{|Empire Cloud was a 5,969 GRT 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 1940 by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd, Sunderland for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was torpedo

Torpedo

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

ed on her maiden voyage, but repaired and returned to service. In 1942, she was torpedoed and sank whilst under tow to port.

Description

The ship was built by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd, Sunderland. She was launched on 27 December 1940 and completed in April 1941.

The ship was 401 in 0 in (122.22 m) long, with a beam of 54 in 0 in (16.46 m) and a depth of 33 in 2 in (10.11 m). She had a GRT of 5,669 and a NRT of 3,546.

The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine, which had cylinders of 23½ inches (60 cm), 38 inches (96.5 cm) and 66 inches (167.6 cm) diameter by 45 inches (114.3 cm) stroke. The engine was built by George Clarke (1938) Ltd, Sunderland.

History

Empire Cloud was built for the MoWT. She was placed under the management of Allen, Black & Co Ltd. Her port of registry was Sunderland. 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:...

 BCGC and United Kingdom Official Number 168668 were allocated.

Empire Cloud was a member of a number of convoys during the Second World War.

OB 318
Convoy OB 318

Convoy OB 318

OB 318 was a North Atlantic convoy which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. It saw the capture of U-110 and a wealth of signals intelligence, which led to the Allied breakthough into cracking the German naval Enigma code.-Prelude:...

 departed from 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 2 May 1941 and dispersed at sea on 10 May. Empire Cloud was on her maiden voyage

Maiden voyage

The maiden voyage of a ship, aircraft or other craft is the first journey made by the craft after shakedown. A number of traditions and superstitions are associated with it....

. At 14:28 on 9 May, Empire Cloud was torpedoed and damaged by when east northeast of Cape Farewell

Cape Farewell, Greenland

Cape Farewell , is a headland on the southern shore of Egger Island, Greenland. Located at it is the southernmost extent of Greenland, projecting out into the North Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea on the same latitude as Stockholm and the Scottish Shetland Islands. Egger and the associated...

 (61°00′N 32°30′W). Five crew were killed, the survivors were picked up by . The ship was abandoned, but assisted in the protection of her while the Dutch

Netherland

Netherland is a critically acclaimed novel by Joseph O'Neill. It concerns the life of a Dutchman living in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks who takes up cricket and starts playing at the Staten Island Cricket Club.-Plot summary:...

 tug

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

 Thames was despatched from Reykjavik

Reykjavík

Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...

, Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

. also assisted Empire Cloud. Thames arrived on 13 May and towed Empire Cloud at 6 knots (11.8 km/h) to 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...

, where she arrived on 20 May. She was repaired and returned to service.

HX 167
Empire Cloud may have sailed in Convoy HX 167, which departed Halifax, Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

 on 27 December 1941 and arrived at Liverpool on 11 January 1942. She is noted under Convoy SC 63 as having come from HX 167.

SC 63
Convoy SC 63 departed from Sydney

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....

, Cape Breton

Cape Breton Island

Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....

 on 3 January 1942 and dispersed at sea on 13 January. Empire Cloud was carrying a general cargo and was bound for Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

.

TAW(S)
Empire Cloud was a member of Convoy TAW(S). At about 10:10 on 19 August 1942, Empire Cloud was torpedoed by northeast of Trinidad

Trinidad

Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...

 with the loss of three crew members. The dutch tug Roode Zee took her in tow, but she sank on 21 August at 10°54′N 62°10′W. The surviving crew were rescued by other ships in the convoy. They were landed at Key West, Florida

Key West, Florida

Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...

 and Mobile, Alabama

Mobile, Alabama

Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...

. Those lost on Empire cloud are commemorated at the Tower Hill Memorial

Tower Hill Memorial

The Tower Hill Memorial is a national war memorial on the south side of Trinity Square Gardens, just to the north of the Tower of London. It commemorates those from the Merchant Navy and fishing fleets who died during both world wars and have "no grave but the sea".The First World War memorial...

, London.