USS Tarazed (AF-13) was the United Fruit Company cargo and passenger liner Chiriqui that was acquired by the United States Navy through a sub bareboat charter from the War Shipping Administration (WSA) which acquired the ship by bareboat charter from the company. The ship served as a in World War II. In peacetime before and after the war she carried fruit and passengers; in war she supplied troops and ships in the field. In 1958 she was sold to a German shipping line and renamed Blexen which was scrapped in 1971 after 39 years' service.
Construction
Chiriqui was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company of Newport News, Virginia for the United Mail Steamship Company, a subsidiary of the United Fruit Company, in 1932 as one of six sister ships driven by turbo-electric transmission. Three of the ships were built by Newport News Shipbuilding with Talamanca being the first of the group and class followed by and (originally Segovia, later Jamaica) with , and built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding, Baltimore. Chiriqui was laid down 27 April 1931 as yard hull number 346, launched 14 November 1931 and delivered 18 March 1932. The ship was named for Chiriquí Province, Panama.
Basic design parameters for all six ships, designated the company's "Mail class" due to the design including requirements for mail carriage contracts, were first implemented in at Newport News and later in the other two ships built there including Chiriqui. That design was for a ship overall length, length on waterline, length between perpendiculars, molded beam, depth molded to upper deck, molded maximum draft, 11,345 tons displacement at maximum draft, , , cargo capacity, 1,450 tons of fuel oil and 626 tons fresh water capacity.
Chiriqui was registered with U.S. Official Number 231468, signal KDCH, at , , registry length of , beam, depth, 10,500 horsepower, 105 crew and home port of New York.
Commercial service
Chiriqui arrived in New York 17 March for delivery the next day and sailed 24 March 1932 for San Francisco to be placed in service on the company's Pacific coast routes from San Francisco to Panama.
The January—March schedule for 1933 shows Chiriqui, Talamanca and Antigua on the route San Francisco to Balboa, Panama with return to San Francisco to include calls at Puerto Armuelles, Panama and Los Angeles. Effective May 1933 with Antigua sailing for Balboa the three ships maintained a weekly service taking eight days between San Francisco and Balboa with round trip for each ship taking nineteen days. Intercoastal connecting service for passengers and cargo was formed by the ships connecting in Panama. That schedule remained through 1936. In January 1939 the Pacific ships changed to operate on the New York to Panama route.
US Navy service
United Fruit delivered Chiriqui to the government on 4 June 1941 at New York to be operated under bareboat charter. The ship was delivered to the Navy under sub bareboat charter the same day for conversion at Brewer's Drydock Co. of Staten Island, New York for Navy use. On 14 June 1941 the ship was commissioned USS Tarazed, designated AF-13, under the command of Commander J.M. Connally.
Tarazed loaded supplies sailed to North Carolina to supply ships of the Neutrality Patrol. After returning to New York City, she left late in August for a voyage to Iceland to resupply US and Royal Navy ships.
When the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II, Tarazed was at Halifax, Nova Scotia preparing to join another convoy to Iceland. Upon completion of the voyage she went to Baltimore, Maryland, for an extensive overhaul before making resupply runs to Newfoundland, Iceland and Bermuda.
In July 1942 Tarazed reached Boston, Massachusetts, from Nova Scotia and loaded a cargo for Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Panama. On 21 September she returned to Baltimore with a cargo of sugar. She continued supply runs from Baltimore or Norfolk, Virginia, to the Caribbean until mid-1943.