Empire Duke
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''Empire Duke'' was a
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 used during the Second World War in investigations into the metallurgical problems that Liberty ships were suffering from. ''Empire Duke'' was built in 1943 by J L Thompson & Sons Ltd,
Sunderland, Co Durham Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) as an Empire ship. She was transferred to France in 1945 and renamed ''Lieutenant J Le Meur''. She was sold to Morocco in 1949 and renamed ''Zelidja''. In 1955, she was sold to Liberia and renamed ''Propontis'', not being renamed after a sale in 1957. She served until 1966, when she was scrapped in Taiwan.


Description

The ship was built in 1943 by J L Thompson & Sons Ltd,
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
. She was yard number 628. The ship was long, with a beam of . She had a depth of and a draught of . She was assessed at , . The ship was propelled by a 510
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 Duncan Stewart & Co Ltd,
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. It drove a single screw propeller and could propel the ship at .


History


World War II

''Empire Duke'' was launched on 20 July 1943 and completed in November. 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 ...
180048 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 ...
GCJW were allocated. Her port of registry was Sunderland and she was placed under the management of H Hogarth & Sons Ltd. Armament consisted of either a 4-in or a 4.7-inch gun, and six machine guns. ''Empire Duke'' departed from Sunderland on 2 December for the Tyne, arriving that day. She departed from the Tyne on 18 December to join Convoy FN 1208, which had departed from Southend, Essex the previous 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 ...
on 19 December. She then joined Convoy EN 322, which departed on 21 December and arrived at Loch Ewe on 23 December. ''Empire Duke'' sailed on to
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 ...
, arriving the next day. Laden with a cargo of coal, she departed on 26 December to join Convoy OS 63/KMS 37G, which departed from
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 on 25 December and split at sea on 7 January 1944. Convoy OS 63 arrived at
Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...
, Sierra Leone on 17 January. ''Empire Duke'' was in the part of the convoy that formed Convoy KMS 37G, which arrived at
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
on 7 January. She then joined Convoy KMS 37, which departed on 9 January and arrived at
Port Said Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...
, Egypt on 20 January. ''Empire Duke'' left the convoy at
Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
, Algeria, where she arrived on 10 January. She departed on 25 January to join Convoy GUS 28, which had departed from Port Said on 15 January and arrived at the
Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, United States on 15 February. She left the convoy at
Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
, Morocco, She departed on 1 February, joining Convoy SL 147, which had departed from Freetown on 22 January and rendezvoused at sea with Convoy MKS 38 on 2 February. The combined convoys arrived at Liverpool on 13 February. ''Empire Duke'' sailed on to Loch Ewe, arriving on 12 February and joining Convoy WN 544, which arrived at Methil on 14 February. ''Empire Duke'' was a member of Convoy EN 350, which departed from Methil on 24 February and arrived at Loch Ewe two days later. She left the convoy at
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
on 25 February. ''Empire Duke'' departed on 7 March to join Convoy EN 355, which had departed from Methil the previous day and arrived at Loch Ewe on 8 March. She sailed on to the Clyde, arriving the next day. ''Empire Duke'' departed on 16 March to join Convoy ON 228, which had departed from Liverpool the previous day and arrived at New York, United States on 1 April. She left the convoy at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, arriving on 30 March. Laden with a cargo of grain, she departed on 7 April to join Convoy HX 286, which had departed from New York on 5 April and arrived at Liverpool on 20 April. She was bound for
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, Lancashire. ''Empire Dukes'' movements are not recorded for over eight weeks. It may have been during this period that she was on loan to the Cambridge University Engineering Department for tests to be undertaken in connection with research into problems affecting various Liberty Ships ( see below). She departed from Southend on 12 June as a member of Convoy ETM 7, which arrived at the
Seine Bay The Baie de Seine (Bay of the Seine River) is a bay in northern France. Geography It is a wide, rectangular inlet of the English Channel, approximately 100 kilometres (east-west) by 45 kilometres, bounded in the west by the Cotentin Peninsula, in ...
, France the next day. She spent the next three months shuttling between those two place in various ETM and FTM convoys, arriving at Southend on 12 September as a member of Convoy FTM 2A. ''Empire Duke'' departed from Southend on 30 October as a member of Convoy FN 1526, which arrived at Methil on 1 November. She departed from Methil on 24 November with Convoy FS 1646, arriving at Southend on 26 November. She spent the next four months sailing between Southend and
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
, Belgium with various TAM and ATM convoys, arriving at Southend on 28 March 1945 as a member of Convoy ATM 106. ''Empire Duke'' was a member of Convoy TBC 117, which departed from Southend on 3 April and 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 6 April. She then sailed to the Clyde, where she arrived two days later. She departed on 22 April to join Convoy ON 298, which had departed from Southend on 21 April and arrived at New York on 7 May. Her destination was
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, Quebec, Canada. She arrived at
Father Point A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
, Quebec on 6 May.


Solving the Liberty ship problem

Early Liberty ships suffered problems with brittle fractures, leading to some of them breaking in two without warning. Following the loss of off the
Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...
,
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
, United States in 1943, research was carried out by Cambridge University Engineering Department in the United Kingdom into the causes of these losses. ''Empire Duke'' was lent for the purpose of testing of the steel used to build ships in the United Kingdom.
Constance Tipper Constance Tipper (born Constance Fligg Elam; 16 February 1894 – 14 December 1995) was an English metallurgist and crystallographer. She investigated brittle fracture and the ductile-brittle transition of metals used in the construction of war ...
proved that low temperatures sustained by Liberty ships in the North Atlantic were leading to brittle fractures. Further research into the plasticity of steel led to the development of specialist steels that are used in artificial human and animal joints. The Victory ship was developed, which was stronger and faster than the Liberty ship.


Post-war

In June–July 1945 ''Empire Duke'' sailed from Montreal to The Downs, off the coast of
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and then back to Montreal. She then sailed from Montreal on 11 August, arriving in Casablanca on 24 August and then sailed to Avonmouth, Somerset, where she arrived on 8 September. As a member of Convoy TAM 32, she departed Southend on 28 December and arrived at Antwerp the next day. In May 1946, ''Empire Duke'' was transferred to the French Government and renamed ''Lieutenant J Le Meur'', after Julien Le Meur, an officer who had served on , and had been killed in
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
on 28 August 1944, whilst serving as a
pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
with the '' Marine Nationale'' when his aircraft crashed. She was operated by the
Compagnie Générale Transatlantique The Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT, and commonly named "Transat"), typically known overseas as the French Line, was a French shipping company. Established in 1855 by the Péreire brothers, brothers Émile and Issac Péreire under the ...
. ''Lieutenant J Le Meur'' loaded a cargo of ammonium nitrate at the
Port of Texas City The Port of Texas City is a major deepwater port in Texas City, Texas at Galveston Bay, United States. Its location on the bay, which is used by the Port of Houston and the Port of Galveston, puts Texas City in the heart of one of the world's mo ...
, Texas, United States between 8 and 10 April 1947, a week before the exploded in the Texas City Disaster, which killed 581 and injured 3,500 people. In 1949, ''Lieutenant J Le Meur'' was sold to the Compagnie Franco Chérifienne de Navigation',
Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
, Morocco and was renamed ''Zelidja''. In 1955, she was sold to Compagnia de Navigazione Hellespont SA,
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 and was renamed ''Propontis'', after the Sea of Marmara. She was placed under the management of A M Embiricos,
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
. In 1957, ''Propontis'' was sold to Compagnie de Navigazione Propontis Liberia SA, Monrovia. She was not renamed and remained under the management of Embiricos. ''Propontis'' served until 1966, arriving on 24 May at
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
, Taiwan for scrapping.


Notes

A Sources give the year as 1945. A month of May is given by one source, but ''Empire Duke'' was (another states) still in service under that name in December 1945.


References


External links


Photo of ''Lieutenant J Le Meur''Photo of ''Lieutenant J Le Meur''Photo of ''Zelidja''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Dryden 1943 ships Ships built on the River Wear Empire ships Ministry of War Transport ships Steamships of the United Kingdom Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Steamships of France Merchant ships of France Steamships of Morocco Merchant ships of Morocco Steamships of Liberia Merchant ships of Liberia Ships of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique