The Empire ships were a series of ships in the service of the British Government. Their names were all prefixed with "Empire". They were mostly used during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), who owned the ships but contracted out their management to various shipping lines. Some ships requisitioned during the Suez Crisis

Suez Crisis

The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...

 were also given the Empire prefix. They were acquired from a number of sources. Many were built for the MoWT, others obtained from the USA, still others were captured or seized from enemy powers.

Empire Sidney

Empire Sidney was a 6,904 GRT

Gross Register Tonnage

Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...

 cargo ship

Cargo ship

A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...

 which was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd

Harland and Wolff

Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....

, Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

. Launched on 4 September 1941 and completed in May 1942. Allocated in 1943 to the Dutch Government

Politics of the Netherlands

The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...

 and renamed Van der Helst. Sold in 1946 to Koninklijke Java-China-Japan Lijn, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 and renamed Tjimenteng. Sold in 1963 to Diamandis Eikidi Naftiliaki Eteria and renamed Diamandis. Operated under the management of A Halcoussis & Co, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

. Arrived on 20 January 1970 at Cartagena

Cartagena, Spain

Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 for scrapping.

Empire Silas

Empire Silas was a 275 GRT tug

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

 which was built by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby

Selby

Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...

. Launched on 13 December 1943 and completed in April 1944. Sold in 1946 to Fairplay Towing & Shipping Co Ltd, London and renamed Fairplay Two. Capsized on 22 June 1947 and sank off Vlissingen, Netherlands when towing . Refloated on 13 August 1947 and towed to Antwerp, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

. Declared at constructive total loss but repaired. Sold in 1948 to Société Cherif de Remorquage et Sauvetage, Casablanca

Casablanca

Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...

 and renamed Ifrane. Scrapped in 1978 at Casablanca.

Empire Silver

Empire Silver was a 8,145 GRT tanker

Tank ship

A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...

 which was built by Blythswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

. Launched on 19 October 1940 and completed in January 1941 as RFA Denbydale for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...

. Damaged on 19 September 1941 at Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

 by a limpet mine

Limpet mine

A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....

 laid by Italian submarine Scirè

Italian submarine Sciré

Italian submarine Scirè may refer to:, of the Adua-class, which fought during World War II for Regia Marina, a Type 212 submarine of Marina Militare, commissioned 19 February 2007...

. Her back was broken and she was relegated to a fuelling hulk at Gibraltar. Her engines were removed and fitted in RFA Derwentdale

RFA Derwentdale (A114)

RFA Derwentdale was a Dale-class fleet tanker and landing ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She served during the Second World War....

. Arrived on 22 July 1957 at Blyth

Blyth, Northumberland

Blyth is a town and civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth and is approximately 21 kilometres  northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne...

, Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

 for scrapping.

Empire Simba

Empire Simba was a 5,647 GRT cargo ship which was built by Skinner & Eddy Corp, Seattle. Completed in 1918 as West Cohas for the United States Shipping Board

United States Shipping Board

The United States Shipping Board was established as an emergency agency by the Shipping Act , 7 September 1916. It was formally organized 30 January 1917. It was sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board.http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/Hurley/bridgeTC.htm | The Bridge To France by Edward N....

 (USSB). To Lykes Brothers-Ripley Steamship Co Inc

Lykes Brothers Steamship Company

Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., also called Lykes Lines, was a cargo shipping company acting from the beginning of the 20th century to 2005 having its main business in the trade to and from the United States.-History:In 1900 the sons of Dr...

 in 1933. To MoWT in 1940 and renamed Empire Simba. Damaged on 1 March 1941 by bombing in the Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

 (52°21′N 05°23′W) and abandoned. Towed to Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

. On 12 March a parachute mine was discovered onboard after an air raid. This exploded on 14 March, damaging her amidships, later repaired. Scuttled on 13 September 1945 at 55°30′N 11°00′W with a cargo of obsolete chemical ammunition.

Empire Simon

Empire Simon was a 275 GRT tug which was built by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby, Launched on 11 July 1945 and completed in July 1946 as Simonia for Overseas Towage & Salvage Co Ltd. Sold in 1951 to Les Abeilles Remoquage et Sauvetage, Le Havre

Le Havre

Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...

 and renamed Abeille No 8. Sold in 1966 to G D’Alessio, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and renamed Antonia D’Alessio. Sold in 1975 to Rim. Calabrese SpA, Italy and renamed Grecale.

Empire Sinew

Empire Sinew was a 250 GRT tug which was built by Scott & Sons Ltd, Bowling, West Dunbartonshire

West Dunbartonshire

West Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. Bordering onto the west of the City of Glasgow, containing many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages as well as the city's suburbs, West Dunbartonshire also borders onto Argyll and Bute, Stirling, East...

. Launched on 14 July 1942 and completed in November 1942. Sold in 1948 to Union des Remorquage de L’Ocean, Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

 and renamed Faidherbe. Sold in 1954 to Adelaide Steamship Company

Adelaide Steamship Company

The Adelaide Steamship Company was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods between Adelaide and Melbourne and profit from the need for an efficient and comfortable passenger service...

. Left Cape Town

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

 on 24 October 1954 and last reported on 26 October in distress off Cape Agulhas

Cape Agulhas

Cape Agulhas is a rocky headland in the Western Cape, South Africa. It is the geographic southern tip of Africa and the official dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. Foundered with loss of all hands.

Empire Singapore

Empire Singapore was a 7,381 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Doxford & Son Ltd

William Doxford & Sons

William Doxford & Sons Ltd, often referred to simply as Doxford, was a British shipbuilding company.-History:The Company was established by William Doxford in 1840. From 1870 it was based in Pallion, Sunderland, on the River Wear in Northeast England. The Company was managed by William Doxford's...

, Sunderland. Launched on 15 November 1944 and completed in March 1945. Sold in 1946 to Reardon Smith Line Ltd and renamed Fresno City. Sold in 1964 to Vergocean Steamship Co Ltd and renamed Sea Captain. Operated under the management of Vergottis Ltd, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. Scrapped in June 1975 in Shanghai

Shanghai

Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

.

Empire Skipper

Empire Skipper was a 313 GRT coaster

Coastal trading vessel

Coastal trading vessels, also known as coasters, are shallow-hulled ships used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. Their shallow hulls mean that they can get through reefs where deeper-hulled sea-going ships usually cannot....

 which was built by Richard Dunston Ltd, Thorne. Launched on 23 August 1943 and completed in October 1943. Sold in 1947 to South Coast Sand & Gravel Ltd, converted to a sandsucker and renamed Sand Skipper. Sold in 1950 to Zinal Steamship Co Ltd. Operated under the management of J Burness & Sons Ltd. sold in 1954 to South Coast Shipping Co Ltd. Operated under the management of Burness Shipping Co Ltd, London. Management passed in 1956 to William Cory & Son

Cory Environmental

Cory Environmental is a large waste disposal company based in the United Kingdom. Cory operates in more than 30 locations throughout England, providing services in the collection, recycling and disposal of waste as well as municipal cleansing.-Operations:...

. Scrapped in July 1970 at Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

.

