''Empire Cabot'' was a
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 in 1941 for the British
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 sold in 1945 and renamed ''Clearpool''. In 1955 she was sold and renamed ''Grelmarion''. A further change of name to ''Rachel'' happened in 1959 and she was scrapped later that year.
Description
''Empire Cabot'' was built by
William Gray & Co. Ltd.,
West Hartlepool
West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland.
The former town was originally formed in ...
for the MoWT. Built as yard number 1118,
she was launched on 9 July 1941 and completed in September.
The ship was long, with a beam of and a depth of . She had a GRT of 6,715 and a NRT of 4,836. She was propelled by a
triple expansion steam engine
A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.
A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up he ...
which had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke. The engine was built by the Central Marine Engineering Works, West Hartlepool.
The engine drove a single screw propeller and could propel her at .
History
''Empire Cabot'' was allocated the United Kingdom
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 ...
168929. She 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 ...
BCPM. She was owned by the MoWT and operated under the management of Glen & Co Ltd.
[
''Empire Cabot'' 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 ...
.
;ON 19
Convoy ON 19 departed 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 21 September 1941 and 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 23 September. It dispersed at sea on 7 October. ''Empire Cabot'' was in ballast
Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...
and was bound for Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
. She lost contact with the convoy at around 01:00 on 24 September off the Butt of Lewis
The Butt of Lewis ( gd, Rubha Robhanais) is the most northerly point of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The headland, which lies in the North Atlantic, is frequently battered by heavy swells and storms and is marked by the Butt of Lewis Lighthouse ...
.Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
.[
In 1942, management was transferred to Sir R Ropner & Co Ltd.]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 ...
, Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
on 22 March 1942.[
;ON 95
Convoy ON 95 departed Liverpool on 15 May 1942. ''Empire Cabot'' was bound for Tampa, Florida.][
Convoy OG.89
On 28 August 1942 ''Empire Cabot'' loaded 28 Spitfire Vb, Spitfire Vc aircraft and 24 Hurricanes for ]Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
arriving 19 September. The Spitfire aircraft were serial numbers AB535,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 31 March 1943 and arrived at Liverpool on 15 April.[ On 1 March 1948, she was chartered by the ]Australian Shipping Board
The Australian Shipping Board was an Australian government authority over shipping between 1946 and 1961.
The board was established on 1 January 1946, based in Melbourne. In 1956 the Australian Coastal Shipping Commission (trading as the Austr ...
, returning to Ropner's on 8 December.[ In 1955, ''Clearpool'' was sold to Cardigan Shipping Co Ltd, ]Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
and renamed ''Grelmarion''. She was operated under the management of T Walter Gould Ltd. In 1959 she was sold to Bowring & Curry, Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
and renamed ''Rachel''. She was operated under the management of Robert M Sloman Jr and was scrapped later that year in Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
.[ Those lost on ''Empire Cabot'' are commemorated at the ]Tower Hill Memorial
The Tower Hill Memorial is a pair of Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorials in Trinity Square Gardens, on Tower Hill in London, England. The memorials, one for the First World War and one for the Second, commemorate civilian, merchant seaf ...
, London.
References
External links
Photo of ''Clearpool''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Cabot
1941 ships
Ships built on the River Tees
Empire ships
Ministry of War Transport ships
Merchant ships of the United Kingdom
Steamships of the United Kingdom
Merchant ships of West Germany
Steamships of West Germany