SS ''Comol Cuba'' (ex-''Dora'', ex-''Inspector'', ex-''Red Jacket'') was a
Design 1022 cargo ship built for the
United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...
immediately after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. Converted to a tanker, she spent most of her career transporting
molasses
Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods ...
, a byproduct of sugar refining, to the United States. During World War II, she transported petroleum before returning to the private sector.
History
She was laid down as ''Red Jacket'', yard number 1482 at the
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
shipyard of the
American International Shipbuilding Corporation
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, ...
, one of 110
Design 1022 cargo ships built for the
United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...
. She was launched as the '' Inspector'' on 18 September 2019 and completed on 31 October 1919. In 1921, she was purchased by the Dunbar Molasses Company and converted into a tanker with a 344,963 gallon capacity.
In 1927, she was purchased by the U.S. Tank Ship Corporation and renamed ''Dora''. In 1928, she was purchased by private investors via the Steamship Dora Corporation, a New York incorporated
special-purpose entity
A special-purpose entity (SPE; or, in Europe and India, special-purpose vehicle/SPV; or, in some cases in each EU jurisdiction, FVC, financial vehicle corporation) is a legal entity (usually a limited company of some type or, sometimes, a limited ...
established specifically for her purchase, with U.S. Tank Ship Corporation as ship manager.
In 1938, she was purchased by the Commercial Molasses Corporation and renamed ''Comol Cuba''. In 1939, her registration was changed to
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, she operated mostly in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. In January 1943, she was part of convoy PK-135, the last
Pilottown, Louisiana to
Key West, Florida convoy.
In the fourth quarter of 1948, she was broken up in