It's no good, I have to ask... I have no problem understanding how she got lengthened and shortened but how did she get widened and narrowed?

From the good old days when we were not afraid of a bit of smoke!!!!
Regards Frank

Thanks guys. It is always satisfying to post a picture and see that it attracts a decent number of views. However it is a delight to see it stir an intelligent, informative and friendly debate. You've made my day.

Cheers! Dave

I think I have this figured out. Now, I know that the Official number etc would attach to the machinery section but lets first consider the cargo sections . The cargo section from Waneta lasted for 24 years and was attached in turn to the stern of Waneta then Atlantic Ranger/Angela/Santa Suzana /Suzana S.
Then that stern was removed in 1967 and replaced with the stern of Ponca City and renamed Seafarer and she sailed on until scrapped as Burmah Topaz in 1976.
Now Ponca City ex Fort Henry was owned by Conoco. Conoco now had a cargo section from Ponca City -probably in v poor condition - along with a machinery section from Atlantic Ranger/Santa Suzana - probably also in poor shape.

But for scrap value and a very simple welding job ( Identical hulls) plus connecting up some pipework they had a 'new' ship.
Maybe they had time to run on a charter? Dunno. However she only lasted for 2 years before going to the breakers as Conoco Humber.

I hope this has helped understand what happened to what ship.
Officially it would have been Atlantic Ranger that went to the breakers in 1969 and Fort Henry in 1976.
Some more pics here http://www.aukevisser.nl/t2tanker/id814.htm

Cisco, the book on the T2 is in my library...I'll check the story.

Pieter,
If you can get hold of a copy of 'Victory Ships and Tankers' by Sawyer and Mitchell a whole page is given over to a flow chart of what happen to which bits and when. It has only left me more confused.
The original modification to Atlantic Ranger - this ship - made sense. Waneta at 29,000 DWT and only 12 years old was a black oil tanker so her tanks must have been in good condition and at a good price with the added benefit of extra DWT.
Replacement of the machinery section of Santa Suzana suggests she had had a boiler meltdown or some such but the cargo section was worth keeping. http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1743188
The cargo section seen in the attached link is the third hand Waneta one.
This is making my brain hurt......

Cisco, the only "new" cargo section built in this process was the new one for the Waneta, of which the old cargo section (1952) was used to replace the original section of the Atlantic Ranger. This was later replaced by the cargo section of the Ponca City, so the ship became a turbo electric tanker again, fitted with the cargo section of a former T2 tanker, just the way she started. I cannot find any evidence that Ponca City had received a brand new cargo section well after the war. Hence my question about the reasoning behind all of this.

In the 1960's, the Vietnam War created a huge demand for Product tankers to carry Gasoline, and Turbine Fuel, to the war. This kept "daily hire" $$$$ at very high levels. This meant that it was financially worthwhile for the T2 Owners to keep paying high maintenance and repair bills. Many old tankers were kept running far beyond their expected life-spans because of this. Added to this, many of these old T2's were owned by U.S. based companies, and were given preferential treatment by the Pentagon. When the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam in 1975, most of these T2's quickly went to the scrapyard.

Ship in left background is ENS 'El Fateh' ex HMS Zenith

A ship like a 100 year old axe -- only two new heads and three new handles.
T2s were turbo electric and the power plant just lasted forever and a day.
Sadly the cargo section did not. Steelwork in the tanks was uncoated and if carrying clean products the bulkheads were quite porous well under 20 years.
So it made sense to fit a new cargo section ( the cheap bit ) to the old power plant ( the expensive bit ).
Two side stories -
- I recall Conoco was the first to build tankers with coated tanks in the mid 60's.
- We would always try to give the Classification Society tank surveyor a torch with almost flat batteries so he couldn't see the extent of the wastage :)

Pieter,
Yes, me too but she was oozing with character and through the binoculars her crew looked like the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean. a memorable sight not to have been missed.

In short, this ship started as a T2 tanker, was then fitted with the discarded forebody of a 30000 DWT Mobil tanker(which herself was fitted with a new forebody to increase her size to 55000 DWT,) and at the end of the day the aft part was again cut off and joined the forepart of a still existing T2 tanker Ponca City, which saw another five years of service. The Waneta cargo section was then joined with the aft section of the Ponca City. The economics of this process completely escape me.

Thanks for the info Bjørn. It would be interesting to see the costs involved in the multiple rebuilds in her lifetime and compare them with resulting profits made following them. I imagine much hinged on looking for a peak in the price of scrap.

Atlantic Ranger
T2-SE-A1
Built October 1945 by Sun Shipbuilding Company, Chester, Pennsylvania,
as "Atlantic Ranger" # 2707, for Atlantic Refining Co., Philadelphia.
1954 - Tanker Transport, Inc., Monrovia [Atlantic Refining Co.], LI, 435
1963 - ANGELA , Cia. Naviera Continental S.A., Monrovia [Ocean Shipping & Trading Corp., New York]
1964 - Cia. Naviera Angela S.A., Monrovia, [do.]
1964 - SANTA SUZANA, Seacrest Investment Co., Inc., Monrovia [Mercantile Navigation Co., Nassau - Mosvold,
Glastad & Hannes], forebody scrapped, machinery section joined to forebody of tanker WANETA
built Bethlehem, Quincy, 1952, resulting vessel 17,563 grt, 597.6 x 84.4'
Dismantled 1967 - forebody joined to machinery section of tanker PONCA CITY (built 1943 by Kaiser, Swan
Island as FORT HENRY), resulting vessel named SEAFARER, (US o/n 506676)
Machinery section joined to forebody of tanker PONCA CITY, resulting vessel,10,602 grt, 522' 10" x 68' 2"
1067 - SUZANA S., s/o
1967 - CONOCO HUMBER, World Wide Transport, Inc., Monrovia [Continental Oil Co., New York], 2826
Broken up at La Spezia 1969 by Cant. Navali di Portovenere S.p.A.,
arrived 14.07.1969, work began in 08.1969.
IMO No: 5426170
Year: 1945
Name: ATLANTIC RANGER
Type: Tanker
Launch Date: 31.08.1945
Flag: USA
Date of completion: 10.1945
Tons: 10250
DWT: 16613
Yard No: 532
Length overall: 159.6
Ship Design: T2-SE-A1
Country of build: USA
Beam: 20.7
Builder: Sun
Location of yard: Chester, Pa
Number of screws/Mchy/Speed(kn): 1TE-15
Subsequent History: 1963 ANGELA -
[ 1964 Lg & widened 181.3 x 25.7 mtr, 17563 grt / 27764 dwt ] -
1964 SANTA SUZANA -
[ 1967 shortened & narrowed 159.3 / 152.1 x 20.8 mtr, 10602 grt / 16811 dwt ] -
1967 SUZANA S. - 1967 CONOCO HUMBER
Disposal Data: Scrapped at La Spezia 14.07.1969. [ by CN di Portovenere ].