SHIP NAME: Mormaclynx

OFFICIAL NO: 296947

SHIP DESIGN:  C4-S-60A

BUILDER:  Ingalls Shipbuilding

                     Pascagoula, Ms. 

KEEL LAID:   December 8, 1963

Christened by:  Mrs. Harrison R. Glennon, Jr.

LAUNCH  DATE:

COMPLETION DATE: November 20, 1964

OVERALL LENGTH:  550'

SPEED:  23 Knots

PASSENGERS: 12

OUTSTANDING POINTS:   Sailed from New York on December 3, 1964 for Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Paranagua, Santos Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza.

She had a conversion to Cargo/Container.  This was accomplished by the insertion of a 115' parallel midbody, addition of three electro hydraulic cranes and certain other modifications.  No US company built shipboard cranes for deep sea.  The conversion was awarded to Steinbrenner and was to be done in Tampa; but the yard would have taken another 6 or more months to complete if all were done there.  Also, the US wanted most of the equipment to be made in the US because of the conversion subsidy.  Problem, No US company built shipboard cranes for deep sea.  So, they waived the requirement so that foreign cranes could be built in time.  So far, so good, only Lakeshore industry in the midwest promised cranes to be designed and built in time for at least one ship.  They would subsidize the delivery to the Great Lakes, nearer their plant and the Mormaclynx happened to be in that rotation.  She sailed to Toledo in the spring of 1982, did the conversion over the summer, and returned to the US East Coast in the fall.  Since she was on the Lakes, Mooremack decided to show her off to some of Moore-McCormack Lines Midwestern clients.  Therefore, a Detroit River visit after conversion (see photo.)  Fortunately, this was the only US built cranes, as they were problems from day one.  The salt air and seagoing swells were just too much for the delicate Great Lakes designed circuit boards.  They  constantly had to have service and finally carried 100% spare circuit boards and electronic parts.  It sealed the fate of using 100% Hagglund Cranes from Europe on all future and present cranes on all subsidized and US government owned ships for decades. (Thanks to Captain Vanderploeg for the information.)

A five-foot model of the Mormaclynx was presented to the Congress House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries in 1966.

A painting of her by Kinley Shogren was featured on the cover of Summer 1967 "The Mooremack News."

She was the last ship to sail from 23rd Street Terminal on March 22, 1983.

PRIOR HISTORY: Built new for Moore-McCormack.

SUBSEQUENT HISTORY:  In August 1983 she became the American Reservist for United States Line.  This name lasted till July 1992 when she became Corpus Christi. She was cut up for scrap at Alang, India at the end of 1997.