Sword Line Inc. was a steamship company founded by Charilaos "Charles" G. Poulacos and Abbott Abercrombie in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1933. Sword Line Inc. had shipping routes from Atlantic ports to and

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

ports. Charilaos "Charles" G. Poulacos and Abbott Abercrombie purchased the ship '' Eastern Sword'' in 1932. The ''Eastern Sword'' was a 3,785-ton cargo ship built in 1920 at the Uraga Dry Dock Co. Ltd, at Uraga, Japan. The ship sank after being hit by a

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

from on May 4, 1942 off the coast of

Georgetown, Guyana Georgetown is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Guyana. It is situated in Demerara-Mahaica, region 4, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, at the mouth of the Demerara River. It is nicknamed the "Garden City of the Caribbean." It is ...

. The ''Eastern Sword'' had a crew of 38 and only 13 survived the attack. Sword Line Inc. was active in supporting the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

effort.

History

At the time Sword Line, Inc. was purchased, in 1932, Captain Charles G. Poulacos and Abbott Abercrombie were working as assistant director at steamship company. Poulacos was president of Sword Line, Inc. Poulacos and Abercrombie purchased the '' Eastern Sword'' from the

United States Shipping Board The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was a corporation 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 ...

for $54,000. Sword Line, Inc. headquarters was at 76 Beaver St., New York,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Poulacos was born in Greece in 1884 and came to America in 1915. Sword Line, Inc. was successful and purchased three more ships. In 1939 Poulacos purchased share of Abercrombie Sword Line, Inc. Poulacos then worked for an electrical distributing company. '' Eastern Sword'' had one sister ship, the ''Ugo Maru'', it was not purchased by the United States Shipping Board. The ''Ugo Maru'' became an Auxiliary Transport ship in the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

. On October 20, 1944, the ''Ugo Maru'' was also sunk. ''Ugo Maru'' was hit by a torpedo from an American submarine USS Hammerhead (SS-364) off Miri, Borneo.

World War II

Sword Line, Inc. ships were used to help the World War II effort. During World War II Sword Line, Inc. operated Merchant navy ships for the

. During World War II Sword Line, Inc. was active with charter shipping with the

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 1950. The c ...

and

War Shipping Administration The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the United States needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime C ...

. Sword Line, Inc. operated

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...

s and

Victory ship The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by American shipyards during World War II. They were a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ship, were slightly larger and had more powerful steam turbine engin ...

s for the merchant navy. The ship was run by its Sword Line, Inc. crew and the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

supplied

United States Navy Armed Guard The United States Navy Armed Guard was a force of United States Navy gunners and related personnel established during World War II to protect U.S. merchant shipping from enemy attack.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merc ...

s to man the deck guns and radio.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 25846 Highlandtown Station, Baltimore, M

/ref>

Ships

*Sword Line Inc ships owned: *'' Eastern Sword'' built in 1920 at the Uraga Dry Dock Co. Ltd, at Uraga, Kanagawa, Japan. The ship sank after being hit by a

from on May 4, 1942. * List of Empire ships (L)#Empire Lune, ''Alabama Sword'' built in 1944 was seized by Allies at Flensburg in 1945, became Empire Lune sold to Sword Line in 1947, in 1951 renamed Texas Sword, sold in 1956. * ''Florida Sword'' built in 1943 as Halsnaes, taken over by Germany renamed Kronenfels for Hansa Line, in 1945 seized by Allies at Copenhagen. Became Empire Roden, sold to Sword Line Inc in 1947. Sold in 1956. * ''Silver Sword'', built in 1919 by Downey Shipbuilding Company. Sank after a torpedo attack by

German submarine U-255 German submarine ''U-255'' was a Type VIIC U-boat that served in Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 21 December 1940 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack, launched on 8 October 1941 and ...

while in

Convoy QP 14 Convoy QP 14 (13–26 September 1942) was an Arctic convoy of the Arctic convoys of World War II, QP series which ran during the Second World War. The convoy was a return journey of Allies of World War II, Allied ships from the port of Archange ...

coming home to New York City from Archangel, Russia, one crew member was killed. *''Western Sword'', built in 1944, ship # V-2651, ID 219567, operated during World War 2 *''Yankee Sword'', built in 1921 at

New York Shipbuilding Corporation The New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short) was an American shipbuilding company that operated from 1899 to 1968, ultimately completing more than 500 vessels for the U.S. Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United ...

