| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Richardson, Duck & Co[1] |
| Yard number | 651[2] |
| Launched | 20 March 1917 |
| Completed | June 1917[1] |
| Out of service | 20 June 1940 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Torpedoed and sunk |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 400.3 ft (122.0 m)[1] |
| Beam | 51.6 ft (15.7 m)[1] |
| Draught | 26 feet (7.9 m)[1] |
| Depth | 32.9 ft (10.0 m)[1] |
| Installed power | 440NHP[1] |
| Propulsion | 3-cylinderTriple expansion steam engine; screw[1] |
| Speed | 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Crew | 41 (Empire Conveyor) |
| Notes | Laid up 1932–34 |
Empire Conveyor was a 5,911 GRT shelter deckcargo ship that was built in 1917 asFarnworth byRichardson, Duck and Company,[1]Thornaby-on-Tees,England. After a sale in 1924 she was renamedIllinois. In 1926, she was sold toFrance, and in 1934 toGreece and was renamedMount Pentelikon. In 1939, she was sold toGermany and was renamedGloria.
At the outbreak of the Second World War she was inBuenos Aires,Argentina. She tried to return to Germany but was captured by theRoyal Navy, passed to theMinistry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamedEmpire Conveyor. She served until 20 June 1940 when she wastorpedoed and sunk byU-122 offBarra Head.
The ship was 400 feet 3 inches (122.00 m) long, with a beam of 51 feet 6 inches (15.70 m). She had a depth of 32 feet 9 inches (9.98 m) and a draught of 25 feet11+1⁄2 inches (7.912 m).[3] She was assessed at 5,711 GRT, 3,589 NRT.[3]
The ship had nine corrugated furnaces with a combined grate area of 192 feet (59 m) heating her three single-ended 180lbf/in2 boilers, which had a combined heating surface of 7,171 square feet (666 m2).[3] The boilers fed a 440NHPtriple expansion steam engine that was built by Blair & Co Ltd ofStockton-on-Tees.[3] It had cylinders of 27 inches (69 cm),44+1⁄2 inches (113 cm) and 74 inches (190 cm) diameter, by 48 inches (120 cm) stroke[3] and could propel the ship at 10 knots (19 km/h).[4]
Richardson, Duck and Company ofThornaby-on-Tees builtFarnworth was built for R.S. Dalgleish Ltd,Newcastle upon Tyne and completed her in June 1917.[3][5] She was allocated the United Kingdom Official Number 140672.[1]Farnworth was used on routes serving the east and west coast of theUnited States, theCaribbean andWest Indies.[6] In 1924, she was sold to the Harlem Steamship Co Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne and was renamedIllinois.[5] She was initially operated under the management of F Newson. Later in 1924, management was transferred to Brown, Jenkinson & Co Ltd. In 1926 she was transferred toCompagnie Générale Transatlantique.[7] Her port of registry wasLe Havre and theCode Letters OTRW were allocated.[8] On 17 March 1932,Illinois was laid up atRoscanvel.[7] In 1934,Illinois was sold toKulukundis Shipping Co,Piraeus,Greece and renamedMount Pentelikon.[2] She was placed under the management ofRethymnis & Kulukundis Ltd. Her port of registry was changed to Piraeus and the Code Letters SVAV were allocated.[3]
In 1939,Mount Pentelikon was sold to Orion SchiffahrtsGmbH,Rostock,Germany.[5] She was operated under the management of E Behnke.[7] The Code Letters DHBB were allocated.[9] At the outbreak of the Second World WarGloria was atBuenos Aires,Argentina. She departed Buenos Aires on 6 October,[5] bound forHamburg.[10] On 21 October she was captured south-east ofIceland (65°30′N22°05′W / 65.500°N 22.083°W /65.500; -22.083) byHMS Sheffield, escorted intoKirkwall and then taken toLeith.[5] During the voyage into Kirkwall, three of her crew attempted to escape bylifeboat but were recaptured and taken toMethil,Scotland.[11]
Gloria was passed to the MoWT and renamedEmpire Conveyor.[2] Her port of registry was changed to London, and the Code Letters GLTN were allocated.[1]Empire Conveyor regained her Official Number 140572. She was placed under the management of H Hogarth & Sons Ltd. On 20 June 1940,Empire Conveyor wastorpedoed byU-122 50 nautical miles (93 km) south west ofBarra Head, Scotland at56°16′N8°10′W / 56.267°N 8.167°W /56.267; -8.167. Her radio aerials were damaged in the attack andEmpire Conveyor was unable to call for assistance. She was spotted by aRoyal Air ForceSunderland aircraft, which attackedU-122 and drove her away. The crew of the Sunderland raised the alarm, and thetugHMS Amsterdam was sent to her aid, escorted byHMS Atherstone andHMS Campbell.Empire Conveyor sank before the ships reached her. The crew took to thelifeboats and liferafts but one of them was swamped at launch, killing the captain, Finlay Macintyre,[12] the second engineer and the cook. Thirty-eight survivors were rescued by HMSCampbell and landed atLiverpool on 21 June.[5]Empire Conveyor was the only ship sunk byU-122.[13] Those lost onEmpire Conveyor are commemorated at theTower Hill Memorial, London.[14]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in October 1939 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in June 1940 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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