SS Vega (1913)

Under the command of her first Captain, John Borg, she ran the route to Düsseldorf which required the ship to have a telescopic smoke stack and folding masts. The Captain changed in September 1914 to Captain G. Flygare. After World War I she sailed the Baltic/North Sea routes. Taken to Cuxhaven where, found to be carrying goods to an enemy of Germany, her general cargo and timber was confiscated and unloaded. Being a neutral ship she was released on 4 October 1939. ==International Committee of the Red Cross==

Vega was chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross in late 1939 for "relief activities", to be based at Lisbon, Portugal, where it would work with the Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa. During the war period, Vega made 44 voyages for the Red Cross under Captain Wideberg. Voyages 39 to 44, between December 1944 and June 1945, were made from Lisbon to the Channel Islands Voyage 39 Permission was obtained to sail no earlier than 20 December 1944. German artillery observers on Guernsey spotted the ship at 10.40am 27 December 1944. Escorted by a minesweeper, M 4613 and with her radio transmitter disabled, she docked at Saint Peter Port Harbour at 17:50pm watched by a crowd of locals. Unloading was almost completed on 29 December and she sailed for Jersey next day. Unloading by German sailors and marines at Saint Helier harbour was completed on 3 January 1945. Vega then returned to Lisbon. The damage was to her bottom as she grounded at low tide, having been put in a berth designed for ships of up to 400 tons. She went into dry dock in Lisbon for repairs. Cargo comprised: 119,792 Red Cross food parcels, 4,200 invalid parcels, 4 tons soap, 5.2 tons salt, 37cwt medical supplies, cigarettes and some children's clothing. when the Island was liberated from the occupying forces on 9 May. Presentations and gifts were made by the authorities in Jersey to Captain Wideberg and the crew, thanking them for bringing relief to the Islands. ==After the war==

After voyage No 44, her work with the International Red Cross was finished and she sailed on 11 June 1945 to London where her Red Cross markings were painted out. In 1946 modifications were carried out by Middle Docks & Engineering Co Ltd in England to improve crew accommodation, which resulted in a raised bridge and more portholes. The gross tonnage changed to 1156. By 1954, the ship had reached the end of her working life and sailed across the Baltic to be scrapped at Travemünde, in Germany. ==Commemoration==

In 1994 two plaques, one in the shape of a Red Cross overlapped with a "V" was unveiled at the berth where Vega had berthed in St Helier harbour, with a second small granite plaque at the Jersey Maritime Museum. A set of stamps was issued by Guernsey in December 2004 to commemorate memories of World War II. These included a picture of Vega. In 2013, to mark the 150th anniversary of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Jersey issued a set of postage stamps featuring Vega. Floats depicting Vega regularly appear at the Guernsey and Jersey Battle of Flowers, as well as Liberation Day celebrations with TV programs regularly mentioning the Red Cross work of Vega. ==References==