MV ''Breconshire'' was a

cargo liner A cargo liner, also known as a passenger-cargo ship or passenger-cargoman, is a type of merchant ship which carries general cargo and often passengers. They became common just after the middle of the 19th century, and eventually gave way to conta ...

built in the late 1930s for the

Glen Line Glen Line was a UK shipping line that was founded in Glasgow in 1867. Its head office was later moved first to London and then to Liverpool. History The firm had its roots in the co-operation between the Gow and McGregor families in Glasgow ...

. She was taken over by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

during World War II as a supply ship and modified to carry

fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...

. The ship participated in many

Malta convoys The Malta convoys were Allied supply convoys of the Second World War. The convoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. Malta was a base from which British sea and air forces could attack ships carrying supplies f ...

and was sunk by Axis bombers on 27 March 1942. This ship was a former Holt liner converted to serve as a fast tanker. She was forced to beach due to damage sustained during a convoy run from Alexandria to Malta. Though the ship was put out of action, she was stranded high enough out of the water that some of her vital cargo of petroleum was salvaged.

References

External links

Lloyd's Register of Ships, 1940

London Gazette, Sept 1940
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breconshire Glen Line 1939 ships Maritime incidents in March 1942 Ministry of War Transport ships Merchant ships sunk by aircraft Ships built by the Taikoo Dockyard and Engineering Company