"Dómine", a Ship for Guinea

In 1965, when I was still not 18 years old, I joined the crew of the ship "Dómine" as a machine apprentice. In 1963, the ship had resumed the Guinea route after undergoing a major repair lasting more than a year. This was a vessel whose history began in 1931, the year the Trasmediterránea Company was awarded a contract to operate, for a period of 20 years, all maritime lines of sovereignty, including Guinea. Therefore, it had to undertake the construction of two mixed cargo and passenger ships adapted to the needs of this line.

The following year, the Trasmediterránea Company contracted the construction of the two required ships – one with the Spanish Shipbuilding Company and the other with Euskalduna. The construction of the first one began at the Sestao factory in early 1933. On July 27, 1934, it was launched and named "Dómine" in homage to the figure of its founder and first president, José Juan Dómine. The new ship was delivered to its owners in September 1935, entering service on the Bilbao-Guinea route. Its twin, launched on August 28, 1934, was named "Fernando Poo", in accordance with the line it was destined for, and was delivered in September 1935, making its inaugural voyage from Barcelona in October of that year.

The ship "Dómine" has served as a pictorial inspiration as seen in the watercolor by Vicente Pérez Molías

They were two splendid motor vessels of 6,900 GRT, with a length of 124 m and a beam of 16.5 m, and at full load, they had a draft of 6.7 m. Powered by two diesel engines of 2500 HP each, they reached a speed of 16 knots. According to the needs of the line they were destined for, they had a large cargo capacity and luxurious and comfortable cabins for passengers (the furniture in the first-class lounges and cabins was made of mahogany, and that of the second class was made of American oak). They had a beautiful and characteristic maritime appearance marked by their cruiser stern and their main deck uncovered on the sides.

Military Career

The two twins served without incident until 1936, when the Spanish Civil War began, during which the "Dómine", which remained under the national side, was converted into an auxiliary cruiser and armed with four pieces of 101.6 mm artillery from the battleship "España". In January 1937, it was demilitarized to make an extraordinary trip with Moroccan pilgrims to Mecca and, under the name "Mogreb El Aska", began its historic journey in Ceuta, initially escorted by the cruisers "Canarias" and "Baleares", in North African waters, and later by Italian Navy ships until reaching the Suez Canal. It remained for three weeks in Massawa, returning to Spain in March.

After this journey, the ship "Dómine" was transformed into a fast war transport and armed with 150 mm guns, occasionally flying the German flag - under the name "Archenfels"- and at other times the Italian flag - under the name "Stelvio"- until, at the end of 1938, it was disarmed and used as a transport ship in the Mediterranean. After the war ended, it was disarmed and returned to the Trasmediterránea Company. A worse fate befell its twin "Fernando Poo", which served the republican side and was sunk in the waters of Bata on October 14, 1936.

The ship "Dómine" continued its voyages on the Guinea line and, in June 1940, made its only transatlantic voyage, from Genoa to Buenos Aires with intermediate stops in Barcelona, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, and Montevideo.

The ship "Dómine", in the waters of Guinea during World War II

First-class dining room of the ship "Dómine"

Until the mid-1950s, it was primarily on the Guinea line where it served, being a ship very identified with the colonial environment. During its stay in Santa Isabel, the ship became a social center for the Spanish colony, where parties and other events were held. The local population also felt a special affection for the "Dómine Valencia", as it was affectionately known among them because they associated the name of the ship with the port of registry that appeared on its two fins.

During this time, it was often used as a wildcard ship, providing services in the Balearic sector and also on the line from Seville to the Canary Islands. In January 1958, the ship "Dómine" was once again involved in military activities when it was mobilized to transport personnel and war material from the port of Valencia to Cabo Juby, due to operations arising from the invasion and attacks on Spanish garrisons. At the end of 1961, it underwent significant repairs, which lasted throughout 1962, and in early February 1963, it rejoined the Guinea line, although it occasionally provided services between the Peninsula and the ports of the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.

In the summer of 1965, the ship "Dómine" began covering services in the Balearic sector, specifically on the Barcelona-Palma line, and there I had the opportunity to experience the bustling and joyful atmosphere of vacation trips to Mallorca.

Life Onboard

The return of the "Dómine" to the Guinea line coincided with my incorporation into Trasmediterránea, which allowed me to make two complete trips to the former Spanish colony visiting Santa Isabel, San Carlos, and Bata. The excitement I felt when I boarded the ship was etched in my mind for life, as was the melancholy that overwhelmed me when, leaving Cádiz bound for the Canary Islands, I saw the city and my loved ones who remained there fade away from the stern, who, with immense joy, came to welcome me upon my return.

Aboard, I experienced the tropical experience, where in addition to protecting ourselves from malaria with quinine pills, the “day” shift was from four in the morning to noon to endure the torrid atmosphere of the engine room, which contrasted, when we were in Santa Isabel, with the nighttime atmosphere of the bar-disco of the Nigerian Anita Guau, a place where ethnic and modern music played, and where, at times, one could witness the choreography of the “balele” with the dancers in "top-less".

The furniture in the first-class lounge was made of mahogany

Accommodation plan of this ship and its twin, "Fernando Poo"

On return trips, the crew of the "Dómine" was often augmented with pets acquired in Guinea - parrots and a few chimpanzees - which delighted the passengers and crew until they were picked up by their new owners at the port of arrival. I remember how a chimpanzee, transported by the boilerman, helped the oilers with cleaning tasks on the paint in the engine room bulkheads.

With the independence of the colony, the "Dómine" stopped traveling to Guinea and its services were centralized on the lines connecting the Peninsula with the archipelagos. By the twists of fate, the "Dómine", a ship built especially for Guinea services, began its maritime life with a journey to Spanish Guinea in 1935 and ended it by repeating the journey to what is now Equatorial Guinea.

On April 17, 1975, it left Barcelona and after stopping in Valencia and Las Palmas, docked in Malabo on May 6, from where it departed, on the return trip to the peninsula, on May 20. It later remained inactive in the port of Barcelona while its decommissioning was processed in the Maritime Communications Contract of Sovereignty.

Photos: Archives of Laureano García Fuentes and Juan Carlos Díaz Lorenzo

Published in the magazine "Azul Marino", number 79