SS Empire Balham

Empire Balham was a 1,061 ton cargo ship which was built by G Brown & Co (Marine) Ltd, Greenock in 1944 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold to Queenship Navigation Ltd in 1946 and renamed Nordic Queen. In 1958 she was sold to the Maldavian National Shipping Corp (Ceylon) Ltd and renamed Maldive Star, serving for a further fourteen years until scrapped in 1967.

History
Name:
  • Empire Balham (1944-46)
  • Nordic Queen (1946-58)
  • Maldive Star (1958-72)
Owner:
  • Ministry of War Transport (1944-46)
  • Queenship Navigation Ltd, London (1946-58)
  • Maldavian National Trading Corp (Ceylon) Ltd (1958-67)
Operator:
  • British Channel Islands Shipping Co Ltd (1945-46)
  • Coast Lines Ltd (1946-58)
  • Maldavian National Trading Corp (Ceylon) Ltd (1958-72)
Port of registry:
  • Greenock (1945-46)
  • London (1946-58)
  • Ceylon (1958-72)
Builder: G Brown & Co (Marine) Ltd, Greenock
Yard number: 232
Launched: 18 December 1944
Completed: May 1945
Identification:
  • Official Number 169522 (1945-58)
  • Code Letters GDTL (1945-46)
General characteristics
Tonnage: 1,061 GRT
Length: 204 ft 8 in (62.38 m)
Beam: 32 ft 8 in (9.96 m)
Depth: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)
Propulsion: 1 x triple expansion steam engine (Ramkin & Blackmore Ltd, Greenock)

History

Empire Balham was built by G Brown & Co (Marine) Ltd, Greenock as yard number 232. She was launched on 18 November 1944 and completed in December 1944.[1] She was initially operated under the management of British Channel Islands Shipping Co Ltd.[2]

War service

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

COC 173

Convoy COC 173 sailed from Falmouth, on 22 May 1945 and arrived at Granville, Manche on 23 May.[3]

Postwar

In 1946, Empire Balham was sold to Queenship Navigation Ltd,[1] London[4] and renamed Nordic Queen. In 1958, Nordic Queen was sold to the Maldavian National Shipping Corp (Ceylon) Ltd, and renamed Maldive Star. In June 1959, Ceylon sent a shipment of arms to the Maldives. Ibrahim Nasir led an expedition of hundreds of armed men aboard the Maldive Star to the Fua Mulaku and Huvadhu Atolls during the Suvadive Rebellion of 1963.[5] Maldive Star served with Maldavian National for fourteen years. Maldive Star was scrapped in December 1972 at Gadani Beach, Karachi, Pakistan.[1]

Official number and code letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers.

Empire Balham[2] and Nordic Queen[6] had the UK Official Number 169522. Empire Balham used the Code Letters GDTL.[2]

References
  1. Mitchell, W H, and Sawyer, L A (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. p. 221. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.
  2. "LLOYDS REGISTER, STEAMERS & MOTORSHIPS" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  3. "CONVOY COC.173". Convoyweb. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  4. "Queenship Navigation Ltd". Flagspot. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  5. "Maldives History Timeline 1900–2006" (PDF). Maldives Culture. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
  6. "1169522". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 17 February 2009.
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