MV Henry Stanley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 1929: African Steamship Co Ltd
- 1935: Elder Dempster Lines Ltd
- 1929: Elder Dempster & Co Ltd
- 1935: Elder Dempster Lines Ltd
 Henry Stanley, probably in the Scheldt | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Henry Stanley |
| Namesake | Henry Morton Stanley |
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Route | Liverpool – West Africa |
| Builder | Ardrossan Dockyard Ltd, Ardrossan |
| Yard number | 342 |
| Launched | 21 June 1929 |
| Completed | August 1929 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk by torpedo, 6 December 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Explorer-class cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 4,028 GRT, 2,188 NRT |
| Length | 370.5 ft (112.9 m) |
| Beam | 51.6 ft (15.7 m) |
| Depth | 20.1 ft (6.1 m) |
| Decks | 3 |
| Installed power | 8-cylinder 4-stroke diesel; 650 NHP |
| Propulsion | 1 × screw |
| Speed | 12.5 knots (23 km/h) |
| Capacity | 12 passengers |
| Crew | 44, plus 8 DEMS gunners |
| Notes | lead ship of eight sister ships |
MV Henry Stanley was a UK cargo motor ship that traded between Liverpool and West Africa. She was launched in 1929 in Scotland and sunk in 1942 in the North Atlantic.
Henry Stanley was built for the African Steamship Company Ltd, a subsidiary of Elder, Dempster & Company Ltd. In 1932 the parent company was reorganised as Elder Dempster Lines and in 1935 the African Steamship Co fleet was absorbed into the main Elder Dempster fleet.
Henry Stanley was launched on 21 June 1929 and completed that August. She was the lead ship of the "Explorer" class of eight cargo ships built for companies owned by Elder, Dempster & Co.[1] Four were built for the African SS Co and four were built for the British & African Steam Navigation Co Ltd. The Elder Dempster Lines fleet absorbed all eight ships in 1935.
The class was built in four pairs. The Ardrossan Dockyard Ltd built Henry Stanley and Mary Kingsley at Ardrossan in Ayrshire.[1][2] Archibald McMillan & Son built David Livingstone and Mary Slessor at Dumbarton.[3][4] D. and W. Henderson and Company built William Wilberforce and Macgregor Laird in Glasgow.[5][6] Harland and Wolff built Edward Blyden and Alfred Jones in Govan.[7][8]
Henry Stanley, David Livingstone and Mary Slessor were launched in 1929.[1][3][4] Their five sisters were launched in 1930.[2][5][6][7][8]
Each of the eight ships had a single screw, driven by an eight-cylinder, single-acting, four-stroke diesel engine. John G. Kincaid & Company built Burmeister & Wain-type engines under licence for Henry Stanley and Mary Kingsley.[1][2] Harland and Wolff built the engines for the other six ships of the class.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Registration and service
Elder, Dempster registered Henry Stanley in Liverpool. Her UK official number was 161382, and her code letters were LFRC.[9] By 1931 her call sign was GSJV,[10] and by 1934 this had superseded her code letters.[11]
Henry Stanley's trade was general cargo to West Africa and West African produce to Liverpool. In the Second World War, Henry Stanley continued to trade between Britain and West Africa, sailing in SL and other convoys when possible, but also unescorted. Her ports of call included Bathurst, Cape Coast, Dakar, Freetown, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Takoradi.[12]
