Avondale Park was a 2,872 GRT Park

Park ship

Park Ships were merchant steamships constructed for Canada’s Merchant Navy during World War II. Park ships were the Canadian equivalent of the American Liberty Ships and the British Fort ships. All three shared a similar design by J.L...

 cargo ship

Cargo ship

A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...

 which was built in 1944. She was the last merchant ship to be sunk by Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 in the Second World War, on 7 May 1945, the day of German surrender.

Description

The ship was built by Foundation Maritime Ltd. at Pictou, Nova Scotia

Pictou, Nova Scotia

Pictou is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km north of the larger town of New Glasgow....

. She was launched in February 1944, and completed in May 1944.

The ship was 315 in 5 in (96.14 m) long, with a beam of 46 in 5 in (14.15 m) and a depth of 22 in 9 in (6.93 m). She had a GRT of 2,878 and a NRT of 1,653.

She was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine which had cylinders 20 inches (50.8 cm), 31 inches (78.7 cm) and 55 inches (139.7 cm) diameter by 39 inches (99.1 cm) stroke. The engine was built by Canada Iron Foundries, Three Rivers

Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...

, Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

.

History

Avondale Park was built for the Canadian Government and operated by the Park Steamship Co Ltd. The United Kingdom Official Number 175378 and 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:...

 VDDN were allocated. Her port of registry was Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, under the British flag

Flag of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland uses as its national flag the royal banner known as the Union Flag or, popularly, Union Jack. The current design of the Union Flag dates from the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801...

. She was later 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 Ministry of War Transport, who placed her under the management of Witherington & Etheridge, Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

.

Avondale Park was a member of Convoy EN 491, which departed Hull

Kingston upon Hull

Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

 on 6 May 1945 bound for Belfast

Belfast

Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...

 via Methil

Methil

Methil is an eastern coastal town in Scotland. It was part of the former Burgh of Buckhaven and Methil. It lies within a continuous urban area described as Levenmouth.Methil lies geographically between Largo bay to the east and Wemyss Bay to the west....

. On 7 May 1945, the convoy was attacked by and two ships were sunk, and Avondale Park, which became the last British merchant ship to be sunk during the Second World War. The sinking, at just after 23:00, was in the last hour of the Second World War in Europe, with the official surrender taking place at midnight. Avondale Park sank at 56°05′N 02°32′W. Two of the 38 crew were lost. A signal was sent to the U-boats on 4 May 1945 ordering them to surrender but U-2336 did not receive the signal.