Empire Skua

Empire Skua was a 8,400 GRT LST (3) which was built by Yarrows Ltd, Esquimalt, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. Launched in September 1945 as LST 3517. To Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 as HMS St Nazaire. To Ministry of Transport

Department for Transport

In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...

 in 1956 and renamed Empire Skua. Operated under the management of Atlantic Steam Navigation Co Ltd. In 1961, management passed to British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd

British-India Steam Navigation Company

British India Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1856 as the Calcutta and Burmah Steam Navigation Company. The company had been formed out of Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co, a trading partnership of the Scots William Mackinnon and Robert Mackenzie, to carry mail between Calcutta and Rangoon. It...

. Arrived on 31 January 1968 at Spezia, Italy for scrapping.

Empire Sky

Empire Sky was a 7,455 GRT cargo ship which was built by J L Thompson & Sons Ltd

J.L. Thompson and Sons

J.L. Thompson and Sons was a shipyard on the River Wear, Sunderland, which produced ships from the mid-18th century until the 1980s. The world-famous Liberty Ship was among the designs to be created, produced and manufactured at the yard's base at North Sands....

, Sunderland. Launched on 10 February 1941 and completed in June 1941. Torpedo

Torpedo

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

ed on 06 November 1942 and sunk by at 76°20′N 32°26′W.

Empire Sloane

Empire Sloane was a 419 GRT coaster which was built by Shipbuilding Corporation, Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

. Launched on 17 January 1946 and completed later that year. Sold in 1948 to Broadway Holdings Ltd, London. To London Missionary Society later that year and converted to a missionary ship and renamed John Williams VI. Sold in 1963 to Burns, Philip & Co Ltd, London and renamed Manutai. Sold in 1975 to Rabi Holdings Ltd, London.

Empire Snipe

Empire Snipe was a 2,689 GRT cargo ship which was built by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Corp

Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company

Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, was a major shipbuilder for the Great Lakes. It was founded in 1902, and made mainly steel ferries and ore haulers. During World War II, it built submarines, tank landing craft , and self-propelled fuel barges called "YOs". Employment...

, Manitowoc

Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...

, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

. Completed as Lake Gaither for the USSB. Sold in 1926 to Western Reserve Navigation Co Inc, Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. Sold in 1927 to Newtex Steamship Corp, New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. Renamed Texas Ranger in 1932. To MoWT in 1940 and renamed Empire Snipe. Damaged on 14 July 1942 by a limpet mine off Gibraltar. Out of service until 14 October 1942 when repairs completed. Sold in 1946 to W Brown, Atkinson & Co Ltd and renamed Staxton. Sold in 1948 to Sirketi Aldikacti, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 and renamed Ileri. Scrapped in July 1968 at Haliç

Halic

Halic may refer to:* Halič - a village in Slovakia* Haliç - a village in Turkey* The Golden Horn...

, Turkey.

Empire Snow

Empire Snow was a 6,327 GRT cargo ship which was built by C Connell & Co Ltd, Glasgow. Launched on 16 December 1940 and completed in February 1941. Sold in 1946 to Cairns, Noble & Co Ltd and renamed Cairnavon. Sold in 1961 to Compagnia Naviagzione Sirikari, Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

 and renamed Vergolivada. Operated under the Lebanese Flag

Flag of Lebanon

The flag of Lebanon is formed of two horizontal red stripes enveloping a horizontal white stripe. The white stripe is to be two times a red one —a Spanish fess...

. On 19 September 1966 she became stranded on the Dognarslan Bank, Dardanelles

Dardanelles

The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...

 after a rope became wrapped round her propeller. Part of her cargo of rocks was jettisoned but this was stopped as an artificial reef was being created. The remaining cargo was transhipped and Vergolivada was refloated on 1 October 1966. Arrived in November 1968 at Shanghai for scrapping

Empire Snowdrop

Empire Snowdrop was a 339 GRT coaster which was built by Van Diepen Scheepswerf Gebroeders NV, Waterhuizen, Netherlands. Completed in 1939 as Caribe I for S G Hallstrom, Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

. Requisitioned by MoWT in 1940 and renamed Empire Snowdrop. Sold in 1946 to Malta Steamship Co Ltd, Valetta and renamed De Vilhena. Foundered on 3 February 1961 40 nautical miles (74.1 km) north west of Calvi

Calvi

Calvi is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.It is the seat of the Canton of Calvi, which contains Calvi and one other commune, Lumio...

, Corsica

Corsica

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....

.

Empire Soar

Empire Soar was a 2,740 GRT cargo ship which was built by Blyth Shipbuilding & Drydock Co Ltd. Completed in 1924 as Tullochmoor. Sold in 1936 to Franz L Nimitz, Szczecin

Szczecin

Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....

. Seized as a war prize

Prize (law)

Prize is a term used in admiralty law to refer to equipment, vehicles, vessels, and cargo captured during armed conflict. The most common use of prize in this sense is the capture of an enemy ship and its cargo as a prize of war. In the past, it was common that the capturing force would be allotted...

 in May 1945 at Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

. To MoWT and renamed Empire Soar. Allocated in 1946 to Greece. To the Greek Government

Politics of Greece

The Politics of Greece takes place in a large parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Greece is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Hellenic Parliament...

 and renamed Preveza. Sold in 1948 to Synodinos Brothers, Greece and renamed Danapris. Sold in 1957 to A Angelicoussis & Co, Greece and renamed Armonia. Sold in 1959 to Keanyew Shipping Co, Panama and reamed Keanyew. Sold in 1960 to Southern Commercial Co, Panama and renamed Charlie. Scrapped in January 1960 at Hong Kong.

Empire Soldier

Empire Soldier was a 4.536 GRT cargo ship which was built by Lithgows Ltd

Lithgows

Lithgows Limited, was a British shipbuilding company based in Kingston, Port Glasgow, on the River Clyde in Scotland.-Founding:The Company was established by Joseph Russell and his partners Anderson Rodger and William Lithgow who leased the Bay Yard in Port Glasgow from Cunliffe & Dunlop and...

, Port Glasgow

Port Glasgow

Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16617 persons...

. Completed in 1928 as Aelybryn. Sold in 1937 to Fisser & Van Doornum, Emden

Emden

Emden is a city and seaport in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia; in 2006, the city had a total population of 51,692.-History:...

 and renamed Konsul Hendrik Fisser. When war broke out she was at Vigo

Vigo

Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...

, Spain. She sailed flying a false Norwegian Flag

Flag of Norway

The flag of Norway is red with an indigo blue Scandinavian cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark.- History :...

 and with Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 colours painted on her hull. Sighted on 22 November by north of the Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...

. Weather too rough for a boarding party and crew unable to scuttle and abandon her for same reason. Escorted towards land under threat of sinking. Captured on 23 November. To MoWT and renamed Empire Soldier. Collided on 16 November 1942 with off St John's, Newfoundland

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

 and sank.

