cargo ship BRESLE

Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, 1946 - 1964

Design features

Bresle (pocket liberty-ship) 1946 - 1964
hull material : ...................steel
previous name(s) of ship : ........
detailed type : ...................pocket liberty-ship
type of propulsion : ..............1 propeller
building year of ship : ...........1946
name of shipyard : ................Tampa shipb.
place of construction : ...........Tampa (Floride)
year of entering the fleet : ......1946
length (in meters) : ..............97,53
width (in meters) : ...............15,24
gross tonnage (in tons) : .........38070
deadweight (in tons) : ............6280
type of engine : ..................6 cylinders 2-stroke single acting Hamilton Diesel engine
engine power (in HP) : ............1700
nominal speed (in Knots) : ........11,5

History

Standard ship C1-M-AV1 or pocket liberty built by Southeastern Shipbuilding Corp (Savannah) and completed by Tampa Shipbuilding Company under the name of MARLINE BEND. Delivered on October 18, 1946 to the French State and entrusted with management to Transat. Becomes property C.G.T. on June 4, 1948. Operated on the line West Indies USA bare boat chartered to the Messageries Maritimes company from June 2, 1954 to 20 January 1956 and operated like stationary in Viet-Nam. Returned to Transat and put on the line Le Havre Haiti. Sold on September 7, 1964 to Maraprecio Compania Naviera (Panama) and renamed MERRY MED under Greek Flag. Resold to Venezuela in 1969 under the name of AROA, then becomes the Lebanese ARIMAR in 1971. Shipwreck on October 26, 1971 off the Island of Eleuthera (the Bahamas) following the fire of her phosphate cargo. The French fleet of pocket liberties was of 10 ships : 5 acquired on drydock in 1946 by the French State, 3 in management with « Compagnie de Navigation Paquet » (AULNE, COUESNON and DIVES) and 2 in Transat (BRESLE and CANCHE) 2 for Messageries Maritimes (TAURUS AND THABOR) 1 for Daher (SAINTE HELENE) 1 for « Ets Maurel & Prom » (HUBERT PROM), 1 for the « Compagnie Franco-Cherifienne de Navigation » (DJERADA). [Source: Les Pocket Liberties, Jean François DURAND, Navires et Marine Marchande n°6.]