SS Empire Celia
Encyclopedia
Empire Celia was a 7,025 GRT cargo ship
built in 1943 by C Connell & Co Ltd, Glasgow
for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1948, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Putney Hill. Further name changes were Castle Hill in 1949 and London Statesman in 1950. In 1951, she was sold to Panama
nian owners and renamed Morella, being sold later that year to Polskie Linie Oceaniczne and renamed Jedność. She served until 1966, when she was scrapped.
The ship was 431 in 3 in (131.45 m) long, with a beam of 56 in 3 in (17.15 m). She had a depth of 35 in 3 in (10.74 m) and a draught of 26 in 9 in (8.15 m). The ship had a GRT of 7,025 and a NRT of 4,856. Her DWT was 10,825.
The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine of 2465 hp, which had cylinders of 24½ inches (62 cm), 39 inches (99.1 cm) and 70 inches (177.8 cm) diameter by 48 inches (121.9 cm) stroke. The engine was built by D Rowland & Co Ltd, Glasgow. It could propel the ship at 11 knots (21.6 km/h).
Empire Celia was to have been a member of Convoy HX
241, which departed New York
on 24 May 1943 and arrived at Liverpool
on 10 June. She was due to proceed to Milford Haven
, Pembrokeshire
for further orders. However, she did not sail with HX 241, but joined Convoy HX 242, which sailed from New York on 31 May and arrived at Liverpool on 15 June. She was carrying a cargo of lumber
and steel
, destined for either Southampton
or Swansea
.
Records show that Empire Celia spent the remainder of the war years serving in the Arctic Convoys
. She was a member of Convoy JW54A, which departed Loch Ewe
on 15 November 1943 and arrived at the Kola Inlet
, Soviet Union
on 24 November. She returned to the United Kingdom as a member of Convoy RA 55A, which departed the Kola Inlet on 22 December and arrived at Liverpool on 1 January 1944. She was carrying a cargo of magnesite
and pit prop
s.
Empire Celia was a member of Convoy JW 57, which departed from Liverpool on 20 February 1944 and arrived at the Kola Inlet on 29 February. She was also a member of Convoy RA58, which departed the Kola Inlet on 7 April 1944 and arrived at Loch Ewe on 14 April. Empire Celia was bound for Hull
.
On 2 September three Spitfire
LF Mk IX aircraft were loaded aboard Empire Celia. They were delivered to the Soviet Union on 23 September. She was also a member of Convoy RA61, which departed the Kola Inlet on 2 November and arrived at Loch Ewe on 9 November. Empire Celia carried the convoy's Vice Commodore
.
Between 23 and 26 December Empire Celia embarked a cargo including thirteen Spitfire LF Mk IX's. She then sailed as a member of Convoy JW 63, which departed Loch Ewe on 20 December and arrived at the Kola Inlet on 8 January 1945. The Spitfires were delivered on 9 January. On 17 February, Empire Celia departed the Kola Inlet as a member of Convoy RA 64, which arrived at Loch Ewe on 28 February.
A photograph taken in December 1948 shows that Empire Celia was still armed with a 4-inch gun, more than three years after the end of the war.
In 1946, management of Empire Celia was transferred to Counties Ship Management
. She was sold to them in 1948 and renamed Putney Hill. In 1949 she was sold to London & Overseas Freighters Ltd
and renamed Castle Hill. LOF renamed her again in 1950 as London Statesman. In 1951 she was sold to Far Eastern & Panama Transport Corp, Panama
and was renamed Morella. She was placed under the management of Wheelock, Marden & Co Ltd, Hong Kong
. She was then sold to Compagnia Istmena de Transportes Maritimos SA.
Later in 1951, Morella was sold to Polskie Linie Oceaniczne, Gdynia
, and was renamed Jedność (Unity). She served until 1963, when she was withdrawn from service. Jedność arrived at Hong Kong for scrapping on 29 April 1963. In 1966, she was scrapped by the Lee Sing Co, Hong Kong.
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...
built in 1943 by C Connell & Co Ltd, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1948, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Putney Hill. Further name changes were Castle Hill in 1949 and London Statesman in 1950. In 1951, she was sold to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian owners and renamed Morella, being sold later that year to Polskie Linie Oceaniczne and renamed Jedność. She served until 1966, when she was scrapped.
Description
The ship was built by Charles Connell & Co Ltd Glasgow as yard number 441. She was launched on 2 July 1943.The ship was 431 in 3 in (131.45 m) long, with a beam of 56 in 3 in (17.15 m). She had a depth of 35 in 3 in (10.74 m) and a draught of 26 in 9 in (8.15 m). The ship had a GRT of 7,025 and a NRT of 4,856. Her DWT was 10,825.
