SS Empire Rest

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HMS Empire Rest FL9352.jpg
Empire Rest
History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameSS Empire Rest
Owner Ministry of War Transport
Operator Ellerman City Line
Ordered9 December 1942
Builder Ferguson Brothers (Port Glasgow) Ltd., Port Glasgow
Laid down1943
Launched19 June 1944, as Rayleigh Castle
Completed26 October 1944, as Empire Rest
In serviceNovember 1944
Out of serviceJuly 1948
Identification
FateSold for scrap, 1951
General characteristics
Class and type Castle-class corvette, converted to convoy rescue ship
Tonnage1,333  GRT
Length252 ft (76.8 m)
Beam36 ft (11 m)
Draught13 ft 5 in (4.1 m)
Installed power
Propulsion2 shafts; 2 triple-expansion steam engines
Speed16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Armament

SS Empire Rest was a convoy rescue ship built for the Royal Navy during World War II, originally laid down as the Castle-class corvette Rayleigh Castle. Post-war she served as a transport ship until 1948, was sold in 1951, and scrapped in 1952. [1]

Contents

Design and description

The Castle-class corvette was a stretched version of the preceding Flower class, enlarged to improve seakeeping and to accommodate modern weapons. [2] The convoy rescue conversions had an overall length of 252 feet (76.8 m), a beam of 36 feet (11 m) and a draught of 13 feet 5 inches (4.1 m). They had a tonnage of 1,333  gross register tons  (GRT). [3] The ships were powered by a pair of triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines developed a total of 2,880 indicated horsepower (2,150  kW ) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). [4] The convoy rescue ships were given an armament of a single 12-pounder (3 in (76 mm)) anti-aircraft (AA) guns and five 20-millimeter (0.8 in) Oerlikon AA guns on single mounts. [5]

Construction and career

The ship was ordered from Ferguson Brothers (Port Glasgow) Ltd. of Port Glasgow on 9 December 1942 as a Castle-class corvette. She was laid down in 1943 and launched on 19 June 1944 as Rayleigh Castle (K695), but further work was then cancelled, and she was completed as a convoy rescue ship on 26 October 1944. Under the ownership of the Ministry of War Transport, and managed by the Ellerman City Line, she sailed on eleven convoys between November 1944 and June 1945, but made no rescues. In November 1945 she sailed to Kiel to repatriate Royal Navy personnel, [3] and was also employed as an transport ship in the Mediterranean in 1947, taking illegal Jewish immigrants from Haifa to internment camps on Cyprus in October that year. [6] [7] [8] [9]

In July 1948 she was laid up at Falmouth, Cornwall, and offered for sale in October 1949. She was eventually bought by Lloyds Albert Yard & Motor Boat Packet Services Ltd. in October 1951. She arrived at Thos. W. Ward of Briton Ferry, Wales, for scrapping on 6 June 1952. [3]

Convoys

Empire Rest sailed on the following convoys: [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

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SS Empire Comfort was a 1,333 GRT convoy rescue ship which was launched in 1944 as HMS York Castle a Castle-class corvette, but was renamed Empire Castle and converted for merchant service before completion by Ferguson Brothers Ltd., Port Glasgow as yard number 372. She was launched on 20 September 1944. The ship was 252 feet (76.81 m) long, with a beam of 36 feet (10.97 m) and a draught of 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 m).

Philips Wouwerman was a 7,091 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1942 as Empire Courage by Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd, Glasgow, United Kingdom. She was built for the Ministry of War Transport. in 1943, she was transferred to the Dutch Government and renamed Philips Wouwerman. In 1947, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Ceram. A further sale in 1953 saw her renamed Amsteltoren and then Amstelbrug. In 1959, she was sold to Greece and renamed Armathia. A further sale in 1965 saw her renamed Calliman. She served until scrapped in 1968.

SS <i>Empire Darwin</i> British ship built in 1941

Empire Darwin was a British 6,765 GRT CAM ship built in 1941 by William Gray & Co. Ltd., West Hartlepool, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). Her Hawker Sea Hurricane was involved in the last action by an aircraft flown off a CAM ship, shooting down a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor on 28 July 1943.

