MV British Bombardier

History

Name:	Empire Fusilier (1942) Empire Bombardier (1942-46) British Bombardier (1946-59)
Owner:	Ministry of War Transport (1942-46) British Tanker Co Ltd (1946-55) BP Tanker Company (1955-59)
Operator:	Dodd, Thomson & Co Ltd (1942-46) British Tanker Co Ltd (1946-55) BP Tanker Company (1955-59)
Port of registry:	Belfast (1943-46) London (1946-59)
Builder:	Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Yard number:	1158
Launched:	8 August 1942
Completed:	18 February 1943
Identification:	UK Official Number 168521 Code Letters BFJY (1943-46)
Fate:	Scrapped 1959
General characteristics
Tonnage:	8,202 GRT DWT 4,781
Length:	465 ft 6 in (141.88 m)
Beam:	56 ft 6 in (17.22 m)
Depth:	34 ft (10.36 m)
Propulsion:	1 x 4SCSA diesel engine

British Bombardier was an 8,202 GRT tanker which was built in 1942 as Empire Fusilier and completed as Empire Bombardier. She was built for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and postwar was sold to British Tanker Co Ltd, serving until scrapped in 1959.

Description

Empire Fusilier was built by Harland and Wolff Ltd, Belfast.^[1] She was yard number 1158,^[2] and was launched on 8 August 1942. She was completed in February 1943 as Empire Bombardier.^[1] The ship was 465 feet 6 inches (141.88 m) long, with a beam of 56 feet 6 inches (17.22 m) and a depth of 34 feet (10.36 m). She was propelled by a four stroke, Single Cycle Single Action diesel engine which had eight cylinders of 25 ⁹⁄₁₆ inches (64.9 cm) bore by 55 ¹⁄₈ inches (140 cm) stroke. The engine was built by Harland & Wolff.^[3]

Career

The MoWT placed Empire Bombardier under the management of Dodd, Thomson & Co Ltd. Her port of registry was Belfast.^[3] Empire Bombardier was a member of a number of convoys during the Second World War.

HX 242

Convoy HX 242 departed New York on 31 May 1943 and arrived at Liverpool on 15 June. Empire Bombardier was bound for the Stanlow Refinery, Ellesmere Port.^[4]

HX 304

Convoy HX 304 departed New York on 17 August 1944 and arrived at Liverpool on 1 September. Empire Bombardier was bound for Thameshaven.^[5]

In 1946, Empire Bombardier was sold to the British Tanker Co Ltd and renamed British Bombardier.^[1] Her port of registry was changed to London.^[6] In 1955, the British Tanker Company was renamed to BP Tanker Company.^[7] She served until 1959, when she was sold for scrap to a firm in Tamise, Belgium. She arrived for scrapping on 15 March 1959.^[1]

Official Numbers and Code Letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. The ship had the UK Official Number 168521. Empire Bombardier used the Code Letters BFJY.^[3] British Bombardier is recorded as using the same code letters in 1946.^[6]

References

Empire ships beginning with Empire B

Cargo ships	Empire Baffin Empire Balfour Empire Balham Empire Ballad Empire Ballantyne Empire Bank¹ Empire Banner Empire Barbados² Empire Bard² Empire Bardolph³ Empire Baron Empire Barracuda Empire Barrie Empire Baxter Empire Bay Empire Beacon¹ Empire Beaconsfield Empire Beatrice Empire Beaumont Empire Beauty Empire Beaver³ Empire Bede Empire Bell Empire Bermuda Empire Birdsay Empire Bison Empire Blackwater Empire Blanda Empire Blessing Empire Blossom Empire Bond Empire Boswell Empire Bowman Empire Boy Empire Breeze Empire Bridge¹ Empire Brigade Empire Bromley¹ Empire Brook¹ Empire Bruce Empire Brutus Empire Buckler Empire Buffalo Empire Builder Empire Bulbul¹ Empire Bunting Empire Burton Empire Buttress Empire Byng² Empire Byron

Landing ships	Empire Baltic Empire Battleaxe Empire Broadsword

Ocean liners	Empire Bittern Empire Brent Empire Bure⁴

Tankers	Empire Bairn¹ Empire Barkis¹ Empire Barnaby¹ Empire Belgrave¹ Empire Benefit Empire Beresford Empire Billow¹ Empire Bombardier Empire Bounty Empire Boxer¹ Empire Bronze Empire Bute¹

Tugs	Empire Barbara⁵ Empire Bascobel Empire Becky⁵ Empire Belle⁵ Empire Ben⁵ Empire Bess Empire Betsy⁵ Empire Birch⁵ Empire Bracken⁵

A B Ca–Cl Co–Cy D E F G H I–J K L M N O P R Sa–Sh Si–Sy Ta–Te Th–Ty U–Z

1 Coaster 2 Heavy lift ship 3 Refrigerated Cargo Ship 4 Cargo liner 5 Coastal tug

Empire ships beginning with Empire F

Cargo ships	Empire Fabian^1,2 Empire Fable^1,2 Empire Fabric^1,2 Empire Facet^1,2 Empire Facility^1,2 Empire Factor^1,2 Empire Fairbairn Empire Fairhaven^1,2 Empire Firplay^1,2 Empire Fairway^1,2 Empire Faith Empire Fal Empire Falcon Empire Falkland Empire Falstaff Empire Fanal^1,2 Empire Fancy Empire Fane^1,2 Empire Fanfare^1,2 Empire Fang^1,2 Empire Faraway^1,2 Empire Farjeon^1,2 Empire Farmer Empire Farnham^1,2 Empire Farouche^1,2 Empire Farrar Empire Farrier^1,2 Empire Farringay^1,2 Empire Farringdon^1,2 Empire Fashion^1,2 Empire Fastness^1,2 Empire Fathom^1,2 Empire Faversham^1,2 Empire Favour^1,2 Empire Favourite^1,2 Empire Fawley Empire Fenchurch² Empire Field Empire Firth² Empire Flag Empire Flamborough Empire Flame³ Empire Flamingo Empire Flaminian Empire Florizel Empire Foam Empire Ford² Empire Foreland² Empire Forest Empire Forth Empire Fortune Empire Franklin Empire Fraser Empire Friendship Empire Frome Empire Frost Empire Fulmar Empire Fusilier

Dredgers and Hopper ships	Empire Forager

Landing ships	Empire Fulmar

Ocean liners	Empire Fowey

Tankers	Empire Faun² Empire Fay² Empire Fitzroy² Empire Fletcher Empire Flint Empire Flodden Empire Freetown Empire Fulham² Empire Fusilier

Trawlers	Empire Fisher

Tugs	Empire Fairy Empire Farm Empire Fir Empire Flora Empire Folk Empire Frank Empire Fred Empire Frieda

A B Ca–Cl Co–Cy D E F G H I–J K L M N O P R Sa–Sh Si–Sy Ta–Te Th–Ty U–Z

1 Empire F type 2 Coaster 2 CAM ship

1 2 3 4 Mitchell, W H, and Sawyer, L A (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.
↑ "5617419". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 27 November 2009. (subscription required (help)).
1 2 3 "LLOYD'S REGISTER, NAVIRES A VAPEUR ET A MOTEURS" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
↑ "Convoy HX 242". Warsailors. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
↑ "Convoy HX 304". Warsailors. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
1 2 "LLOYD'S REGISTER, STEAMERS AND MOTORSHIPS" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
↑ "the history of our flag" (PDF). BP. Retrieved 1 December 2009.

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