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HMSEmpire Battleaxe

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History
Name
  • Cape Berkeley(1943)
  • Empire Battleaxe(1943-44)
  • HMSEmpire Battleaxe(1944-46)
  • HMSDonovan(1946)
  • Empire Battleaxe(1946-48)
  • Cape Berkeley(1948)
  • Hai C(1948-50)
  • Empire Battleaxe(1950-66)
Owner
  • War Shipping Administration (1943-46)
  • United States Maritime Commission (1946-66)
Operator
Port of registry
  • United StatesLos Angeles (1943)
  • United KingdomLondon (1943-44)
  • United KingdomRoyal Navy (1944-46)
  • United KingdomLondon (1946-47)
  • United StatesUnited States (1947-66)
BuilderConsolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California
Launched12 July 1943
CompletedOctober 1943
Identification
FateScrapped May 1966
General characteristics
Tonnage
  • 6,711GRT(Cape Berkeley,1943)
  • 7,177GRT
Length396 ft 5 in (120.83 m)
Beam60 ft 1 in (18.31 m)
Depth
  • 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m) (Cape Berkeley,1943)
  • 35 ft (10.67 m)
PropulsionTwo steam turbines (Westinghouse Electrical & Manufacturing Co, Essington, California) double reduction geared driving one propeller.
Speed14 knots (26 km/h)
Boats & landing
craft carried
18 xLanding Craft Assaults,1 xLanding Craft Mechanized(Empire Battleaxe,HMSEmpire Battleaxe,HMSDonovan)
Capacity1,000 troops (Empire Battleaxe,HMSEmpire Battleaxe,HMSDonovan)
Armament
  • 1 × 4 in gun
  • 1 ×12 pdr gun
  • 12 ×20 mmguns (Empire Battleaxe,HMSEmpire Battleaxe,HMSDonovan)

Empire Battleaxewas a British ship of theSecond World Warand asHMSDonovanin service with theRoyal Navyjust after the Second World War. Built as aType C1-S-AY1Landing Ship, InfantrynamedCape Berkeleyshe then saw merchant service asEmpire Battleaxebefore being commissioned into the Royal Navy asHMSEmpire Battleaxeand thenDonovan.After she was decommissioned she returned to merchant service asEmpire Battleaxeand was returned to the USA where she was renamedCape Berkeleyonce again. A proposed sale in 1948 toChinaand renaming toHai Cfell through and she was scrapped in 1966.

Career

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Cape Berkeleywas built byConsolidated Steel Corporation,Wilmington,Californiaas a Type C1-S-AY1 Landing Ship, Infantry.[1]She was launched on 12 July 1943 and completed in October 1943 asEmpire Battleaxe.[2]Cape Berkeleywas 6,711 GRT[3]butEmpire Battleaxewas 7,177 GRT.[4]

Empire Battleaxewas transferred under the terms oflend leaseshortly after being completed.[5]She wascharteredby theMinistry of War Transportand operated under the management ofCunard White Star Line.[4]She came to the United Kingdom as part of Convoy HX267, which departed New York on 19 November 1943.Empire Battleaxewas carrying a cargo offish[6]She took part in exercises in theCromarty FirthandMoray Firthto train troops in preparation for the invasion of France. In May 1944, she took part in an exercise nearLittlehampton.[7]She took part in theNormandy Landingscarrying part of 537 LCA Flotilla, carrying troops toSword Beach.[7]The flotilla thatEmpire Battleaxewas in consisted of four ships, the others beingSSEmpire Broadsword,SSEmpire CutlassandHMSGlenearn.[8]Empire Battleaxewas close toHNoMSSvennerwhen that ship wastorpedoedand sunk byE-boats.[7]Among those she carried toNormandywas the actorDavid Niven.[9]After landing her troops,Empire Battleaxereturned to theUnited Kingdomto collect a second wave of troops.Empire Battleaxewas then commissioned into theRoyal Navyas HMSEmpire Battleaxe.[7]