Empire Song

was a 9,228 GRT cargo liner

Cargo liner

A Cargo liner is a type of merchant ship which carried general cargo and often passengers. They became common just after the middle of the nineteenth century, and eventually gave way to container ships and other more specialized carriers in the latter half of the twentieth...

 which was built by Greenock Dockyard Co

Greenock Dockyard Company

The Greenock Dockyard Company was a Scottish shipbuilding and ship repair firm located at Greenock, on the River Clyde.-History:The company was established by J E Scott of Greenock, with the yard at Cartsdyke being taken over in 1879 by Russell and Company, of Greenock, which later became Lithgows...

, Greenock

Greenock

Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...

. Launched on 18 June 1940 and completed in October 1940. Struck an Italian mine on 9 May 1941 in the Strait of Sicily

Strait of Sicily

The Strait of Sicily is the strait between Sicily and Tunisia. It is about wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea and the western Mediterranean Sea from the eastern Mediterranean. Its maximum depth is ....

 and sank at the position 37°9′12"N 11°1′24"E while member of Convoy WS 58 as part of Operation Tiger.

Empire Sophy

Empire Sophy was a 261 GRT tug which was built by Goole Shipbuilding and Repairing Co Ltd, Goole

Goole

Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...

. Launched on 13 December 1943 and completed in June 1944. To the Admiralty

Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

 in 1947 and renamed Behest. Sold in 1957 to Colombo Port Authority, Ceylon. Reported to have sunk at Colombo Harbour at an unknown date.

Empire Sorcerer

Empire Sorcerer was a 2,594 GRT hopper dredger which was built by Ferguson Brothers

Ferguson Shipbuilders

Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. It is the last remaining shipbuilder on the lower Clyde, and is currently the only builder of merchant ships on the river - the company's mainstay has long been Roll-on/roll-off ferries.-History:The...

, Port Glasgow

Port Glasgow

Port Glasgow is the second largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16617 persons...

. Launched on 21 February 1946 and completed in April 1946. Sold in 1947 to the Argentinian Government

Government of Argentina

The government of Argentina, functioning within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. Legislative power is vested in both the...

 nad renamed M O P 230-C. Renamed Miguel Miranda in 1949 and renamed M O P 224-C in 1958.

Empire Sound

Empire Sound was a 325 GRT coaster which was built by Richards Ironworks Ltd, Lowestoft

Lowestoft

Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...

. Launched on 8 August 1941 and completed in December 1941. To the Dutch Government in 1943 and renamed Zuiderhaven. Sold in 1946 to Entreprise Générale de Transport Maritimes SA, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and renamed Tamise II. Sold in 1950 to Société Anonyme de Ciments de Dannes, France and renamed Cimcour II. Sold in 1953 to A/S Sjaholm, Norway and renamed Sjaholm. New diesel engine

Diesel engine

A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...

 fitted in 1958. Sold in 1965 to A Remoy Partrederi, Norway and renamed Pokal. Sold in 1968 to I/S Peddership-Pedersen & Sonner, Norway and renamed Bjerkosund. Sold in 1972 to Nesser R/A, Norway and renamed Eidsvag. Sold in 1983 to G Mallion, London and sold in 1985 to Nick Ocean International, Panama.

Empire Southey

Empire Southey was a 7,041 GRT cargo ship which was built by Short Brothers Ltd

Short Brothers of Sunderland

Short Brothers Limited was a British shipbuilding company formed in 1850 and based at Pallion, Sunderland since 1869. The company closed in 1964 when it failed to invest to build bigger ships.-19th century:...

, Sunderland. Launched on 15 May 1942 and completed in July 1942. Sold in 1946 to Bank Line Ltd and renamed Hollybank. Operated under the management of A Weir & Co Ltd. Sold in 1953 to Halcyon Lijn NV, Netherlands and renamed Stad Rotterdam. Sold in 1963 to Ocean Shipping & Enterprises SA, Panama and renamed Ocean Unity. Arrived on 8 March 1967 at Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...

, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 for scrapping.

Empire Southwark

Empire Southwark was a 3,486 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlpool. Launched on 11 June 1945 and completed in September 1945. Sold in 1946 to Pelton Steamship Co Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne and renamed Tempo. Sold in 1961 to Anemi Compagnia Navigazione, Panama and renamed Nagusena. Sank on 17 October 1967 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off Esbjerg

Esbjerg

Esbjerg Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Johnny Søtrup, from the Venstre political party...

, Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

.

Empire Southwold

Empire Southwold was a 7,370 GRT cargo ship which was built by Bartram & Sons Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 16 January 1946 and completed in May 1946 as Hesperia for Houston Line Ltd. Sold in 1960 to Clan Line Steamers Ltd

Clan Line

The Clan Line was a passenger and cargo shipping company that operated in one incarnation or another from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century.-Foundation and early years:...

 and renamed Clan Murdoch. Sold in 1961 to King Line Ltd. Operated under the management of Dodd, Thompson & Co Ltd. sold in 1962 to Sadikzade Denizcilik Ltd, Turkey and renamed Mustafa. Sold in 1974 to Z Sonmez, Turkey and renamed Denizhanlar. Scrapped in March 1979 at Aliaga, Turkey.

Empire Spartan

Empire Spartan was a 6,987 GRT cargo ship which was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow. Launched on 17 February 1942 and completed in April 1942. Sold in 1951 to Ellerman & Bucknall Steamship Co Ltd

Ellerman Lines

Ellerman Lines was a cargo and passenger shipping company that operated from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. It was founded in the late nineteenth century, and continued to expand with the acquisition of smaller shipping lines until it became one of the largest shipping...

 and renamed City of Cardiff. Sold in 1959 to Kam Kee Navigation Co Ltd and renamed Shun Wing. Operated under the management of Jebshun Shipping Co Ltd, Hong Kong. Sold in 1971 to Chun Moo Choo, operated under the Somali Flag

Flag of Somalia

The flag of Somalia was adopted on October 12, 1954. It was designed by Mohammed Awale Liban. Upon reunification of Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland, the flag was used for the nascent Somali Republic.-History:...

 and Jebshun's management. Arrived in January 1972 at Hong Kong after being detained in Onahama, Japan following the bankruptcy of her owners and laid up. On 10 May 1972 she dragged her anchors and collided with ferry

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 Macau. Arrived on 23 September 1972 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan for scrapping.

Empire Spearhead

Empire Spearhead

HMS Empire Spearhead

HMS Empire Spearhead was an Type C1-S-AY-1 Infantry Landing Ship chartered by the British Ministry of War Transport during World War II. She was built by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California. She was launched as Cape Girardeau and completed as Empire Spearhead...

was a 7,177 GRT (11,600 Tons displacement

Displacement (ship)

A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...

) Type C1-S-AY-1

Type C1 ship

Type C1 was a designation for small cargo ships built for the U.S. Maritime Commission before and during World War II. The first C1 types were the smallest of the three original Maritime Commission designs, meant for shorter routes where high speed and capacity were less important. Only a handful...

 cargo ship which was built by Consolidated Steel Corp

Consolidated Steel Corporation

Consolidated Steel Corporation was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Consolidated built ships during World War II in two locations: Wilmington, California and Orange, Texas...

