SS Empire Morn
Encyclopedia
SS Empire Morn was a 7,092 ton CAM ship
which was built in 1941. She saw service on a number of trade routes during the Second World War, making several crossings of the North Atlantic as well as voyages to Russia and Africa. She was badly damaged after hitting a mine
in 1943, and spent the rest of the war laid up as a hulk. She was subsequently sold and repaired, returning to service for several companies after the war, under the names San Antonio and Rio Pas before being sold for scrapping in 1973. She is also known for the death of the second youngest person in the British services
to die in the war, 14-year old galley boy Raymond Steed
.
as yard number 769. She was launched on 1 July 1941 and completed in September 1941. Empire Morn was built for the Ministry of War Transport and managed by E. J. Sutton & Co.
She served in a number of convoys during the war, occasionally sailing between British ports, such as Methil and Southend, Milford Haven
and Liverpool
, as well as the Arctic convoy
assembly point at Loch Ewe
. She sailed several times to North America, as part of convoys ON 17, ON 109 and ON 165, and back again as part of convoys SC 49, SC 50, SC 54 and SC 122. In January 1942 she sailed to Gibraltar
as part of convoy OG 78, returning to Liverpool in February with convoy HG 79. Empire Morn was then assigned to the Arctic convoys, delivering supplies to the Soviet Union
. She sailed in April 1942 as part of convoy PQ 15
to Murmansk
, making the return journey in late April to May with convoy QP 12. While sailing with QP 12 on 26 April Flying Officer Kendal from Empire Morn chased away a Blohm & Voss BV 138 and shot down a Junkers Ju 88
. He died from injuries received while bailing out of his aircraft. Empire Morn returned to Russia in September with convoy PQ 18. On 18 September Flying Officer Burr from Empire Morn destroyed two Heinkel He 111
s and then flew to the Russian Keg Ostrov aerodrome. Empire Morn arrived safely at Arkhangelsk
, and returned to Britain with convoy QP 15.
via Casablanca
. She was carrying a cargo of equipment destined for naval
, army
and RAF
forces. She arrived at Casablanca on 25 April 1943, and then set off for Gibraltar, and on 26 April 1943, at 34°08′N 07°58′W, she struck a mine that had been laid by U-117
on 10 April. A secondary explosion damaged the stern and blew out much of the crew accommodation. When the order was given to abandon ship, a head count of crew found 21 men missing. Among them was the 14-year old galley boy Raymond Steed
. Steed's body was found two days later, and he became the youngest person in the British services
to die in the war. He was 14 years and 207 days old. The damaged Empire Morn was towed back into Casablanca, where she was expected to be declared a total constructive loss. She was however refloated and towed to Gibraltar, eventually arriving on 1 September 1943.
at Gibraltar. She remained in this role until 1947, when she was sold to F M Pereda, of Spain, as the San Antonio. She underwent repairs that involved the fitting of a new stern in Cadiz
, that increased her length and tonnage. She sailed with F M Pereda, having been renamed Rio Pas later in 1947, until 1963. She was then sold to Marítima Colonial y de Comercio SA (MARCOSA), of Madrid
and remained in service with them until being scrapped at Santander
in January 1973.
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 in 1941. She saw service on a number of trade routes during the Second World War, making several crossings of the North Atlantic as well as voyages to Russia and Africa. She was badly damaged after hitting a mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
in 1943, and spent the rest of the war laid up as a hulk. She was subsequently sold and repaired, returning to service for several companies after the war, under the names San Antonio and Rio Pas before being sold for scrapping in 1973. She is also known for the death of the second youngest person in the British services
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
to die in the war, 14-year old galley boy Raymond Steed
Raymond Steed
Raymond Victor Steed was the second youngest British services recruit to die during the Second World War. He was just 14 years and 207 days old when the ship on which he was a galley boy, SS Empire Morn, was blown up after it hit a U-boat mine on 26 April 1943...
.
