MV Empire MacCallum

Career (UK)
Name: Empire MacCallum
Owner: Ministry of War Transport
Operator: Hain Steam Ship Co Ltd
Builder: Lithgows, Glasgow, Scotland
Launched: 12 October 1943
Renamed: Doris Clunies in 1947
Sunrover in 1951
Eudoxia in 1957
Phorkyss in 1959
Fate: Scrapped Osaka 1960
General characteristics
Displacement: 8,250 tons (gross)
Length: 425 ft (130 m) (pp) 444 ft 6 in (135.48 m) (oa)
Beam: 57 ft 9 in (17.60 m)
Depth: 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m)
Propulsion: Diesel
one shaft
3,300 bhp
Speed: 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h)
Complement: 107
Armament: 1 x 4 inch
2 x 40 mm
4 x 20 mm
Aircraft carried: Four Fairey Swordfish

MV Empire MacCallum was a grain ship converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier or MAC ship.

MV Empire MacCallum was built at Lithgows shipyard, Glasgow, Scotland, under order from the Ministry of War Transport. As a MAC ship, only her air crew and the necessary maintenance staff were naval personnel [1] and she was operated by Hain Steam Ship Co Ltd of St Ives.[2] Amongst the aircraft that served on Empire MacCallum was Fairey Swordfish Mk II LS326. The aircraft had previously served on Rapana. As of November 2010, it is airworthy with the Royal Navy Historic Flight.[3]

After the war, the ship was converted to a grain carrier, and eventually scrapped at Osaka in 1960.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ H.T. Lenton & J. J. Colledge. Warships of World War II. Ian Allan. p. 296. ISBN 0-7110-0403-X. 
  2. ^ a b "List and history of the Empire ships - M". Mariners. http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/EmpireM.html. Retrieved 2007-03-18. 
  3. ^ Howard, Lee (2010). "Return of the Stringbag". Aeroplane (Kelsey Publishing) (December 2010): p47-48, 53–55. 

External links