, Wilmington, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. Laid down as Cape Girardeau and completed in January 1944 as Empire Spearhead for MoWT. To United States Maritime Commission

United States Maritime Commission

The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...

 in 1947, renamed Cape Girardeau in 1948. Proposed sale in May 1948 to China and renaming Hai Mei was cancelled. Renamed Empire Spearhead in August 1950 and laid up in the James River

James River (Virginia)

The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...

. Scrapped in November 1966 in Baltimore

Baltimore

Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

.

Empire Spenser

Empire Spenser was a 8,194 GRT tanker which was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Belfast. Launched on 17 February 1942 and completed in July 1942. Torpedoed on 8 December 1942 and sunk by at 57°04′N 36°01′W.

Empire Spey

Empire Spey was a 4,292 GRT cargo ship which was built by Ardrossan Dockyard Co Ltd, Ardrossan

Ardrossan

Ardrossan is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic àird meaning headland, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix '-an' - headland of the little promontory...

. Completed in 1929 as Blairspey for Geo Nisbet & Co, Glasgow. Torpedoed on 18 October 1940 by at 57°55′N 11°10′W while a member of Convoy SC 7. Abandoned, torpedoed again on 19 October by . Taken in tow and beached in the Clyde

River Clyde

The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....

 on 25 October. Later towed to Greenock and a new bow section built. To MoWT in 1942 and renamed Empire Spey. Reverted to George Nisbet & Co in 1946 and renamed Blairspey.Sold in 1961 to Marfuente Compagnia Navigazione, Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 and renamed Evandros. Scrapped in May 1967 at Spezia, Italy.

Empire Spinel

Empire Spinel was a 650 GRT coaster which was built by Henry Robb Ltd, Leith

Leith

-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....

. Completed in 1937 as Spinel for William Robertson, Glasgow. Bombed on 21 May 1940 by German aircraft and sunk at Dunkerque. Salvaged on 4 July by Germany, repaired and entered service. Seized in May 1945 at the Channel Islands

Channel Islands

The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

. To MoWT and renamed Empire Spinel. Returned to William Robertson in 1946 and renamed Spinel. Scrapped in April 1970 at Dalmuir

Dalmuir

Dalmuir is an area on the western side of Clydebank, in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland.-Location:It is neighboured by the village of Old Kilpatrick, the Mountblow and Parkhall areas of Clydebank, as well as the town centre...

, West Dunbartonshire.

Empire Spinney

Empire Spinney was a 872 GRT coaster which was built by A & J Inglis Ltd, Glasgow. Launched on 26 June 1941 and completed in September 1941. Sold in 1946 to General Steam Navigation Co Ltd and renamed Peregrine. Sold in 1965 to D Vassilatos & others, Greece and renamed Libya. Sold later that year to Elias Condos & others, Greece. Sold in 1971 to S Kondopoulos & Co, Greece and renamed Rozmary.

Empire Spitfire

Empire Spitfire was a 235 GRT tug which was built by A Hall & Co Ltd, Aberdeen

Aberdeen

Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....

. Launched on 23 January 1943 and completed in April 1943. To the Admiralty in 1947 and renamed Warden. Renamed Prompt in 1951. Sold in 1975 to Thames Services Ltd, London and renamed Torque. Sold in 1979 to Shoreham Salvage & Marine Ltd, Shoreham

Shoreham-by-Sea

Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...

, West Sussex

West Sussex

West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...

. Sold in 1982 to Maryport Maritime Museum, Maryport

Maryport

Maryport is a town and civil parish within the Allerdale borough of Cumbria, England, in the historic county of Cumberland. It is located on the A596 road north of Workington, and is the southernmost town on the Solway Firth. Maryport railway station is on the Cumbrian Coast Line. The town is in...

, Cumbria

Cumbria

Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

. Scrapped in 1986 in Millom

Millom

Millom is a town and civil parish on the estuary of the River Duddon in the southwest of Cumbria, England. The name is Cumbrian dialect for "At the mills". The town is accessible both by rail and an A class road...

, Cumbria.

Empire Splendour

Empire Splendour was a 7,335 GRT cargo ship which was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Belfast. Launched on 18 December 1941 and completed in September 1942. Sold in 1946 to Ocean Steamship Co Ltd

Blue Funnel Line

Alfred Holt and Company, marketed as the Blue Funnel Line, was founded by Alfred Holt on 16 January 1866.The main operating subsidiary was the Ocean Steam Ship Company, which owned and operated the majority of the company's vessels....

 and renamed Medon. Operated under the management of A Holt & Co Ltd. Sold in 1963 to Olistim Navigation Co SA, Greece and renamed Tina. Scrapped in January 1970 in Shanghai.

Empire Sportsman

Empire Sportsman was a 325 GRT coaster which was built by Richards Ironworks Ltd, Lowestoft. Launched on 6 May 1943 and completed in September 1943. Sold in 1946 to R Rix & Sons Ltd, Hull

Kingston upon Hull

Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

 and renamed Norrix. New diesel engine fitted in 1961, sold in 1963 to Odysseas & Charalabous, Greece and rename Ionion. Sold later that year to N T Giannoutsos, Greece. Scrapped in May 1985 in Perama, Greece.

Empire Spray

Empire Spray was a 7,308 CAM ship

CAM ship

CAM ships were World War II-era British merchant ships used in convoys as an emergency stop-gap until sufficient escort carriers became available. CAM is an acronym for catapult aircraft merchantman. A CAM ship was equipped with a rocket-propelled catapult launching a single Hawker Sea Hurricane,...

 which was built by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 11 February 1941 and completed in May 1941. Allocated in 1943 to the Dutch Government and renamed Gerard Dou. Sold in 1947 to Stoomvaart Maatschappij NV, Rotterdam and renamed Marken. Sold in 1953 to Douglas Steamship Co Ltd and renamed Inchmull. Operated under the management of Williamson & Co Ltd, Hong Kong. Management passed in 1966 to Mullion & Co, Hong Kong. Scrapped in February 1969 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Empire Spring

Empire Spring was a 6,946 GRT CAM ship which was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow. Launched on 8 March 1941 and completed in June 1941. Torpedoed on 14 February 1942 and sunk by in the North Atlantic.

Empire Springbuck

Empire Springbuck was a 5,591 GRT cargo ship which was built by Ames Shipbuilding & Drydock Co, Seattle. Ordered as War Dido for the British Shipping Controller and completed in October 1918 as Westmead for the USSB. To Strand Steamship Co, New York in 1920, returned to USSB in 1921. To Williams Steamship Co Inc, New York in 1927 and renamed Willanglo. To Babcock Steamhip Corp, New York in 1928 and then to Pacific Atlantic Steamship Co, Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 in 1929. To MoWT in 1940 and renamed Empire Springbuck. Torpedoed on 19 September 1941 by off Cape Farewell

Cape Farewell

Cape Farewell can mean:* Cape Farewell, New Zealand, northernmost point of the South Island.* Cape Farewell, Greenland, southernmost point in the territory of Greenland....

, Greenland

Greenland

Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...

 and sank at 61°38′N 40°40′W.

