The small 850 tons coastal freighter MISOX was constructed in 1949 by the Italian shipyard Cantieri Navali Marizio & Bertani Benetti in Viareggio (between La Spezia and Livorno). The Misox (Valle Mesolcina)is the valley south of the San Bernardino Pass, it belongs to the canton of Grisons and its inhabitants speak Italian.
The MISOX with hull number 15 was a similar or even a sister ship of the previously built LAUPEN of Keller Shipping Ltd. Basel (hull No. 13). On 1. August 1949, the Swiss national holiday, the ship was launched, watched also by some curious Swiss tourists, as news paper articles in Switzerland reported. On 20.09.1949 the freighter was handed over to her owners BRAG Maritime Ltd. Basel, a subsidiary company of BRAG (Basler Rheinschiffahrt AG). With the registry under Swiss flag the MISOX received the call sign HBDT. For propulsion a 6-cylinder diesel engine from Ansaldo was fitted, giving 600 HP. The service speed was about 11 knots. For cargo handling three derricks were fitted (1 x 4 tons SWL, Safe Working Load and 2 x 2 tons SWL). The ship had only two watertight bulkheads, the engine room and the collision bulkhead forward, further no double bottom was fitted, making the vessel vulnerable in case of a grounding.
The commercial exploitation was given to Keller Shipping, Basel, which traded the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, mainly on their "Keller-Lines" service from Genoa to North Africa (Tunis, Alger, Oran, Tanger, Casablanca) and to Portugal and Tenerife. Also two voyages to the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea were undertaken to Haifa and Beirut. Technical and crewing matters apparently were handled by BRAG.
The crew consisted of 11 men, about 2 to 4 were Germans, the rest Italians, mainly from the region of Viareggio. Her first master was Capt. Edgar Freiherr von Salis-Soglio, born 1912, a Swiss from the canton of Grisons, but also with German nationality. He began his sea-going career as a deckhand on German sailing ships, rounding Cape Horn. Apparently he was the permanent master, certainly as admirer of "the Reich" he enjoyed the trust of his boss Fritz Ritter. Of interest may be also the wages at the time, the master received 1300.- Swiss francs, the chief mate 600.- francs and an A.B. 297.- francs, plus 68.- francs overtime compensation. Also the later, long serving master in Keller Shipping, Gerhard Gräper sailed on the MISOX, first as bosun, later as 2nd. mate.
The MISOX probably had many problems, already on 26.09.1949 in the port of Genoa she touched the Italian motor vessel ESPERIA (from Trapani) after a main engine breakdown. Two times the vessel went aground, the first time on 25.05.1951 near Ras el Kanais in Egypt and one year later, on 26.08.1952 at Punta Cires, east of Tanger (see MISOX).
Apparently the MISOX was no big commercial success, already on 17.10.1952 she was sold to Keller Shipping Ltd. Basel, which renamed her GRANDSON. She remained under the Swiss flag and retained her original register Nr. 027 and her call sign HBDT. With an Italian crew she continued to ply the Western Mediterranean Sea for "Keller-Lines".
After more than ten years with Keller Shipping Ltd. the GRANDSON was sold on 08.01.1963 to Eraclea S.p.A., Palermo. Her new name was SPRINT and she was registered under Italian flag in Palermo, call sign: IUQZ. In the following years she changed hands several times, 1969 the ship owner Umberto Scolaro of Genoa purchased the vessel and named her GIULIA (port of registry: Genova), 1971 she was sold without change of name to the Sardinian shipping company Sandalo S.p.A., Cagliari, (port of registry: Cagliari). In 1973 the freighter was sold to another Italian shipping company, Compagnia di Navigazione Navalsette, Bari, where she was registered under the name LYRA.
In 1974 she came into Greek hands. New owner was the Hellenic Maritime Co. Ltd. in Piraeus, registering her as FANI under the Greek flag (port of registry: Piraeus, call sign: SV2398). The company sold her in 1977 to Hatijyannakis & Others, Piraeus, which named her SAN NICOLA. In 1981 another Greek company, Mytilene Shipping Ltd. Piraeus took her over.
In 1982 she was sold to Ladybird Maritime Co. S.A., Panama. With the registration under the flag of Panama she was renamed CAT (call sign: HO6794). Since then, no further news about the fate of this vessel are available.
SwissShips, MB, HPS, January 2016