convoy runs from New York and Boston, Massachusetts, to Reykjavík, Iceland making five round-trips between 1 December 1941 and 10 October 1942. On 7 November 1942, she arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, to begin operations with the Naval Transportation Service assigned to supply operations between ports in the Eastern, Panama, Gulf, and Caribbean Sea Frontiers. Aquila followed this routine until she was placed out of commission at Norfolk, on 9 October 1945 with the name struck from the Navy list on 24 October 1945. The ship was returned to the Maritime Commission for disposal. Aquilas crew members were eligible for the following medals:

• American Defense Service Medal with "A" device
• [[File:American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] American Campaign Medal
• [[File:European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign ribbon.svg|106px]] European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
• [[File:World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|106px]] World War II Victory Medal

Return to commercial service

The ship was then placed under charter by Alcoa Steam Ship Co., at Portsmouth, Virginia, 9 October 1945, renamed Bonanza. Bonanza registration shows changes with , and signal WHXI owned by the War Shipping Administration registered in Baltimore.

The ship was returned at New York to DFDS, Denmark, on 25 June 1946, and resumed the name Tunis. On 28 June the ship departed New York for Newport News, Bremen and Copenhagen to resume pre-war routes. During the 1950s and early 1960s the ship included voyages between Copenhagen and Britain.

On 5 April 1966 Tunis was sold to Eletson Maritime Corp., Piraeus, Greece, delivered to the new owner on 13 April and renamed Maria T. In 1972 the ship was sold to Rigas Bros. & Dinos Mitropoulis, Piraeus and renamed Mathios. In 1978 the ship was scrapped in Greece by Kyriazis Brothers in 1978.

Footnotes

References

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