Wartime career
Empire Morn was built by Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-FurnessBarrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
as yard number 769. She was launched on 1 July 1941 and completed in September 1941. Empire Morn was built for the Ministry of War Transport and managed by E. J. Sutton & Co.
She served in a number of convoys during the war, occasionally sailing between British ports, such as Methil and Southend, Milford Haven
Milford Haven
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
and 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...
, as well as the Arctic convoy
Arctic convoys of World War II
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and North America to the northern ports of the Soviet Union—Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945...
assembly point at Loch Ewe
Loch Ewe
Loch Ewe is a sea loch in the region of in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The shores are inhabited by a traditionally Gàidhlig speaking people living in or sustained by crofting villages, the most notable of which, situated on the north-eastern shore, is the Aultbea settlement...
. She sailed several times to North America, as part of convoys ON 17, ON 109 and ON 165, and back again as part of convoys SC 49, SC 50, SC 54 and SC 122. In January 1942 she sailed to 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...
as part of convoy OG 78, returning to Liverpool in February with convoy HG 79. Empire Morn was then assigned to the Arctic convoys, delivering supplies to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. She sailed in April 1942 as part of convoy PQ 15
Convoy PQ 15
Convoy PQ 15 was an Arctic convoy sent from Iceland by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during World War II. It sailed in late April 1942, reaching the Soviet northern ports after air attacks that sank three ships...
to 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...
, making the return journey in late April to May with convoy QP 12. While sailing with QP 12 on 26 April Flying Officer Kendal from Empire Morn chased away a Blohm & Voss BV 138 and shot down a Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
. He died from injuries received while bailing out of his aircraft. Empire Morn returned to Russia in September with convoy PQ 18. On 18 September Flying Officer Burr from Empire Morn destroyed two Heinkel He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
s and then flew to the Russian Keg Ostrov aerodrome. Empire Morn arrived safely at Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk , formerly known as Archangel in English, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina River near its exit into the White Sea in the north of European Russia. The city spreads for over along the banks of the river...
, and returned to Britain with convoy QP 15.
Damaged by mine
Empire Morn shifted to warmer waters the following year, and in April 1943 she joined convoy OS/KMS 46 bound for GibraltarGibraltar
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...
via 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...
. She was carrying a cargo of equipment destined for naval
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...
, army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
forces. She arrived at Casablanca on 25 April 1943, and then set off for Gibraltar, and on 26 April 1943, at 34°08′N 07°58′W, she struck a mine that had been laid by U-117
German submarine U-117 (1941)
German submarine U-117 was a Type XB minelayer U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.She was ordered on 31 January 1939, and was laid down on 1 July 1939, at Germaniawerft, Kiel, as "werk 616"...
on 10 April. A secondary explosion damaged the stern and blew out much of the crew accommodation. When the order was given to abandon ship, a head count of crew found 21 men missing. Among them was the 14-year old galley boy Raymond Steed
Raymond Steed
Raymond Victor Steed was the second youngest British services recruit to die during the Second World War. He was just 14 years and 207 days old when the ship on which he was a galley boy, SS Empire Morn, was blown up after it hit a U-boat mine on 26 April 1943...
. Steed's body was found two days later, and he became the youngest person in the British services
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
to die in the war. He was 14 years and 207 days old. The damaged Empire Morn was towed back into Casablanca, where she was expected to be declared a total constructive loss. She was however refloated and towed to Gibraltar, eventually arriving on 1 September 1943.
Hulked and postwar
The Empire Morn was not repaired, and was used as a store hulkHulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
at Gibraltar. She remained in this role until 1947, when she was sold to F M Pereda, of Spain, as the San Antonio. She underwent repairs that involved the fitting of a new stern in Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, that increased her length and tonnage. She sailed with F M Pereda, having been renamed Rio Pas later in 1947, until 1963. She was then sold to Marítima Colonial y de Comercio SA (MARCOSA), of Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and remained in service with them until being scrapped at Santander
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
in January 1973.