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Miscellaneous Ship Histories |
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Fort Gloucester
Fort Gloucester was built and launched in Canada in 1943 and chartered to the Ministry of War Transport. After serving in many convoys she was seriously damaged by a torpedo on return from the Normandy Landings but survived the war and continued her working life until 1953 when she struck a rock off Trinidad.
There is a short account of her voyage to Sunderland for repair after being torpedoed in the Recollections section of the Benjidog website HERE. |
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Participation in WW2
Fort Gloucester took part in a large number of convoys according to information shown in the table below which is provided courtesy of Convoyweb - see Ext. Ref. #5. The table also includes various independent voyages undertaken by this ship during the wartime period. The shaded boxes indicate in most cases that Fort Gloucester continued independently after taking part in a convoy.
Fort Gloucester was involved in the Normandy Operations and was returning from to London in convoy FTM 70 when the convoy was attacked by E-boats. Fort Gloucester was damaged by a torpedo fired by one of the E-boats near Dungeness. The British referred to these motor torpedo boats as E-boats but the Germans called them Schnellboot or S-boot (fast boat).
According to Stan Mayes, the E-Boat was from 8 S-Boot Flotilla, and the torpedo blasted a large hole on the port side amidships into No, 3 hold. She was beached near Folkestone in a sinking condition where she remained for six months until being salvaged and towed to Tilbury Docks where she arrived on 20 February 1945. After being laid by for some weeks she entered dry dock there for temporary repairs.
There is a brief account by Stan who sailed on her during her journey to Sunderland for repair on this site HERE. |
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Image 2 |
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Basic Data: Fort Gloucester Type: Cargo ship Registered owners, managers and operators: Dominion of Canada W.A. Souter & Co Ltd. Managers Builders: West Coast Shipbuilders Ltd Yard: Vancouver BC Country: Canada Yard number: 120 Registry: N/K Official number: 168500 Signal letters: N/K Call sign: BKVK Classification society: N/K Gross tonnage: 7,127 tons Net tonnage: 4,248 Deadweight: 10,000 Length: 424.6 Feet Overall Length: 439.7 Feet Breadth: 57.2 Feet Depth: 34.9 Feet Draught: N/K Engines: Triple expansion steam engine Cylinder diameter: 24.5”, 37”, 70” Cylinder stroke: 48” Engine builders: John Inglis Co. Ltd. Works: Toronto, Ontario Country: Canada Boilers: 220 psi Power: 505 NHP Propulsion: Single screw Speed: 11 knots Crew: N/K |
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Service Post WW2
In 1950 Fort Gloucester was sold to P.D. Marchessini and was renamed Bedford Prince.
On 14 Jun 1953 Bedford Prince struck a rock in the Gulf of Paria off Trinidad. This was originally named Golfo de la Ballena (the Gulf of the Whale) by Christopher Columbus. She was first towed to New Orleans, then on to Baltimore where she was broken up. |
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Image 2 is a cutting from the Sarasota Journal dated Monday June 15 1953. |
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Image 3 is a cutting from The Times dated 16 June 1953. |
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Images
1. Image #1 by courtesy of Stan Mayes 2. Image #2 from the Sarasota Journal 3. Image #3 from The Times Online
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Image 1 |
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Image 1 Shows Fort Gloucester as Bedford Prince. Date and location not known. This is the only known photo of this ship. |
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Image 3 |
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Career Highlights |
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Date |
Event |
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18 May 1943 |
Completed |
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1943 |
Chartered to Ministry of War Transport and managed by W.A.Souter of Newcastle |
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18 August 1944 |
Damaged by E-Boat torpedo |
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1948 |
Transferred to Ministry of Transport and managed by Weider, Hopkins & Co. London |
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1950 |
Sold to P.D. Marchessini & Co. London (who seem to be otherwise known as Bedford Overseas Freighters Ltd.) and based in New York. She was renamed Bedford Prince |
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14 June 1953 |
Wrecked in Gulf of Paria |
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Dec 1953 |
Broken up at Baltimore |
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Departure |
Convoy/Independent |
Arrival |
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Departure |
Convoy/Independent |
Arrival |
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Victoria Bc, May 29, 1943 |
Independent |
Balboa, Jun 16, 1943 |
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Naples, Feb 27, 1944 |
NV.23 (Naples - Augusta) |
Augusta, Feb 29, 1944 |
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Cristobal, Jun 23, 1943 |
ZG.35 (Cristobal - Guantanamo) |
Guantanamo, Jun 27, 1943 |
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Augusta, Mar 1, 1944 |
KMS.42 (Gibraltar - Port Said) |
Alexandria, Mar 5, 1944 |
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Guantanamo, Jun 28, 1943 |
GN.68 (Guantanamo - NYC) |
New York, Jul 5, 1943 |
