SS Mayagüez

SS "Mayagüez" was a U.S. container ship that attained notoriety for its May 12, 1975 seizure by Khmer Rouge forces of Cambodia, which resulted in a confrontation with the United States at the close of the Vietnam War.

Registration history

The "Mayagüez" was first launched in April 1944 as SS "White Falcon", a C2-S-AJ1 (U.S. Maritime Commission) built by North Carolina Shipbuilding Company of Wilmington, NC. Its sister ship was the SS "Ponce".

After World War II, she was renamed the "Santa Eliana". In 1960, she was lengthened and widened by the Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock Company and converted into the first U.S.-flagged, all-container ship devoted to foreign trade, with a capacity of 382 containers below-deck plus 94 on-deck. She was renamed SS "Sea" in 1964, and SS "Mayagüez" in 1965. [cite web
url = http://www.usmm.org/mayaguez.html
title = Capture and Release of the SS Mayaguez by Khmer Rouge forces in May 1975]

Beginning in 1965, the "Mayagüez" sailed a regular route for Sea-Land Service, Inc in support of American forces in Southeast Asia: Hong Kong – Sattahip, Thailand – Singapore. On May 7, 1975, about a week after the fall of Saigon, "Mayagüez" left Hong Kong on what was said to be a routine voyage.

Duly retrieved from KR forces, the "Mayagüez" was taken out of service and eventually scrapped, in 1979.

References