Fairsea
1960
(Solent Model Ships SOM-013)
- Type: Passenger
- Displacement: 13,432 tons
- Dimensions: 465 x 69.5 x 21.5 ft.
- Machinery: 6-cylinder Doxford diesel; single screw, 8,500 bhp = 17 knots
- Passengers: 1460 tourist class
- Builder: Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co, Chester, PA, 1941
- Notes: Built as the diesel-powered Rio de la Plata, a C3 cargo ship for the Moore-McCormack Line. One of six such vessels acquired by the US Navy for conversion to auxiliary aircraft carrier, the ship was renamed Charger and designated BAVG-4, slated for delivery to the Royal Navy. However, she was taken back into the US Navy as a school for Fleet Air Arm trainees. In Jan 1942 she was redesignated AVG-30, in Aug 1942 ACV-30, and in Jul 1943 CVE-30. Used primarily to train Royal Navy pilots in Chesapeake Bay, she was stricken and sold in 1946. Converted back to a merchant ship initially, she was taken over by Sitmar Line, Italy, converted into a passenger ship and renamed Fairsea in 1949. Extensive refit in 1957-58 to carry immigrants from the UK to Australia and New Zealand. Her route was Southampton-Suez-Aden-Australia-New Zealand, returning via South America and Lisbon. Badly damaged by an engine room fire in 1969, and scrapped at La Spezia.
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