SS ''Empire Peacemaker'' was a British

convoy rescue ship 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 ...

that served at the end of World War II, originally laid down as the corvette . Post-war she served as an Army transport ship before being scrapped in 1955.

Ship history

The ship was ordered from Fleming & Ferguson Ltd. of Paisley on 23 January 1943 as a . She was launched on 8 September 1944 as ''Scarborough Castle'' (K536), but further work was then cancelled, and she was eventually completed as a convoy rescue ship in January 1945. Under the ownership of 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 ...

, and managed by the Ellerman City Line, she sailed on eight convoys between early February and the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. During that time she rescued three survivors from an aircraft which had overrun the flight deck of the

MAC ship A merchant aircraft carrier (also known as a MAC ship, the Admiralty's official 'short name') was a limited-purpose aircraft carrier operated under British and Dutch civilian registry during World War II. MAC ships were adapted by adding a flig ...

. Post-war she was transferred to the Transport Branch of the

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and d ...

for service as a

troop transport A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

. In October 1945 she sailed from the Clyde to

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near i ...

to repatriate a Royal Navy Shore Party. In January 1946 she made three voyages between

Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...

and

St. Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; french: Saint-Hélier) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St Helier has a population of 35,822 – over one-third of the total population of Jersey – ...

, Jersey, carrying returning service personnel. In 1952 ''Empire Peacemaker'', ''

Empire Shelter SS ''Empire Shelter'' was a convoy rescue ship built for the Royal Navy during World War II, originally laid down as the HMS ''Barnard Castle'' (pennant number K594). Completed a month before the end of the war in May 1945, she made a few shor ...

'' and ''

Empire Lifeguard ''Empire Lifeguard'' (K443) was a convoy rescue ship of the Second World War. Initially built as HMS ''Maiden Castle'' - one of 44 built for the Royal Navy - she was completed in 1944 as a convoy rescue ship to pick up survivors from attacks ...

'' provided a shuttle ferry service for Army personnel between

Port Said Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of ...

, Egypt, and

Famagusta Famagusta ( , ; el, Αμμόχωστος, Ammóchostos, ; tr, Gazimağusa or ) is a city on the east coast of Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the Middle Ages (especially under t ...

, Cyprus, as well as making occasional troop movement voyages to Libya and Malta. ''Empire Peacemaker'' was finally laid up at

Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth ( ; kw, Aberfala) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,797 (2011 census). Etymology The name Falmouth is of English ...

, in 1954. In July 1955 she was sold to a Belgian shipbreaker and was towed to Antwerp, and was broken up by Jos de Smedt in Burght in December.

Convoys

''Empire Peacemaker'' sailed on the following convoys: * OS/KMS-110KM — River Clyde to Gibraltar (February 1945) * MKS-82G — Gibraltar to Liverpool (February 1945) * OS/KMS-114KM — Southend to Gibraltar (March 1945) * MKS-86G — Gibraltar to Liverpool (March 1945) * OS/KMS-118KM — Clyde to Gibraltar (March 1945) * MKS-90G — Gibraltar to Liverpool (March 1945) * ON-296 — Liverpool to New York City (April 1945) * HX-354 — New York City to Liverpool (May 1945)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Peacemaker 1944 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Castle-class corvettes Empire ships

Ship history

Convoys

See also

References

External links