Trasatlantica (4)

Compañía Trasatlántica Española

Satrustegui

        In these two photos the Satrustegui is shown before and after a full rebuilt, which besides the change of colour we can see the change of funnel, the change in the forecastle line, changes in the forward of the accomodation, etc.

Shipyard / Year Unión Naval de Levante / 1948

Owner Empresa Nacional Elcano

Name Explorador Iradier

Dead weight 4,400 MT

Gross register 6,661 GRT

Displacement 9,230 MT

Length 122.2 mtr

Breadth 16,8 mtr

Depth 11.2 mtr

Maximum draft 7,3 mtr

Propulsion 2 x Burmeister & Wain 762-VF-115

Power 7,000 H.P.

Speed 18 knots

Bought 1952 to

Owner Empresa Nacional Elcano

Name Explorador Iradier

Sold 1973 to

Owner Compañía Trasmediterránea

Name Isla de Cabrera

Scrapped Castellón / 1973

In this nice photo at Veracruz the Satrustegui or Virginia de Churruca was on the background. On the foreground was a Norwegian vessel owned by Wilh. Wilhelmsen and next a Swedish one owned by White Star Line.

Virginia de Churruca

        In these two photos the Virginia de Churruca is shown before and after a full rebuilt similar to the carried out on Satrustegui, and we can see similar changes.
        These two ships started their service in the America lines in 1952.

Shipyard / Year Unión Naval de Levante / 1949

Owner Empresa Nacional Elcano

Name Conde de Argelejo

Dead weight 4,471 MT

Gross register 6,518 GRT

Displacement 9,230 MT

Length 122.5 mtr

Breadth 16.7 mtr

Depth 11.2 mtr

Maximum draft 7,3 mtr

Propulsion 2 x Burmeister & Wain 762-VF-115

Power 7,000 H.P.

Speed 18 knots

Bought 1952 to

Owner Empresa Nacional Elcano

Name Conde de Argelejo

Sold 1973 to

Owner Compañía Trasmediterránea

Name Isla de Formentera

Scrapped Barcelona / 1978

These two postcards show her with the original colours

And this photo is like the last postcard, but with a big stream of cooling water

At Cadiz in 1966

Guadalupe

        The Guadalupe and Covadonga were part of the Monasterios serie together with plus three more vessels for Naviera Aznar, plus one more for Trasmediterránea. They were the vessels four and five in the serie.

        They were passenger and cargo ships, and her main specifications were:
            Length: 148.5 mtr      Beam: 18.9 mtr      Depth: 12.1 mtr     Draft: 7.6 mtr
            Propulsion: Diesel engine Sulzer SD - 7,300 HP - 10 Cylinders x 720 mm bore x 1,250 mm stroke
            Speed: 17.5 knots
            Their 349 passenger capacity was split: 105 in First Class and 244 in Second Class.

            On this photo she is in the Mississippi River on the early 70s.

Built in year: 1952 Passengers: 349

Shipyard: Naval de Sestao GRT: 10,226

Original name: Monasterio de Guadalupe NRT: 8,023

Home port: Barcelona DWT: 8,500

Registry number: 397 Displacement: 14,800

The First Class menu. The drawing on the cover is wrong because it is the Satrustegui or Virginia de Churruca

Very detailed drawings - Revista de Ingeniería Naval - Junio de 1953

Covadonga

The Covadonga was the last vessel in the Monasterios serie and the only one not built in the Naval of Sestao.
        If closely observed can be seen that the after part was different, in the Covadonga the bridge superstructure was linked to the poop one.

        This photo and the next showed her in the Mississippi river on the early 70s.
        They were sailing for twenty years in the line Spain-United States-Cuba-Mexico until scrapped in 1973.

Built in year: 1953 Passengers: 349

Shipyard: Euskalduna GRT: 10,226

Original name: Monasterio de la Rábida NRT: 8,023

Home port: Barcelona DWT: 8,500

Registry number: 400 Displacement: 14,800

Awesone postcard; sailing close to the Torre de Hércules, at La Coruña

Schedules

At Veracruz

Brochure - Covadonga and Guadalupe

Crucero Iberoamericano - 1967

Photo signed by the Captain

Itinerary and dates

List of passengers, with their ports of embarkation and destination.

Services and rules during the voyage

Customs form at New York

Menu of the day 14/August/1967

Menu of the day 15/August/1967

Montserrat

        The Montserrat was built in 1945 in Los Angeles as a class Victory cargo vessel and named Wooster Victory. She was bought by Sitmar Line (Italia) which converted her in a passanger ship and renamed her Castel Verde, increasing the GRT to 9,008 and her capacity to 900 passengers. She was bought by Trasatlantica in 1957.

        On the first photo is like when bought. In this one after painted in black, like all the company's vessels. Also the funnel was modified with a telescopic tube, to improve the smoke dispersion. After upgrading the accomodation she had capacity for 830 passangers.

        In 1970 after a big repairing in Curaçao she was again painted in white. The funnel was modified and painted in ocher, with the company's flag on it. She was the only ship with this look. She was scrapped in 1973.

Begoña

The Begoña was built in Baltimore in 1945, also as a class Victory cargo ship, and named Vassar Victory.

        In 1947 was also bought by Sitmar Line which converted her in a passanger vessels with capacity for 480 passangers and renamed her Castelbianco.

        This drawing shows her when bought by Sitmar, before the conversion, and shows the big change.
        In 1952 was converted again and increased her size to 10,139 GRT with capacity for 1,200 passangers and renamed Castel Bianco. In 1957 was bought by Trasatlántica which modified her to 940 passangers capacity. Her GRT and passengers capacity was bigger than the Montserrat because this modification included building an extra deck.

        For both vessels the original GRT was 7,604. During their whole life their length was 138.7 mtr and their beam 18.9 mtr
        The propulsion was by turbines, with 6,600 HP. In the Begoña they were Westinghouse, and in the Montserrat they were Allis Chalmers. They had only one propeller, and the speed was around 16 knots.
        Like her almost sister ship, she was initially used on the Genoa (Italy) - Naples (Italy) - La Coruña - Vigo - Canary Islands - Central America - Havana (Cuba) line, but since 1958 she was transferred to the line Southampton (United Kingdom) - Santander - La Coruña - Vigo - Tenerife - Port of Spain (Trinidad) - La Guaira (Venezuela) - Curaçao - Kingston (Jamaica) - San Juan de Puerto Rico.

This photo, shot in Vigo, shows very well the poop.

This very nice photo was shot in Santa Cruz de La Palma. After many years sailing in the America lines her final was very sad. She suffered a major breakdown in the Atlantic and was towed to Barbados, for disembarking the passengers.

Afterwards she was towed by the Ibaizabal Uno to Castellón, where was delivered for scrapping in October 1974. She was the last passengers vessel of the company.

Spanish version