SS Empire Balham

Last updated

History
Name
  • Empire Balham (1944-46)
  • Nordic Queen (1946-58)
  • Maldive Star (1958-72)
Owner
  • Ministry of War Transport (1944-46)
  • Queenship Navigation Ltd, London (1946-58)
  • Maldavian National Trading Corp (Ceylon) Ltd (1958-67)
Operator
  • British Channel Islands Shipping Co Ltd (1945-46)
  • Coast Lines Ltd (1946-58)
  • Maldavian National Trading Corp (Ceylon) Ltd (1958-72)
Port of registry
  • Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Greenock (1945-46)
  • Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg London (1946-58)
  • Flag of Ceylon 1951-1972.svg Ceylon (1958-72)
BuilderG Brown & Co (Marine) Ltd, Greenock
Yard number232
Launched18 December 1944
CompletedMay 1945
Identification
General characteristics
Tonnage1,061  GRT
Length204 ft 8 in (62.38 m)
Beam32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)
Depth13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)
Propulsion1 x triple expansion steam engine (Ramkin & Blackmore Ltd, Greenock)

Empire Balham was a 1,061 ton cargo ship which was built by G Brown & Co (Marine) Ltd, Greenock in 1944 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold to Queenship Navigation Ltd in 1946 and renamed Nordic Queen. In 1958 she was sold to the Maldavian National Shipping Corp (Ceylon) Ltd and renamed Maldive Star, serving for a further fourteen years until scrapped in 1967.

Contents

History

Empire Balham was built by G Brown & Co (Marine) Ltd, Greenock as yard number 232. She was launched on 18 November 1944 and completed in December 1944. [1] She was initially operated under the management of British Channel Islands Shipping Co Ltd. [2]

War service

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

COC 173

Convoy COC 173 sailed from Falmouth, on 22 May 1945 and arrived at Granville, Manche on 23 May. [3]

Postwar

In 1946, Empire Balham was sold to Queenship Navigation Ltd, [1] London [4] and renamed Nordic Queen. In 1958, Nordic Queen was sold to the Maldavian National Shipping Corp (Ceylon) Ltd, and renamed Maldive Star. In June 1959, Ceylon sent a shipment of arms to the Maldives. Ibrahim Nasir led an expedition of hundreds of armed men aboard the Maldive Star to the Fua Mulaku and Huvadhu Atolls during the Suvadive Rebellion of 1963. [5] Maldive Star served with Maldavian National for fourteen years. Maldive Star was scrapped in December 1972 at Gadani Beach, Karachi, Pakistan. [1]

Official number and code letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers.

Empire Balham [2] and Nordic Queen [6] had the UK Official Number 169522. Empire Balham used the Code Letters GDTL. [2]

Related Research Articles

Empire Beatrice was a 7,046 GRT cargo ship which was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow in 1942. She was owned by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and managed by David Alexander & Sons. Although badly damaged during the war, she was repaired and sold into merchant service after the war ended. She served with various shipping companies as Beatrice N, Mary K, Winchester Prowess and Grazia Bottigliere, eventually being scrapped in 1966.

Empire Cameron was a 7,015 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1941 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold in 1946 and renamed St Margaret. In 1960, she was sold and renamed Agna, serving until scrapped in 1963.

Nelson Star was a 7,365 GRT refrigerated cargo liner that was built in 1942 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1946 she was sold to Blue Star Line and renamed Gothic Star. She was renamed Nelson Star in 1948 and Patagonia Star in 1958. In 1961, she was sold and renamed Eirini. In 1970, she was sold to Cypriot owners and renamed Byzantium. After engine damage and a fire while laid up, she was scrapped in 1971.

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. 221. ISBN   1-85044-275-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 "LLOYDS REGISTER, STEAMERS & MOTORSHIPS" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  3. ↑ "CONVOY COC.173". Convoyweb. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  4. ↑ "Queenship Navigation Ltd". Flagspot. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  5. ↑ "Maldives History Timeline 1900–2006" (PDF). Maldives Culture. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  6. ↑ "1169522" . Miramar Ship Index . Retrieved 17 February 2009.
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