''Nelson Star'' 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 liner A cargo liner, also known as a passenger-cargo ship or passenger-cargoman, is a type of merchant ship which carries general cargo and often passengers. They became common just after the middle of the 19th century, and eventually gave way to conta ...

that was built in 1942 for 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). In 1946 she was sold to

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 ...

and renamed ''Gothic Star''. She was renamed ''Nelson Star'' in 1948 and ''Patagonia Star'' in 1958. In 1961, she was sold and renamed ''Eirini''. In 1970, she was sold to Cypriot owners and renamed ''Byzantium''. After engine damage and a fire while laid up, she was scrapped in 1971.

Description

The ship was built in Belfast by

Harland & Wolff Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...

Ltd as yard number 1125. She was a refrigerated cargo liner. She was launched on 25 August 1942 and completed in January 1943. The ship was long, with a beam of and a depth of . She had a GRT of 7,365 and a NRT of 5,135. She was propelled by a

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...

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 ...

, which had six cylinders diameter by stroke. The engine was built by Harland and Wolff but was a

Burmeister & Wain Burmeister & Wain was a large established Danish shipyard and leading diesel engine producer headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded by two Danes and an Englishman, its earliest roots stretch back to 1846. Over its 150-year history, it g ...

design from

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

History

''Empire Castle'' was built for the MoWT, who appointed Federal Steam Navigation Co Ltd to manage her. She was allocated the 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 ...

168520. The

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 ...

BFDM were allocated and her port of registry was Belfast. ''Empire Castle'' was a member of a number of

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

s in the

Second World War 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 ...

. ;UC 1 Convoy UC 1 left

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 15 February 1943 bound for

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 * ...

. ''Empire Castle'' was in ballast. ;ON 189 Convoy ON 189 left

Loch Ewe Loch Ewe () is a sea loch in the region of Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The shores are inhabited by a traditionally Gàidhlig-speaking people living in or sustained by crofting villages, the most notable of which, si ...

on 16 June 1943 bound for the USA. ''Empire Castle'' was a member of this convoy. In 1944 management of ''Empire Castle'' was transferred to Blue Star Line. She was sold to the Blue Star Line on 30 May 1945 and renamed ''Gothic Star'', the second Blue Star Line ship to bear that name. She was renamed ''Nelson Star'' in 1947, and ''Patagonia Star'' in 1958, the second Blue Star Line ship to carry that name. In May 1961 ''Patagonia Star'' was sold to Gregory Maritime Ltd,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and renamed ''Eirini''. With the introduction of

IMO Number 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 u ...

s, she was allocated number 5099032. ''Eirini'' served with Gregory's for nine years. She was sold in 1970 to Angila Shipping Co Ltd,

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and renamed ''Byzantium''. On 29 September 1970, she put into

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 ...

with damaged machinery and was laid up. On 6 February 1971, she caught fire. The accommodation and bridge deck were gutted. She was then taken to

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. On 31 July 1971, ''Byzantium'' sailed for Puerto Santa Maria, where scrapping by ''Desguaces y Recuperaciones del Sur SL'' began on 17 August.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson Star 1942 ships Cargo liners Empire ships Merchant ships of Cyprus Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in 1971 Ministry of War Transport ships Ships built by Harland and Wolff Ships built in Belfast Ships of the Blue Star Line