''Empire Celtic'' was a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

which was built in 1945 as Landing Ship, Tank ''LST 3512'' for 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 Fr ...

. In 1946 she was chartered by the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company Ltd, converted to a ferry and renamed ''Empire Celtic''. In 1956, she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for a few months during the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...

as HMS ''Empire Cedric''. She served until 1960 and was scrapped in 1965.

Description

The ship was ordered on 1 February 1944. She was built by Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd, Lauzon, Quebec, as yard number 335. She was launched on 25 April 1945, and completed in September. The ship was long, with a beam of and a depth of . The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine. The engine was built by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...

. It could propel her at .

History

''LST 3512'' was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 7 August 1945. In 1946, she was chartered by the Atlantic Steam Navigation Co Ltd. She was rebuilt as a ferry by Harland & Wolff Ltd,

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an anc ...

. She entered service on trooping duties on the

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

route. I 1955, the route was changed to Tilbury -

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...

. In 1956, ''Empire Celtic'' took part in Operation Musketeer. She was used to bring vehicles back to 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 ...

from

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

. Due to weather damage ''Empire Celtic'' had to divert to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

for repairs. ''Empire Celtic'' was withdrawn from service in 1960. She was sold on 10 August 1962, and scrapped at

La Spezia La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second largest cit ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

References

External links

Photo of ''Empire Celtic''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Celtic 1945 ships Ships built in Quebec LST (3)-class tank landing ships Empire ships Ministry of War Transport ships Steamships of the United Kingdom Ferries of the United Kingdom