The Phoenix was one of three ships built by Welding Shipyards at Norfolk, Virginia, that were a variation of T3 tankers built for the MARAD program. The three ships were known as design type T3 –S-BZ1. A fourth ship was built outside of the MARAD program and was in fact a sister ship of the T3-S-BZ1 type. All four ships were characterized by a long poop deck, which extended as far as amidships, just below the bridge, and the ships were built for the National Bulk Carriers, a company which, like the shipyard itself was part of the Daniel K. Ludwig empire. Although the yard was a small one with only 600 employees, it was important because all the ships built at the yard were of all welded construction, and were built to a design by Sir Joseph Isherwood of England. In 1953 Ludwig took over the Kure shipyard in Japan to build bigger tankers as well as bulk carriers.
The Phoenix itself was involved in a collision with the tanker Pan Massachusetts (also a ship built at Welding shipyards and owned by Ludwig's National Bulk Carriers inc.) in 1953 and was a total loss
Here the phoenix as in WW 2
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Thank you Kim for the crest
"Never fear to try on something new. Remember that the Titanic was built by professionals, and the Ark by an amateur"