SS Empire Elgar
Encyclopedia
{|Empire Elgar was equipped with derricks enabling her to unload the heavy war stores (locomotive
s, tank
s and aircraft
) from other ships that arrived with Convoy PQ 16. Amongst her cargo were tanks. Once she had discharged her cargo, Empire Elgar unloaded other ships' cargos into her hold, returned to the quayside and then put the transferred cargo ashore. She assisted in unloading the survivors of the ill-fated Convoy PQ 17. In September, Empire Elgar was ordered to Molotovosk. Five ships from a convoy ran aground on a sandbank and she was sent to unload their cargos in order to refloat the ships. Empire Elgar returned to Archangelsk to unload. She was then ordered to Murmansk to relieve . The 550 nautical miles (1,018.6 km) voyage taking 24 hours due to the poor quality of the Russian coal. On arrival at Murmansk, it was discovered that the port had been under attack for the previous three days. Murmansk was under almost constant attack as the Germans had possession of airfields only 55 nautical miles (101.9 km) away. In December, a convoy reached the Murmansk area. Empire Elgar sailed down the Dvina River to where a jetty served the naval base and airfield
. She unloaded a cargo of aircraft from the American Liberty ship
, returning to Murmansk on 29 December. Convoy JW 51B arrived at the Kola Inlet on 3 January 1943. Empire Elgar assisted in unloading the ships which reached Murmansk, although this was delayed by problems with her winches.
Empire Elgar remained in the Soviet Union until August 1944. She was a member of Convoy RA 59A, which departed from the Kola Inlet
on 28 August and arrived at Loch Ewe on 5 September. She was carrying 195 long tons (218 tonnes) of ammunition and was bound for Leith
, Midlothian
, where she was to receive further instructions. She joined convoy WN 630, which departed on 7 September and arrived at Methil two days later.
Empire Elgar departed from Methil on 29 October, spending the next five months sailing between Methil and Southend in various FN and FS convoys. She visited Sunderland
, Co Durham from 12–15 December, the Tyne
from 27 December to 5 January 1945 and again from 31 January to 13 February. She departed from Southend on 19 February as a member of Convoy FN 1638, which arrived at Methil on 21 February. Empire Elgar left the convoy at Great Yarmouth
, Norfolk
, on 20 February She sailed the next day to join Convoy FN 1640, which had departed from Southend that day and arrived at Methil on 23 February. She left the convoy at the Tyne on 22 February.
Empire Elgar sailed on 7 March for Blyth, Northumberland
, arriving later that day. She departed on 10 March, joining Convoy FN 1656, which had departed from Southend the previous day and arrived at Methil on 11 March. She joined Convoy EN 480, which departed on 13 March and arrived at Loch Ewe two days later. Empire Elgar was a member of Convoy UR 157, which departed on 15 March and arrived at Reykjavik on 20 March. She departed for the Tyne on 2 April, arriving on 11 April via convoys RU 158, WN 684 and FS 1780. She departed on 22 April, joining Convoy FN 1693, which had departed from Southend the previous day and arrived at Methil on 23 April. Reykjavik was reached on 1 May via convoys EN 488 and UR 161.
on 27 May. She was carrying a cargo of cod liver oil
. She then sailed to Grangemouth
, Stirlingshire
, arriving the next day. Empire Elgar departed on 1 June for Hull
, Yorkshire, arriving two days later. She sailed on 22 June for Liverpool
, Lancashire
, arriving on 26 June and departing on 3 July for London, where she arrived on 6 July. She departed for Liverpool on 20 July, arriving four days later.
In 1947, Empire Elgar was sold to her managers. She was renamed Sea Minstrel. In 1951, she was sold to Drayton Steamship Co Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne
and renamed Marandellas.
In 1956, Marandellas was sold to I Jansen, Bergen
, Norway and renamed Edward Jansen. She was sold in 1960 to Skibs A/S Katlander and renamed Slitan. In 1961, she was sold to the Bulgarian Government-owned Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Varna
and renamed Pirin. She served until 1965, arriving on 1 October at Split
, Yugoslavia
for scrapping.
