SS Empire Balfour

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History
Name
  • Empire Balfour (1944-49)
  • Barton Grange (1949-58)
  • Sunlight (1958-67)
Owner
  • Ministry of War Transport (1944-49)
  • Houlder Bros & Co Ltd, Glasgow (1949-58)
  • Western Steamship Co Ltd, Hong Kong (1958-62)
  • Pan-Norse Steamship Co SA, Panama (1962-67)
Operator
  • Elders & Fyffes Ltd (1944-45)
  • Houlder Bros & Co Ltd (1945-58)
  • Wang Kee & Co Ltd, Hong Kong (1958-62)
  • Wallem & Co Ltd, Hong Kong (1962-67)
Port of registry
  • Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Glasgow (1944-58)
  • Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Hong Kong (1958-62)
  • Flag of Panama.svg Panama (1962-67)
BuilderLithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow
Yard number998
Launched27 June 1944
CompletedSeptember 1944
Identification
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length432 ft 7 in (131.85 m)
Beam56 ft 2 in (17.12 m)
Depth34 ft 4 in (10.46 m)
Propulsion1 x triple expansion steam engine (Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow) 560 hp (420 kW)
Capacity285,644 cubic feet (8,088.5 m3) refrigerated cargo space

Empire Balfour was a 7,201 ton refrigerated cargo ship which was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow in 1944 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold to her managers in 1949 and renamed Barton Grange. In 1958 she was sold to the Western Steamship Co Ltd, Hong Kong and renamed Sunlight. In 1962, she was sold to the Pan-Norse Steamship Co SA, Panama, serving for a further five years until scrapped in 1967.

Contents

History

Empire Balfour was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow as yard number 998. She was launched on 27 June 1945 and completed in September 1944. [1] She was initially operated under the management of Elders & Fyffes Ltd, [2] and then Houlder Brothers & Co Ltd, [3] Newport, Monmouthshire. [4]

War service

Empire Balfour was a member of a number of convoys during the Second World War

SC 160

Convoy SC 160 sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on 2 November 1944 and arrived at Liverpool on 17 November. Empire Balfour was carrying a cargo of meat, mail, and general cargo, with a destination of Avonmouth. [5]

SC 166

Convoy SC 166 sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on 31 January 1945 and arrived at Liverpool on 13 February. Empire Balfour carried the Commodore of the convoy. She was carrying a cargo of meat, metal and general cargo, with a destination of Liverpool. [6]

Postwar

In 1947, Houlder Line reported that during 1946 they had taken Empire Balfour on bareboat charter for a period of three years. [7] In 1949, Empire Balfour was sold to her managers for approximately £165,000 and renamed Barton Grange. She was converted from coal to oil fuel and improvements made in the crew's accommodation at a cost of £45,000. [8] She served with Houlder Brothers for another nine years. In 1958, Barton Grange was sold to the Western Steamship Co Ltd, [1] Hong Kong [9] and renamed Sunlight. She was operated under the management of Wang Kee & Co Ltd, Hong Kong. After serving with Western for four years, Sunlight was sold to the Pan-Norse Steamship Co SA, Panama. She was operated under the management of Wallem & Co Ltd, Hong Kong. She served for five years with Pan-Norse. Sunlight arrived on 30 March 1967 at Hong Kong for scrapping. [1]

Official number and code letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers.

Empire Balfour had the UK Official Number 169514 and used the Code Letters GFLW. [3]

Related Research Articles

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Norhauk was a 6,086 GRT refrigerated cargo ship which was built to Design 1015 by G. M. Standifer Construction Company, Vancouver, Washington in 1919 as Waban for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). After service with Lykes Brothers-Ripley Steamship Co Inc she was transferred to the Ministry of Shipping in 1940 and renamed Empire Sambar. A boiler-room explosion damaged her in 1941. After repairs she was renamed Empire Beaver. She was transferred to the Norwegian Government in 1942 and renamed Norhauk, serving until she struck a mine and sank in December 1943.

Empire Blanda was a cargo ship that Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow built in 1919 as Nile. It was sold to a Yugoslavian company in 1930 and renamed Sokol in 1933, serving until 1939 when it was sold to a Panamanian company and renamed Rio Grande. In 1940, the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) requisitioned Nile, which was renamed Empire Blanda. On 19 February 1941 U-69 torpedoed Nile, sinking it.

Ravelston was an 2,808 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1906 for the Ravelston Steamship Co Ltd. She was requisitioned by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) in 1941 and renamed Empire Bond. In 1946 she was sold and renamed Prenton. Following a grounding in 1949, she was declared a constructive total loss, but was sold and repaired, returning to service as Agios Dionysissios. In 1951 she was renamed Sandenis and then San Denis, serving until she was scrapped in 1959.

Empire Buckler was a 7,046 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1941 by Lithgows Ltd for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). Postwar she was sold into merchant service, being renamed Ovingdean Grange, Sabrina, and Noemi, serving until she ran aground in 1965 and was declared a constructive total loss.

Empire Buffalo was a 6,404 GRT Design 1105 cargo ship which was built in 1919 as Eglantine by Skinner & Eddy for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). She was sold in 1933 to the Lykes Brothers-Ripley Steamship Corporation. In 1940 she was sold to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Buffalo. She was torpedoed and sunk by U-125 in 1942.

Wallsend was a 2,905 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1943 as Empire Buttress for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). Completed in July 1943, she was sold postwar and renamed Wallsend. In 1959 she was sold to Liberia and renamed Bordagain, a further change of ownership in 1967 saw her renamed Daring. She served until 1976, when she was scrapped.

Yelkenci was a 7,052 GRT refrigerated cargo ship which was built in 1943 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) as Empire Camp. She was sold in 1946 and renamed Valacia. In 1951, she was sold and renamed New York City. A further sale in 1955 saw her renamed Loch Morar. A final sale to Turkish owners saw her renamed Yelkenci. She served with them until scrapped in 1971.

Empire Candida was a 2,908 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1942 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold in 1947 and renamed Burdale and resold in 1948 and renamed Peldale. In 1954, she was sold to Norway and renamed Statius Jansen. A further sale to Hong Kong in 1959 saw her renamed Sunny. In 1961, she was sold to Indonesia, serving until she was scrapped in 1969.

Letchworth was a 2,873 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1942 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) as Empire Caxton. In 1945 she was sold and renamed Letchworth. In 1956 she was sold and renamed Peterland. In 1959, she was sold to Greece and renamed Pamit, being renamed Christos when sold again in 1962. She served until 1967 when she ran aground and then sank.

Belgian Captain was a 7,041 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1942 as Empire Centaur for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1943 she was passed to the Belgian Government and renamed Belgian Captain. Postwar, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Capitaine Lambe. In 1960 she was sold to Hong Kong and renamed Ardee, being renamed Alpha Trader in 1964. She served until 1967 when she was scrapped.

SS Empire Chamois was a 5,864 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1918 by Ames Shipbuilding and Drydock Co, Seattle. She was ordered by the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique but was requisitioned by the United States Navy and commissioned as USS West Mount with the pennant number ID-3202 in 1918. She was decommissioned in May 1919 and passed to the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as SS Westmount. In 1927 she was sold to the Dimon Steamship Corporation and renamed SS Pacific Redwood. She returned to the USSB in 1932 and passed to the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) in 1937. In 1940, she was passed to the Ministry of Shipping, passing to the Ministry of War Transport in 1941 and being renamed SS Empire Chamois. She was sold to Astral Shipping Co Ltd in 1946 and renamed SS Granview. In 1949 she was sold to the Compagnia Maritime del Este, Panama and renamed SS Chamois, serving until 1958 when she was scrapped. She was the last Ames-built ship afloat.

SS <i>Inkosi</i> (1937)

Inkosi was a 6,618 GRT refrigerated cargo liner which was built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was hired by the Royal Navy in 1940 for use as an ocean boarding vessel, but was sunk in an air raid before she could be used for this purpose. The ship was salvaged, converted to a cargo ship and passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), who renamed her Empire Chivalry. In 1946 she was sold and renamed Planter. She served until 1958, when she was scrapped.

Belgian Crew was a 7,048 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1942 by Sir W G Armstrong, Whitworth & Co (Shipbuilders) Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne as Empire Claymore for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was transferred to the Belgian Government in 1943 and renamed Belgian Crew. In 1946 she was sold to Compagnie Maritime Belge and renamed Capitaine Parlet. In 1960 she was sold to Hong Kong and renamed Ardenode. A further sale to Panama in 1966 resulted in her being renamed Tynlee. She served until 1969, when she was scrapped.

Empire Clive was a 7,069 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1941 by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). During the Second World War, she served as a CAM ship, armed with a Hawker Hurricane aircraft. In 1946 she was sold and renamed Charlebury. In 1958, she was sold to Hong Kong and renamed Isabel Erica. She served until 1969 when she was scrapped.

Empire Conrad was a 7,009 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1942 by Charles Connell & Co Ltd, Clydebank for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold to a French company in 1952 and renamed Franta and then resold later that year and renamed Nia. In 1954, she was sold to a Panamanian company and renamed Eugenia. She served until 1967, when she was scrapped.

Empire Engineer was a 5,358 GRT refrigerated cargo ship that was built in 1921 as Canadian Commander by Canadian Vickers Ltd, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She was sold to an Italian firm in 1932 and renamed Giaocchino Lauro. She was seized by the United Kingdom in 1940, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Engineer. She served until 4 February 1941 when she was torpedoed and sunk by U-123.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mitchell, W H, and Sawyer, L A (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. p. 89. ISBN   1-85044-275-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ "SUPPLEMENTARY LIST OFVESSELS FITTED WITH REFRIGERATING APPLIANCES" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  3. 1 2 "LLOYDS REGISTER, STEAMERS & MOTORSHIPS" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  4. ↑ "ss EMPIRE BALFOUR". Clydesite. Archived from the original on 12 January 2005. Retrieved 14 February 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ↑ "CONVOY SC 160". Warsailors. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  6. ↑ "CONVOY SC 166". Warsailors. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  7. ↑ "Houlder Line Limited". The Times. No. 50666. London. 23 January 1947. col F, p. 8.
  8. ↑ "Houlder Line Limited". The Times. No. 51602. London. 30 January 1950. col C, p. 9.
  9. ↑ "History". Hong Kong Shipowners Association. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
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