| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow |
| Yard number | 998 |
| Launched | 27 June 1944 |
| Completed | September 1944 |
| Identification |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 432 ft 7 in (131.85 m) |
| Beam | 56 ft 2 in (17.12 m) |
| Depth | 34 ft 4 in (10.46 m) |
| Propulsion | 1 x triple expansion steam engine (Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow) 560 hp (420 kW) |
| Capacity | 285,644 cubic feet (8,088.5 m3) refrigerated cargo space |
Empire Balfour was a 7,201 tonrefrigerated cargo ship which was built byLithgows Ltd,Port Glasgow in 1944 for theMinistry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold to her managers in 1949 and renamedBarton Grange. In 1958 she was sold to the Western Steamship Co Ltd,Hong Kong and renamedSunlight. In 1962, she was sold to the Pan-Norse Steamship Co SA,Panama, serving for a further five years until scrapped in 1967.
Empire Balfour was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow as yard number 998. She was launched on 27 June 1945 and completed in September 1944.[1] She was initially operated under the management ofElders & Fyffes Ltd,[2] and thenHoulder Brothers & Co Ltd,[3]Newport,Monmouthshire.[4]
Empire Balfour was a member of a number of convoys during theSecond World War
Convoy SC 160 sailed fromHalifax,Nova Scotia on 2 November 1944 and arrived atLiverpool on 17 November.Empire Balfour was carrying a cargo of meat, mail, and general cargo, with a destination ofAvonmouth.[5]
Convoy SC 166 sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on 31 January 1945 and arrived at Liverpool on 13 February.Empire Balfour carried theCommodore of the convoy. She was carrying a cargo of meat, metal and general cargo, with a destination of Liverpool.[6]
In 1947, Houlder Line reported that during 1946 they had takenEmpire Balfour onbareboat charter for a period of three years.[7] In 1949,Empire Balfour was sold to her managers for approximately£165,000 and renamedBarton Grange. She was converted from coal to oil fuel and improvements made in the crew's accommodation at a cost of £45,000.[8] She served withHoulder Brothers for another nine years. In 1958,Barton Grange was sold to the Western Steamship Co Ltd,[1]Hong Kong[9] and renamedSunlight. She was operated under the management of Wang Kee & Co Ltd, Hong Kong. After serving with Western for four years,Sunlight was sold to the Pan-Norse Steamship Co SA,Panama. She was operated under the management of Wallem & Co Ltd, Hong Kong. She served for five years with Pan-Norse.Sunlight arrived on 30 March 1967 at Hong Kong for scrapping.[1]
Official Numbers were a forerunner toIMO Numbers.
Empire Balfour had the UKOfficial Number 169514 and used theCode Letters GFLW.[3]