, operated during World War 2. On March 22, 1945, pick up the survivors of the SS Corinth a Keystone Shipping Company Oil Tanker, sunk by Japanese Submarine on March 18. *''Victory Sword'', a tanker built in 1910 by

Fore River Shipbuilding Fore River Shipyard was a shipyard owned by General Dynamics Corporation located on Weymouth Fore River in Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts. It began operations in 1883 in Braintree, and moved to its final location on Quincy Point in 1901. I ...

, operated during World War 2, was deliberately sunk on June 18, 1944, due to its poor condition, to make a

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * ...

for

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

making

Mulberry harbour The Mulberry harbours were two temporary portable harbours developed by the Admiralty (United Kingdom), British Admiralty and War Office during the Second World War to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches during the Allies of ...

at Utah Beach. *MV ''Oregon Sword'', a

Type C1 ship Type C1 was a designation for cargo ships built for the United States Maritime Commission before and during World War II. Total production was 493 ships built from 1940 to 1945. The first C1 types were the smallest of the three original Maritim ...

, C1-MT-BU1 Cargo, built as Oregon Fir at Albina Engine & Machine Works in Portland OR in 1946. Operated during post World War 2 work and

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. Wrecked and a total loss in 1967. *MV ''Arizona Sword'', Type C1 ship, C1-MT-BU1 Cargo, built at Albina E. & M. in 1945. Sank after collision with Berwindvale on May 4, 1951, in a

Cape Cod Canal The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway in Massachusetts connecting Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south, and is part of the Intracoastal Waterway, Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The approximately canal traverses the nec ...

, she was raised and converted to a barge in 1954. The barge foundered on January 13, 1961. *MV ''California Sword'', Type C1 ship, C1-MT-BU1 Cargo, built at Albina E. & M. in 1946 as California Redwood, ship Number V-5349, Official Number 248911. * ''Coalinga Hills'', a

T2 tanker The T2 tanker, or T2, was a class of oil tanker constructed and produced in large numbers in the United States during World War II. Only the T3 tankers were larger "navy oilers" of the period. Some 533 T2s were built between 1940 and the end of 1 ...

, acquired in 1948, sold in 1962, built in 1943 by

Marinship Marinship Corporation was a shipbuilding company of the United States during World War II, created to build the shipping required for the war effort. Founded in 1942, the shipyard built 93 cargo ships and oil tankers, before ending operations in ...

Sausalito, California Sausalito ( Spanish for "small willow grove") is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located southeast of Marin City, south-southeast of San Rafael, and about north of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge. Sausalito's ...

**World War II operated ships: **Liberty Ships: * * built in 1942 at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard. * ''Milton J. Foreman'', built in 1944 * ''George A. Lawson'', sank in 1964 as SS Union Atlantic * ''Cecil G. Sellers'', built in 1944, post war work in 1946, burnt and scrapped 1948 * ''Daniel Hiester'', built in 1942, post war work in 1946. * ''Benjamin H. Bristow'', built in 1942, post war work in 1946. * , built in 1942 at the Oregon SB Corp. * ''Renald Fernald'', built in 1943, post war work in 1946, wrecked and scrapped 1963 **Victory ship: * , operated post war work in 1948, in 1949 transferred to

US Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, mi ...

. ** Other * SS ''Golden Eagle'', Type R ship R2-S-BV1, refrigerated cargo ship. *MV ''Arizona Pine'', post war work in 1946 to 1948, a Type C1 ship, C1-MT-BU1 Cargo, became MV Arizona Sword in 1948.

References

{{Type C1-M ships Defunct shipping companies of the United States American companies established in 1933

History

World War II

Ships

See also

References