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Alexandria, Mar 11, 1944 |
MKS.43 (Port Said - Gibraltar) |
Augusta, Mar 17, 1944 |
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New York, Jul 8, 1943 |
HX.247 (NYC - Liverpool) |
Loch Ewe, Jul 20, 1943 |
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Augusta, Mar 17, 1944 |
AH.31 (Augusta - Bari) |
Taranto, Mar 18, 1944 |
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WN.457A (Loch Ewe - Methil) |
Methil, Jul 24, 1943 |
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Taranto, Mar 24, 1944 |
HA.32 (Bari - Augusta) |
Augusta, Mar 26, 1944 |
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Methil, Jul 26, 1943 |
FS.1178 (Methil - Southend) |
Southend, Jul 28, 1943 |
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Augusta, Mar 26, 1944 |
UGS.35 (Hampton Rds - Port Said) |
Alexandria, Mar 30, 1944 |
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Southend, Aug 9, 1943 |
FN.1095 (Southend - Methil) |
Sunderland, Aug 10, 1943 |
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Alexandria, Apr 10, 1944 |
MKS.46 (Port Said - Gibraltar) |
Augusta, Apr 15, 1944 |
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FN.1104 (Southend - Methil) |
Tyne, Aug 21, 1943 |
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Augusta, Apr 16, 1944 |
AH.37 (Augusta - Bari) |
Taranto, Apr 18, 1944 |
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Sunderland, Aug 21, 1943 |
FN.1104 (Southend - Methil) |
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Taranto, Apr 21, 1944 |
HA.37A (Taranto - Augusta) |
Augusta, Apr 23, 1944 |
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Tyne, Aug 22, 1943 |
FN.1105 (Southend - Methil) |
Methil, Aug 23, 1943 |
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Augusta, Apr 24, 1944 |
MKS.47 (Port Said - Gibraltar) |
Algiers, Apr 29, 1944 |
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Methil, Aug 25, 1943 |
EN.272 (Methil - Loch Ewe) |
Oban, Aug 26, 1943 |
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Algiers, May 3, 1944 |
GUS.38 (Port Said - Hampton Rds) |
Casablanca, May 7, 1944 |
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Liverpool, Aug 28, 1943 |
OS.54KM (Liverpool - Convoy Split) |
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Casablanca, May 10, 1944 |
SL.157 (Freetown - r/v WITH MKS 48) |
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Gibraltar, Sep 10, 1943 |
KMS.25 (Gibraltar - Port Said) |
Malta, Sep 15, 1943 |
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SL.157MK (r/v SL 157/MKS 48 - Liverpool) |
Loch Ewe, May 22, 1944 |
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Syracuse, Sep 27, 1943 |
not reported |
Malta, Sep 28, 1943 |
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WN.586 (Loch Ewe - Methil) |
Methil, May 24, 1944 |
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Malta, Oct 5, 1943 |
KMS.27 (Gibraltar - Port Said) |
Alexandria, Oct 10, 1943 |
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Methil, May 25, 1944 |
FS.1463 (Methil - Southend) |
Southend, May 27, 1944 |
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Alexandria, Oct 25, 1943 |
MKS.29 (Alexandria - Gibraltar) |
Augusta, Oct 28, 1943 |
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Southend, Jun 14, 1944 |
FN.1388 (Southend - Methil) |
Tyne, Jun 15, 1944 |
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Augusta, Nov 1, 1943 |
AH.7 (Augusta - Barletta) |
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Tyne, Jul 18, 1944 |
FS.1517 (Methil - Southend) |
Southend, Jul 20, 1944 |
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Bari, Nov 10, 1943 |
HA.8 (Bari - Augusta) |
Augusta, Nov 12, 1943 |
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Southend, Jul 26, 1944 |
ETM.46 (Southend - Seine Bay) |
Seine Bay, Jul 27, 1944 |
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Augusta, Nov 17, 1943 |
MKS.31 (Port Said - Gibraltar) |
Algiers, Nov 21, 1943 |
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Seine Bay, Jul 30, 1944 |
FTM.53 (Seine Bay - Southend) |
Southend, Jul 31, 1944 |
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Algiers, Dec 4, 1943 |
UGS.24 (Hampton Rds - Port Said) |
Augusta, Dec 8, 1943 |
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Southend, Aug 13, 1944 |
ETM.60 (Southend - Seine Bay) |
Seine Bay, Aug 14, 1944 |
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Augusta, Dec 12, 1943 |
AH.12 (Augusta - Bari) |
Brindisi, Dec 15, 1943 |
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Seine Bay, Aug 17, 1944 |
FTM.70 (Seine Bay - Southend) |
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Brindisi, Jan 5, 1944 |
HA.16 (Bari - Augusta) |
Augusta, Jan 7, 1944 |
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In tow |
Southend, Aug 20, 1944 |
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Augusta, Jan 10, 1944 |
GUS.27 (Port Said - Hampton Rds) |
Bizerta, Jan 12, 1944 |
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In tow |
London, Feb 20, 1945 |
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Bizerta, Jan 16, 1944 |
MKS.37 (Port Said - Gibraltar) |
Bone, Jan 18, 1944 |
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London, Jun 9, 1945 |
Independent |
Sunderland, Jun 11, 1945 |
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Bone, Jan 31, 1944 |
KMS.39 (Gibraltar - Port Said) |
Augusta, Feb 3, 1944 |
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Independent |
Tyne, Jun 20, 1945 |
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Augusta, Feb 8, 1944 |
VN.20 (Augusta - Naples) |
Naples, Feb 9, 1944 |
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Sunderland, Jun 20, 1945 |
Independent |
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