Empire Springfjord

Empire Springfjord was a 2,036 GRT cargo ship which was built by Trondheim Mekaniske Verksted

Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted

Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted or TMV was a major shipbuilding company in Trondheim, Norway.-History:It was founded in 1872 by engineer and industrialist, Sophus August Weidemann. Weidemann had started in 1864 as manager of one of the pioneer companies in Trondheim...

, Trondheim

Trondheim

Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...

. Launched in 1940 as Springfjord for Springwell Shipping Co Ltd, London. Seized by Germany while being completed. To Hansa Line as Rudesheimer. Seized in May 1945 at Tønsberg

Tønsberg

is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....

. To MoWT and renamed Empire Springfjord. To Springwell Shipping Co Ltd, London in 1947 and renamed Springfjord. Bombed on 27 June 1954 at Puerto San José

Puerto San José

Puerto San José is a city on Guatemala's Pacific Ocean coast, in the department of Escuintla. It contains about 20,000 people, making it the largest place along the Pacific coast of Guatemala. It was the Pacific port for Guatemala, but this was superseded in the 20th century by Puerto Quetzal, a...

, Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

 during the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état and sunk.

Empire Sprite

Empire Sprite was a 244 GRT tug which was built by Henry Scarr Ltd, Hessle

Hessle

Hessle is a town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, situated west of Kingston upon Hull city centre. Geographically it is part of a larger urban area which consists of the city of Kingston upon Hull, the town of Hessle and a number of other villages but is not part of the...

. Launched on 17 February 1942 and completed in June 1942. To the French Government in 1946 and renamed Inflexible. Sold in 1951 to Les Abeilles Remorquage et Sauvetage, Le Havre and renamed Abeille No 23. Sold in 1961 to Società di Navigazione Capieci, Italy and renamed Capo Milazzo. Reported to have been scrapped in 1979 at Augusta.

Empire Spruce

Empire Spruce was a 129 GRT tug which was built by R Dunston Ltd, Thorne. Launched on 13 January 1942 and completed in March 1942. In collision on 9 January 1943 with at Royal Navy ship at the entrance to Gareloch and sank. Refloated on 24 February 1943, towed to Glasgow and repaired. To the Admiralty in 1947 and renamed Emulous. Sold in 1958 to H G Pounds

H. G. Pound

H.G. Pound is the name of the founder of a British merchant firm in Portsmouth, UK. The firm, founded in 1864, diversified into shipbreaking after World War I and has accumulated over the years vast quantities of military equipment awaiting scrapping...

, Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

. Sold in 1961 to J D Irving Ltd, Canada, new diesel engine fitted and renamed Irving Oak.

Empire Squire

Empire Squire was a 7,044 GRT cargo ship which was built by John Readhead & Sons Ltd, South Shields. Launched on 4 November 1941 and completed in January 1942. Allocated in 1943 to the Greek Government and renamed Makedonia. Sold in 1947 to A G Pappadakis, Greece. Sold in 1962 to Compagnia Navigazione y de Comercio Adonis Ltd, Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

 and renamed Anthas. Arrived on 23 June 1967 at Shanghai for scrapping.

Empire Stalwart

Empire Stalwart was a 7,045 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool. Launched on 23 March 1943 and completed in May 1943. Sold in 1946 to Alexander Shipping Co Ltd and renamed Easbury. Operated under the management of Houlder Bros & Co Ltd

Houlder Line

The Houlder Line were a number of related British Shipping companies originally established by the Houlder brothers. was operated by the Houlder Line and was torpedoed in the North Atlantic in 1940. was operated by the Houlder Line...

, London. Sold in 1968 to Transportes Maritimos Mexicanos SA, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 and renamed Constitucion. Scrapped in October 1968 at Veracruz

Veracruz, Veracruz

Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...

, Mexico.

Empire Standard

Empire Standard was a 7,050 GRT cargo ship which was built by Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co (Shipbuilders) Ltd

Armstrong Whitworth

Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...

, Newcastle upon Tyne. Launched on 26 September 1942 and completed in October 1942. Torpedoed on 9 March 1943 by off Algiers

Algiers

' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...

 and damaged. Arrived at Algiers the next day, cargo discharged and ship moved to a repair berth. Torpedoed on 26 March by German aircraft and back broken. Declared a constructive total loss. Towed out to sea and scuttled.

Empire Stanley

Empire Stanley was a 6,942 GRT CAM ship which was built by Greenock Dockyard Co Ltd, Greenock. Launched on 15 July 1941 and completed in September 1941. Torpedoed on 17 August 1943 and sunk by south of Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

 (27°08′S 48°15′E).

Empire Star

was a 11,085 GRT refrigerated cargo ship which was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Belfast. Launched on 4 March 1946 as Empire Mercia and completed in December 1946 as Empire Star for Blue Star Line. Sold in 1950 to Lamport & Holt Line Ltd. Arrived on 16 October 1971 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan for scrapping.

Empire Starlight

Empire Starlight was a 6,854 GRT cargo ship which was built by Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co Ltd

Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock

Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock was a Hong Kong dockyard once among the largest dockyards in Asia. Founded in 1863 by Douglas Lapraik and Thomas Sutherland, the Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Company...

, Hong Kong. Launched on 4 April 1941 and completed in July 1941. Joined Convoy PQ 13, repeatedly bombed and sank on 1 June 1942 at Murmansk

Murmansk

Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...

. Salvaged by USSR in 1945, repaired and renamed Murmansk, now 7,153 GRT. Sailed from Nagoya, Japan on 12 October 1979 bound for Nakhodka

Nakhodka

Nakhodka is a port city in Primorsky Krai, Russia, situated on the Trudny Peninsula jutting into the Nakhodka Bay of the Sea of Japan, about east of Vladivostok...

, USSR, reported to have been converted to a storage barge.

Empire Starling

Empire Starling was a 6,060 GRT cargo ship which was built by Moore Shipbuilding Co

Moore Dry Dock Company

Moore Dry Dock Company was a ship repair and shipbuilding company in Oakland, California. It was started in San Francisco in 1905 as the Moore & Scott Iron Works, but was destroyed by fire in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It reopened soon and in 1909 purchased the Boole Shipyard in Oakland....

, Oakland

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

, California. Completed in October 1919 as Nockum for USSB. To MoWT in 1941 and renamed Empire Starling. Torpedoed on 21 November 1942 by and sunk north east of Barbados

Barbados

Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...

 (13°05′N 56°20′W).

Empire Statesman

Empire Statesman was a 5,306 GRT cargo ship which was built by Societ per Azioni Ansaldo

Gio. Ansaldo & C.

Ansaldo was one of Italy's oldest and most important engineering companies, existing for 140 years from 1853 to 1993.-From foundation to World War I:...

, Sestri Ponente

Sestri Ponente

Sestri Ponente is an industrial suburb of Genoa in northwest Italy. It is part of the Medio Ponente municipio of Genoa.-Geography:It is situated on the Ligurian Sea to the west of the city, between Cornigliano and Pegli...

