The Mary R. Koch was a 274.330 t combined ore carrier

Bulk carrier

A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...

 and oil tanker

Oil tanker

An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...

. The ship was named after Mary Robinson Koch, wife of American industrialist Fred C. Koch

Fred C. Koch

Fred Chase Koch was an American chemical engineer and entrepreneur who founded the oil refinery firm that later became Koch Industries, the second-largest privately-held company in the United States....

.

The Mary R. Koch was built at the Uljanik

Uljanik

Uljanik is a shipbuilding company and shipyard located in Pula, Croatia.It was named after an islet on which there used to grow olive trees but then they were all cut down to make room for steel and hull fabrication workshops.- See also :* Shipyards:...

, Brodogradiliste l Tvornica Dizel Motora shipyard in Pula

Pula

Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...

 in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...

, (now Croatia

Croatia

Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

). Her two sister ships, the Trafala and the Torne were delivered to the Swedish company Trafikaktiebolaget Grengesberg in 1974.

External links

• Operation Armilla - Gulf Patrol 1981 – The Mary R. Koch escorted by the HMS Ardent
  HMS Ardent (F184)
  HMS Ardent was a Royal Navy Type 21 frigate. Built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland. She was completed with Exocet launchers in 'B' position...