Stan Mayes

 

18. British Merit

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

Voyages on British Merit

 

Voyage June 1945 to 23rd August 1945.

 

I joined this British Merit at Thameshaven and we sailed for Falmouth where torpedo protection nets were removed from the ship. On completion of this job we sailed for Corpus Christi, Texas and at this port we loaded crude oil for discharge at Thameshaven.

 

Outward bound we began painting the ship in the Company colours which was a very pleasant duty after painting ships in drab grey paint for almost six years. Our cargo was loaded at Corpus Christi on 3rd and 4th August and we sailed for the UK.

 

On the following day the U.S B29 bomber Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, and 150,000 people died. Hiroshima was destroyed.

 

On 9th August the U.S bomber Bockscar dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki and on 14th August 1945 Japan surrendered. The formal surrender was signed later aboard the U.S Battleship Missouri in Tokio Bay on 2nd September 1945.

Basic Data: British Merit

Type: Tanker

Registered owners, managers and operators:

British Tanker Co. Ltd.

Builders: Harland and Wolff Ltd.      

Yard: Govan

Country: UK

Yard number:  1117g

Registry: London

Official number: 168295

Signal letters: N/K

Call sign: BCLS

Classification society: N/K

Gross tonnage: 8,093 tons

Net tonnage: N/K

Deadweight: N/K

Length: 463.2 Feet

Overall Length: 479.4 Feet

Breadth: 61.2 Feet

Depth: 33.1 Feet

Draught: N/K

Engines: Oil engine

4S.C.SA, 6 cylinders bored 29½ inches, bore 59  3/16 inches

Engine builders: Harland & Wolff Ltd.

Works: Glasgow

Country: UK

Boilers: 2 double bolieres operating at 150 psi

Power:   490 MNs NHP

Propulsion: N/K

Speed: N/K

Crew: N/K