''Empire Dabchick'' was a Design 1019

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 ...

that was built in 1919 as ''Kisnop'' by Atlantic Corporation,

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for the

United States Shipping Board The United States Shipping Board (USSB) was established as an emergency agency by the 1916 Shipping Act (39 Stat. 729), on September 7, 1916. The United States Shipping Board's task was to increase the number of US ships supporting the World War ...

(USSB). She was transferred 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 ...

(USMC) in 1937. In 1940 she was transferred to the

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) and renamed ''Empire Dabchick''. She served until December 1942, when she was torpedoed and sunk by .

Description

The ship was built in 1919 by Atlantic Corporation,

. She was yard number 1. The ship was

overall Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...

, long

between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the stern ...

, She had a beam of , with a depth of . As built, she was assessed at , The ship was propelled by a 359

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 ...

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 Atlantic Corporation,

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount ...

. It drove a screw propeller and could propel the ship at .

History

''Kisnop'' was launched in 1919, and completed in August of that year. She was built for the USSB and was transferred to the USMC in 1937. Her port of registry was

. On transfer to the USMC, ''Kisnop'' was laid up in reserve. On 14 November 1940, ''Kisnop'' was given to the United Kingdom, passing to the MoWT. She was renamed ''Empire Dabchick'' and placed under the management of Sir W Reardon Smith & Sons. 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 ...

168184 and

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 ...

GNSN were allocated. Her port of registry was

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. She was assessed at , . Later that year, management was transferred to J Morrison & Son,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

. ''Kisnop'' was due to join Convoy HX 116, but did not sail in that convoy, nor in the next convoy, HX 117. ''Kisnop'' sailed in Convoy SC 28, which departed from Halifax,

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 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

on 9 April 1941 and arrived at

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 ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

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 ...

on 28 April. ''Kisnop'' was carrying a cargo consisting general and special cargo,

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

and

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

s. She was bound for

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. She straggled behind the convoy on 19 April and did not rejoin, putting into an

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 ...

ic port. ''Kisnop'' had been renamed ''Empire Dabchick'' by 16 June 1941, when she arrived at the Tyne. On 18 June, she joined Convoy FN 494, which departed from

Southend on Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authority area with borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north side of the Thames Estuary, east of central London. It is bordered ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

that day 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 ...

two days later. On 22 June, she joined Convoy EC 48, which had departed from Southend on 20 June and arrived at the

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

on 25 June. ''Empire Dabchick'' then sailed to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, arriving on 16 August. On 13 September, she departed Philadelphia for

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

, Canada, arriving on 19 September. She then joined Convoy SC 47, which departed on 29 September and arrived at Liverpool on 20 October. ''Empire Dabchick'' was carrying general cargo. ''Empire Dabchick'' was a member of Convoy ON 37, which departed from Liverpool on 15 November and dispersed at sea on 20 November at . She arrived at Halifax on 9 December. On 23 December, she sailed for

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where she arrived on 26 December. On 18 January, she departed New York for Halifax, arriving on 21 January. She then joined Convoy SC 66, which departed on 23 January and arrived at Liverpool on 9 February. ''Empire Dabchick'' was carrying general cargo. She left the convoy at

Belfast Lough Belfast Lough is a large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens into the North Channel and connects Belfast to th ...

on 8 February. On 11 February, she joined Convoy BB 136, which arrived at

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

on 13 February. Her destination was

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 ...

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, where she arrived that day. ''Empire Dabchick'' departed Cardiff on 1 March for Milford Haven, from where she joined Convoy ON 72, which departed from Liverpool on 3 March and arrived at Halifax on 19 March. She was carrying a cargo of

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

. She then joined Convoy XB4, which departed Halifax on 26 March and arrived at Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 29 March. She left the convoy at the

Cape Cod Canal The Cape Cod Canal is an artificial waterway in the U.S. state of Massachusetts connecting Cape Cod Bay in the north to Buzzards Bay in the south, and is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The approximately canal traverses the neck o ...

on 28 March and sailed to New York, arriving on 1 April. ''Empire Dabchick'' then made a voyage to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and back before she departed from New York on 17 April for Halifax, arriving on 20 April. She then joined Convoy SC 81, which departed on 23 April and arrived at Liverpool on 9 May. She was carrying a cargo of steel. ''Empire Dabchick'' was a member of Convoy ON 98, which departed from Liverpool on 26 May and arrived at Halifax on 11 June. Two days later, she departed Halifax for Pubnico, Nova Scotia, arriving the next day. On 16 July, she departed Pubnico for Halifax and New York, where she arrived on 27 July. ''Empire Dabchick'' departed from New York on 22 August for

Cape Cod Bay 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 ...

, Massachusetts, from where she joined Convoy BX 35, which had departed Boston on 26 August and arrived at Halifax on 29 August. She then joined Convoy SC 98, which departed that day and arrived at Liverpool on 13 September. She was carrying general cargo. ''Empire Dabchick'' was a member of Convoy ON 136, which departed from Liverpool on 3 October and arrived at New York on 26 October. She was carrying the convoy's Vice-Commodore, but she returned to the Clyde, arriving on 6 October. She left the Clyde on 11 October, joining Convoy ON 138, which had departed from Liverpool on 11 October and arrived at New York on 3 November. She again returned to the Clyde, arriving on 16 October. She departed the Clyde on what was to be her final voyage on 15 November, joining Convoy ON 146, which had departed from Liverpool that day and arrived at New York on 8 December. ''Empire Dabchick'' straggled behind the convoy. At 09:49 (German time) on 3 December 1942, she was torpedoed and sunk by some south east of

Sable Island Sable Island (french: île de Sable, literally "island of sand") is a small Canadian island situated southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and about southeast of the closest point of mainland Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic Ocean. The island i ...

() with the loss of all 36 crew and eleven DEMS gunners. Those lost on ''Empire Dabchick'' 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 the ship
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Dabchick 1919 ships Ships built in New Hampshire Steamships of the United States Merchant ships of the United States World War II merchant ships of the United States Empire ships Ministry of War Transport ships Steamships of the United Kingdom Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II Maritime incidents in December 1942 World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Ships lost with all hands