MV Monte Pascoal (1930)

Monte Pascoal was a Monte-class ocean liner built in 1930 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg for the Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft. She managed to reach Germany after the outbreak of World War II and was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine for use as an accommodation ship. She was sunk in 1944 during an Allied air raid on Wilhelmshaven. Subsequently refloated, she was seized by the Allies post war and was scuttled in the Skaggerak with a cargo of gas bombs in 1946.

Description
Monte Pascoal was 500 ft long, with a beam of 65 ft. She had a depth of 35 ft. The ship was assessed at,. She was powered by four four stroke single cycle, single action diesel engines which drove twin screw propellers through single reduction gearing. The engines were rated at 1,436 nhp. They were built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg. The engines could propel the ship at 14 kn. Accommodation for 2,500 third class passengers was provided. This was reduced to 1,500 when the ship was used for cruises.

History
Monte Pascoal was built as yard number 491 by Blohm & Voss for the Hamburg-Südamerikanische Dampfschifffahrts-Gesellschaft. She was launced on 17 September 1930 and was completed on 15 January 1931. She made her maiden voyage on 26 January, sailing from Hamburg to ports on the Río de la Plata, South America. Apart from use on the South American route, she also operated cruises off the coast of Norway and in the Mediterranean Sea. Her port of registry was Hamburg. In August 1933, she operated a series of cruises between Hamburg and Greenwich.

In 1934, the Code Letters DIDT were allocated. During the Spanish Civil War, Monte Pascoal repatriated 226 German volunteers from Sevilla back to Hamburg in June 1937. In January 1939, a Heinkel He 115 aircraft, registration D-AEHF, suffered an engine failure over the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft landed alongside Monte Pascoal, which rescued the crew and lifted the aircraft from the water using a derrick at the bow of the ship.

When war broke out in September 1939, Monte Pascoal was in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Departing on 10 September without passengers and two of her crew having refused to sail, she made a successful run back to Germany, arriving at Hamburg on 14 October 1939. On 11 January 1941, Monte Pascoal was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine. She was used as an accommodation ship at Wilhelmshaven. On 3 February 1944, the United States Eighth Air Force bombed Wilhelmshaven. Monte Pascoal was set afire and was scuttled. She was refloated on 12 May and beached. In May 1945, she was seized as a prize of war by the United Kingdom. On 5 August 1946 she departed from Wilhelmshaven for Hamburg. Monte Pascoal was scuttled in the Skaggerak on 31 December 1946 with a cargo of obsolete gas bombs on board.