Friday, June 25, 2021

But That Was Not All for the USS Zafiro-- Part 4: An Interesting Career After U.S. Navy Service

On 21 October 1910, the U.S. Navy sold the Zafiro to a Mr. J.W. Zeeve of Seattle, Washington, who soon afterwards sold the ship to the government of Mexico.  In 1917, the Zafiro reappeared as the French-owned sailing vessel Bowler in British Columbia.

She was refitted with wood planking which made it hard to get a marine rating from the  Bureau Veritas or Lloyd's of London and it was suggested that she  be re-rigged into a coastal vessel.   In 1918, it was re-registered in Panama as the Belen Quezada.

As such, she was the first international "flag of convenience" vessel and ran alcohol between Canada and the United States during Prohibition.

She was deleted from Panamanian ship registry in 1931, and presumably scrapped shortly thereafter.

--DaCoot


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