MACOMA (1)

About

Completed 1936 as "MACOMA" for La Corona. 1943-1946 served as MAC 7, conversion to Merchant Aircraft Carrier (MX) by Palmers Hebburn Dry Dock Hebburn. 4-12-1959 arrived Hong Kong for scrapping.

Also known as
MAC 7
IMO number
5608352
Call sign
PFRR
Construction number
235
Tonnage
12.263 ton
Beam
18m
Length overall
147m
Year of construction
1936
Year of renaming/broken up
1959
Service for Shell
1936 to 1959
Cargo
Class
Flag state
Home port
Manager
Shipyard
Status
Photo(s)

Comments

Sailors

Anecdotes

Date Visitor Anecdote
06/07/2013 - 01:41 Ray Hartman Kok

My father served aboard the Royal Dutch Shell tankers Macoma and Gadila with Netherlands Squadron 860. They ran anti-submarine, convoy air cover using Swordfish Mk2's between Maydown and Nova Scotia.
On the return trip the Swordfish were stored on the 420ft wooden flight deck whilst the rest of the deck was filled with American fighters and munitions and the hold was filled with fuel oil. The ships unloaded at Greenock and returned to Maydown.
The ships were given the title at the time of HNLMS in English, HrMs in Dutch. Although they where converted to the style known as MAC and sometime referred to as MV they did not fly a merchant flag but the Netherlands flag making them war ships.
My father said they where the first Dutch aircraft carriers but they never get a mention in the ships included in war time operations. The ships were under the control of the Dutch Fleet Air Arm not merchantmen.
The Dutch government never awarded any medal recognition to the crews during the Atlantic operations and due to them being Netherlands Naval Ships they did not fall under the Atlantic service recognition given by the Royal Navy.

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