MV Acavus

MV Acavus was one of nine Anglo Saxon Royal Dutch/Shell tankers converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier (MAC ship). The group is collectively called the Rapana Class.

Acavus was built by Workman, Clark and Company of Belfast for the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company, launching on 24 November 1934, and completing in 1935. As built, Acavus was 465.0 ft, with a beam of 59.4 ft and a draught of 27 ft. She measured 8010 gross register tons and 4752 net register tons. A single 3500 bhp Sulzer diesel engine was fitted.

In 1942–1943, Acavus was converted by Silley Cox & Co. at Falmouth to a MAC ship, entering service in October 1943. As converted, she had an overall length of 481 ft, with a beam of 62 ft and a draught of 27 ft. Displacement was 16000 LT full load and 8000 LT standard. She had a speed of 11.5 kn. The ship had an armament of a single 4 inch (102 mm) QF Mk. IV gun, with an anti-aircraft armament of two 40 mm Bofors guns and six Oerlikon 20 mm cannon.

As a MAC conversion of an oil tanker, she had no aircraft hangar, but could operated three Fairey Swordfish aircraft from her steel flight deck, which was 461 ft long and 62 ft wide. She continued to carry normal cargoes, with capacity about 90% of that pre-conversion, although this was restricted to crude oil to minimise the potential fire hazard. Only her aircrew and the necessary maintenance staff were naval personnel.

At the end of the war Acavus was reconverted to an oil tanker, and renamed Iacra in 1963. She was in service until 1963 when she was scrapped in Italy.