The Mozambique Channel is an arm of the Indian Ocean located between the Southeast African countries of Madagascar and Mozambique. The channel is about 1,600 km (1,000 mi) long and 419 km (260 mi) across at its narrowest point, and reaches a depth of 3,292 m (10,800 ft) about 230 km (143 mi) off the coast of Mozambique. A warm current, the Mozambique Current, flows in a southward direction in the channel, leading into the Agulhas Current off the east coast of Southern Africa.
MV Adula was one of nine Royal Dutch/Shell oil tankers converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier. The group is collectively known as the Rapana class.
MV Alexia was one of nine Royal Dutch/Shell oil tankers converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier. The group is collectively known as the Rapana class.
MV Amastra was one of nine Anglo-Saxon Royal Dutch/Shell oil tankers converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier. The group is collectively known as the Rapana class.
MV Ancylus was one of nine Anglo Saxon Royal Dutch/Shell oil tankers converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier. The group is collectively known as the Rapana class.
MV Gadila was one of nine Anglo Saxon Royal Dutch/Shell oil tankers converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier. The group is sometimes collectively known as the Rapana class.
A & J Inglis, Ltd, was a shipbuilding firm founded by Anthony Inglis and his brother John, engineers and shipbuilders in Glasgow, Scotland in 1862. The firm built over 500 ships in a period of just over 100 years. Their Pointhouse Shipyard was at the confluence of the rivers Clyde and Kelvin. They constructed a wide range of ships, including Clyde steamers, paddle steamers and small ocean liners. In wartime, they built small warships, and in the period after World War II, they built a number of whalers.
A CHANT was a type of prefabricated coastal tanker which was built in the United Kingdom during the Second World War due to a perceived need for coastal tankers after the invasion of France. Some CHANTs were adapted to carry dry cargos. These were known as the Empire F type coasters.
Aqueity was an 890 GRT coastal tanker which was built by A & J Inglis Ltd, Glasgow in 1945 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) as Empire Belgrave. In 1947 she was sold to F T Everard and Sons and renamed Aqueity, being lost later that year when she struck a mine and sank off the coast of the Netherlands.
Anonity was an 890 GRT coastal tanker which was built in 1945 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) as Empire Campden. She was sold in 1947 and renamed Anonity. In 1966, she was sold and renamed Petrola II. A further sale in 1969 saw her renamed Kalymnos. She ran aground in April 1970 and was scrapped the following month.
MV British Motorist was a 6,891 ton tanker, built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1924 for the British Tanker Company.
MV Empire Cross was a motor tanker that was built in England in 1945. She was launched as an Empire ship for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1946 she exploded and sank in Haifa in Palestine, killing 25 of her crew.
MV Ramsey was a coastal cargo vessel built for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in 1964. She was the last vessel specially built to serve the smaller ports of the Island.
Rowhedge Ironworks was a shipyard situated on the River Colne, and in the village of Rowhedge, in the English county of Essex. It existed from 1904 to 1964, and built a number of coastal vessels, including VIC type Clyde puffers and ferries for the Hythe Ferry in Southampton. The yard also specialised in building small craft for overseas buyers, often in kit form for assembly abroad, including vessels for use on Lake Titicaca and the River Nile.
The T1 tanker or T1 are a class of sea worthy small tanker ships used to transport fuel oil before and during World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War. The T1 tanker classification is still in use today. T1 tankers are about 200 to 250 feet in length and are able to sustain a top speed of about 12 knots. The hull designation AO is used by the US Navy to denote the ship is a T1 oil tanker and AOG that the T1 is a gasoline tanker. The small size allows the T1 to enter just about any sea port or to anchor around a small island, this was very useful during the Pacific War. The T1 tanker can carry about 48,000 to 280,000 bbls. Some T1 tankers were used to transport goods other than oil, a few were used for black oil-crude oil, diesel, chemicals and rarely bulk cargo like grain. T1 tankers are also called liquid cargo carriers. The T1 tanker has about a 6,000 to 35,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT) of cargo. The small size also gives the ships short turn around time for repair, cleaning, loading and unloading. A T1 tanker carrying dirty cargo, like crude oil needs a few weeks of labor to clean before carrying clean cargo. Most T1 ships during World War II were named after major oil fields.
MS Africa Shell, was a British coastal oil tanker operated by the Shell Company of East Africa Ltd. The ship's life was short, lasting only a matter of months from her introduction into service in 1939, until she was intercepted and sunk by the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the Mozambique Channel, off the coast of Portuguese East Africa, becoming the sixth victim of Graf Spee's commerce raiding sortie.
Patrick G.G. (Paddy) Dove (1896–1957) was a British merchant navy officer who served as commanding officer of the MV Africa Shell when she was intercepted and sunk by the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the Mozambique Channel, off the coast of Portuguese East Africa, becoming the sixth victim of Graf Spee's commerce raiding sortie.
United Kingdom 