, Italy. Completed in 1920 as Ansaldo VIII for Società Naz. Di Navigazione, Italy. Renamed Ansaldo Ottavo in 1925. Sold in 1928 to Società Comm. De Navigazione, Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

 and renamed Pellice. Sailed from the Tyne

River Tyne

The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...

 on 9 June 1940 and captured by the Royal Navy at sea the next day. Escorted to Methil

Methil

Methil is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was part of the former Burgh of Buckhaven and Methil. It lies within a continuous urban area described as Levenmouth.Methil lies geographically between Largo bay to the east and Wemyss Bay to the west....

, Fife

Fife

Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...

. To MoWT and renamed Empire Statesman. Torpedoed on 11 December 1940 and sunk by in the North Atlantic.

Empire Steel

Empire Steel was a 8,138 GRT cargo ship which was built by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd

Cammell Laird

Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...

, Birkenhead

Birkenhead

Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...

. Launched on 4 December 1940 and completed in March 1941. Torpedoed on 24 March 1942 by and finished off by gunfire north east of Bermuda (37°45′N 74°50′W).

Empire Steelhead

Empire Steelhead was a 7,586 GRT cargo ship which was built by Pusey & Jones Co

Pusey and Jones

The Pusey and Jones Corporation was a major ship and equipment manufacturer from 1846 to 1959. Ship building was the primary focus from 1853 until the end of World War II, when the company converted the shipyard to production of paper manufacturing machinery...

, Gloucester

Gloucester City, New Jersey

Gloucester City is a city in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 11,456.-Geography:Gloucester City is located at ....

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. Ordered by Pennsylvania Shipping Co, completed in 1920 as Patrick Henry for USSB. To Lykes Brothers-Ripley Steamship Co Inc, New York in 1933. To MoWT in 1940 and renamed Empire Steelhead. Allocated in 1942 to the Greek Government and renamed Crete. Sold in 1947 to D Vernicos, Greece and renamed Vernicos Nicolaos. Sold in 1951 to Compagnia Marittima de Petroleo, Panama and renamed El Greco. Scrapped in September 1952 at Savona

Savona

Savona is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea....

, Italy.

Empire Stella

Empire Stella was a 292 GRT tug which was built by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby. Launched on 16 March 1945 and completed in August 1945. Boiler explosion on 1 January 1946, laid up and later sold to United Towing Co Ltd. Replacement steam engine fitted that had been intended to be installed in Empire Keith. New diesel engine fitted in 1961. Sold in 1969 to Rim. Sardi, Italy and renamed Poetto.

Empire Stevedore

Empire Stevedore was a approximately 750 GRT cargo ship which was built as Kriegtransporter KT 3. Taken over at Hamburg in October 1949 by the Royal Engineers

Royal Engineers

The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....

. To Marchwood

Marchwood

Marchwood is a village and civil parish located in Hampshire, United Kingdom. It lies between Totton and Hythe on the western shore of Southampton Water, next to the New Forest. The population of the village in the 2001 census was 5,586.-History:...

, Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

 in 1950 for use as a stevedore

Stevedore

Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....

 training ship, replacing Empire Flamian.

Empire Stevenson

Empire Stevenson was a 6,209 GRT cargo ship which was built by John Readhead & Sons Ltd, South Shields. Launched on 25 August 1941 and completed in October 1941. Torpedoed on 13 September 1942 and sunk by German aircraft north of Bear Island (76°10′N 10°05′E) while a member of Convoy PQ 18.

Empire Stickleback

Empire Stickleback was a 1,984 GRT tanker which was built by American Shipbuilding Co

American Ship Building Company

The American Ship Building Company was the dominant shipbuilder on the Great Lakes before the Second World War. It started as Cleveland Shipbuilding in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888 and opened the yard in Lorain, Ohio in 1898...

, Cleveland, Ohio. Completed in 1895 as Malta. Converted to a barge in 1911 and rebuilt as a steamship in 1921. To Canada Steamship Lines and renamed Thunder Bay. Sold in 1940 to Branch Lines Ltd, Montreal. Converted to a tanker and renamed Pinebranch. To MoWT in 1945 and renamed Empire Stickleback. Returned to Branch Lines in 1946 and renamed Pinebranch. Cut down to deck level in 1961 and sunk on 24 May as a wharf at Malignant Cove

Malignant Cove, Nova Scotia

Malignant Cove is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Antigonish County. It was named for the sailing vessel Malignant, which ran aground there during the American Revolution. It was renamed Milburn in 1915 but the new name was not adopted by the community...

, Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

.

Empire Storm

Empire Storm was a 7,290 GRT cargo ship which was built by John Readhead & Sons Ltd, South Shields. Launched on 27 January 1941 and completed in March 1941. Torpedoed on 29 May 1941 and sunk by at 55°00′N 39°50′W while a member of Convoy HX 128S.

Empire Story

Empire Story was a 7,037 GRT cargo ship which was built by Short Brothers Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 19 December 1941 and completed in March 1942. Ran aground on 4 May 1942 at Briar Island, Nova Scotia and abandoned. Refloated herself at high tide and drifted off in fog. Taken in tow by Foundation Franklin

Foundation Franklin

The SS Foundation Franklin was a sea-going salvage tug built for the Royal Navy in 1918 but most famous for many daring salvage operations and rescues while operated by Foundation Maritime between 1930-1949.- History :...

with the intention to take her to Digby

Digby, Nova Scotia

Digby is a Canadian town in western Nova Scotia. It is the shiretown and largest population centre in Digby County.The town is situated on the western shore of the Annapolis Basin near the entrance to the Digby Gut which connects the basin to the Bay of Fundy.Named after Admiral Robert Digby, RN,...

 but she capsized and sank at 44°35′N 66°19′W.

Empire Stour

Empire Stour was a 4,696 GRT cargo ship which was built by Bartram & Sons Ltd, Sunderland. Completed in 1930 as Harpenden for National Steamship Co. Operated under the management of J & C Harrison. Torpedoed on 11 September 1940 by and severely damaged at the stern. Towed to the Clyde and declared a constructive total loss. Rebuilt in 1941, to MoWT and renamed Empire Stour. Sold in 1946 to Bharat Line, Bombay and renamed Bharatjal. Sold in 1957 to C A Petroutsis, Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

 and renamed Al-Riyadh. Transferred in 1958 to C A Petroutsis, Trieste

Trieste

Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...

 and renamed Spetsai Patriot. Placed under arrest in 1962 at Lagos

Lagos

Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...

. Sold by Court Order, scrapped in September 1963 at Split

Split (city)

Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...

, Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

.

Empire Strait

Empire Strait was a 2,841 GRT collier

Collier (ship type)

Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...

 which was built by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool. Launched on 31 October 1940 and completed in December 1940. Bombed on 28 April 1941 and damaged off Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...

. Sold in 1945 to Granta Steamship Co Ltd and renamed Granta. Operated under the management of Witherington & Everett, Newcastle upon Tyne. Scrapped in December 1960 at Harlingen

Harlingen, Netherlands

Harlingen is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland at the Wadden Sea. Harlingen is an old town with a long history of fishing and shipping....

 Netherlands.