In August 1944, HMSEmpire Battleaxewas sent to thePacificas part ofForce X.She sailed in a convoy of seven ships comprisingSSClan Lamont,SSEmpire Arquebus,HMSEmpire Battleaxe,SSEmpire Mace,SSEmpire Spearhead,andHMSGlenearn.The convoy sailed fromGreenockon 3 August viaNew Yorkand thePanama Canal,arriving atSuva,Fiji,where the convoy dispersed, in late September. HMSEmipire Battleaxethen sailed toBougainville Island,Papua New Guinea,arriving on 25 October.Australiantroops aboard HMSEmpire Battleaxetook part in theBougainville Campaign.She departed Bougainville Island on 14 January 1945 and sailed toHollandia,Dutch New Guinea,arriving on 2 February. HMSEmpire Battleaxethen joined a convoy bound for thePhilippines.She was towing a number of LCMs which reduced her speed to 5 knots (9.3 km/h). She arrived atLingayen Gulfon 18 February where her Landing Craft were involved in theretaking of the Philippinesfrom theJapanese.HMSEmpire Battleaxedeparted Lingayen Gulf with a consignment ofAmericanex-PoWs,arriving atSydney,Australia on 19 March. HMSEmpire Battleaxedeparted Sydney on 11 April 1945, bound forFalmouthwhere she was to be refitted.[7]

In 1945 she was renamed HMSDonovan,under which name she served out the remainder of the war.[5]After the war ended she was returned to the Ministry of Transport in 1946, her name reverting toEmpire Battleaxe.[10]During this time,Empire Battleaxewas employed on trooping duties in theMediterranean.In July 1946, the crew were told that on arrival atNaples,ItalyfromAlexandria,Egypt,the ship would sail forLiverpool,United Kingdom.However, on arrival at Naples, orders were received to make another return trip to Alexandria. About three-quarters of her crew refused to sail. TheBritish Consulin Naples visited the ship to warn the strikers of the consequences of their actions. After he had departed, new orders were issued to sail to Liverpool. The explanation given was that the original orders had been issued because it was thought that ships being sent to relieveEmpire Battleaxewould not reach Naples in time. Once it was realised that the relief would arrive in time, the order was cancelled.[11]

She was returned to theUnited States Maritime Commissionin 1947[10]and renamedCape Berkeleyin 1948. It was then proposed to sell her toChina,where she was to be namedHai C.The sale was subsequently cancelled.[12]She was renamedEmpire Battleaxein 1950 and laid up in theJames River,Virginia.[10]Empire Battleaxewas scrapped atKearny,New Jerseyin May 1966.[12]

Official Numbers and Code Letters

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Cape Berkeleyused theCode LettersKYFJ in 1943[3]Empire Battleaxehad the UKOfficial Number169703 and used the Code Letters MYMN.[4]

Notes

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  1. ^"United States Maritime Commission C1 and C1-M Type Ships used in World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War".usmm.org.Retrieved11 May2009.
  2. ^"169703".Miramar Ship Index.Retrieved11 May2009.
  3. ^ab"LLOYD'S REGISTER, STEAMERS & MOTORSHIPS"(PDF).Retrieved11 May2009.
  4. ^abc"LLOYD'S REGISTER, STEAMERS & MOTORSHIPS"(PDF).Retrieved11 May2009.
  5. ^abColledge.Ships of the Royal Navy.p. 113.
  6. ^"HX 251 through HX 300".Warsailors.Retrieved11 May2009.
  7. ^abcde"HMSEMPIRE BATTLEAXE- 1943 to 1945 ".combinedops.com.Retrieved12 May2009.
  8. ^"Arthur Henry Nions, D-Day Landings In Normandy June 6th 1944"(PDF).Government of Western Australia. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 19 May 2009.Retrieved12 May2009.
  9. ^Fowler.David Niven.p. 16.
  10. ^abcFinch, Ted (2001)."EMPIRE - B".THE 'EMPIRE' SHIPS.mariners-l.co.uk.Retrieved24 November2008.
  11. ^"Refusal to Sail by Troopship Crew".The Times.No. 50526. London. 10 August 1946. col G, p. 4.
  12. ^abMitchell & Sawyer.The Empire Ships.p. 426.

References

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