In 1940 and 1941, Moore McCormack Lines took delivery of four Rio class C3 Class passenger/cargo liners from Sun Shipbuilding. They were the Rio Hudson, the Rio Parana, the Rio de la Plata and the Rio de Janeiro. In May of 1942, they were all requisitioned by the US government and converted to small aircraft carriers known as “baby flat-tops.” Three were given to the Royal Navy and one was retained by the US Navy. The Rio Parana, renamed HMS Biter, had a difficult service life, being hit by a torpedo from one of her own aircraft and then later being damaged by fire while in port. The Rio de Janeiro, however had the most tragic history. Renamed HMS Dasher, she sank after an explosion during aircraft refueling on March 27, 1943, with a loss of 379 out of 528 crewmen. At the time, the cause of the explosion was covered up. Now author and historian John Steele and his wife Noreen have written a book, The American Connection to the Sinking of HMS Dasher, examining the causes of the tragic sinking.
After 67 years, the truth of HMS Dasher tragedy is revealed
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