SS Empire Galahad

Updated on Dec 01, 2023

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Yard number 970 Length 132 m Builders Lithgows, Port Glasgow		Launched 18 May 1942 Draft 11 m

Name SS Empire Galahad (1942–46) SS Celtic Star (1946), SS Murillo (1946–52) SS Bogliasco (1952–54) MV Bogliasco (1954–63) MV Ocean Peace (1963–67) Namesake Sir Galahad (1942–46) Bogliasco, Italy (1954–63) Owner MoWT (1942–46), Blue Star Line (1946), Lamport and Holt Line (1946–52) Industriale Maritime, Genoa (1952–63) Ocean Shipping & Enterprises (1963–67) Operator Blue Star Line (1942–52) Thereafter owner-operated. Port of registry Greenock (1942–52) Genoa (1952–63) Panama (1963–67)

SS Empire Galahad was a refrigerated cargo ship built in 1942 and scrapped in 1967. She was also called SS Celtic Star (1946), SS Murillo (1946–52), SS Bogliasco (1952–54), MV Bogliasco (1954–63) and MV Ocean Peace (1963–67). She was scrapped in Taiwan in 1967.

Background

The Empire ships were civilian vessels in the service of the British Government. Their names were all prefixed with "Empire". Mostly they were used during World War II by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), who owned the ships but contracted out their management to various shipping lines. Some ships requisitioned during the Suez Crisis were also given the Empire prefix. They were acquired from a number of sources. Many were built for the MoWT, others obtained from the United States, still others were captured or seized from enemy powers.

History

Empire Galahad was built by Lithgows in Port Glasgow for the MoWT. She was launched on Monday 18 May 1942 and completed in July. Empire Galahad spent the war years under the management of Blue Star Line.

War service

Empire Galahad was a member of the following convoys:

SL 123, which sailed from Freetown, Sierra Leone on 23 September 1942 and arrived in the UK on 13 October 1942.

SC 122, which sailed from New York on 5 March 1943 and arrived at Liverpool on 24 March. Empire Galahad was carrying general cargo, meat and a passenger. She joined this convoy from convoy HX.228.

MKS 22, which sailed from Freetown on 14 August 1943 and arrived at Liverpool on 6 September. Empire Galahad was carrying a refrigerated cargo and also linseed.

SL 143, which sailed from Freetown, Sierra Leone on 12 December 1943 and arrived in the UK on 5 January 1944.

SL 157, which sailed from Freetown, Sierra Leone on 1 May 1944 and arrived in the UK on 23 May 1944.

SL 169, which sailed from Freetown, Sierra Leone on 29 August 1944 and arrived in the UK on 16 September 1944.

MKS 74, which sailed from Mediterranean on 31 December 1944 and arrived in the UK on 8 January 1945.

KMS 83, which sailed from Liverpool on 6 February 1945 and arrived at Gibraltar on 12 February. Empire Galahad was in ballast, and sailed from Milford Haven, with an eventual destination of the River Plate She was armed with a 4.7 inches (120 mm) gun and eight machine guns.

Post war

In 1946 she was bought by Blue Star and renamed Celtic Star, being quickly sold to Lamport and Holt Line and renamed Murillo, the second Lamport and Holt ship to carry that name. In 1952 she was sold to Industriale Maritime and renamed Bogliasco, sailing under the Italian flag. In 1954, the original triple-expansion steam engine made by J G Kincaid of Glasgow was replaced with a six-cylinder two-stroke single cycle single-acting marine Diesel engine made by Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico, Trieste. She served for a total of nine years before being sold to Ocean Shipping & Enterprises in 1963 and being renamed Ocean Peace, sailing under the Panamanian flag . She was sold for scrap in 1967, and arrived at Kaohsiung, Taiwan for scrapping on 12 September 1967.

Official number and call sign

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers.

Empire Galahad had the UK official number 168985 and used the call sign BDYN.

References

SS Empire Galahad Wikipedia

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