This ship, Matson's second Mariposa, was originally a cargo carrier
named Pine Tree Mariner. Built for the U.S. Maritime Commission by
Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Massachusetts, Pine Tree Mariner was
launched in November 1952 and entered service in 1953.
In 1956, the ship was sold to Matson Navigation Co, converted into a
passenger ship at Willamette Iron and Steel Corp., Portland, Oregon, and
renamed Mariposa. Her maiden voyage for Matson was from San Francisco
to Sydney, by way of Honolulu and Auckland, on 27 October 1956.
In 1971, Mariposa was sold to Pacific Far East Line, Inc., which used
her for Pacific Ocean cruises. Laid up in 1978, she was sold to World
Airways, Inc., in 1979 and was towed to Japan in November 1980. After
her January 1981 arrival in Japan, she was again laid up and later the
same year was returned to Pacific Far East Line. In 1983, she was sold
to China Ocean Shipping Co., renamed Jin Jiang and placed on a
Shanghai-Hong Kong service.
In early 1996, under the name Heng Li, the ship went to India for
breaking-up.
Sources: Kludas' Great Passenger Ships of the World; Kludas' Great
Passenger Ships of the World Today; Knego's The World's Passenger Fleet CD.
