The Fort ships were a class of 198

cargo ships 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 ...

built in Canada during

World War II 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 ...

for use by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

under the

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

scheme. They all had names prefixed with "Fort" when built. The ships were in service between 1942 and 1985, with two still listed on shipping registers until 1992. A total of 53 were lost during the war due to accidents or enemy action. One of these, , was destroyed in 1944 by the detonation of 1,400 tons of explosive on board her. This event, known as the Bombay Explosion, killed over 800 people and sank thirteen ships. Fort ships were ships transferred to the British Government and the

Park ship Park ships were merchant steamships constructed for Canada’s Merchant Navy during the Second World War. Park ships and Fort ships (built in Canada for operation by the British) were the Canadian equivalent of the American Liberty ships. All th ...

s were those employed by the Canadian Government, both had the similar design.

Description

The Fort ships were long with a beam of . They were assessed at . The ships were of three types, the "North Sands" type, which were of riveted construction, and the "Canadian" and "Victory" types, which were of welded construction. They were built by eighteen different Canadian shipyards. Their

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 ...

s were built by seven different manufacturers.

History

The ships were built between 1941 and 1945 by ten different builders. The first to be built was , which was laid down on 23 April 1941 and launched on 15 October. The eight ships built by

Burrard Dry Dock Burrard Dry Dock Ltd. was a Canadian shipbuilding company headquartered in North Vancouver (city), North Vancouver, British Columbia. Together with the neighbouring North Van Ship Repair yard and the Yarrow Shipbuilders#Yarrows in Canada, Yarrow ...

cost $1,856,500 each. During World War II, 28 were lost to enemy action, and four were lost due to accidents. Many of the surviving 166 ships passed to the

United States Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

. The last recorded scrapping was in 1985, and two ships, the former and , were listed on

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...

until 1992.

Crew

Park ships were armed. There were merchant seamen gunners. Also many British and Canadian merchantmen carried volunteer naval gunners called

Defensively equipped merchant ship Defensively equipped merchant ship (DEMS) was an Admiralty Trade Division programme established in June 1939, to arm 5,500 British merchant ships with an adequate defence against enemy submarines and aircraft. The acronym DEMS was used to descri ...

or DEMS gunners. The American ships carried

Naval Armed Guard United States Navy Armed Guard units were established during World War II and headquartered in New Orleans.World War II U.S. Navy Armed Guard and World War II U.S. Merchant Marine, 2007-2014 Project Liberty Ship, Project Liberty Ship, P.O. Box 2 ...

gunners. Merchant seamen crewed the merchant ships of the British Merchant Navy which kept the United Kingdom supplied with raw materials, arms, ammunition, fuel, food and all of the necessities of a nation at war throughout World War II literally enabling the country to defend itself. In doing this they sustained a considerably greater casualty rate than almost every branch of the armed services and suffered great hardship. Seamen were aged from fourteen through to their late seventies. The lost are remembered in the Royal Canadian Naval Ships Memorial Monument in Spencer Smith Park in

Burlington, Ontario Burlington is a city in the Regional Municipality of Halton at the northwestern end of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Canada. Along with Milton to the north, it forms the western end of the Greater Toronto Area and is also part of the Hamilton met ...

Losses

Twenty-eight ships were lost due to enemy action and a further 25 due to accidents.shipbuildinghistory.com Fort and Park Canada ships
/ref>

Enemy action

*On 17 May 1942, was

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

ed and sunk in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

by . *On 17 August 1942, was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by . *On 6 March 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by . *On 17 March 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by and . *On 20 March 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

by . *On 30 March 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

by . *On 17 April 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by and . *On 11 May 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by . *On 11 June 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by . *On 16 July 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the Indian Ocean by . *On 20 July 1943, was bombed and sunk at

Augusta, Sicily Augusta (, archaically ''Agosta''; scn, Austa ; Greek and la, Megara Hyblaea, Medieval: ''Augusta'') is a town and in the province of Syracuse, located on the eastern coast of Sicily (southern Italy). The city is one of the main harbours in I ...

