''Ulysses'' was a
coastal trading vessel
Coastal trading vessels, also known as coasters or skoots, are shallow-hulled ships used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. Their shallow hulls mean that they can get through reefs where deeper-hulled seagoing ships usua ...
that was built in 1941 as ''Empire Creek'' by J Pollock & Sons,
Faversham,
United Kingdom. She was built for the
Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). ''Empire Creek'' survived being bombed shortly after entering service. In 1946, she was sold into merchant service and renamed ''Springcreek''. Further sales in 1948 and 1951 saw her named ''Goldcreek'' and ''Milborne'' respectively. In 1964, she was sold to
Greece and renamed ''Georgios''. In 1978, she was sold to
Panama and renamed ''Ulysses'', serving until she ran aground near
Naples,
Italy in 1979 and was wrecked.
Description
The ship was built in 1941 by J Pollock & Sons Ltd,
Faversham,
Kent.
[ Yard number 1776,][ .][
The ship was propelled by 116 ]nhp
Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...
2-stroke Single Cycle Single Action diesel engine, which had six cylinders of diameter by stroke,[ driving a single screw ]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 ...
. The engine was built by Crossley Bros, Manchester, Lancashire. It could propel her at [
]
History
''Empire Creek'' was built for the MoWT. She was placed under the management of the General Steam Navigation Co Ltd.[ The ]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 ...
168087 was allocated. Her port of registry was London and 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 ...
MNZP were allocated.[ (enter MNZP or Empire Creek in relevant search box.)] She spent the war years sailing around the coast of the United Kingdom and making some cross-Channel voyages to France.Oban
Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...
, Argyllshire
Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland.
Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...
on 10 June 1941 and arrived at Methil
Methil (Scottish Gaelic: Meadhchill) is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was first recorded as "Methkil" in 1207, and belonged to the Bishop of St Andrews. Two Bronze Age cemeteries have been discovered which date the settlement as ov ...
, Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
on 14 June.Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...
.[ After arrival at Methil,][ she was towed to Aberdeen.][ Repairs took until September to complete.][
In 1946, ''Empire Creek'' was sold to the Efford Shipping Co Ltd, London.][ In line with Efford's policy of their ship names beginning with the prefix Spring, permission was sought to change her name to ''Springcreek''.][
In 1948, she was sold to E J & W Goldsmith Ltd, London and renamed ''Goldcreek''. In 1951, she was sold to J Carter (Poole) Ltd, and renamed ''Milborne''.][ On 20 March 1953, ''Milborne'' was on a voyage from Port Talbot, ]Glamorgan
, HQ = Cardiff
, Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974)
, Origin=
, Code = GLA
, CodeName = Chapman code
, Replace =
* West Glamorgan
* Mid Glamorgan
* South Glamorgan
, Motto ...
to Fleetwood, Lancashire when she ran aground off Rhoscolyn Point, Anglesey and her steering gear was damaged. After being refloated by the Holyhead
Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and is ...
lifeboat, ''Milborne'' drifted for seven hours before she was taken in tow by , and taken to Holyhead. There were fears that her cargo of carbide would explode if it came into contact with the water which was entering ''Milborne's'' engine room through her damaged plates. Pumps were brought from Liverpool, Lancashire and the crews from both ships spent a night pumping her out.[ Piraeus, Greece and renamed ''Georgios''. In 1972, she was sold to Messrs. Markesinis, Daglas and Aktipis, Piraeus.][ In 1978, she was sold to Zoegeorge SA, Panama and renamed ''Ulysses''. On 20 December 1979, ''Ulysses'' ran aground off Naples, Italy and was wrecked.][
]
References
External links
Photo of ''Springcreek''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulysses
1941 ships
Ships built in Kent
Ministry of War Transport ships
Empire ships
Merchant ships of the United Kingdom
Maritime incidents in 1953
Merchant ships of Greece
Merchant ships of Panama
Maritime incidents in 1979
Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea