Hundreds of

Empire ships An Empire ship is a merchant ship that was given a name beginning with "Empire" in the service of the Government of the United Kingdom during and after World War II. Most were used by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), which owned them and co ...

were employed by the

Government of the United Kingdom ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

. They were acquired from a number of sources: many were built for the government; others obtained from the

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 territori ...

; still others were captured or seized from enemy powers. Empire ships were mostly used during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

by 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), which owned the ships but contracted out their management to various shipping lines; however, some ships requisitioned during the Suez Crisis were also named as Empire ships. Most Empire ships have since been lost or scrapped; however, a few still remain in active service or preserved.

Lists

The list of Empire ships is split into a number of smaller lists. *

List of Empire ships (A) ''Empire Abbey'' ''Empire Abbey'' was a 7,032 GRT refrigerated cargo ship built in 1943 by Shipbuilding Corporation Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne and managed by Elder & Fyffes Ltd. Sold to Royal Mail Lines and renamed ''Teviot'' in 1946. Sold t ...

* List of Empire ships (B) *

List of Empire ships (Ca–Cl) Suffix beginning Ca to Cl ''Empire Cabot'' '' Empire Cabot'' was a 6,722 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Gray & Co. Ltd., West Hartlepool. Launched on 9 July 1941 and completed in September 1941. Sold in 1945 to Pool Shipping Co ...

* List of Empire ships (Co–Cy) * List of Empire ships (D) *

List of Empire ships (E) Suffix beginning with E ''Empire Eagle'' '' Empire Eagle'' was a 5,775 GRT cargo ship which was built by the Ames Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Seattle, United States. Completed in 1919 as ''West Islip'' for the United States Shipping ...

List of Empire ships (F) Suffix beginning with F ''Empire Fabian'' ''Empire Fabian'' was an Empire F type coaster which was built by Henry Scarr Ltd, Hessle, Yorkshire. Laid down as ''CHANT 15'' and renamed ''Fabric 15'' before launch. Launched on 9 July 1944 as ' ...

* List of Empire ships (G) *

List of Empire ships (H) Suffix beginning with H ''Empire Haig'' '' Empire Haig'' was a 9,912 GRT cargo liner which was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow. Launched on 6 October 1944 and completed in December 1944. Sailed Greenock to Bombay 28 Jan 1945 for Ellerma ...

List of Empire ships (I–J) Suffix beginning with I ''Empire Ibex'' '' Empire Ibex'' was a 7,208 GRT (9,600 DWT) cargo ship which was built by Skinner & Eddy Corp. Seattle. Completed in 1918 as ''Edgefield'' for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). To MoWT in 19 ...

List of Empire ships (K) Suffix beginning with K ''Empire Kamal'' '' Empire Kamal'' was a cargo ship which was built by Bremer Vulkan Schiff- und Maschinenbau, Vegesack. Launched in 1938 as ''Hohenfels'' for DDG Hansa, Bremen. Scuttled on 25 August 1941 at Bandar ...

List of Empire ships (L) Suffix beginning with L ''Empire Labrador'' '' Empire Labrador'' was a 3,539 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool. Launched on 19 August 1944 and completed in October 1944. Sold in 1949 to Williamson & Co ...

* List of Empire ships (M) * List of Empire ships (N) * List of Empire ships (O) *

List of Empire ships (P) Suffix beginning with P ''Empire Pacific'' ''Empire Pacific'' was a 984- GRT (1,200 DWT) coaster which was built by Burntisland Shipbuilding Company Ltd. Sold in 1949 to the Straits Steamship Co Ltd, Singapore and renamed ''Buloh''. Sold in ...

List of Empire ships (R) Suffix beginning with R ''Empire Rabaul'' ''Empire Rabaul'' was a 7,307 Gross register tonnage (GRT) cargo ship which was built by John Readhead & Sons Ltd, South Shields. Launched on 27 November 1944 and completed in February 1945. Sold i ...

* List of Empire ships (Sa–Sh) * List of Empire ships (Si–Sy) * List of Empire ships (Ta–Te) * List of Empire ships (Th–Ty) *

List of Empire ships (U–Z) Suffix beginning with U ''Empire Unicorn'' '' Empire Unicorn'' was a 7,067 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool. Launched on 29 October 1943 and completed in December 1943. Allocated in 1945 to the French ...

List of Empire ships built in the United States {{unreferenced, date=January 2023 A list of Empire ships that were of United States origin. See Lists of Empire ships for references. 4 Ships built prior to the establishment of the United States Shipping Board * Chicago Shipbuilding Company ** ...

(122)

References

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