A refrigerated cargo vessel constructed by the Bethlehem-Beaumont Yard for the U.S. Government during World War II has returned to the shipyard for conversion into a self-propelled deepwater oil drilling ship.

J. O. Crooke, general manager of Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Beaumont yard, has announced receipt of a contract from the Storm Drilling Company of Houston, Texas, for conversion of the motor vessel Karin into the first self-propelled drilling ship in Stormdrill's expanding fleet of craft for the exploitation of marine oil fields.

The MV Karin returned to the Beaumont yard January 17, 1969, 24 years after her birth at the yard, in 1945. She was one of 105 C1 and allied type vessels constructed for the government by the Beaumont yard before it was acquired by Bethlehem in December 1947 from Pennsylvania Shipyards, Inc. Specifically, she was one of 17 R1-M-AV3 craft delivered by this yard to the government during the second World War. Built for the Maritime Commission, she served in the U.S. Navy.

The big conversion job will entail jumboizing of the Karin as well as complete refitting for her new role Mr. Crooke said.

The Karin has a present overall length of 338 feet and width of 50 feet. Upon completion of the conversion, scheduled for mid-summer this year, she will have an overall length of more than 380 feet and width of 70 feet. Enlargement of the vessel will require the yard to build and install a new midbody section about 40 feet in length. Two 10-foot-wide sponsons, about 250 feet long, also will be constructed and welded to the vessel's sides.

The new midbody section will contain the drill well, the drilling substructure, derrick, drawworks and rotary table.

In addition to enlarging the vessel's size and removing her refrigeration machinery and insulated cargo spaces, the job will include fitting her out with drilling equipment and a mooring system to permit drilling at sea in a floating condition.

The Karin, officials of the Storm Drilling Company said, will be assigned to a "foreign drilling operation" after completion of the conversion.