Service Empire ship

war service

empire ships involved in convoy duty, including atlantic convoys bringing essential supplies united states; military convoys north africa; military convoys around cape of hope prosecute war in middle east; coastal convoys around shores of britain; mediterranean convoys, including supporting defence of malta , arctic convoys north russia.

they took active role supporting invasions of north africa, sicily , italy , in normandy assault , in assaults on german-held ports of western europe. in june 1944 ninety-seven empire merchant ships involved in cross-channel convoys carried troops , supplies ready normandy invasion. empire landing craft involved in assault phase, , empire coasters involved in beaching of supplies , in ferrying cargo larger merchant ships anchored off-shore.

the success of normandy invasion depended on successful construction of mulberry ports. these prefabricated ports, constructed @ southampton, gosport, portsmouth, tilbury docks, , far north birkenhead , hartlepool. 2 hundred tugs took 3 months tow components of harbours constructed assembly areas on south coast. between 7 june 1944 , end of july, tugs towed materials across channel normandy.

before d-day, sixty old merchant ships , 4 old warships selected blockships, scuttled in line give protection small craft. blockships stripped before setting out in convoy across channel. empire tugs used ensure safe crossing. on reaching normandy scuttled in 5 groups, codenamed gooseberry 1 gooseberry 5. gooseberry 4 @ juno beach included 4 empire ships: empire bunting, empire flamingo, empire moorhen , empire waterhen. gooseberry 5 @ ouistreham included 3 empire ships: empire defiance, empire tamar , empire tana. between 19 , 23 june 1944 severe gale, damaged many of mulberry harbours , wrecked of blockships. additional blockships added in july 1944, including 1 more empire ship, empire bittern, , 2 of former empire ships had been transferred norwegians: norfalk (formerly empire kittiwake) , norjerv (formerly empire eagle).

post war service

empire windrush

at end of war, tankers released requisition completed voyages after 31 december 1945 , dry cargo ships after voyages completed after 2 march 1946. however, passenger , troopships still involved in repatriation of servicemen, prisoners of war , refugees. government therefore converted several captured german passenger ships empire troop ships. these included empire fowey, empire halladale, empire ken, empire orwell, empire trooper , empire windrush.

empire comfort, empire lifeguard, empire peacemaker , empire shelter smaller troopships operating in mediterranean sea; empire parkeston , empire wansbeck operated troopships between harwich , hook of holland.