Ocean ship
From SpottingWorld, the Hub for the SpottingWorld network...
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | various |
| Operators: | Ministry of War Transport |
| Built: | October 1941 - November 42 |
| In service: | 1941 - 1985[1] |
| Completed: | 57 |
| Lost: | 18 (to enemy action) 8 (accidents) |
| Scrapped: | 33 (including two ships lost to enemy action and subsequently salvaged) |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage: | 7,174 GRT |
| Length: | 416 feet (126.80 m) |
| Beam: | 57 feet (17.37 m) |
| Installed power: | Triple expansion steam engine |
| Speed: | 11 knots (20 km/h) |
The Ocean ships were a class of 57 cargo ships built in the Second World War for the Ministry of War Transport. 16 were lost to enemy action, and the survivors were sold into merchant service postwar.
Description
The Oceans were of steel construction with a welded hull. They were all nominally 7,174 GRT with a length of 416 feet (126.80 m) and a beam of 57 feet (17 m). They were built by a variety of shipbuilders in the United States.[2]
History
The Oceans were originally built for the MoWT. Five of them were transferred to foreign governments during the war.[2]
| Country | Ship |
|---|---|
| 22x20px Belgium | Ocean Veteran |
 Netherlands
|
Ocean Athlete Ocean Merchant Ocean Victory |
 Poland
|
Ocean Hope |
Eighteen ships were lost to enemy action during the war, although two were later salvaged and returned to service.
| Ship | Details |
|---|---|
| Ocean Courage | Torpedoed on 15 January 1943 and sunk by Template:GS at 10°52′N 23°28′W / 10.867°N 23.467°W.[3] |
| Ocean Crusader | Torpedoed on 26 November 1942 and sunk by Template:GS at 50°30′N 45°30′W / 50.5°N 45.5°W with the loss of all hands.[3] |
| Ocean Freedom | Bombed on 13 March 1943 by the Luftwaffe and sunk at Murmansk. Refloated on 1 June 1943 and beached in the Kola Inlet where she was scrapped.[3] |
| Ocean Honour | Torpedoed on 16 September 1942 and sunk by I-29 at 12°48′N 50°50′E / 12.8°N 50.833°E[3] |
| Ocean Justice | Torpedoed on 6 November 1942 and sunk by Template:GS at 10°06′N 60°00′W / 10.1°N 60°W.[3] |
| Ocean Hunter | Torpedoed on 10 January 1944 and sunk by Luftwaffe aircraft at 36°07′N 00°11′W / 36.117°N 0.183°W.[3] |
| Ocean Might | Torpedoed on 2 September 1942 and sunk by Template:GS at 00°57′N 04°11′W / 0.95°N 4.183°W.[3] |
| Ocean Peace | Bombed on 12 July 1943 and sunk by Luftwaffe aircraft at 36°55′N 15°13′E / 36.917°N 15.217°E.[3] |
| Ocean Seaman | Torpedoed on 15 March 1943 by Template:GS at 36°55′N 01°59′E / 36.917°N 1.983°E. Beached at Algiers, Algeria but declared a total loss.[3] |
| Ocean Vagabond | Torpedoed on 10 January 1943 and sunk by Template:GS at 57°17′N 20°11′W / 57.283°N 20.183°W.[4] |
| Ocean Vanguard | Torpedoed on 17 September 1942 and sunk by Template:GS at 10°43′N 60°11′W / 10.717°N 60.183°W.[4] |
| Ocean Venture | Torpedoed on 8 September 1942 and sunk by Template:GS at 37°05′N 74°46′W / 37.083°N 74.767°W.[4] |
| Ocean Venus | Torpedoed on 3 May 1942 and sunk by Template:GS at 28°23′N 80°21′W / 28.383°N 80.35°W.[4] |
| Ocean Viking | Struck a mine on 11 October 1943 at 40°19′N 16°59′E / 40.317°N 16.983°E and badly damaged. Scuttled as a breakwater at Bari, Italy in January 1944. Salvaged in 1947, repaired and returned to service.[4] |
| Ocean Vintage | Torpedoed on 22 October 1943 and sunk by I-27 at 21°37′N 60°06′E / 21.617°N 60.1°E.[4] |
| Ocean Virtue | Bombed by the Luftwaffe off Augusta, Sicily, caught fire and sank. Salvaged later that year and later rebuilt as a cargo liner.[4] |
| Ocean Voice | Torpedoed on 22 September and sunk by Template:GS at 71°23′N 11°01′W / 71.383°N 11.017°W.[4] |
| Ocean Voyager | Bombed by the Luftwaffe on 19 March 1943 off Tripoli, Libya. Caught fire, exploded and sank.[4] |
Eight ships were lost in accidents postwar.
| Country | Ship |
|---|---|
| Ocean Liberty | On 14 May 1966, Newgrove ran aground at Puerto Padre, Cuba. The wreck was abandoned to the Cuban Government.[3] |
| Ocean Pride | In 1966, Susana K L suffered a fire in her boiler room, and was subsequently scrapped.[3] |
| Ocean Traveller | In 1959, Cape Corso was involved in a collsion and grounding. She was subsequently scrapped.[3] |
| Ocean Verity | On 5 November 1961, Clan Keith sank after hitting rocks off Cap Bon, Tunisia.[4] |
| Ocean Viceroy | On 13 November 1966, cargo onboard Omonia II caught fire when the ship was berthed at Amsterdam, Netherlands. The ship was subsequently scrapped.[4] |
| Ocean Vigil | On 3 December 1963, Roumeli was grounded after leaving drydock at Gijón, Spain. She was subsequently beached and scrapped.[4] |
| Ocean Wanderer | On 2 November 1962, Santa Irene was wrecked on the Los Cabezos Shoal, off Tarifa, Spain.[4] |
| Ocean Wayfarer | In 1953, Clan Macquarrie grounded off Troon, Scotland in a storm and was subsequently scrapped.[4] |
The Oceans served until the mid 1980s, with Ocean Athlete being scrapped in 1985. Ocean Merchant was on Chinese shipping registers as Zhan Dou 26 until 1992.[3]
References
- ↑ Last confirmed scrapping, two ships may have been in service until the 1990s
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "THE 'OCEANS'". Mariners. http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/OCEAN.html. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 "OCEAN A - T". Mariners. http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/Ocean1.html. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 "OCEAN V - W". Mariners. http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/Ocean2.html. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
.svg){kind=link}