The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine of 2465 hp, which had cylinders of 24½ inches (62 cm), 39 inches (99.1 cm) and 70 inches (177.8 cm) diameter by 48 inches (121.9 cm) stroke. The engine was built by D Rowland & Co Ltd, Glasgow. It could propel the ship at 11 knots (21.6 km/h).
History
Empire Celia was built in 1943 for the MoWT. She was placed under the management of Connell & Grace Ltd. Her port of registry was Glasgow. She was allocated the Code Letters BFGS and United Kingdom Official Number 169757.Empire Celia was to have been a member of Convoy HX
HX convoys
The HX convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom...
241, which departed 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...
on 24 May 1943 and arrived at Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
on 10 June. She was due to proceed to Milford Haven
Milford Haven
Milford Haven is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was founded in 1790 on the north side of the Waterway, from which it takes its name...
, Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
for further orders. However, she did not sail with HX 241, but joined Convoy HX 242, which sailed from New York on 31 May and arrived at Liverpool on 15 June. She was carrying a cargo of lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
and steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, destined for either Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
or Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
Records show that Empire Celia spent the remainder of the war years serving in the Arctic Convoys
Arctic convoys of World War II
The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the United Kingdom and North America to the northern ports of the Soviet Union—Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. There were 78 convoys between August 1941 and May 1945...
. She was a member of Convoy JW54A, which departed Loch Ewe
Loch Ewe
Loch Ewe is a sea loch in the region of in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The shores are inhabited by a traditionally Gàidhlig speaking people living in or sustained by crofting villages, the most notable of which, situated on the north-eastern shore, is the Aultbea settlement...
on 15 November 1943 and arrived at the Kola Inlet
Kola Peninsula
The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely to the north of the Arctic Circle and is washed by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
on 24 November. She returned to the United Kingdom as a member of Convoy RA 55A, which departed the Kola Inlet on 22 December and arrived at Liverpool on 1 January 1944. She was carrying a cargo of magnesite
Magnesite
Magnesite is magnesium carbonate, MgCO3. Iron substitutes for magnesium with a complete solution series with siderite, FeCO3. Calcium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may also occur in small amounts...
and pit prop
Pit prop
A pit prop or mine prop is a length of lumber used to prop up the roofs of tunnels in coal mines.Canada traditionally supplied pit props to the British market...
s.
Empire Celia was a member of Convoy JW 57, which departed from Liverpool on 20 February 1944 and arrived at the Kola Inlet on 29 February. She was also a member of Convoy RA58, which departed the Kola Inlet on 7 April 1944 and arrived at Loch Ewe on 14 April. Empire Celia was bound for 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 2 September three Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
LF Mk IX aircraft were loaded aboard Empire Celia. They were delivered to the Soviet Union on 23 September. She was also a member of Convoy RA61, which departed the Kola Inlet on 2 November and arrived at Loch Ewe on 9 November. Empire Celia carried the convoy's Vice Commodore
Convoy commodore
A Convoy Commodore was the title of a civilian put in charge of the good order of the merchant ships in the British convoys used during World War II. Usually the convoy commodore was a retired naval officer or a senior merchant captain drawn from the RNVR...
.
Between 23 and 26 December Empire Celia embarked a cargo including thirteen Spitfire LF Mk IX's. She then sailed as a member of Convoy JW 63, which departed Loch Ewe on 20 December and arrived at the Kola Inlet on 8 January 1945. The Spitfires were delivered on 9 January. On 17 February, Empire Celia departed the Kola Inlet as a member of Convoy RA 64, which arrived at Loch Ewe on 28 February.
A photograph taken in December 1948 shows that Empire Celia was still armed with a 4-inch gun, more than three years after the end of the war.
In 1946, management of Empire Celia was transferred to Counties Ship Management
Counties Ship Management
Counties Ship Management Co. Ltd. was an ocean-going merchant shipping company based in the United Kingdom. During the Second World War CSM merchant ships made a substantial contribution to supplying the British war effort, at a cost of 13 ships lost and 163 officers and men killed.-Founding of...
. She was sold to them in 1948 and renamed Putney Hill. In 1949 she was sold to London & Overseas Freighters Ltd
London & Overseas Freighters
London & Overseas Freighters Ltd. was an ocean-going merchant shipping company that for most of its history was based in the United Kingdom.-Counties Ship Management:...
and renamed Castle Hill. LOF renamed her again in 1950 as London Statesman. In 1951 she was sold to Far Eastern & Panama Transport Corp, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and was renamed Morella. She was placed under the management of Wheelock, Marden & Co Ltd, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. She was then sold to Compagnia Istmena de Transportes Maritimos SA.
Later in 1951, Morella was sold to Polskie Linie Oceaniczne, Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
, and was renamed Jedność (Unity). She served until 1963, when she was withdrawn from service. Jedność arrived at Hong Kong for scrapping on 29 April 1963. In 1966, she was scrapped by the Lee Sing Co, Hong Kong.