Aldington Court (2)

From SN Guides

Image 1:

Introduction

Court Line has used the name Aldington Court for two ships:

1. Aldington Court (1) - a cargo ship launched in 1929
2. Aldington Court (2) - a cargo ship launched in 1944 as Empire Lord and the subject of this entry.

The second Aldington Court was in service until she was abandoned as a total loss in 1970 so had a working life of 26 years.

Basic Data

• Type: Cargo ship
• Registered owners,managers and operators: Built for Ministry of War Transport and managed by Runciman and Co. Ltd.
• Builders: William Doxford and Sons
• Yard: Pallion, Sunderland
• Country: UK
• Yard number: 711
• Registry: N/K
• Official number: 180130
• Signal letters: N/K
• Call sign: N/K
• Classification society: N/K
• Gross tonnage: 7,359 grt
• Net tonnage: 5,109 grt
• Deadweight: N/K
• Length: 433 ft
• Breadth: 56.5 ft
• Depth: 35.5 Ft
• Draught: N/K
• Engines: 3 cylinder ".S.C.S.A oil engine
• Engine builders: William Doxford and Sons
• Works: Sunderland
• Country: UK
• Power: N/K nhp
• Propulsion: Single screw
• Speed: N/K knots
• Cargo capacity:N/K
• Crew: N/K

• Employment: General purpose cargo vessel

Career Highlights

• 11 Oct 1943: Launched as Empire Lord
• Feb 1944: Completed
• 12 Jul 1945: Maiden voyage
• 1946: Acquired by the United British Steam Ship Co. Ltd. (Haldin and Philips Ltd. Managers) and renamed Aldington Court
• 1947: Owners restyled Court Line Ltd. (Haldin and Co Ltd. Managers) London
• 1959: Sold to Cosmar Shipping Corp. (M.C. Fred Hunter, London Managers) Piraeus, Greece and renamed Anacreon
• 1966: Sold to Zirda Cia.Nav S.A. Genoa Italy and renamed White Daisy
• 1967: Sold to Garden City Shipping Inc. Panama.
• 1968: Sold to Cia. Nav. Rivabella S.A. (World Shipping and Oil Transport Co. Ltd. London Managers), Panama and renamed Robertina
• 15 June 1970: Abandoned as a total loss after being beached 2 miles west of Cape Garraway

Image 2:

Service History

Sailed as Empire Lord from Swansea on 12 Jul 1945 on a 21 month voyage during which she was purchased by Court Line and renamed as Aldington Court.

External resource #4 provides this information about the journey:

Swansea, Cornerbrook, Montreal (Manz Line charter), Panama, Auckland, Wellington,, Auckland (grain), Colombo, Bompay, Port Louis (sugar), Durban to Plate with coal returning with grain on repeated basis, Plate (grain), Durban (bunkers), Madras, Colombo (dry-dock), Adelaide, Port Pirie (grain), Port Lincoln (grain), Port Lincoln (grain), Calicut & Vizagapatnam (Manganese ore), Calcutta (general), Colombo, Port Said, Azores (engine repairs), St John, Baltimore, Newport News, Norfolk Virginia, New York (Cunard charter), London, Tyne - arrived 3 April 1947 for dry dock.

No further information has been found other than that she sprang a leak off Las Palmas and was abandoned as a total loss after being beached 2 miles west of Cape Garraway. It is not known whether there were any casualties.

External resources

1. Arnold Hague Convoy Database: [1]
2. Miramar Ship Index: Miramar
3. Information extracted from Lloyds Registers by John Powell
4. Norman Middlemiss: Travel of the Tramps - Twenty Tramp Fleets ISBN: 1871128021

Images

1. From The Allen Collection The Allen Collection
2. From the collection of Stuart Smith with his permission

Contributors

1. Basic ship data from John Powell
2. Photograph from Stuart Smith
3. Additional material and construction of page by Benjidog