Name Empire MacDermott Launched 24 January 1944 | Commissioned 31 March 1944 Length 137 m | |
Owner Ministry of War Transport Operator Hain Steamship Company, St IvesBuries Markes Ltd, London from 1947Canero Cia Nav. S. A., Panama from 1959Southern Shipping & Enterprises, Hong Kong from 1969China Ocean Shipping Co, Peking from 1975 Renamed La Cumbre, 1948 Parnon, 1959 Starlight, 1969 Fate Sold in 1991 and deleted Builder | ||
MV Empire MacDermott was a bulk grain ship built as a Merchant Aircraft Carrier (MAC ship). She served with the British Merchant Navy during the Second World War, with rudimentary aircraft handling facilities operated by a Fleet Air Arm "air party".
Empire MacDermott was built by William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton, Scotland. She spent most of her time on the Atlantic convoy routes, providing air cover and transporting desperately needed grain to the UK. After the end of the, she was handed over to Buries Markes Ltd, London in 1947 and returned to merchant service the following year under the name La Cumbre. She was sold on again in 1959, this time to Canero Cia Nav. S. A., Panama. They sailed her as Parnon under the Greek flag until 1969, when they sold her to Southern Shipping & Enterprises, Hong Kong. They renamed her Starlight, and sailed her under the Somalian flag. She was then transferred to the China Ocean Shipping Co, Peking in 1975, and by 1991 she had been deleted from Lloyd's Register.