PINERO

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aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

PINERO

Post by aukepalmhof » Fri Aug 28, 2015 9:37 pm

Built as a passenger ship by Neafie & Levy, Philadelphia for the Wilmington Steamboat Co., Wilmington, USA.
Launched as the CITY OF TRENTON.
Tonnage 458 tons, dim. 51 x (47.4 bpp) x 9.8 x 2.25m.(draught)
Powered by a steam engine,?hp, speed?
1901 Completed.
She was not long in the service of the Wilmington Steamboat Co., in August 1901 her boiler exploded, killing at least nine and scores of passengers were seriously injured, some passengers were missing. When the explosion happened she was underway with her daily trip from Philadelphia to Trenton.
After the explosion the CITY OF TRENTON got on fire and grounded in the marshes opposite Torresdale, with her hold filled with water.
She was anyhow salvaged and repaired her next owner in 1902 was the Long Island Railroad Co., New York and she was renamed SAGAMORE.
Her engine was replaced by two 6-cyl 4SA oil engines, manufactured by New London S & E.B. Co., New London, Conn.
1916 Sold to Barclay Johnson, Philadelphia and renamed PRINCETON.
1927 Sold to the Isle of Pines SS Co, Nueva Gerona, Cuba for 150,000 Pesos and renamed PINERO. At that time she had 25 passengers’ cabins with double berths.
Used in the service between Batabanó and Nueva Gerona, Isle of Pines, at that time a new prison was built there, the Presidio Modelo Prison. Most of the material and men for building the prison was transported by the PINERO.
She was the first ship in use in Cuba fitted out with an oil engine.
When the prison was ready, she was for many years the main way of communication between the mainland and Nueva Gerona, shipping passengers, grapefruit, melons, sugar, marble etc..., up to four cars she could carry in her cargo hold, and a capacity for about 160 passengers also transported she criminals and political prisoners to and from the prison. The crossing took about 8 hours from the island to Batabano Surgidero (south of the province of Havana) with a regularity of 3 times a week. The cost of a ticket was 3 dollar per passenger, food and cabin not included.
On 15 May 1955 after Castro had landed with the GRANMA at 09.00 a.m. she sailed from Nueva Gerona with on board only the young Moncadistas (freedom fighters) as passengers, the political prisoners who got amnesty from the Castro Government, where the comrades were reunited with Fidel Castro and his comrades. July 26 was chosen as the name of the new revolutionary movement.
The prison was then used by Fidel Castro Government for his political prisoners and criminals, and the PINERO transported again this prisoners to and from the Presidio Modelo prison.
10 October 1978 was she declared a National Monument by the Cuba Ministry of Culture.
Her hull rest nowadays on the banks of the River Las Casas, Nueva Gerona where she was opened for the public on 13 March 2005.
1987 Lloyds Registry deleted her in 1987.

Cuba 2015 75p sg?, scott?
Source: Internet. Lloyds Registry http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz Los Angeles Herald 29 August 1901. http://isladelajuventud-cuba.com/museum ... ents5.html (The part that she was built as a battleship is complete wrong, all American sources give that she was built as a passenger vessel.)
Attachments
PINERO.jpg
pinero06.jpg
2015 Cuba.jpg

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