MV Seaforth (1938)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Seaforth |
| Owner | Elder Dempster Lines |
| Operator | Elder Dempster Lines |
| Port of registry | Liverpool |
| Route | Liverpool – West Africa |
| Builder | Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering |
| Yard number | 369 |
| Launched | 22 November 1938 |
| Completed | February 1939 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk by torpedo, 18 February 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 5,459 GRT, 3,211 NRT |
| Length | 378.0 ft (115.2 m) |
| Beam | 52.7 ft (16.1 m) |
| Depth | 21.3 ft (6.5 m) |
| Decks | 3 |
| Installed power | 598 NHP, 3,100 bhp |
| Propulsion | 4-cylinder 2-stroke diesel |
| Speed | 12.5 knots (23 km/h) |
| Capacity | 12 passengers |
| Crew | 47 plus 2 DEMS gunners |
| Notes | sister ships: Sansu, Sangara |
MV Seaforth was an Elder Dempster Lines cargo motor ship that traded between Liverpool and West Africa. She was launched in 1938 in Scotland and sunk in 1941 in the North Atlantic.
Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company built Seaforth at its Stannergate yard in Dundee, launching her on 22 November 1938[1] and completing her in February 1939. William Doxford & Sons of Sunderland made her engine, which was a four-cylinder, single-acting two-stroke diesel rated at 598 NHP[2] or 3,100 bhp.[3]
Seaforth was the first of three sister ships. Sansu and Sangara were launched in 1939 by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Greenock. They differed from Seaforth by having six-cylinder MAN diesel engines that Scotts built under licence.[4][5]
Service
Seaforth's trade was general cargo to West Africa and West African produce to Liverpool.
The Second World War began less than seven months after she entered service. From October 1939 until November 1940 she sailed in OB convoys outbound from Liverpool to the North Atlantic and SL convoys from Freetown in Sierra Leone to Liverpool.[6] Her ports of call included Douala in Cameroon in October 1939[7] and Funchal in Madeira in February 1940.[8]
After November 1940 Seaforth sailed unescorted.[6]
