SS Aquila (1940)
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Namesake |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator | S. Livanos (1940–51) |
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Wm. Gray & Co, West Hartlepool, UK |
| Yard number | 1104 |
| Launched | 9 July 1940 |
| Completed | October 1940 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Bombed by CIA aircraft 28 April or 2 May 1958; sank 27 May 1958 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 5,397 GRT; 3,161 NRT |
| Length | 441.1 ft (134.4 m) |
| Beam | 57.8 ft (17.6 m) |
| Draught | 25.4 ft (7.7 m) |
| Installed power | 492 NHP |
| Propulsion | 3-cylinder triple-expansion engine |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Notes | sister ship: Duke of Athens |
SS Aquila (originally SS Duke of Sparta) was a cargo ship built in Britain in 1940 for Stavros Livanos' Trent Maritime Co Ltd. by William Gray & Company. An identical sister, Duke of Athens, was built for Trent at the same time.
In 1947–48 Duke of Sparta was involved in controversy over alleged treatment of Nigerian stowaways. She was sold to Grimaldi Brothers of Naples, Italy, in 1951, who renamed her Aquila.
She was in the Moluccas in eastern Indonesia in April 1958 when a CIA aircraft involved in a covert mission against the Sukarno government bombed and damaged her. She sank a month later. Her wreck off Ambon City is now a popular scuba diving site.