Santa Rosa
1932
(Albatros AL-231)
- Type: Passenger / general cargo
- Displacement: 9,135 tons
- Dimensions: 508 x 72 x 26 ft.
- Machinery: Steam turbines, twin screws = 20 knots
- Passengers: 290 (225 first class, 65 third class)
- Builder: Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co, Kearny, NJ, 1932
- Service: The first of four sisterships, along with Santa Paula, Santa Elena, and Santa Lucia. Designed for the Grace Line by William Francis Gibbs for intercoastal service between New York and Seattle via the Caribbean, South America, the Panama Canal, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Changed to primarily Caribbean service in 1934. All saw trooping duties during World War 2. The Santa Lucia was converted as a combat
loader, USS Leedstown, AP-73; she was torpedoed off Algiers 8 Nov 1942 by German submarine U331, abandoned, and then sunk by German aircraft the next day. Santa Elena was sunk by German aircraft in the Mediterranean a year later, 7 Nov 1943, off Philipville. Santa Rosa and Santa Paula both returned to commercial service in 1947, sailing on 12-day voyages to Aruba, La Guaira, Curacao, and Cartagena. Both were replaced by new ships of the same names in 1958-60, and then sold to Greece's Typaldos Lines, becoming Athinai and Acropolis, respectively. Service primarily in the Mediterranean until Typaldos went bankrupt in 1967 when they were laid up near Piraeus. Acropolis was broken up 1972-74. Athinai was used as a "floating prop" in the film Raise the Titanic in 1978-79, and finally scrapped in 1989.
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