Arpha was a 602 GRT passenger ferry built in 1900 as Canterbury for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. She passed to the Southern Railway on 1 January 1923. She was sold to W E Guinness in 1926 and renamed Arpha. In 1938 she was sold to Sark Motorships Ltd, only to be requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1939. Postwar, she was sold to Compania Shell de Venezuela and renamed Coriano. After a further change of ownership she was scrapped in 1955.
Stettin was a 2,646 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1923 for the Stettiner Dampfer Compagnie. In 1930 she was sold to Norddeutscher Lloyd and renamed Akka. She was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine in 1940. Akka was seized as a war prize in 1945, passing to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and being renamed Empire Calder.
Claus Rickmers was a 5,165 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1923 for Rickmers Reederei AG. She was sunk by Allied bombing at Larvik, Norway in 1945 and then salvaged and towed to Bergen for repairs. She was then seized as a war prize) and ownership passed to the UK's Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), being renamed Empire Carron on completion of repairs in 1947.
Klio was a 1,403 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1924 by AG Weser, Bremen, Germany for Neptun Line. In 1945, she was seized by the Allies and passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), renamed Empire Conclyde. In 1946, she was passed to the Soviet Union and renamed Shota Rustavelli.
Borussia was a 948 GRT coaster that was built in 1912 by Nüscke & Co, Stettin for German owners. She was renamed Timandra in 1939. She was seized by the Allies at Rendsburg in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Confal. In 1947, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Woodwren. She was renamed Artemis in 1953 and hulked. The hulk was scrapped in 1960.
Nordmark was a 987 GRT Coaster that was built as Faust in 1920 by Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Unterweser AG, Bremen, Germany for German owners. She was renamed Nordmark after a sale in 1930 and was again renamed Angeln in 1936. She was sold in 1944 and renamed Ermland. She was seized by the Allies at Lübeck in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Congerstone. In 1947, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Oakley. In 1953, she was sold to Costa Rica and renamed Lucy. She served until 1960 when she was scrapped.
Wickenburgh was a cargo liner that was built in 1938 as Adler by Lübecker Maschinenbau Gesellschaft, Lübeck for German owners. Requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine in 1940, she was seized by the Allies in Vordingborg, Denmark in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Coningsby. In 1946, she was transferred to the Dutch Government and renamed Margeca. In 1947 she was sold into merchant service and renamed Wickenburgh. In 1953 her compound steam engine and low-pressure steam turbine were replaced with a diesel engine, with a reduction in gross register tonnage from 1,494 to 1,420. She was sold to Greek owners in 1963 and renamed Nissos Thassos. In 1970 she was sold to Panamanian owners and renamed Savilco. She was scrapped in 1984.
Orlanda was a cargo ship that was built in 1920 by F Krupp AG, Emden for German owners. She was seized by the Allies in Hamburg, in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Conington. In 1946, she was allocated to the Newfoundland Government. In 1949, she was sold to Panama and renamed Alabe. She served until 1958, when she was scrapped.
Bessel was a cargo ship that was built in 1925 as Sorrento by AG Weser, Bremen for German owners. She was sold in 1926 and renamed Bessel. She was seized by the Allies in Vigo, Spain, in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Coniston. In 1946, she was lent to the Danish Government and was allocated to them in 1947. She was sold into Danish merchant service and renamed Birgitte Skou. In 1959, she was sold to Italy and renamed N Martini. She was renamed Nicolo Martini in 1961, serving until 1972 when she ran aground at Portoscuso, Sardinia. Although refloated she was declared a total loss and was scrapped in 1973.
Friedrich Bischoff was a 1,998 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1940 by Lübecker Maschinenbau Gesellschaft, Lübeck, Germany for German owners. She was sunk in an air raid in 1943, but later salvaged and returned to service. She was seized by the Allies in April 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Consequence. In 1947, she was transferred to the United States, and was sold into merchant service the following year. In 1951, she was sold to Finnish owners and renamed Kaisaniemi, serving until 1967 when she was scrapped.
