''Empire Baffin'' was a 6,978 ton

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

which was built by Lithgows Ltd,

Port Glasgow Port Glasgow ( gd, Port Ghlaschu, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recen ...

in 1941 for the

Ministry of War Transport The Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) was a department of the British Government formed early in the Second World War to control transportation policy and resources. It was formed by merging the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Transport ...

(MoWT). She was commissioned in 1943 as HMS ''Sancroft'', being converted into a cable laying ship for Operation Pluto. She was returned to the MoWT in 1946 and subsequently sold and renamed ''Clintonia''. A final change of ownership in 1960 saw her renamed ''Aspis'' and she was scrapped in 1963.

History

''Empire Baffin'' was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow as yard number 958. She was launched on 28 August 1941 and completed in October 1941. She was operated under the management of J Robinson & Sons,

North Shields North Shields () is a town in the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth. Since 1974, it has been in the North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wea ...

War service

''Empire Baffin'' was a member of a number of convoys during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. ;PQ 2

Convoy PQ 2 Convoy PQ 2 was the third of the Arctic Convoys of World War II by which the Western Allies supplied material aid to the Soviet Union in its fight with Nazi Germany. The convoy sailed from Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan b ...

sailed from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

on 13 October 1941 and arrived at

Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

on 30 October. ''Empire Baffin'' joined from

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009 Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and ...

on 17 October. ;QP 3 Convoy QP 3 sailed from Archangel on 27 November 1941 and dispersed on 3 December. ''Empire Baffin'' was carrying a cargo of

magnesite Magnesite is a mineral with the chemical formula (magnesium carbonate). Iron, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may occur as admixtures, but only in small amounts. Occurrence Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic ro ...

bound for the Tees. ;PQ 11 Convoy PQ 11 sailed from Kirkness on 14 February 1942 and arrived at

Murmansk Murmansk (Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. "Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') i ...

on 22 February. ;QP 9 Convoy QP 9 sailed from the

Kola Inlet Kola Bay (russian: Кольский залив) or Murmansk Fjord is a 57-km-long fjord of the Barents Sea that cuts into the northern part of the Kola Peninsula. It is up to 7 km wide and has a depth of 200 to 300 metres. The Tuloma, Rosta ...

on 21 March 1942 and arrived at Reykjavík on 3 April. ''Empire Baffin'' was carrying a cargo of Chloride of Potassium bound for

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

. ;UR 23 Convoy UR 23 sailed from Loch Ewe on 8 May 1942 and arrived at Reykjavík on 12 May. ;PQ 16

Convoy PQ 16 Convoy PQ 16 (21–30 May 1942) was an Arctic convoy of British, United States and Allied ships from Iceland to Murmansk and Archangelsk in the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The convoy was the largest yet and was provided with a co ...

sailed from

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

on 21 May 1942 and arrived at Murmansk on 30 May. ''Empire Baffin'' was attacked by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

aircraft, which bombed her scoring several near misses. Her

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

, driveshaft and bearings were damaged and she developed a leak in her stern gland. The Chief Engineer had to spend three days and nights in the shaft tunnel tending to the bearings. ''Empire Baffin'' was repaired and returned to service. ;QP 13U Convoy QP 13U sailed from Archangel on 26 June 1942 and arrived at Reykjavík on 7 July. ''Empire Baffin'' was bound for the Tyne. ;PQ 18

Convoy PQ 18 Convoy PQ 18 was an Arctic convoy of forty Allied freighters from Scotland and Iceland to Arkhangelsk in the Soviet Union in the war against Nazi Germany. The convoy departed Loch Ewe, Scotland on 2 September 1942, rendezvoused with more ships an ...

sailed from Loch Ewe on 2 September 1942 and arrived at Archangel on 21 September. ;QP 15 Convoy QP 15 sailed from the Kola Inlet on 17 November 1942 and arrived at Loch Ewe on 30 November. ;JW 52

Convoy JW 52 A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

sailed from Liverpool on 17 January 1943 and arrived at the Kola Inlet on 27 January. ;JW 53 Convoy JW 33 sailed from

Loch Ewe Loch Ewe ( gd, Loch Iùbh) is a sea loch in the region of Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The shores are inhabited by a traditionally Gàidhlig-speaking people living in or sustained by crofting villages, the most notab ...

on 15 February 1943 and arrived at the Kola Inlet on or about 27 February. ''Empire Baffin'' had to return to Loch Ewe due to being damaged in severe weather. ;SC 141 Convoy SC 151 sailed from Halifax

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

on 3 September 1943 and arrived at

on 17 September. ''Empire Baffin'' was carrying a general cargo bound for

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. ''Empire Baffin'' was taken over by the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

and converted by Green & Silley Weir Ltd, London to a cable laying ship for Operation Pluto, and commissioned as HMS ''Sancroft''. She was used in the support of

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

. Those killed whilst serving on ''Empire Baffin'' during the war are commemorated at the Tower Hill Memorial, London.

Postwar

In 1946, HMS ''Sancroft'' reverted to the MoWT and regained her ''Empire Baffin'' name. Later that year, she was sold to Stag Line Ltd, North Shields still under the management of J Robinson & Sons. She was the fifth Stag Line ship to bear the name ''Clintonia''. She was purchased at a cost of £30,000 and converted back to a cargo ship and also from

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

fuel at a cost of £137,911. On 10 December 1959, ''Clintonia'' was sold to Alcestis Shipping Co. SA,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

for £62,500. She was renamed ''Apsis'' She was operated under the management of Faros Shipping Co Ltd, London.. ''Apsis'' served until 1963 when she was sold for scrap. She arrived at

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in December 1963 for scrapping.

Official number and code letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to

IMO Numbers IMO or Imo may refer to: Biology and medicine * Irish Medical Organisation, the main organization for doctors in the Republic of Ireland * Intelligent Medical Objects, a privately held company specializing in medical vocabularies * Isomaltooligosa ...

. ''Empire Baffin'' had the UK

Official Number Official numbers are ship identifier numbers assigned to merchant ships by their flag state, country of registration. Each country developed its own official numbering system, some on a national and some on a port-by-port basis, and the formats hav ...

168968 and used the

Code Letters Code letters or ship's call sign (or callsign) Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853"> SHIPSPOTTING.COM >> Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853/ref> were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids and today also. Later, with the i ...

BCQR.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Baffin 1941 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Steamships of the United Kingdom Empire ships Ministry of War Transport ships Auxiliary ships of the Royal Navy Operation Overlord Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Steamships of Greece Merchant ships of Greece