Hannington Court (1)

From SN Guides

Introduction

Court Line used the name Hannington Court for three ships:

1. Hannington Court (1) - a cargo ship completed in 1912 - the topic of this article
2. Hannington Court (2) - a cargo ship completed in 1939
3. Hannington Court (3) - a cargo ship completed in 1954

Hannington Court (1) had a strange career. Starting as a British ship launched in 1912 she was sold to Italian owners between the wars, was captured by the Allies during WW2 and took part in a number of convoys before being sunk by a German U-boat in 1940. Overall she had a service life of 28 years.

Basic Data

• Type: Cargo ship
• Registered owners,managers and operators: Court Line Ltd. - Managers Haldinstien and Co
• Builders: J. Priestman & Co. Ltd.
• Yard: Stockton-on-Tees
• Country: UK
• Yard number:239
• Registry: N/K
• Official number: 135157
• Signal letters: N/K
• Call sign: N/K
• Classification society: N/K
• Gross tonnage: 5,166
• Net tonnage: 3,217
• Deadweight: N/K
• Length: 400 ft
• Breadth: 53.6 ft
• Depth: 29.1 Ft
• Draught: N/K
• Engines: 3-cylinder Triple expansion steam engine
• Engine builders: Blair & Co.Ltd.
• Works: Stockton-on-Tees
• Country: UK
• Power: N/K
• Propulsion: Single screw
• Speed: 10 knots
• Boilers: N/K
• Cargo capacity:N/K
• Crew: N/K

• Employment: General purpose cargo vessel

Career Highlights

• 10 Oct 1912: Launched by J.Priestman & Co l
• Nov 1912: Completed
• 1915: Managers restyled Haldin & Co. Ltd
• 1929: Owners restyled The United British Steamship co. Ltd. - Haldin and Phillips still managers
• 1936: Owners restyled Court Line Ltd. - same managers
• 1937: Sold to A. Lauro, Naples, Italy and renamed Elios
• 1940: Taken over as war prize by the Ministry of War Transport - Cairns, Noble & Co. managers and renamed Empire Brigade
• 18 Oct 1940: Torpedoed and sunk

Pre WW1 History

No information currently available.

Service in WW1

No information currently available about any service during WW1.

Service between WW1 and WW2

No information apart from changes in name and ownership and that she was laid up for a significant time at Milford Haven during the 1930s due to the depression.

Participation in WW2 Convoys as Empire Brigade

The data in the following table has been extracted from External Resource #4.

A key to the routes for these convoys can be found on this page: World War 2 Convoy Names

Empire Brigade took part in 4 convoys.

Sinking

According to External resource #4, Empire Brigade was sunk whilst part of convoy SC-7 which appears to have been particularly badly hit. The convoy consisted of 37 merchant ships and 6 escorts. Of the merchant ships, a staggering 19 were sunk and one was damaged to the extent that it had to be towed. U-99 accounted for 7 of the losses including Empire Brigade.

According to External resource #5, she was carrying a general cargo, including 750 tons of copper, 129 tons of ferro alloys and 980 tons of steel.

At 01.38 hours on 19 Oct, 1940, the Empire Brigade (Master Sydney Wyman Parks) in convoy SC-7 was torpedoed and sunk by U-99 about 100 miles east-southeast of Rockall. Five crew members and one gunner were lost. The master and 34 crew members were picked up by HMS Fowey (L 15) (Lt C.G. de L. Bush) and landed at Greenock.

Roll of Honour

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

Postscript

U-99 was commissioned on 18 April 1940 and during a career including 8 patrols claimed the sinking of 35 merchant ships totalling 198,218 GRT, 3 auxiliary warships totalling 46,440 GRT, 1 ship captured and 5 ships damaged totalling 37,965 GRT. U-99 was scuttled at 0343hrs on 17 Mar 1941 south-east of Iceland, in approximate position 61N, 12W, after being depth charged by the British destroyer HMS Walker with 3 dead and 40 survivors.

External resources

1. Miramar Ships Index: http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz
2. Information extracted from Lloyds Registers by John Powell
3. Norman Middlemiss: Travel of the Tramps - Twenty Tramp Fleets ISBN: 1871128021
4. Arnold Hague Convoy Database: http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/
5. Uboat.net website: http://uboat.net/

Images

Awaiting an image. Anyone reading this article with a photo of Hannington Court (1) is asked to contact SN member Benjidog so it can be added to this entry.

Contributors

1. Initial information provided by Clive Ketley
2. Additional research and construction of entry by Benjidog
3. Additional material from Lloyds Registers provided by John Powell
4. List of those who lost their lives from Billy McGee