SS Tobruk
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: |
Empire Builder (1941-42) Tobruk (1942-68) |
| Owner: |
Ministry of War Transport (1941-42) Polish Government (1942-51) Polskie Linie Oceaniczne (1951-68) |
| Operator: |
Gdynia America Shipping Lines Ltd (1942-51) Polskie Linie Oceaniczne (1951-68) |
| Port of registry: |
 West Hartlepool (1941-42)22x20px Gdynia (1942-46)  Gdynia (1946-68) |
| Builder: | William Gray & Co Ltd |
| Yard number: | 1123 |
| Launched: | 19 November 1941 |
| Completed: | January 1942 |
| Out of service: | 1967 |
| Identification: | IMO Number 5616130 ( -1968) |
| Fate: | Scrapped June 1968 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: |
7,090 GRT (Empire Builder) 7,048 (Tobruk) 5,050 NRT (Empire Builder) 4,977 NRT (Tobruk) 10,400 DWT (Tobruk) |
| Length: | 430 feet (131.06 m) |
| Beam: | 56 feet 2 inches (17.12 m) |
| Depth: | 35 feet 2 inches (10.72 m) |
| Propulsion: | 1 x triple expansion steam engine |
| Speed: | 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h) |
Tobruk was a 7,090 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1941 as Empire Builder by W Gray & Sons Ltd for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). On completion she was handed over to the Polish government-in-exile and renamed Tobruk. She was sold in 1951 to Polskie Linie Oceaniczne and served until 1967. She was scrapped in 1968.
Description
Empire Builder was built by William Gray & Sons Ltd, West Hartlepool.[1] She was yard number 1123. Empire Builder was launched on 19 November 1941 and completed in January 1942.[2]
The ship was 430 feet (131.06 m) long, with a beam of 56 feet 2 inches (17.12 m) and a depth of 35 feet 2 inches (10.72 m). She was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine which had cylinders of 24½ inches (62 cm), 42 inches (110 cm) and 70 inches (180 cm) bore by 48 inches (120 cm) stroke. The engine was built by Central Marine Engine Works, West Hartlepool.[3] It could propel her at 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h)[4] Empire Builder was listed on Lloyds Register as having a GRT of 7,090 and a NRT of 5,050.[3] Tobruk was listed on Lloyds Register as having a GRT of 7,048 and a NRT of 4,977.[5] Her DWT was 10,500.[4]
Career
Empire Builder's port of registry was West Hartlepool.[3] On completion, she was handed over to the Polish Government and renamed Tobruk.[1] Her port of registry was changed to Gdynia.[5]
Tobruk was operated under the management of Gdynia-America Shipping Lines Ltd. She was a member of a number of convoys during the Second World War.
- PQ 13
Convoy PQ 13 departed Loch Ewe on 10 March 1942 and arrived at Murmansk, Soviet Union on 31 March having lost six ships to enemy action. A further two were sunk at Murmansk after the convoy's arrival.[6] Tobruk was damaged by enemy bombing at Murmansk, repairs took about six months to complete.[7]
- QP 14
Convoy QP 14 departed Murmansk on 13 September 1942 and arrived at Loch Ewe on 26 September, having lost four ships to enemy action.[8] Tobruk was carrying a cargo of Apatite. She departed Murmansk on 8 September bound for Archangelsk, from where she joined the convoy.[7]
- SL 178
Convoy SL 178 departed Freetown, Sierra Leone on 25 November 1944 and arrived at Liverpool on 15 December. Tobruk was on a voyage from Pepel to Barry, Glamorgan. She was carrying a cargo of iron ore and two passengers.[9] On 9 December, a deceased seaman from Tobruk was buried at sea.[10]
Postwar, Tobruk continued in Polish Government service until 1951 when she was sold to Polskie Linie Oceaniczne.[1] She served until 1967,[4] and was scrapped at Gdynia in June 1968.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mitchell, W H, and Sawyer, L A (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 ""5616130"" (subscription required). Miramar Ship Index. R.B. Haworth. http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "LLOYD'S REGISTER, STEAMERS & MOTORSHIPS". Plimsoll Ship Data. http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=41b0991.pdf. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Tobruk". Polish Ocean Lines. http://www.pol.com.pl/?sub=3&sub2=t&statek=420. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "LLOYD'S REGISTER, NAVIRES A VAPEUR ET A MOTEURS". Plimsoll Ship Data. http://www.plimsollshipdata.org/pdffile.php?name=41b1050.pdf. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ↑ "Convoy PQ 13". Warsailors. http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/pq13.html. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Report of SBNO (extracts) - September 1942". Halcyon-class. http://www.halcyon-class.co.uk/SBNOreports/sep_1942.htm. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ↑ "The Arctic Convoy's". Toys out of the Pram. http://www.toysoutofthepram.com/html/rfa_convoys.html. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ↑ "Convoy SL.178 / MKS.69". Convoyweb. http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sl/index.html?sl178.htm~slmain. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ↑ The National Archives (UK), ref ADM 217/591 Retrieved 29 December 2009