, Italy. *On 24 July 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by . *On 6 August 1943, was torpedoed, shelled and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by . *On 13 September 1943, was bombed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by Luftwaffe aircraft. *On 19 September 1953, was torpedoed and sunk in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

by . *On 23 September 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by . *On 30 September 1943, was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea by . *On 4 October 1943, was bombed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off

Cape Ténès A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Dornier Do 217 The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II as a more powerful development of the Dornier Do 17, known as the ''Fliegender Bleistift'' (German: "flying pencil"). Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber ...

aircraft of ''

Kampfgeschwader 100 ''Kampfgeschwader'' 100 (KG 100) was a ''Luftwaffe'' medium and heavy bomber wing of World War II and the first military aviation unit to use a precision-guided munition (the Fritz X anti-ship glide bomb) in combat to sink a warship (the Itali ...

'', Luftwaffe. *On 2 December 1943, was sunk by the explosion of the

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

during the

air raid on Bari The air raid on Bari (german: Luftangriff auf den Hafen von Bari, it, Bombardamento di Bari) was an air attack by German bombers on Allied forces and shipping in Bari, Italy, on 2 December 1943, during World War II. 105 German Junkers Ju 88 bo ...

. * On 2 December 1943, was sunk by the German Luftwaffe during the air raid on Bari. *On 20 January 1944, was torpedoed and sunk in the Indian Ocean by . *On 25 January 1944, was torpedoed and sunk in the Arctic Ocean by and . *On 25 January 1944, was torpedoed and sunk in the Indian Ocean by . *On 15 February 1944, was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea by . *On 3 March 1944, was torpedoed, shelled and sunk in the Indian Ocean by . *On 19 May 1944, was torpedoed and damaged in the Mediterranean Sea by . The fore section sank. The stern section was taken in tow but sank the next day. *On 3 August 1944, was damaged by a

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

radio-controlled explosives boat off

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, France. She was subsequently beached at Appledore, Devon, and was scrapped in 1949. *On 23 August 1944, was torpedoed and sunk in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

by . *On 15 December 1944, struck a

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

and sank in the North Sea.

Accident

*On 16 July 1943, caught fire at

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. She was beached and was consequently declared a total loss. *On 4 August 1943, caught fire and exploded at Algiers. *On 14 April 1944, was severely damaged by the explosion of ''Fort Stikine'' at

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, India. She was reduced to a

hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

and was scrapped in 1948. *On 14 April 1944, exploded at Bombay and was obliterated. Twelve other vessels were lost. *On 21 June 1945, ''Fort La Prairie'' or ''Fort La Pairie'', 7138 tons, cargo ship, British, ran aground about 0.5 miles SSW of Muckle Skerry light, Muckle Skerry, Out Skerries. Location cited as N60 29 W0 52, she was towed off by Ocean Salvage Ship ''RFA Salfeda'', assisted by local fishermen. She was renamed ''Elm Hill'' (1950) and scrapped in 1967. *On 1 February 1946, collided with ''Thornaby'' and sank in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

. *On 23 August 1946, was wrecked on the Grand Shoal, off

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Pierre and Miquelon (), officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (french: link=no, Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon ), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in t ...

. *On 18 February 1949, ''LEmerillon'' (formerly ) ran aground on the

Sorelle Rocks The Sorelle Rocks (also called the Sorelle Reef and the Sorelli Rocks) are two submerged rocks approximately west of the Galite Islands of Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption ...

off Malta. *On 28 September 1956, ''Bedford Earl'' (formerly ) ran aground in the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...

, Japan, in a typhoon. *On 14 June 1953, ''Bedford Prince'' (formerly ) ran aground in the

Gulf of Paria The Gulf of Paria ( ; es, Golfo de Paria) is a shallow (180 m at its deepest) semi-enclosed inland sea located between the island of Trinidad (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and the east coast of Venezuela. It separates the two countries ...

