List of Empire ships (B)
Suffix beginning with B
''Empire Baffin''
was a 6,978 GRT cargo ship that was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow. She was launched on 28 August 1941 and completed in October 1941. In May 1942 she was a member of Convoy PQ 16. Damaged by bombing but managed to reach the Kola Inlet. Commissioned in 1943 as and converted to a cable layer for Operation Pluto. Renamed Empire Baffin in 1946. Sold to Stag Line Ltd later that year and renamed Clintonia. Operated under the management of J Robinson & Sons, North Shields. Sold in 1960 to Alcestis Shipping Co, SA and renamed Aspis. Operated under the management of Faros Shipping Co Ltd, London. Scrapped at Yokosuka, Japan in December 1963.''Empire Bairn''
was an 813 GRT coastal tanker which was built by Blythswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Glasgow. Launched on 23 October 1941 and completed in December 1941. To Indian Navy in 1948 as INS Chilka. Removed from Indian Navy list in 1976.''Empire Balfour''
was a 7,201 GRT cargo ship which was built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow. Launched on 27 June 1944 and completed in September 1944. Sold to Houlder Bros & Co Ltd in 1949 and renamed Barton Grange. Sold in 1958 to the Western Steamship Co Ltd and renamed Sunlight. Operated under the management of Wang Kee and Co Ltd, Hong Kong. Sold in 1962 to the Pan-Norse Steamship Co Ltd, Panama. Operated under the management of Wallem & Co Ltd, Hong Kong. Arrived at Hong Kong for scrapping 30 March 1967.''Empire Balham''
was a 1,061 GRT cargo ship which was built by George Brown and Co Ltd, Greenock. Launched on 18 December 1944 and completed in May 1945. Sold in 1946 to Queenship Navigation Ltd and renamed Nordic Queen. Operated under the management of Coast Lines Ltd. Sold in 1958 to Maldavian National Trading Corporation Ltd and renamed Maldive Star. Scrapped in December 1972 at Gadani Beach, Pakistan.''Empire Ballad''
was a 6,640 GRT cargo ship which was built by Bartram & Sons Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 17 December 1941 and completed in March 1942. Sold in 1946 to Alexander Shipping Co Ltd and renamed Bibury. Operated under the management of Houlder Bros Ltd. Sold in 1951 to Halcyon Lijn NV, the Netherlands and renamed Stad Massluis. Sold in 1962 to Compagnia Navigazione Jaguar and renamed Jaguar. Operated under the management of Palomba & Salvatori, Italy. Sold in 1966 to Olamar S.A. and renamed Goldfield, still under the same management. Sold in 1968 to Compagnia de Navigazione Sulamar and renamed Poseidon. Operated under the management of V Coccoli, Italy. Ran aground in September 1969 and put into Naples. Sold for scrap and arrived under tow at Split, Yugoslavia on 21 November 1969.''Empire Ballantyne''
Empire Ballantyne was a 6,959 GRT cargo ship which was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow. Launched on 21 October 1941 and completed in February 1942. Sold to the Belgian Government in 1943 and renamed Belgian Airman. Sunk by on 14 April 1945 in Chesapeake Bay.''Empire Baltic''
Empire Baltic was built as LST 3519 by Canadian Vickers Ltd. Launched in September 1945. Chartered to Atlantic Steam Navigation Company in 1946 and renamed Empire Baltic. Rebuilt by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Tilbury as a vehicle ferry. Management passed to the British-India Line in 1961. Arrived at Spezia, Italy for scrapping on 10 July 1962.''Empire Bank''
Empire Bank was a 402 GRT coaster which was built by Henry Scarr Ltd, Hessle. Launched on 12 April 1941 and completed in August 1941. Sold in 1946 to Metcalfe Motor Coasters Ltd, London and renamed Rose-Julie M. Sold in 1956 to MAC Shipping Co Ltd, Glasgow. Operated under the management of TJ Metcalf, London. Scrapped in January 1966 at Queenborough, Kent.''Empire Banner''
was a 6,699 GRT cargo ship which was built by Bartram & Sons Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 29 June 1942 and completed in September 1942. Sunk by on 7 February 1943 off Algeria.''Empire Barbados''
Empire Barbados was a 3,538 GRT cargo ship which was built by Wm Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool. Launched on 28 December 1944 and completed in March 1945. Sold in 1948 to the Rodney Steamship Co Ltd and renamed Tennyson. Operated under the management of the Anglo-Danubian Shipping Co Ltd, London. Sold in 1950 to T Stone Ltd and renamed Berylstone. Operated under the management of Stone & Rolfe Ltd, Swansea. Sold in 1960 to Compagnia Navigazione Zannis and renamed Manticos. Operated under the management of A Halcoussis & Co, Greece. Developed a leak south of Dakar, Senegal on 8 October 1963. Although a tug assisted with pumping the ship out from 16 October, Manticos sank on 22 October.''Empire Barbara''
Empire Barbara was a 275 GRT tug which was built by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby. Launched on 5 October 1944 and completed in February 1945. To the Admiralty in 1947 and renamed Adept. Sold to the Government of Ceylon and renamed Aliya. Allocated to the Royal Ceylon Navy. Refitted in 1964. Sold to Steel Corporation of Sri Lanka for scrapping in 1978.''Empire Bard''
