Stan Mayes

 

16. Fort Gloucester

This page describes Stan’s account of his voyages on the ship. There is a history of Fort Gloucester with photographs on the Benjidog website HERE.

Voyages on Fort Gloucester

 

On 18 August 1944 Fort Gloucester was in convoy FTM 70 and bound from the Normandy beachheads for London when the convoy was attacked by E boats. Fort Gloucester was hit by a torpedo from 8 S-Boote Flotilla which blasted a large hole on port side amidships ( No3 hold) - she was beached near Folkestone in sinking condition. She remained there for six months and was then salvaged and towed to Tilbury Docks arriving 20 February 1945..she then laid by for some weeks and then entered drydock for temporary repairs.

 

On 6th June I joined her with a ' run crew ' and on 9th we sailed her to Sunderland arriving on 11th and we paid off the following day.

 

Fort Gloucester was later moved to the Tyne where she underwent extensive repairs.

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