SS Brazil (1928)

Virginia was the second of three sister ships built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Newport News, Virginia for the American Line Steamship Corporation, which at the time was part of J. P. Morgan's International Mercantile Marine Co. She joined which was launched in 1927 in the fleet of American Lines' Panama Pacific Lines subsidiary. Virginia was registered with U.S. Official Number 227983, signal MHBN, at , 12,167 net tons with a registry length of , beam and depth of with a crew of 380. Length overall was , molded depth and depth from keel to upper deck of with 32,830 tons displacement with 8,500 ton freight capacity. As built, Virginia had accommodation for 400 first or cabin class passengers and 400 tourist class passengers. Cabin class rooms were all outside with beds and additional persons could be accommodated in sofa berths and Pullman uppers. Many had en suite bathrooms and private sitting rooms. 52 of her first class cabins were suites for up to seven persons in two bedrooms with each having twin beds and settee and an additional settee in the living room. A private bath and verandah completed the suite. The tourist class accommodations were also all outside with hot and cold running water. The ship's propulsion was rated at 2,833 NHP. Virginia was equipped with submarine signalling apparatus, wireless direction finding equipment and a Sperry gyrocompass. With Panama Pacific Lines, Virginias two funnels would have been red with a blue top, with a white band dividing the blue from the red. == Service history ==

As Virginia Panama Pacific Line, part of the American Line Steamship Corp, operated Pennsylvania and her sisters between New York and San Francisco via the Panama Canal until 1938. California, Virginia and Pennsylvania were subsidised to carry mail on this route for the United States Postal Service. In June 1937 the United States Congress withdrew all maritime mail subsidies, which by then included a total of $450,000 per year for Panama Pacific's three liners. As Brazil On 10 June 1938 the US Maritime Commission purchased Brazil and the two sister ships Uruguay and Argentina. The commission had the ships extensively refurbished and each was fireproofed to comply with Federal safety regulations, which had been revised as a result of the fire in 1934 that destroyed the liner . Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's 56th St Shipyard in Brooklyn, New York undertook Virginias refit. She was given new watertight doors electrically controlled from her bridge and was equipped with a fathometer. A broad green band divided the buff from the black. In Rio de Janeiro they painted out the Stars and Stripes painted on each side of her hull, and then near Montevideo they painted her funnel gray. On 19 March 1942 she sailed from Charleston, South Carolina carrying 4,000 United States Army troops via the Cape of Good Hope to Karachi, British India, where they arrived on 12 May. Lockheed Hudson aircraft of No. 608 Squadron RAF had attacked and damaged the U-boat on 14 November and the crew had scuttled her close to shore near Ténès, about east of Oran. Brazil reached the USA on 30 November. After a transatlantic voyage to Marseille in July 1945 Brazil was sent via the Panama Canal to Manila, and then made two transpacific voyages to bring troops home to the USA. Brazils fireproofing was completely revised. Fire screen bulkheads, with and fire doors controlled from her bridge, divided her into 12 fire zones. Brazil successfully made her sea trials in May 1948. On 20 May Brazil sailed on her first civilian voyage since the war: a 12-day cruise to Bermuda and the Caribbean. On 4 June she left New York on the Buenos Aires run for the first time since 1941. On 10 December 1954 Brazil left New York on a scheduled run to Buenos Aires. One day out of port she developed engine trouble and had to return for repairs. As a result, she completed her round trip a week late, reaching New York on 24 January. This was the first time in her career that Brazil had been delayed by a technical fault. On 30 November 1957 the United States Federal Maritime Board approved Brazils withdrawal from service, to be replaced by a new and faster already under construction. The old Brazil and her sister ship Argentina were laid up as members of the James River Reserve Fleet at Fort Eustis, Virginia, where Uruguay had already been laid up since 1954. The ship was offered for sale 3 January 1964 with award to First Steel and Ship Corporation on 28 January for $166,698.61 with withdrawal from the fleet 11 March 1964 for scrapping. == Footnotes ==