Empire Almond was a 6,860 gross register tons (GRT) cargo ship that was built in 1941. She was renamed Marquita in 1946, Marsland in 1951, Huta Zgoda in 1960 and MP-Zozie-12 in 1969. She was scrapped in 1978.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Taikoo Dockyard and Engineering Co Ltd, Hong Kong |
| Yard number | 297 |
| Launched | 23 July 1941 |
| Completed | September 1941 |
| Out of service | 10 July 1978 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped in Faslane, July 1978 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 6,860 GRT |
| Length | 429 ft 7 in (130.94 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 7 in (17.25 m) |
| Depth | 33 ft 5 in (10.19 m) |
| Installed power | 292 NHP |
| Propulsion | triple expansion steam engine (Taikoo Dockyard & Engineering Co, Hong Kong) |
| Speed | 10 knots (19 km/h) |
History
editEmpire Almond was built by Taikoo Dockyard and Engineering Co Ltd, Hong Kong[1] as yard number 297. She was launched on 23 July 1941 and completed in September 1941.[2] Empire Almond was built for the Ministry of War Transport[1] and initially operated under the management of the W Runciman & Co Ltd, London[1] and later the Coolham Steamship Co Ltd.[3] Empire Almond was initially homeported in Hong Kong[1] but her homeport was changed to London in 1942.[4]
War service
editEmpire Almond was a member of a number of convoys during the Second World War.
- OS 33
Convoy OS 33 sailed from Liverpool for Freetown, Sierra Leone on 1 July 1942, arriving on 20 July.[5] Empire Almond sailed from the Clyde with a destination of Takoradi, Ghana with a cargo of Government stores.[5]
- MKS 52
Convoy MKS 52 departed from Augusta on 13 June 1944. Empire Almond was bound for Malta for attention to defects.[6]
- KMS67
Convoy KMS 67 left Liverpool on 24 October 1944 and arrived at Gibraltar on 2 November. Empire Almond was carrying a cargo of stores and general cargo, bound for Alexandria.[7] At 1300 hrs on 26 October, Empire Almond was stopped with an engine fault. It took about 4 hours before she was able to resume her journey. She was escorted by the Captain-class frigateS HMS Bayntun and HMS Foley, rejoining the convoy at 2200 hrs.[8]
- MKS 72
Convoy MKS 72 left Lisbon on 23 December 1944. Empire Almond was carrying a cargo of steel.[9]
- KMS 85
Convoy KMS 85 left Liverpool on 17 February 1945 and reached Gibraltar on 24 February. Empire Almond sailed from Southend bound for Lisbon.[10]
Post-war
editIn 1946 Empire Almond was sold to Kaye, Son & Co, London and renamed Marquita.[11] Marquita visited Auckland, New Zealand on 3 May 1949.[12] She was renamed Marsland in 1951. In 1960, Marsland was sold to the Polska Żegluga Morska, Szczecin and renamed Huta Zgoda.[11] In about 1967 Huta Zgoda was sold to Rejonowe Zaklady Zbozowe PZZ and converted into a grain storage hulk at Gdańsk. In 1969, Huta Zgoda was sold to Zaklady Obrutu Zbozami Importawanymi i Eksportowymi PZZ and renamed MP-Zozie-12. she served in this capacity until 1978. MP-Zozie-12 was sold for scrap in 1978, arriving at Faslane under tow on 10 July.[13]
Official number and call sign
editOfficial numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers.
Empire Almond had the UK Official Number 172790 and Call sign VRFR.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "LLOYD'S REGISTER, NAVIRES A VAPEUR ET A MOTUERS" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ "5157224". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ "LLOYD'S REGISTER, NAVIRES A VAPEUR ET A MOTUERS" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ "LLOYD'S REGISTER, NAVIRES A VAPEUR ET A MOTUERS" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ a b "Convoy.OS 33". Convoyweb. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ "MKS Convoys – Nov. 1942–1945, MKS 46 through MKS 60". Warsailors. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ "Convoy OS.93/KMS.67". Convoyweb. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ "HMS Rushen Castle (K 372)". Lindsay Clubb. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ "MKS Convoys – Nov. 1942–1945, MKS 61 through MKS 103". Warsailors. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ "Convoy OS.111/KMS.85". Convoyweb. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ a b "Empire-A". Mariners-L. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ^ "Vessel Details ( 1 of 1 )". New Zealand Maritime Index. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
- ^ Mitchell, WH; Sawyer, LA (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. p. 129. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.