SS Empire Flame
Empire Flame was a CAM ship that was built in 1941 by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport. She was sold in 1945 and renamed Dunkery Beacon. A further sale to Finland in 1955 saw her renamed Rissa. Following a sale in 1961, she was renamed Augusta Paulin. She served until 1969 when she was scrapped.
Description
The ship was a CAM ship built in 1941 by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead, Cheshire, United Kingdom. She was yard number 1060.The ship was long, with a beam of. She had a depth of and a draught of. She was assessed at,, 9,905 DWT.
The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine, which had cylinders of 23½ inches, 37½ inches and diameter by stroke. The engine was built by Cammell Laird. It drove a single screw propeller. The engine could propel the ship at a speed of
History
The ship was built by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead, Cheshire in 1941 for the MoWT. She was launched on 12 May 1941 and completed in June 1941. The Code Letters BCLF and United Kingdom Official Number 166321 were allocated. Her port of registry was Liverpool. She was placed under the management of the Booth Steamship Co Ltd, London. As with all CAM ships, she was armed with a Hawker Sea Hurricane aircraft.Empire Flame made her maiden voyage on 24 June 1941 when she sailed from Liverpool, Lancashire to the Clyde, arriving the next day. She sailed from the Clyde on 7 July to join Convoy OB 343, which had departed from Liverpool the previous day and dispersed at sea on 21 July. Her destination was Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, which was reached on 23 July. Carrying a cargo of grain, Empire Flame departed from Halifax on 1 August with Convoy HX 142, which arrived at Liverpool on 18 August. Empire Fame sailed from Liverpool on 1 August with Convoy ON 12, which dispersed at sea on 14 September. She arrived at Halifax on 21 September. Empire Flame sailed for Sydney, Nova Scotia on 27 September, arriving the next day. Carrying a cargo of grain, She departed on 29 September with Convoy SC 478, which arrived at Liverpool on 20 October. She left the convoy at the Belfast Lough on 18 October and joined Convoy BB 90 which arrived at Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire the next day. She sailed on to Avonmouth, Somerset, arriving on 21 October.
Empire Flame later sailed to Newport, Monmouthshire, from where she departed on 5 November for Milford Haven, arriving two days later. She sailed on 8 November to join Convoy ON 35, which departed from Liverpool on 9 November and dispersed at sea on 27 November. Empire Flame was bound for Halifax, where she arrived on 27 November. She departed on 2 December, arriving at Sydney the next day. Laden with a cargo of grain, Empire Flame was a member of Convoy SC 58, which departed from Sydney on 4 December and arrived at Liverpool on 21 December.
Empire Flame departed from Liverpool on 13 January 1942 with Convoy ON 57, which dispersed at sea on 15 February. She was carrying a cargo of coal, stores and vehicles bound for Naples. She was in the part of the convoy that formed Convoy KMS 84G and arrived at Gibraltar on 19 February, but she sailed on to Naples, arriving on 24 February. Empire Flame sailed on 28 February for Piraeus, Greece, where she arrived on 3 March. She sailed a week later for Augusta, arriving on 12 March and sailing the next day for Bône, Algeria, where she arrived on 15 March. She sailed again on 18 March for Gibraltar, arriving on 21 March and sailing that day with Convoy MKS 90G, which arrived at Liverpool on 28 March. Empire Flame was carrying a cargo of iron ore. She left the convoy and sailed to Southend, arriving on 29 March and then joining Convoy FN1676, which sailed that day and arrived at Methil on 31 March. She left the convoy at Middlesbrough, arriving on 30 March.
Empire Flame sailed on 14 April to join Convoy FN 1688, which had departed from Southend that day and arrived at Methil on 16 April. She then joined Convoy EN 487, which sailed the next day and arrived at Loch Ewe on 19 April. Empire Flame sailed on the Belfast Lough, arriving on 20 April and sailing the next day to join Convoy ONS 48, which had sailed that day from Liverpool and arrived at Halifax on 4 May. She then joined Convoy XB 162, which sailed on 5 Mary and arrived at Boston on 7 May. She left the convoy at the Cape Cod Canal and sailed to New York, arriving on 7 May. Empire Flame sailed on 18 May for Nuevitas, Cuba, from where she sailed on 5 June for the Hampton Roads, where she arrived on 11 June. She sailed the next day for Falmouth, arriving on 26 June and sailing that day for Cardiff, Glamorgan, where she arrived the next day.
Empire Flame sailed on 15 August for Antwerp, Belgium, arriving on 18 August. She departed on 2 September for Cardiff, where she arrived on 4 September. She sailed on 7 September for Cape Henry, Virginia, arriving on 25 September. She sailed from the Hampton Roads the next day for Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Atlantique, France, arriving on 13 October. She then sailed to Brest, Finistère, France, from where she sailed on 13 October for an unrecorded destination.
Before 1945 was out, Empire Flame was sold to the Crawford Shipping Co Ltd, London and renamed Dunkery Beacon. She was sold in 1955 to OY Larus AB, Finland and renamed Rissa. The Code Letters OFVN were allocated. Her port of registry was Helsinki. She was operated under the management of Rolf Simberg, Malmi, Helsinki. The Finnish Official Number 1170 was allocated. She was assessed at,, 9,905 DWT. Rissa was sold in 1961 to Paulins Rederi A/B, Finland and renamed Augusta Paulin. Her port of registry was changed to Turku. She was operated under the management of Kommanditbolaget Ab Paulin Chartering Oy & Co Kommandiittiyhtiö. In 1962, she was assessed as Ice Class II and the Finnish Official Number 1396 was allocated. In 1964, Augusta Paulin was reassessed at 10,063 DWT. With the introduction of IMO Numbers in the late 1960s, Augusta Paulin was allocated the IMO Number 5030608. In 1967, her port of registry was changed to Nagu. The ship was scrapped in May 1969 in Shanghai.