HMS Empire Spearhead
Encyclopedia
HMS Empire Spearhead was an Type C1-S-AY-1
Infantry Landing Ship
(LSI) chartered
by the British Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) during World War II
. She was built by Consolidated Steel Corporation
, Wilmington, California. She was launched as Cape Girardeau and completed as Empire Spearhead. In 1945, she was transferred to the Royal Navy
and was later renamed HMS Ormonde. Later that year she was transferred back to the MoWT and renamed Empire Spearhead. In 1947, she was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission
and renamed Cape Girardeau. The ship was laid up in 1950 and renamed Empire Spearhead. She was scrapped in 1966.
Wilmington, California. She was launched on 7 November 1944, and completed in January 1944.
The ship was 396 in 5 in (120.83 m) long, with a beam of 60 in 1 in (18.31 m). She had a depth of 35 in 0 in (10.67 m). The ship had a GRT of 7,177 and a NRT of 4,823.
The ship was propelled by two steam turbines, double reduction geared, driving a single screw propellor. The turbines were built by Westinghouse Electric Company
, Essington, Pennsylvania.
and chartered by the MoWT, who placed her under the management of Royal Mail Lines Ltd. The Code Letters
MYMR and United Kingdom Official Number 169773 were allocated.
By June 1944, Empire Spearhead had been transferred to the Royal Navy
as HMS Empire Spearhead. She took part in Operation Overlord
. A photographer from the Daily Sketch
was on board to record the invasion flotilla. The ship also carried members of the 231st Infantry Brigade, 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment
. The troops were landed on Gold Beach
.
Following Overlord, Empire Spearhead was part of Force X. This was a convoy consising seven ships, , , , , , HMS Empire Spearhead, and . The convoy sailed from Greenock
on 3 August as part of Convoy UC 31. Force X sailed via New York
and the Panama Canal
, arriving at Suva
, Fiji
, where the convoy dispersed, in late September. In November 1944, Empire Spearhead took part in Exercise Octopus at Unity Beach, Queensland
. The exercise trained troops for amphibious landings.
In March 1945, Empire Spearhead took part in Operation Iceberg. She departed Manus Island
, Papua New Guinea
on 19 March and arrived at the Leyte Gulf
, Philippines
on 26 March. She was briefly renamed HMS Ormonde during her last months in the Royal Navy.
In 1946, she was transferred back to the MoWT as Empire Spearhead. She passed to the United States Maritime Commission
in 1947 and was renamed Cape Girardeau A proposed sale in February 1948 to the China
and renaming to Hai Wei was not proceeded with as the ship was not paid for by China. In 1950, she was laid up on the James River
and renamed Empire Spearhead. She was sold for scrap on 17 March 1965 to The Boston Metals Co. Empire Spearhead was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet on 3 May. She arrived on 4 May at Baltimore, Ohio
for scrapping. Empire Spearhead was scrapped in 1966.
Type C1 ship
Type C1 was a designation for small cargo ships built for the U.S. Maritime Commission before and during World War II. The first C1 types were the smallest of the three original Maritime Commission designs, meant for shorter routes where high speed and capacity were less important. Only a handful...
Infantry Landing Ship
Landing Ship, Infantry
Landing Ship, Infantry was a British term for a type of ship used to transport infantry in amphibious warfare during the Second World War...
(LSI) chartered
Bareboat charter
A bareboat charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible for taking care of such things....
by the British Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was built by Consolidated Steel Corporation
Consolidated Steel Corporation
Consolidated Steel Corporation was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Consolidated built ships during World War II in two locations: Wilmington, California and Orange, Texas...
, Wilmington, California. She was launched as Cape Girardeau and completed as Empire Spearhead. In 1945, she was transferred to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and was later renamed HMS Ormonde. Later that year she was transferred back to the MoWT and renamed Empire Spearhead. In 1947, she was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission
United States Maritime Commission
The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...
and renamed Cape Girardeau. The ship was laid up in 1950 and renamed Empire Spearhead. She was scrapped in 1966.