Empire Deed was a 6,766 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1943 by Bartram & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham, United Kingdom the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1946, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Deed. In 1951, she was sold to Panama and renamed Doro. A sale to Greece in 1956 saw her renamed Leonidas Cambanis. In 1964, she was sold to Liberia and renamed Ever Fortune followed by a sale to Taiwan later that year and renaming to Ever Happiness. She served until 1967, when she was scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Stakesby was a 4,026 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1930 by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham, United Kingdom. She was torpedoed by U-124 in 1940 and later sank. Raised in 1943, she was repaired, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Derwent. She was sold into merchant service in 1946 and renamed Swan Point, serving until she was wrecked in 1949.

Habib Marikar was a 7,067 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1943 by Short Brothers Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham as Empire Duchess for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold into merchant service in 1949 and renamed Braemar Castle. A further sale in 1950 saw her renamed King James.

Verna Paulin was a 7,046 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1942 as Empire Envoy by Short Brothers Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold into merchant service in 1946 and renamed Cheltenham. A further sale in 1952 saw her renamed La Orilla. A sale to a Swedish company in 1955 saw her renamed Stallberg. In 1958, she was sold to a Finnish company and renamed Verna Paulin. She served until 1969, when she was scrapped.

Pengreep was a 8,806 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1914 by Irvine's Shipbuilding and Drydock Co Ltd, West Hartlepool, Co Durham, United Kingdom for a British company. She was requisitioned by the Admiralty on completion and returned to her owners in 1920. She was seized in June 1940 by Vichy French forces and renamed Ste Jacqueline. In 1942, she was seized by British forces, being renamed Pengreep in 1943. She was passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) later that year and renamed Empire Fal. In July 1945, she was scuttled with a cargo of gas bombs.

Empire Flame was a 7,069 GRT CAM ship that was built in 1941 by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold in 1945 and renamed Dunkery Beacon. A further sale to Finland in 1955 saw her renamed Rissa. Following a sale in 1961, she was renamed Augusta Paulin. She served until 1969 when she was scrapped.

Jolee was a 5,500-gross register ton (GRT) Design 1022 cargo ship that was built in 1920 by American International Shipbuilding, Hog Island, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). Launched as Cardington, She was completed as Jolee. She was sold in 1933 to Lykes Brothers - Ripley Steamship Co Inc. She was purchased by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) in 1941 and renamed Empire Flamingo. She served until June 1944 when she was sunk as a blockship at Juno Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar convoys of World War II</span>

The Gibraltar convoys of World War II were oceangoing trade convoys of merchant ships sailing between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom. Gibraltar convoy routes crossed U-boat transit routes from French Atlantic ports and were within range of Axis maritime patrol aircraft making these convoys vulnerable to observation and interception by bombers, submarines, and surface warships during the Battle of the Atlantic. OG convoys brought supplies from the United Kingdom to Gibraltar from September 1939 until September 1942. Beginning with Operation Torch, OG convoys were replaced by KM convoys transporting military personnel and supplies from the United Kingdom to and past Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. HG convoys brought food, raw materials, and later empty ships from Gibraltar to the United Kingdom from September 1939 until September 1942. After Operation Torch, HG convoys were replaced by MK convoys returning mostly empty ships from the Mediterranean to the United Kingdom. KM and MK convoys ended in 1945.

Graigaur was a 7,047 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1941 by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, United Kingdom, as the CAM ship Empire Foam for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold in 1946 to Graigaur Shipping Co Ltd and renamed Graigaur. She was sold in 1957 to Marinos & Frangos Ltd and renamed Maltezana. She was sold to the Great Southern Steamship Co Ltd., Hong Kong in 1958 and renamed Johore Bahru, serving until she was scrapped in 1963.

References

  1. ↑ "Empire R". mariners-l.co.uk. 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  2. ↑ Lenton, pp. 296–297
  3. 1 2 3 "Convoy Rescue Ships Service". historicalrfa.org. 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  4. ↑ Lenton, p. 297
  5. ↑ Goodwin, p. 52
  6. ↑ Ulvi, Keser (2009). "Turkish assistance activities for the Jewish immigrants and Jewish immigrant camps in Cyprus during Second World War" (PDF). Ege Academic Review. 9 (2). Ankara, Turkey: Atılım University: 735–758. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Palestine Units". Britain's Small Wars. 2012. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  8. ↑ Mason, Geoffrey B. (2011). "HMS Widemouth Bay". naval-history.net. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  9. ↑ Wertheimer, Earl (2011). "Haapalah / Aliyah Bet". wertheimer.info. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  10. ↑ Hague, Arnold (2009). "Ports Database: Ship Movements". convoyweb.org.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2012.

Bibliography

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