Empire Stream

Empire Stream was a 2,922 GRT ore carrier

Bulk carrier

A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...

 which was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow. Launched on 2 December 1940 and completed in March 1941. Torpedoed on 25 September 1941 and sunk by at 46°03′N 24°40′W while a member of Convoy HG 73.

Empire Strength

Empire Strength was a 7,355 GRT cargo ship which was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Belfast. Launched on 28 May 1942 and completed in December 1942. Sold in 1946 to Blue Star Line Ltd and renamed Saxon Star. Sold in 1961 to D L Street Ltd, Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

 and renamed Redbrook. Sold in 1965 to Hegif Compagnia Navigazione SA and renamed E Evangelica. Operated under the management of H Embiricos, Greece. Ran aground on 15 October 1968 off Constanţa

Constanta

Constanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....

, Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

 (43°58′N 28°39′E) and declared a constructive total loss.

Empire Stroma

Empire Stroma was a 5,123 GRT cargo ship which was built by Shipbuilding Corporation Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne. Launched on 23 March 1947 and completed in July 1947 as Ashantian for United Africa Co Ltd. Sold in 1949 to Palm Line Ltd and renamed Ashanti Palm. Operated under the management of United Africa Co Ltd. Ran aground on 18 November 1962 on rocks at the entrance to Naples Harbour, Italy and sank.

Empire Stronghold

Empire Stronghold was a 7,050 GRT cargo ship which was built by Sir W G Armstrong-Whitworth (Shipbuilders) Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne. Launched on 14 September 1943 and completed in December 1943. Allocated in 1945 to the French Government and renamed Camille Porche. Sold in 1948 to Société Navale Delmas-Vieljeux, France and renamed Colonel Vieljeux. Sold in 1960 to Vita Shipping Co, Liberia

Liberia

Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...

 and renamed Atticos. Sold in 1961 to Supreme Shipping Co Inc, Panama and renamed Valor. Ran aground on 28 March 1963 at Mukho

Mukho

Mukho is a harbor in Donghae City, Gangwon Province, South Korea. It is located on the shore of the Sea of Japan . In the past it played an important role in the shipping of iron ore and coal; much of this role has been taken over by Donghae Harbor in recent years. Mukho is an important harbor...

, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

, declared a constructive total loss.

Empire Stronsay

Empire Stronsay was a 7,318 GRT cargo ship which was built by Shipbuilding Corporation Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne. Laid down as Empire Stronsay and launched on 26 September 1946 as Louis E Durand. Completed in December 1946 as Chef Mecanician Durand for the French Government. Sold in 1949 to Compagnie Maritime Normande and renamed Rollon. Operated under the management of J Chastellain et Compagnie, Rouen

Rouen

Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...

. Sold in 1963 to Aegis Shipping Co Ltd Greece and renamed Aeakos. Ran aground on 9 September 1965 off Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

  (05°07′N 112°33′E) and abandoned. A salvage vessel was despatched from Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 on 11 November but the ship was seized by pirates on 5 December 1965 and the salvage vessel returned to base.

Empire Stuart

Empire Stuart was a 7,067 GRT cargo ship which was built by Short Brothers Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 29 October 1943 and completed in February 1944. Sold in 1946 to Norwood Steamship Co Ltd and renamed Lord Lloyd George. Operated under the management of Ships Finance & Management Co Ltd, London. Sold in 1955 to Rotterdamsche Kolen Centrale NV, Rotterdam and renamed Atje-Ray-S. Sold in 1957 to Insulare Compagnia Sicula di Armamento, Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

 and renamed Gianfranco. Operated under the management of CITMAR, Genoa. Scrapped in December 1964 at Vado Ligure

Vado Ligure

Vado Ligure, in antiquity Vado Sabatia, is a town and comune in the province of Savona, Liguria, in northern Italy.- Economy :Vado has a large industrial and commercial port....

, Italy.

Empire Success

Empire Success was a 5,988 GRT cargo ship which was built by Vulkan Werke, Hamburg. Completed in 1921 as Hagen for Hamburg America Line

Hamburg America Line

The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during...

. Seized on 8 September 1939 at Durban

Durban

Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

 by the South African Navy

South African Navy

The South African Navy is the navy of the Republic of South Africa.-Formation:The South African Navy can trace its official origins back to the SA Naval Service, which was established on 1 April 1922....

. To the South African Government

Government of South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a constitutional democracy with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a nearly unique system that combines aspects of parliamentary and presidential systems. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa...

 and renamed Ixia. Bombed on 30 September 1940 at Peterhead

Peterhead

Peterhead is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is Aberdeenshire's biggest settlement , with a population of 17,947 at the 2001 Census and estimated to have fallen to 17,330 by 2006....

, Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire

Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...

 and damaged. To MoWT, repaired and renamed Empire Success. Laid up in January 1948 at Liverpool after a collision. Uneconomic to repair and scuttled on 22 August 1948 in the Bay of Biscay

Bay of Biscay

The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...

 with a cargo of obsolete chemical ammunition.

Empire Summer

Empire Summer was a 6,949 GRT cargo ship which was built by Short Brothers Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 27 December 1940 and completed in May 1941. Sold in 1946 to Turnbull, Scott & Co Ltd, London and renamed Stonegate. Sold in 1955 to C Meentzen Schiffahrt und Handel GmbH, Bremen

Bremen

The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...

 and renamed Hastedt. Sold in 1959 to the Chinese Government

Government of the People's Republic of China

All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...

 and renamed Hoping Wu Shi Err. Renamed Ho Ping 52 in 1979 and Zhan Dou 52 c1985. Removed from shipping registers in 1987.

Empire Sun

Empire Sun was a 6,952 GRT cargo ship which was built by Short Brothers Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 10 April 1941 and completed in June 1941. Torpedoed on 7 February 1942 and sunk by south of Halifax, Nova Scotia (43°55′N 64°22′W).

Empire Sunbeam

Empire Sunbeam was a 6,711 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool. Launched on 16 January 1941 and completed in March 1941. Sold in 1945 to Ropner Shipping Co Ltd and renamed Swainby. Sold in 1962 to Trafalgar Steamship Co Ltd and renamed Newgate. Operated under the management of Tsavliris (Shipping) Ltd, London. Sold in 1967 to Kantara Shipping Co Ltd, Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

. Sold in 1968 to Newgate Shipping Co Ltd, Cyprus. Arrived on 2 October 1971 at Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

 for scrapping.

Empire Sunrise

Empire Sunrise was a 7,459 GRT cargo ship which was built by J L Thompson & Sons Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 13 November 1940 and completed in February 1941. Torpedoed on 2 November 1942 and damaged by while a member of Convoy SC 107. Later torpedoed and sunk by .

Empire Surf

Empire Surf was a 6,640 GRT cargo ship which was built by Bartram & Sons Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 13 January 1941 and completed in April 1941. Torpedoed on 14 January 1942 and sunk by south east of the Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...

 (58°42′N 19°16′W) while a member of Convoy ON 55. Of the crew of 53, 47 died. It was part of convoy ON-55 en route from Manchester to Jacksonville, Florida. No cargo. The Master of the ship, at the time of sinking was Albert Sandham.

