| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Empire Cromwell |
| Owner | Ministry of War Transport |
| Operator | Lambert Brothers Ltd |
| Port of registry |  London, United Kingdom |
| Builder | William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd |
| Launched | 8 July 1941 |
| Completed | September 1941 |
| Out of service | 28 November 1942 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 5,970 GRT |
| Length | 401 ft 0 in (122.22 m) |
| Beam | 54 ft 0 in (16.46 m) |
| Depth | 33 ft 2 in (10.11 m) |
| Propulsion | Triple expansion steam engine |
| Complement | 40 + 9 DEMS gunners. |
Empire Cromwell was a 5,970 GRTcargo ship that was built in 1941 by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd,Sunderland, Co Durham,United Kingdom for theMinistry of War Transport (MoWT). She wastorpedoed and sunk offTrinidad on 28 November 1942 byU-508.
Empire Cromwell was built in 1941 by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd,Sunderland.[1]
Empire Cromwell was 401 feet 0 inches (122.22 m) long, with a beam of 54 feet 0 inches (16.46 m). She had a depth of 33 feet 2 inches (10.11 m). She was assessed at 5,970 GRT, 3,577 NRT.[2]
Empire Cromwell was propelled by atriple expansion steam engine, which had cylinders of23+1⁄2 inches (60 cm), 38 inches (97 cm) and 66 inches (170 cm) diameter by 45 inches (110 cm) stroke. The engine was built by George Clark (1938) Ltd, Sunderland.[2]
Empire Cromwell was built for the MoWT.[1] The United KingdomOfficial Number 168920 andCode Letters BCNW were allocated.[2] Her port of registry wasLondon and she was operated under the management of Lambert Brothers Ltd, London.[3]
Empire Cromer was completed in September 1941. She made her maiden voyage on 20 September,[4] when she joined Convoy EC 75, which had departedSouthend,Essex on 18 September and arrived atLoch Ewe on 23 September.[5] From Loch Ewe, she joined Convoy ON 20, which had departed fromLiverpool,Lancashire on 25 September and dispersed at sea on 9 October.[6] She then sailed to theHampton Roads,Virginia,United States and then toTampa, Florida, arriving on 26 October. Departing Tampa on 30 October, she returned to the Hampton Roads and then sailed toSydney, Cape Breton,Canada, where she arrived on 9 November. The next day,[4] she joined Convoy SC 54, which arrived at Liverpool on 26 November.Empire Cromwell was carrying a cargo ofphosphates.[7] She left the convoy on 27 November at Loch Ewe,[4] joining Convoy WN 211, which departedOban,Argyllshire that day and arrived atMethil,Fife on 30 November.[8] She then joined Convoy FS662, which departed Methil the next day and arrived at Southend on 3 December.[9] She left the convoy atImmingham,Lincolnshire, arriving on 4 December.
Empire Cromwell departed from Immingham to join Convoy FN583A, which had departed from Southend on 21 December and arrived at Methil on 23 December.[10] She then joined Convoy EN 24, which departed Methil the next day and arrived at Loch Ewe on 28 December.Empire Cromwell wasin ballast.[11] She left the convoy at Loch Ewe on 27 December and then sailed toBermuda, from where she departed on 21 January 1942 forGalveston, Texas, arriving on 28 January. A voyage was made toHouston and back, beforeEmpire Cromwell returned to Houston, departing on 12 February for the Hampton Roads. She then sailed toHalifax,Nova Scotia to join Convoy SC 73,[4] which departed on 6 March and arrived at Liverpool on 24 March. She was the first ship in the convoy to leave port, and was carrying general cargo.[12] She left the convoy on 23 March at theBelfast Lough. Two days later, she joined Convoy BB 153,[4] which arrived atMilford Haven,Pembrokeshire the next day.[13] She then sailed toSwansea,Glamorgan, arriving on 26 March.[4]Empire Cromwell sailed from Swansea to Milford Haven to join Convoy WP 134,[4] which departed on 30 April and arrived atPortsmouth,Hampshire the next day.[14] Her destination was nearbySouthampton.[4]
Empire Cromwell departed from Southampton on 17 April to join Convoy PW 142,[4] which departed the next day and arrived at Milford Haven on 19 April.[15] She then made a voyage toCardiff, Glamorgan and back. On 1 May,[4] she left Milford Haven to join Convoy OS 27, which departed from Liverpool on 2 May and arrived atFreetown,Sierra Leone on 19 May. She was carrying a cargo of stores bound forSuez,Egypt.[16] From Freetown,Empire Cromwell sailed viaDurban,South Africa,Lourenço Marques,Mozambique andAden to Suez, where she arrived on 15 August. She then sailed toPort Said andHaifa,Palestine. Two return voyages were made toBeirut,Syria and the Lebanon before she returned to Port Said, arriving on 19 September. She then sailed to Suez, Aden and Lourenço Marques before arriving on 2 November atCape Town, South Africa.[4]
Empire Cromwell departed Cape Town on 4 November,[4] forTrinidad andNew York, United States. She was carrying 1,000 tons ofchrome ore. At 02:17German time on 28 November,Empire Cromwell wastorpedoed and sunk at9°00′N58°30′W / 9.000°N 58.500°W /9.000; -58.500 byU-508,[17] under the command ofGeorg Staats. Of her crew of 40, plus nineDEMS gunners, 21 crew and 3 DEMS gunners were killed. The 25 survivors were rescued on 30 November by BritishMotor Torpedo Boats and taken toPort of Spain, Trinidad.[3] Those lost onEmpire Cromwell are commemorated at theTower Hill Memorial, London.[18]
