1931–1942 Germania Werft at
Kiel, Germany, built the ship in 1931 as the 753-
gross register ton civilian luxury yacht
Argosy for Charles A. Stone of the stock-brokerage firm
Hayden, Stone & Co. As originally designed, she had accommodations for 15 passengers and a crew of 20.
Thomas Sopwith purchased her in 1934, renamed her
Vita, and used her to shadow his
J-class yacht Endeavour during the 1934
America's Cup race. She later was renamed
Abril and used to smuggle arms to the
Spanish Republican Armed Forces in Spain during the
Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939. Assigned to the
Gulf Sea Frontier,
Cythera conducted exercises for the Small Craft Training Center at Miami, Florida, and escorted convoys to
Galveston, Texas, and
Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, until 16 March 1943, when she departed
Key West, Florida, bound for New York City, which she reached on 21 March 1943. Assigned to the
Eastern Sea Frontier, she escorted convoys between New York City and ports in the southern United States until 22 September 1943. On 18 January 1945
Cythera departed for
Port Everglades, Florida, where she arrived on 23 January 1945, to serve with the
Antisubmarine Development Operational Detachment of the
United States Atlantic Fleet. She conducted experimental operations with submarines until 24 April 1945. during the
1948 Arab–Israeli War. ''Ma'oz'' was in the Mediterranean Sea as part of a patrol off the
Gaza Strip on 22 October 1948, during
Operation Yoav when two
Egyptian Navy ships – the
sloop , which was the Egyptian Navy's
flagship, and a
BYMS-class minesweeper — were reported off the Gaza coast at 16:10. After receiving permission at 18:10 to attack the ships, she detached from the patrol at 18:40 and proceeded to a position northwest of
Gaza City. After sighting the Egyptian ships, she immediately launched four boats at 22:10 – three explosive
motorboats, one to attack each ship and the third as a reserve, and a rescue boat to pick up the naval commandos operating the boats after the attack. The boats steered under the cover of darkness toward the Egyptian ships, which were under the misimpression that a ceasefire was in effect and were operating with their lights on, although the Israelis later assessed the Egyptian crews were on high alert. In close proximity to the Egyptian ships by 22:00, the commandos set their explosive charges and jumped overboard. Two boats attacked
El Amir Farouq, and a column of water from one explosion rose above her. The reserve boat attacked the minesweeper. Both ships opened fire, but ineffectively.
El Amir Farouq already had taken on a serious
list, and she sank by the
stern in four or five minutes. The badly damaged minesweeper remained afloat under a pall of smoke; the Egyptians towed her into port and later scrapped her after deeming her beyond economical repair. In 1956, after the
Suez Crisis of October–November 1956, the Israeli Navy sold ''Ma'oz'' to an Israel businessman.
Later service After her sale, the vessel was renamed
Abril. The Italian company Navigazione Libera di Golfo later acquired her, renamed her
Santa Maria del Mare, and placed her in service as a ferry in the
Gulf of Naples.
Santa Maria del Mare was sold in 2008. She was refitted, repainted, refurbished, and converted into a luxury private yacht and offered for sale for 15,000,000 euros. She later was renamed
Rossy One. She was in active service as of 2009. ==References==