Empire Susan

Empire Susan was a 593 GRT tug which was built by Clelands (Successors) Ltd

Clelands Shipbuilding Company

Clelands Shipbuilding Company was a leading British shipbuilding company. The Company was based in Wallsend was nationalised by the British Government.-History:...

, Willington Quay-on-Tyne

Willington Quay

Willington Quay is an area in the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear in northern England. It is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne, facing Jarrow, and between Wallsend and North Shields. It is served by the Howdon Metro station in Howdon. The area from 2006 onwards has been an...

. Launched on 19 July 1944 and completed in October 1944. Sold in 1946 to William Watkins Ltd and renamed Rumania. Ran aground on 10 February 1956 on Long Sands Bank, Thames Estuary

Thames Estuary

The Thames Mouth is the estuary in which the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea.It is not easy to define the limits of the estuary, although physically the head of Sea Reach, near Canvey Island on the Essex shore is probably the western boundary...

 while assisting which was also aground. Crew rescued by helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

 before she sank, declared a total loss.

Empire Swale

Empire Swale was a 5,452 GRT cargo ship which was built by Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG

Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG

Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft was a cooperation of eight German shipyards in the period 1926 to 1945...

, Wesermünde. Completed in 1937 as Takoradian for United Africa Company, Liverpool. Seized in 1941 by French authorities at Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

, Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

 and renamed St Paul. Returned to Britain in 1943 and renamed Takoradian. To MoWT later that year and renamed Empire Swale. Returned to United Africa Company in 1946 and renamed Takoradian. Sold in 1949 to Palm Line Ltd and renamed Takoradian Palm. Sold in 1959 to E N Vernicos Shipping Co, Greece and renamed Irini's Luck. Scrapped in May 1963 at Vigo, Spain.

Empire Swallow

Empire Swallow was a 209 GRT coaster which was built by J Koster, Groningen, Netherlands. Completed in 1928 as Meuse. Sold in 1935 to William H Muller & Co, London and renamed Swallow. Damaged on 12 June 1940 during the occupation of Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 and abandoned. Salvaged by Germany, renamed Schwalbe. Seized in May 1945 at the Channel Islands

Channel Islands

The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

. To MoWT and renamed Empire Swallow. Returned to Muller's in 1946 and renamed Swallow. Sold in 1958 to H & T Schoning, Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...

 and renamed Lies. Rebuilt in 1962, now 249 GRT. Sold in 1969 to M Harmstorf, Hamburg and renamed Mariana. Removed from shipping registers in 1987.

Empire Swan

Empire Swan was a 7,965 GRT cargo ship which was built by Merchant Shipbuilding Corp, Chester

Chester, Pennsylvania

Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...

, Pennsylvania. Completed in June 1925 as Missourian for American Hawaiian Steamship Co

American-Hawaiian Steamship Company

The American-Hawaiian Steamship Company was founded in 1899 to carry cargos of sugar from Hawaii to the United States and manufactured goods on return trips...

. To MoWT in 1940 and renamed Empire Swan. Allocated in 1942 to the Belgian Government

Belgian federal government

The Cabinet of Belgium is the executive branch of the Belgian federal government, consisting of ministers and secretaries of state drawn from the political parties which form the governing coalition. Formally, the ministers are appointed by the King...

 and renamed Belgian Freighter. Sold in 1946 to Compagnie Maritime Belge

Compagnie Maritime Belge

-History:The CMB was founded in 1895 under the name Compagnie Belge Maritime du Congo . At the request of Leopold II of Belgium and with support from British investors, a maritime connection was opened with Congo Free State. On 6 February 1895 the CMB ship Léopoldville was the first to leave port...

 and renamed Capitaine Potie. Sold in 1948 to Compagnia Genovese di Navigazione a Vapore SA, Genoa and renamed Genova. Sold in 1955 to Compagnia Genovese di Armamento and renamed Flaminia. Now 8,791 GRT. Sold in 1963 to Compra Vendita Covena, Genoa. Sold in 1965 to Bakhashab Mohammed Abubakur, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

 and renamed King Abdelaziz. Arrived on 23 April 1970 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan for scrapping.

Empire Swordsman

Empire Swordsman was a 7,067 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Hamilton & Co Ltd

William Hamilton and Company

William Hamilton and Company was a British shipyard located in Port Glasgow, Scotland. The company was purchased by Lithgow Ltd., later to become Scott Lithgow which was nationalised into British Shipbuilders in 1977....

, Port Glasgow. Launched on 11 May 1944 and completed in July 1944. Sold in 1948 to Goulandris Brothers Ltd, London and renamed Granrock. Sold in 1950 to Ben Line Steamers Ltd and renamed Benloyal. Sold in 1951 to Glasgow United Shipping Co Ltd and renamed Loch Ranza. Operated under the management of Maclay & McIntyre Ltd. Sold in 1960 to Trico Corp SA, Lebanon and renamed Tertric. Arrived on 26 April 1968 at Kaohsiung, Taiwan for scrapping.

Empire Sybil

Empire Sybil was a 275 GRT tug which was built by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby. Launched on 7 May 1943 and completed in August 1943. Sold in 1947 to Mersey Docks and Harbour Board

Mersey Docks and Harbour Company

The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company , formerly the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board , owns and administers the dock facilities of the Port of Liverpool, on the River Mersey, England...

 and renamed Assistant. Sold in 1962 to Alexandra Towing co Ltd and renamed Caswell. On 18 November 1962 she was towing RFA Green Ranger

RFA Green Ranger (A152)

RFA Green Ranger was a fleet support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.She was wrecked on the Hartland peninsula, on a large rock, called Gunpath Rock, in November, 1962. She broke her tow from the tug that was taking her to be refitted in Cardiff, and drifted onto the rocks...

 from Cardiff to Plymouth

Plymouth

Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...

 for a refit when the towline broke. Green Ranger was driven ashore at Sennen Cove

Sennen Cove

Sennen Cove is a small coastal settlement in the parish of Sennen, in Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the Penwith District Council, the population of this settlement was estimated at 180 persons in 2000.-Geography:...

 and broke in two. Caswell arrived on 25 March 1969 at Passage West

Passage West

Passage West is a port town in County Cork, Ireland, situated on the west bank of Cork Harbour. It is some 10 km from Cork city, separated by the green belt from the urban sprawl of Douglas and Rochestown. The town has many services, amenities and social outlets...

, Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

 for scrapping.

Empire Symbol

Empire Symbol was a 7,030 GRT cargo ship which was built by C Connell & Co Ltd, Glasgow. Launched on 30 July 1943 and completed in October 1943. Allocated in 1943 to the French Government and renamed Professeur Emile Lagarde. Sold in 1957 to Compagnia Navigazione Primula SA and renmed North Baroness. Operated under the management of A G Pappadakis, Greece. Sold in 1959 to Faik Zeren, Turkey and renamed Anadolu. Scrapped in July 1967 in Istanbul.

See also

The above entries give a precis of each ship's history. For a fuller account see the linked articles.