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s, tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s and aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
) from other ships that arrived with Convoy PQ 16. Amongst her cargo were tanks. Once she had discharged her cargo, Empire Elgar unloaded other ships' cargos into her hold, returned to the quayside and then put the transferred cargo ashore. She assisted in unloading the survivors of the ill-fated Convoy PQ 17. In September, Empire Elgar was ordered to Molotovosk. Five ships from a convoy ran aground on a sandbank and she was sent to unload their cargos in order to refloat the ships. Empire Elgar returned to Archangelsk to unload. She was then ordered to Murmansk to relieve . The 550 nautical miles (1,018.6 km) voyage taking 24 hours due to the poor quality of the Russian coal. On arrival at Murmansk, it was discovered that the port had been under attack for the previous three days. Murmansk was under almost constant attack as the Germans had possession of airfields only 55 nautical miles (101.9 km) away. In December, a convoy reached the Murmansk area. Empire Elgar sailed down the Dvina River to where a jetty served the naval base and airfield
Murmansk Airport
Murmansk Airport is the international airport of Murmansk, Russia. It is located near the town of Murmashi in Murmansk's southern suburbs, 24 km outside the citycentre....
. She unloaded a cargo of aircraft from the American Liberty ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
, returning to Murmansk on 29 December. Convoy JW 51B arrived at the Kola Inlet on 3 January 1943. Empire Elgar assisted in unloading the ships which reached Murmansk, although this was delayed by problems with her winches.
Empire Elgar remained in the Soviet Union until August 1944. She was a member of Convoy RA 59A, which departed from 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...
on 28 August and arrived at Loch Ewe on 5 September. She was carrying 195 long tons (218 tonnes) of ammunition and was bound for Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, where she was to receive further instructions. She joined convoy WN 630, which departed on 7 September and arrived at Methil two days later.
Empire Elgar departed from Methil on 29 October, spending the next five months sailing between Methil and Southend in various FN and FS convoys. She visited Sunderland
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...
, Co Durham from 12–15 December, the Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
from 27 December to 5 January 1945 and again from 31 January to 13 February. She departed from Southend on 19 February as a member of Convoy FN 1638, which arrived at Methil on 21 February. Empire Elgar left the convoy at Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, on 20 February She sailed the next day to join Convoy FN 1640, which had departed from Southend that day and arrived at Methil on 23 February. She left the convoy at the Tyne on 22 February.
Empire Elgar sailed on 7 March for Blyth, Northumberland
Blyth, Northumberland
Blyth is a town and civil parish in southeast Northumberland, England. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth and is approximately 21 kilometres northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne...
, arriving later that day. She departed on 10 March, joining Convoy FN 1656, which had departed from Southend the previous day and arrived at Methil on 11 March. She joined Convoy EN 480, which departed on 13 March and arrived at Loch Ewe two days later. Empire Elgar was a member of Convoy UR 157, which departed on 15 March and arrived at Reykjavik on 20 March. She departed for the Tyne on 2 April, arriving on 11 April via convoys RU 158, WN 684 and FS 1780. She departed on 22 April, joining Convoy FN 1693, which had departed from Southend the previous day and arrived at Methil on 23 April. Reykjavik was reached on 1 May via convoys EN 488 and UR 161.
Post-war
Empire Elgar was a member of Convoy RU 163, which departed from Reykjavik on 22 May 1945 and arrived at the Belfast LoughBelfast Lough
Belfast Lough is a large, natural intertidal sea lough at the mouth of the River Lagan on the east coast of Northern Ireland. The inner part of the lough comprises a series of mudflats and lagoons. The outer lough is restricted to mainly rocky shores with some small sandy bays...
on 27 May. She was carrying a cargo of cod liver oil
Cod liver oil
Cod liver oil is a nutritional supplement derived from liver of cod fish. It has high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, and very high levels of vitamin A and vitamin D. It is widely taken to ease the symptoms of arthritis and for other health benefits...
. She then sailed to Grangemouth
Grangemouth
Grangemouth is a town and former burgh in the council area of Falkirk, Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk, west of Bo'ness and south-east of Stirling. Grangemouth had a resident population of 17,906 according to the 2001...
, Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
, arriving the next day. Empire Elgar departed on 1 June 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...
, Yorkshire, arriving two days later. She sailed on 22 June for 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...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, arriving on 26 June and departing on 3 July for London, where she arrived on 6 July. She departed for Liverpool on 20 July, arriving four days later.
In 1947, Empire Elgar was sold to her managers. She was renamed Sea Minstrel. In 1951, she was sold to Drayton Steamship Co Ltd, 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...
and renamed Marandellas.
In 1956, Marandellas was sold to I Jansen, Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, Norway and renamed Edward Jansen. She was sold in 1960 to Skibs A/S Katlander and renamed Slitan. In 1961, she was sold to the Bulgarian Government-owned Navigation Maritime Bulgare, Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
and renamed Pirin. She served until 1965, arriving on 1 October 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...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
for scrapping.