S.S. Sixaola
Launched in 1911 under the British flag, at 5,017 tonnes, Sixaola was one of three new ships, the others being Carrillo and Tivives , to begin service 6 January 1912 between New York and Limon, Costa Rica by way of Jamaica and Panama. She was based at Boston as part of the "Bankers' Fleet". This nickname resulted from a special cruise to Panama when 60 of her passengers were bankers from 19 different states. After the outbreak of World War I it was transferred to American registry and used for wartime service after American entry into the was. She was one of the few 5,000 tonners fitted with defensive armament during the war, in her case a 4" and 6 Ib gun. While loading supplies at the Hoboken Pier for a return trip to Bordeaux in 1919 she caught fire and sank. She was returned to Workman Clark and extensively rebuilt, including a collision bulkhead forward which later enabled her to retain her passenger certificate, one of only two of the 5,000 tonners to do so. In June 1942 her luck ran out and she was torpedoed by U 159 off Bocas del Torro, Panama. In 1947 a namesake "reefer" was launched which was renamed Patuca in 1969.
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