. She was consequently scrapped. *On 10 February 1954, ''Catherine M. S.'' (formerly ) ran aground off Mojima Saki, Japan. She was consequently scrapped. *On 16 October 1954, ''Travelstar'' (formerly ) ran aground and caught fire in

Buckner Bay is a bay on the southern coast of Okinawa Island on the Pacific Ocean in Japan. The bay covers and ranges between to deep. The bay is surrounded by the municipalities of Uruma, Kitanakagusuku, Nakagusuku, Nishihara, Yonabaru, Nanjō, all in ...

. She was declared a total loss. *On 24 March 1955, ''Yaffo'' (formerly ) ran aground in Baffy Bay. She was refloated in 1957 and taken in to

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

, Liberia. No further service recorded. *On 27 May 1959, ''Aghios Spyridon'' (formerly ) ran aground off

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Cuba, and caught fire. Although refloated, she was declared a

constructive total loss Marine insurance covers the physical loss or damage of ships, cargo, terminals, and any transport by which the property is transferred, acquired, or held between the points of origin and the final destination. Cargo insurance is the sub-branch o ...

. *On 1 July 1960, ''Rita'' (formerly ) ran aground off

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, India, and broke in two. *On 1 February 1961, ''Cape Drepanon'' (formerly ) ran aground in

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

. She was consequently scrapped. *On 20 December 1963, ''Corfu Island'' (formerly ) suffered an engine failure and was consequently wrecked in the

Gulf of Saint Lawrence , image = Baie de la Tour.jpg , alt = , caption = Gulf of St. Lawrence from Anticosti National Park, Quebec , image_bathymetry = Golfe Saint-Laurent Depths fr.svg , alt_bathymetry = Bathymetry ...

. *On 8 April 1964, ''Irene X'' (formerly ) ran aground off

Haiphong Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the Red River delta. Haiphong wa ...

, China. She was subsequently refloated and scrapped. *On 21 November 1964, ''Zakia'' (formerly ) was in collision with the tanker ''Hyperion'' off

Cape St. Vincent Cape St. Vincent ( pt, Cabo de São Vicente, ) is a headland in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, southern Portugal. It is the southwesternmost point of Portugal and of mainland Europe. History Cape St. Vincent was already sacr ...

, Portugal. She sank the next day. *On 1 June 1966, ''Aktor'' (formerly ) sprang a leak and foundered in the

. *On 3 November 1966, ''Progress'' (formerly ) was wrecked in a

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, India. *On 26 January 1967, ''Bodoro'' (formerly ) was in collision with ''Beaver State'' in

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

. She was beached but was consequently declared a

. *On 12 April 1967, ''Silver Peak'' (formerly ) ran aground in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

off the coast of Taiwan. She was declared a total loss and subsequently scrapped. *On 25 February 1968, ''African Marquis'' (formerly ) ran aground on

Kasos Kasos (; el, Κάσος, ), also Casos, is a Greek island municipality in the Dodecanese. It is the southernmost island in the Aegean Sea, and is part of the Karpathos regional unit. The capital of the island is Fri. , its population was 1,22 ...

, Greece, and broke in two. *In 1968, ''Zhan Dou 76'' (formerly ) became stranded. She was subsequently scrapped. *On 18 December 1969, ''Ibrahim K'' (formerly ) ran aground at

Tocra Tocra, Taucheira or Tukrah, is a town on the coast of the Marj District in the Cyrenaica region of northeastern Libya, founded by Cyrene. It lay 200 stadia west of Ptolemais. Today it is a coastal town west of Marj. History Founded by the Gr ...

, Libya and broke up.

Ships in class

References

{{Fort ships Ships built in Canada Ministry of War Transport ships World War II merchant ships of the United Kingdom