SS ''Empire Galahad'' was a

refrigerated Refrigeration is any of various types of cooling of a space, substance, or system to lower and/or maintain its temperature below the ambient one (while the removed heat is ejected to a place of higher temperature).IIR International Dictionary of ...

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 List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

built in 1942 and scrapped in 1967. She was also called SS ''Celtic Star'' (1946), SS ''Murillo'' (1946–52), SS ''Bogliasco'' (1952–54), MV ''Bogliasco'' (1954–63) and MV ''Ocean Peace'' (1963–67). She was built as a

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

, but in 1954 she was converted into a

motor ship A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The names of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V. Engines for motorships were developed during the 1890s, and by th ...

. She was scrapped in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

in 1967.

Background

Empire ship 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 c ...

s were civilian vessels in

UK Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

service. Their names were all prefixed with "Empire". Mostly they were used during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 Transpor ...

(MoWT), who owned the ships but contracted out their management to various shipping lines. Some ships requisitioned during the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...

were also given the ''Empire'' prefix. They were acquired from a number of sources. Many were built for the MoWT, others obtained from the USA, still others were captured or seized from enemy powers.

History

Lithgows Lithgows Limited is a family-owned Scottish company that had a long involvement in shipbuilding, based in Kingston, Port Glasgow, on the River Clyde in Scotland. It has a continued involvement in marine resources. History Founding The Company ...

Port Glasgow Port Glasgow (, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recent census in 2011 s ...

built ''Empire Galahad'' for the MoWT. She was launched on Monday 18 May 1942 and completed in July. ''Empire Galahad'' spent the war years under the management of

Blue Star Line The Blue Star Line was a Merchant Navy (United Kingdom), British passenger and cargo shipping company formed in 1911, being in operation until 1998. Formation Blue Star Line was formed as an initiative by the Vestey Brothers, a Liverpool-ba ...

War service

''Empire Galahad'' took part in the following convoys: * SL 123, which sailed from

Freetown, Sierra Leone 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 an ...

on 23 September 1942 and arrived in the UK on 13 October 1942. * SC 122, which sailed from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

on 5 March 1943 and arrived at

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

on 24 March. ''Empire Galahad'' was carrying general cargo, meat and a passenger. She joined this convoy from convoy HX 228. * MKS 22, which sailed from

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, 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, e ...

on 14 August 1943 and arrived at

on 6 September. ''Empire Galahad'' was carrying a refrigerated cargo and also

linseed Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of the ...

. * SL 143, which sailed from

on 12 December 1943 and arrived in the UK on 5 January 1944. * SL 157, which sailed from

on 1 May 1944 and arrived in the UK on 23 May 1944. * SL 169, which sailed from

on 29 August 1944 and arrived in the UK on 16 September 1944. * MKS 74, which sailed from Mediterranean on 31 December 1944 and arrived in the UK on 8 January 1945. * KMS 83, which sailed from

on 6 February 1945 and arrived at

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

on 12 February. ''Empire Galahad'' was in ballast, and sailed from

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was ...

, with an eventual destination of the River Plate She was armed with a gun and eight machine guns.

Post war

In 1946 Blue Star bought her and renamed her ''Celtic Star'', after a previous sunk by enemy action in 1943. Blue Star was part of the

Vestey Group Vestey Holdings, formerly Vestey Group and previously also known as Vestey Brothers, is a privately owned United Kingdom group of companies comprising an international business focused mainly on food products and services. The company has owned ...

, and the ship was quickly transferred to another company in the group, Lamport and Holt. She was renamed ''Murillo'', making her the second Lamport and Holt ship to carry that name. In 1952 she was sold to Industriale Maritime, renamed ''Bogliasco'' and registered in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. In 1954, the original

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 (engine), cylinder, then ha ...

made by JG Kincaid of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

was replaced with a six-cylinder

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a four-stroke engine which re ...

single cycle single-acting

marine Diesel engine Marine propulsion is the mechanism or system used to generate thrust to move a watercraft through water. While paddles and sails are still used on some smaller boats, most modern ships are propelled by mechanical systems consisting of an electr ...

made by Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico,

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

. She served for a total of nine years before being sold in 1963 to Ocean Shipping & Enterprises, who renamed her ''Ocean Peace''and registered her in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. She was sold for scrap in 1967, and arrived at

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...

for scrapping on 12 September 1967.

Official number and call sign

Official Numbers were a forerunner of

IMO Numbers The IMO number of the International Maritime Organization is a generic term with two distinct applications: * the IMO ship identification number is a unique ship identifier; or, * the IMO company and registered owner identification number is us ...

. ''Empire Galahad''s UK

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 ...

was 168985 and her

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

was BDYN.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Galahad 1942 ships Empire ships Merchant ships of Italy Merchant ships of Panama Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Clyde Ships of the Lamport and Holt Line Ships of the Blue Star Line Steamships of Italy Steamships of Panama Steamships of the United Kingdom World War II merchant ships of the United Kingdom