The Type R ship is a United States Maritime Administration designation for World War IIrefrigerated cargo ship, also called a reefer ship. The R type ship was used in World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and the Cold War. Type R ships were used to transport perishable commodities which require temperature-controlled transportation, such as fruit, meat, fish, vegetables, dairy products and other foods. The US Maritime Commission ordered 41 new refrigerated ships for the US Navy. Because of the difficulty of building refrigerated ships only two were delivered in 1944, and just 26 were delivered in 1945 and the remainder in 1946–48. The 41 R type ships were built in four groups. Two of design types were modified type C1 ships and two were modified type C2 ships. The United Fruit Company operated many of the R type ships in World War II. The type R2-S-BV1 became the US Navy Alstede-class stores ship and the type R1-M-AV3 became the US Navy Adria-class stores ship.
Ships in type
R2-S-BV1
R2-S-BV1 Alstede-class stores ship,, built by Moore Dry Dock Company of Oakland, California in 1945. Used carrying frozen meat to Allied forces in World War II. Hull is close to C2-SU type ships. Displacement: 6,319 t., length:, beam:, draft:, speed: max., crew complement: 64, propulsion: cross-compound turbines, single propeller.
SS Matchless renamed in 1952
SS Flying Dragon Scrapped 1974
SS Ocean Chief renamed in 1946
SS Fleetwood renamed in 1961
SS Contest Scrapped 1973
SS Golden Rocket renamed in 1946
SS Golden Eagle renamed sunk as a target on 24 July 1997
SS Limon later sold to NV Caribbean Shipping of Rotterdam and renamed SS Talamanca, scrapped in 1977
SS Esparta scrapped 1977
SS Junior scrapped 1975
SS Comayagua'' scrapped 1975
R1-M-AV3
R1-M-AV3 Adria-class ship,, built by Pennsylvania Shipyard in Beaumont, Texas in 1944–1945, Hull was close to a type C1-M-AV1. Specs: max, length:, beam:, draught:, diesel engine, single screw,.
R1-S-DH1 Yaque class., built Bethlehem SteelSparrows Point, Maryland in 1947–1948, Engine: De Laval Turbine Company Inc., Trenton, New Jersey,,, Length:, derricks 9, winches 8. For United Fruit Company, Inc., New York, New York. Used to move tropical fruit and vegetables during war. Smallest of the R ships. Also had a few passenger cabins.
SS Yaque Scrapped 1972
SS Cibao Scrapped 1975
SS Quisqueya Scrapped 1975
SS Santo Cerro renamed SS Castilla 1969, Scrapped 1975
SS Sixaola Scrapped 1978
SS Tivives Scrapped 1968
SS Hibueras Scrapped 1972
SS Ulua Scrapped 1972
SS Morazan'' Scrapped 1976
Notable incidents
SS Matchless, a R2-S-BV1, sold to the United States Navy in 1952 and renamed. She was sold and renamed Aleutian Monarch in 1979 as a fish factory ship. She caught fire, burning for five days and was scuttled on 12 November 1981 off Unalaska Island, Alaska.
Other World War reefers
Due to the lack of refrigerated cargo ships, World War One and other refrigerated cargo ships were used for World War Two. The s were six United Fruit passenger and refrigerated cargo liners built in 1931–33 that the United States Maritime Commission requisitioned in 1941–42 for the war. The six ships requisitioned were: USS Antigua,,,, and. Antigua, although requisitioned, was never commissioned into the Navy.
Also requisitioned from the United Fruit Company was SS Ulua; which became. It was the last of the United Fruit Company reefer ships to be taken over for the war; near the end of April 1943 in San Francisco.
The Danish reefer ships of the J. Lauritzen A/S shipping company seized in U.S. ports after Germany occupied Denmark: Australian Reefer, African Reefer and Maria.
The company Concrete Ship Constructors Shipyard, in National City, California, built three concrete ships with reefer space. The three ships hulls, 45, 46 and 47 were completed with reefer capacity.
