Empire Gaelic was a ferry which was built in 1945 for the Royal Navy as the Landing Ship Tank, Mk.3 HMS LST 3507. She was converted into a ferry in 1948 and renamed Empire Gaelic, serving on the Preston – Larne route 1949–60, when she was scrapped.
Description
The ship was 345 ft 2 in (105.21 m) long overall, with a beam of 54 ft 2 in (16.51 m).a draught of 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m).[1] She was assessed at 4,840 GRT.[2]
The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine. The engine was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It drove twin screw propellers. The engine could propel the ship at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h).[1]
History
Landing Ship Tank, Mk.3 HMS LST 3507 was built in 1944 as yard number 562 by Davie Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. Ltd. Lauzon, Quebec for the Royal Navy.[3] Ordered on 1 February 1944, she was launched on 28 October and commissioned on 15 May 1945.[4] The Code Letters MAVR were allocated.[5]
In 1948,[6] LST 3507 was sold to the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company and converted to a ferry by Harland & Wolff, Govan.[7] Following the rebuild, she was assessed at 4,291 DWT, 2,325 NRT, 1,970 DWT.[1] She entered service in January 1949 on the Preston – Larne route.[2]
Empire Gaelic had been withdrawn from service by May 1960 and laid up in the Holy Loch, where she was offered for sale.[1] She was scrapped in September in Burcht, Antwerp, Belgium.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d "Ships for Sale". The Times. No. 54693. London. 9 June 1960. col G, p. 3.
- ^ a b c Mitchell, W. H.; L. A., Sawyer (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. p. not cited. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.
- ^ "Amphibious-Warfare Ships (LST) Built in WWII". Shipbuilding History. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "HMS LST 3507 (LST 3507)". Uboat. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "International List of Selected and Supplementary Ships" (PDF). Geneva: World Meteorological Organization. 1955.
- ^ "Empire G". Mariners. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "Tank Landing Ship in Service". The Times. No. 51272. London. 6 January 1949. col E, p. 2.
