MV Empire MacKendrick
Encyclopedia
MV Empire MacKendrick was a grain ship
converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier
or MAC ship.
She was built by the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company
Ltd, Fife
, Scotland
, under order from the Ministry of War Transport and was delivered on 12 December 1943. As a MAC ship, only her air crew and the necessary maintenance staff were naval personnel and she was operated by William Thomson & Co (the Ben Line
).
After the war, the ship was converted to a grain carrier. In 1967 she was trapped in the Suez Canal
by the Six-Day War
. She was scrapped at Split
in 1975.
Bulk carrier
A bulk carrier, bulk freighter, or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo, such as grains, coal, ore, and cement in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, economic forces have fueled the development of these ships,...
converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier
Merchant aircraft carrier
Merchant aircraft carriers were bulk cargo ships with minimal aircraft handling facilities, used during World War II by Britain and the Netherlands as an interim measure to supplement British and United States-built escort carriers in providing an anti-submarine function for convoys...
or MAC ship.
She was built by the Burntisland Shipbuilding Company
Burntisland Shipbuilding Company
The Burntisland Shipbuilding Company was a shibuilder and repairer in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland that traded from 1918 until 1969.-Founding and early years:...
Ltd, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, under order from the Ministry of War Transport and was delivered on 12 December 1943. As a MAC ship, only her air crew and the necessary maintenance staff were naval personnel and she was operated by William Thomson & Co (the Ben Line
Ben Line
The Ben Line or Ben Line Steamers, Limited was a Scottish shipping company based at Leith, Scotland which specialised in the fast carriage of cargo to and from the Far East...
).
After the war, the ship was converted to a grain carrier. In 1967 she was trapped in the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
by the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
. She was scrapped at Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
in 1975.