was a 3,114 GRT heavy-lift ship which was built by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee. Launched on 30 December 1941 and completed in March 1942. Sold in 1946 to Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Co Ltd, Dundee and renamed Angusburn. Sold to Rederei A/B Hildegaard in 1955 and renamed Brettenham. Operated under the management of F Lundqvist, Finland. Arrived at Cartagena, Spain on 14 April 1971 for scrapping.''Empire Bardolph''
was a 7,017 GRT cargo ship which was built by Short Brothers Ltd Sunderland. Launched on 8 December 1942 and completed in March 1943. Sold in 1946 to Lamport & Holt Line Ltd and renamed Memling. Sold in 1953 to Blue Star Line and renamed Vancouver Star. Renamed Memling in 1957. Arrived at Vlissingen on 23 October 1959 for scrapping.''Empire Barkis''
Empire Barkis was a 340 GRT coastal tanker which was built by Rowhedge Iron Works Ltd, Rowhedge, Essex. Launched on 8 June 1944 and completed in August 1944. Sold to Van Castricum & Co Ltd, London and renamed Sodok. Sold in 1947 to Shell Company of Singapore Ltd and renamed Guntur. Sold in 1962 to Madam Dolly Seah, Singapore. Sold in 1972 to P T Perusahaan Pelyaran Palka Utama, Indonesia.''Empire Barnaby''
Empire Barnaby was a 222 GRT water carrier which was built by W. J. Yarwood & Sons Ltd, Northwich. Launched on 2 May 1944 and completed in July 1944. Sold in 1967 to J Havens, London. Departed Brest on 24 June for Vianna, Portugal. Reported overdue on 4 July. Found by a Spanish fishing boat and towed to Santoña, Spain where she was declared unseaworthy. Detained due to salvors not being paid.''Empire Baron''
was a 5,894 GRT cargo ship built by Cantiere Navale Triestino, Trieste. Launched in 1926 as Monte Piana for Navigazione Generale Geromilich & Co, Trieste. Beached at Aden on 12 June 1940 after crew attempted to scuttle her when intercepted by the Royal Navy. Attempts to repair unsuccessful, towed to Vizagapatam, India by SS Nirvana in February 1941 where repaired. Sold in 1947 to Navigation & Coal Trade Ltd, London, and renamed Rubystone. Sold in 1951 to Alvion Steamship Co, Panama. Scrapped at Nagasaki, Japan in August 1960.''Empire Barracuda''
was a 4,926 GRT cargo ship which was built by American International Shipbuilding, Hog Island, Pennsylvania. Launched in 1918 as Sacandaga for United States Shipping Board. Sold in 1918 to Carolina Co. Operated under the management of American Palmetto Line. Returned to USSB in 1925. Sold in 1932 to American Diamond Lines, and renamed Black Heron. To MoWT in 1941 and renamed Empire Barracuda. Sunk on 15 December 1942 by west of Gibraltar.''Empire Barrie''
Empire Barrie was a 7,168 GRT cargo ship which was built by J L Thompson & Sons Ltd, Sunderland. Launched on 17 January 1942 and completed in April 1942. Sold in 1945 to Clan Line Steamers Ltd and renamed Clan Alpine. Sold in 1957 to Bullard, King & Co and renamed Umvoti. Resold to Clan Line in 1959 and reverted to Clan Alpine. Sold for scrapping with a delivery date of November 1960. Broke moorings at Chittagong, East Pakistan on 31 October 1960 during a cyclone and driven inland from the mouth of the Chittagong River. Scrapped in situ February 1961.''Empire Bascobel''
Empire Bascobel was a 418 GRT tug which was built in the Bethlehem Elizabethport shipyard, New Jersey. Launched as Bascobel in 1919 for the USSB. Sold in 1922 to Gulf Coast Transportation Co, New Orleans. Sold in 1928 to Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railway Co. To United States Maritime Commission in 1936. To MoWT in 1941 and renamed Empire Bascobel. Returned to USMC in 1946, renamed Bascobel. Sold to Universal Tank Cleaning Corp in 1954 and then Standard Tank Cleaning Corp in 1958. Sank on 18 December 1961 at Mariners Harbor, New York. Declared a constructive total loss, scrapped in New York in December 1963.''Empire Battleaxe''
was a 7,177 GRT LSI which was built by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, Los Angeles. She was laid down as Cape Berkeley and completed as Empire Battleaxe in October 1943. Became HMS Donovan in 1946 and reverted to Empire Battleaxe later that year. To USMC in 1947 and renamed Cape Berkeley in 1948. Proposed sale to China as Hai C fell through later that year, then renamed Empire Battleaxe. Laid up in James River, Virginia. Scrapped at Kearny, New Jersey May 1966.''Empire Baxter''
was a 7,079 GRT cargo ship which was built by Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, Barrow in Furness. Launched on 8 October 1941 and completed in December 1941. Sold in 1946 to Reardon Smith Line Ltd and renamed Paris City. Sold in 1954 to Duff, Herbert & Mitchell Ltd, Liverpool and renamed Westford. Sold in 1958 to Compagnia Atlantica-Pacifica, Panama and renamed Severn River. Sold in 1959 to R & E Sadikloğu Ortaktari, Turkey and renamed Hüseyin Kaptan. Scrapped at Haliç in 1963.