Description
The ship was built in 1944 as yard number 354 by Consolidated Steel CorporationConsolidated Steel Corporation
Consolidated Steel Corporation was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Consolidated built ships during World War II in two locations: Wilmington, California and Orange, Texas...
Wilmington, California. She was launched on 7 November 1944, and completed in January 1944.
The ship was 396 in 5 in (120.83 m) long, with a beam of 60 in 1 in (18.31 m). She had a depth of 35 in 0 in (10.67 m). The ship had a GRT of 7,177 and a NRT of 4,823.
The ship was propelled by two steam turbines, double reduction geared, driving a single screw propellor. The turbines were built by Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC is a nuclear power company, offering a wide range of nuclear products and services to utilities throughout the world, including nuclear fuel, service and maintenance, instrumentation and control and advanced nuclear plant designs...
, Essington, Pennsylvania.
History
Cape Girardeau was launched in January 1944, and completed that month as Empire Spearhead. She was built for the War Shipping AdministrationWar Shipping Administration
The War Shipping Administration was a World War II emergency war agency of the US Government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war....
and chartered by the MoWT, who placed her under the management of Royal Mail Lines Ltd. The Code Letters
Code letters
Code letters were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids. Later, with the introduction of radio, code letters were also used as radio callsigns.-History:...
MYMR and United Kingdom Official Number 169773 were allocated.
By June 1944, Empire Spearhead had been transferred to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as HMS Empire Spearhead. She took part in Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
. A photographer from the Daily Sketch
Daily Sketch
The Daily Sketch was a British national tabloid newspaper, founded in Manchester in 1909 by Sir Edward Hulton.It was bought in 1920 by Lord Rothermere's Daily Mirror Newspapers but in 1925 Rothermere offloaded it to William and Gomer Berry The Daily Sketch was a British national tabloid newspaper,...
was on board to record the invasion flotilla. The ship also carried members of the 231st Infantry Brigade, 1st Battalion, Dorset Regiment
Dorset Regiment
The Dorset Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1958, the county regiment of Dorset. Until 1951 it was formally called The Dorsetshire Regiment, although usually known as "The Dorsets".-History:...
. The troops were landed on Gold Beach
Gold Beach
Gold Beach was the code name of one of the D-Day landing beaches that Allied forces used to invade German-occupied France on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
.
Following Overlord, Empire Spearhead was part of Force X. This was a convoy consising seven ships, , , , , , HMS Empire Spearhead, and . The convoy sailed from Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
on 3 August as part of Convoy UC 31. Force X sailed via New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, arriving at Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, where the convoy dispersed, in late September. In November 1944, Empire Spearhead took part in Exercise Octopus at Unity Beach, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. The exercise trained troops for amphibious landings.
In March 1945, Empire Spearhead took part in Operation Iceberg. She departed Manus Island
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
on 19 March and arrived at the Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
on 26 March. She was briefly renamed HMS Ormonde during her last months in the Royal Navy.
In 1946, she was transferred back to the MoWT as Empire Spearhead. She passed to the United States Maritime Commission
United States Maritime Commission
The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...
in 1947 and was renamed Cape Girardeau A proposed sale in February 1948 to the China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and renaming to Hai Wei was not proceeded with as the ship was not paid for by China. In 1950, she was laid up on the James River
James River
The James River may refer to:Rivers in the United States and their namesakes* James River * James River , North Dakota, South Dakota* James River * James River * James River...
and renamed Empire Spearhead. She was sold for scrap on 17 March 1965 to The Boston Metals Co. Empire Spearhead was withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet on 3 May. She arrived on 4 May at Baltimore, Ohio
Baltimore, Ohio
Baltimore is a village in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,881 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Baltimore is located at ....
for scrapping. Empire Spearhead was scrapped in 1966.
