The vessel was built in 1890 at Trieste (at the time Austro-Hungarian) by the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino's San Rocco yard, yard no. 266, as the SOPHIA COUPPA, a small shallow draft cargo ship of 375-385-389 grt, dimensions 56.7 x 8.84 x 2.60 m, composite steam engine, 300 ihp, twin screw, speed 10 knots, for the shipowner D.N. Curcumellis or G. Curcumelli (a Greek/Russian firm, one of many operating in the Azov Sea), port of registry Berdyansk in Russia (today in SE Ukraine). In 1908 she went to H. Couppa and in 1915 to K.A Bytchichin & O.W. Couppa, same name and port of registry.
After the White Russian evacuation from the Black Sea in 1919, in 1927 her ownership went to P.M. Nomikos of Piraeus under the name ASPASIA, and in 1930 to the Michalinos Maritime & Commercial Co. Ltd. under the name AGHIA ANASTASSIA. In 1937 to C. Papageorgiou & G. Mastorakis, in 1938 to C. Papageorgiou alone, always as AGHIA ANASTASSIA and keeping the port of registry Piraeus, again in 1938 to the Pandelis SA of Piraeus as MARMARAS. In 1939 she got under Panamanian flag as LAS PERLAS for the Cia Mediterranea de Vapores Ltda, port of registry Panama, and was used for a Jewish refugee trip from Romania to Palestine as a private venture via charter by a local Romanian agent, sailing about 11 June 1939 with 370 refugees on board and being confiscated by the Royal Navy destroyer IVANHOE on 1 July 1939 and taken to Haifa. She was then put under the Palestinian flag as ANTAR, Atid Navigation Co. Ltd, Haifa.

Sunk by torpedo by the Italian submarine ASCIANGHI on 21 Sept. 1941 at 21.46 hrs at 33.57N/35.04E, 8 n.mi. NW of Ras Beirut, during a Port Said-Mersin (Turkey) trip with a cargo of cotton, tea and tinplate.


I only have a very small sketch of her and a detailed report of her capture by HMS IVANHOE, which I can post on Monday if you send me your private e-mail address.



Edited 9 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2016 11:14AM by de domenico.