R. A. Nicol & Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping, Ship brokerage |
| Founded | 1923 |
| Founder | Robert Alexander Nicol |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Shipping services, ship brokerage |
R. A. Nicol & Company was a New York City-based firm specializing in shipping and ship brokerage, established by Robert Alexander Nicol in 1923. Nicol, originally from England and born in 1880, emigrated to the United States in 1906 and obtained U.S. citizenship by 1920. He began his career in the maritime sector with Oriental Navigation Company in 1916. The company maintained its office at 17 Battery Place, New York City. Throughout World War II, R. A. Nicol & Company supported the war effort by managing vessels owned by the United States.
World War II
During the Second World War, R. A. Nicol & Company operated merchant vessels under contracts with the U.S. Shipping Board, Maritime Commission, and War Shipping Administration. The firm was responsible for overseeing Liberty and Victory ships within the U.S. Merchant Navy, providing civilian crews while the U.S. Navy assigned Armed Guards to handle deck weaponry and communication equipment.
Ships
- Vessels operated in World War II:**
- Liberty Ships:**
- James H. McClintock (subsequently USS Kenmore AK-221)
- SS Furnifold M. Simmons (constructed in 1943)
- SS David L. Yulee
- M. H. De Young (built 1943; torpedoed same year; later served as USS Antelope IX-109; dismantled in 1950)
- Telfair Stockton
- George L. Curry
- Joseph M. Terrell
- Frank P. Walsh
- Albert A. Michelson
- Ezra Cornell (constructed in 1943; utilized as a troopship; sold after the war to the French government and subsequently to a Greek company; sank in 1967)
- Horace Bushnell (built in 1943; torpedoed near North Russia in 1945; recovered by the Soviet Union and renamed Pamyati Kirova)
- William Hodson (third vessel bearing this name)
- Victory Ships:**
- Westminster Victory (served as a troop transport during Operation Magic Carpet, active from 1945 to 1947)