Ganter was a 1,771 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1927 by G Seebeck AG, Bremerhaven, Germany for German owners. She was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine during the Second World War and operated as Transporter RO 29, she was seized by the Allies in May 1945. She was passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Consistance, being sold into merchant service in 1948. In 1950, she was sold to the Dutch government and renamed Jan Willem and then sold and renamed Maria in 1951. She was sold to Finnish owners later that year and being renamed Dagny. She served until she was scrapped in 1967.
Barlind was a 1,453 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1938 as Süderau by Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG, Bremen, Germany for German owners. She was seized by the Allies in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Content. In 1946, she was allocated to Norway and renamed Svartnes. She was sold into merchant service in 1947 and renamed Barlind. In 1971, she was sold to Greece and renamed Ikaria. She served until 1972 when she was scrapped.
MV Wotan was a 5,703 GRT tanker that was built in 1913 by Reiherstieg Schiffswerft & Maschinenfabrik, Hamburg, Germany. Requisitioned by the Imperial German Navy in 1914, she served until 1915 as SMS A and was then returned to her owners. Ceded to the United States in 1919, she was operated until 1920 then laid up following an engine failure.
Rahmi Kaptan was a ship that was built in 1873 as Honfleur by Aitken & Mansel, Glasgow for the London and South Western Railway. She was sold to Greece in 1911 and renamed Chrysallis then Chrysalis. She was sold to the French Navy in 1917 and served as the patrol vessel Fauvette, later Fauvette I. In 1924, she was sold to Turkey and renamed Ihsanie. She operated for a number of Turkish owners under the names Aidin, Aydin, Cihat, Demirhisar and Rahmi Kaptan, serving until c.2005.
Arsterturm was a Hansa A Type cargo ship which was built as Betzdorf in 1945 by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, Germany for Unternehmen der Eisenstahlindustrie, Bremen. She was seized as a prize of war in 1945, passing to the Ministry of War Transport and renamed Empire Gaffer. Sold in 1947, renamed Baltrader then Baltic Fir in 1952, she was sold to West Germany in 1956, rebuilt and renamed Arsterturm. She was sold in 1969 to India and renamed Unigoolnar. A further sale in 1976 saw her renamed Sudarsan Shakti, serving until 1981 when she was scrapped.
Palmyra was a Hansa A Type cargo ship which was built as Fangturm in 1944 by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, Germany for Hansa Line, Bremen, Germany. She was seized as a prize of war in 1945, passing to the Ministry of War Transport and renamed Empire Gallop. She was sold in 1947 and renamed Baltonia, the Baltic Oak in 1953. She was sold to West Germany in 1957 and renamed Palmyra. She served until 1962, when she was sunk in a collision with another ship.
Olsztyn was a Hansa A Type cargo ship which was built as Imkenturm in 1944 by Werf de Noord, Alblasserdam, Netherlands for DDG Hansa, Bremen, Germany. She was seized as a prize of war in 1945, passing to the Ministry of War Transport and renamed Empire Gantry. She was allocated to the Soviet Union in 1946 and was renamed Feodosia. Sold to Poland in 1947, she was renamed Olsztyn. She served until 1972, when she was scrapped.
Polonia was a passenger steamship that was built in Scotland in 1910, originally named Kursk and was registered in the Russian Empire. She was an Allied troopship in the First World War, when she was briefly operated by Cunard Line. After the war she returned to civilian passenger service, in Latvian service until 1930 and then for Poland.
SS Reliance was one of a pair of transatlantic steam ocean liners that were launched in 1914 in Germany for the Hamburg America Line (HAPAG), sold to a Dutch shipping line in 1916, and seized by the United States as World War I reparations in 1922. United American Lines (UAL) operated her until 1926, when HAPAG bought her back.
SS Lombardia was one of a pair of transatlantic steam ocean liners that were launched in 1914 in Germany for the Hamburg America Line (HAPAG), sold to a Dutch shipping line in 1916, and seized by the United States as World War I reparations in 1922. United American Lines (UAL) operated her until 1926, when HAPAG bought her back.
German Empire
