Empire ship The Empire ships were a series of ships in the service of the British Government . Their names were all prefixed with " Empire " . Mostly they were used during World War II by the Ministry of War Transport ( MoWT ) , who owned the ships but contracted out their management to various shipping lines . Some ships requisitioned during the Suez Crisis were also given the " Empire " prefix . They were acquired from a number of sources . Many were built for the MoWT , others obtained from the USA , still others were captured or seized from enemy powers . One such prize , " Empire Audacity " , later became the first escort carrier . Introduction of standard specifications . Britain entered World War II on the 3 September 1939 , however , significantly before the declaration of war , preparations were in hand to put the shipping industry of Britain on a war footing . All shipbuilders had specified the capability of their yards to produce cargo ships , cargo liners , tramps , tankers , colliers , coasters and naval ship s . The Ministry of Shipping , formed in October 1939 quickly adopted a standard naming system , applying the prefix " Empire " for all merchant ships built in Great Britain for the Government . With some exceptions , the prefix was also extended to purchased or requisitions ships and to those acquired as prizes . From 1 February 1940 , the Admiralty took control of all shipbuilding and repairs , including merchant shipping . From that date , ships could only be built either on orders of the Admiralty or , for private owners , under licences that required the ships to be built to admiralty specifications of wartime requirements . Types of ships built for the MOWT . Tramps . Tramp ships were built to a standardised prefabricated design . The ships were in length with a beam of , with a deadweight of around 10 , 000 tons and a speed of around . The first standard to be used was the PF ( B ) of approximately 7 , 050 gross tons . These incorporated one 30 - ton , two 10 - ton and eight 5 - ton derrick s for cargo handling . The PF ( C ) design was introduced in 1942 to handle heavier military equipment , and was equipped with one 50 - ton , one 30 - ton , five 10 - ton and five 5 - ton derricks . PF ( C ) were around 7 , 320 gross tons . The later PF ( D ) was similar to PF ( C ) , at 7 , 370 tons , but could be distinguished by a full - height poop ( which was only half height in the PF ( C ) ) . Some had of refrigerated space . Tankers . The ' Ocean ' type tankers were sometimes known as the ' Three twelves type ' , being about 12 , 000 tons deadweight with a speed of around and a fuel consumption of 12 tons per day . They were used for the transport of fuel and also for refuelling at sea . Some were fitted with triple expansion steam engines ; others were diesel powered . The ' Norwegian ' type were slightly larger and were constructed only by two builders , Sir James Laing & Sones ( who had built the prototype ) and by Furness Shipbuilding Co , Ltd . The first of the type were fitted with triple expansion steam engines , later models with diesel engines and finally with diesel engines . The design for the ' Wave ' prefixed faster tankers was introduced in 1943 . With a speed of , these fast tankers were able to operate outside of the convoys . Aircraft carriers . Catapult - armed merchantmen or " CAM " ships , were merchant cargo ships operating with the convoys and converted to launch a Sea Hurricane fighter by means of a catapult . As there was no means to land the Hurricane on the ship again , it was only possible for a single launch and the aircraft then had to return to land or ditch in the sea . However they did provide important convoy cover when no other air cover was available . Eight requisitioned private ships and twenty - seven Empire ships served as CAM ships . Ten of the Empire ships were lost in service . Merchant aircraft carrier s or " MAC " ships superseded the " CAM " ships . Their role was defensive in protection of the convoys . Unlike the " CAM " ships , they carried a flight deck so the aircraft were able to land again . The merchant air carriers were adapted standard grain ships or oil tankers . The grain ships had a flight deck of to ft and a breadth of . A hangar on the lower deck was equipped with a lift to the flight deck and accommodated four Fairey Swordfish aircraft . The oil tankers had longer flight decks - - but no hangars . Three Swordfish reconnaissance planes were stowed at the aft end of the flight deck . Fast cargo liners . In the early part of the war shipyard capacity was fully engaged with naval ships , including aircraft carriers , repairs to ships following Dunkirk and in orders for tankers and tramps . By 1941 there was criticism that ships being built were too slow . A few fast ships ( capable of 15 - 16 knots ) were however being built ; many of them with refrigerated capacity . In 1942 a new standard for a fast cargo liner of around 9 , 900 gross tons was introduced with a length of and a breadth of . Thirteen " Empire " - prefixed standard class cargo liners were completed . Another was laid down intending to be given the prefix but was acquired by the Royal Netherlands Government and completed as " Modjokerto " . Heavy lift ships . The design of the heavy lift ship was based on a Norwegian design with a prefix - " Bel - " ( " Belmoira " and " Belpareil " were two of this type ) intended to carry bulky and heavy cargo such as locomotives and tugs . The ships had three large unobstructed cargo holds and heavy lifting equipment . The first pair of ships built for the Ministry of War Transport , " Empire Charmian " and " Empire Elaine " were diesel powered . The remainder , " Empire Admiral " , " Empire Athelstan " , " Empire Byng " , " Empire Canute " , " Empire Ethelbert " ( launched as " Beljeanne " in 1946 ) , " Empire Marshal " , " Empire Viceroy " and " Empire Wallace " , were powered by steam turbines to provide more speed and power . These ships were able to carry smaller vessels , such as tugs and landing craft , to support combat operations around the world . Scandinavian type cargo ships . Two classes of ship were based on the Scandinavian design general cargo ship . The smaller ' three island ' type of around 2 , 800 gross tons were built between 1941 and 1944 . These vessels played an important role as crane ships in unloading the Arctic convoys at the Russian ports . In the three island class , the boiler was amidships and the cargo handling was grouped around three ' islands ' on the superstructure , at the stern , bow and amidships . Ten ships were built in the later and larger ( 3 , 500 gross tons ) " Empire Malta " class , which had the boiler aft and the cargo handling grouped around the fore - and main - mast . Dredgers and hoppers . Dredging and hopper vessels were used for the collection or discharge of aggregate s for example in maintaining clear navigation channels and to acquire aggregates from the sea bed . Tank landing ships . The tank landing ships ( LST Mark 3 ) had a speed of eleven knots and were 4 , 820 tons when loaded . The length was 330 ft and the breadth 54 ft . The bridge and engines were aft . A bow ramp gave access to the interior and onto the open upper deck . 168 troops could be accommodated in narrow dormitories . Landing craft were generally only identified by number ( for example " LST 3512 " ) . However , some were completed as merchant ships after the end of hostilities . Seven were charted from the Ministry of War Transport as ferries and given the " Empire " prefix , operating between Tilbury and Hamburg from September 1946 and also between Preston and Larne from May 1948 . Twelve of the landing craft were recalled to service and given " Empire " names in 1956 during the Suez Crisis and used as military transport ferries in Malta , Aden and Singapore . These were : Ferries . Three Empire ferries ( " Empire Chub " , " Empire Dace " and " Empire Roach " ) , were completed to the same design as an order from the Government of Turkey . They had ramps at both ends and could carry passengers and vehicles but could also be converted for minelaying . They were also equipped with a 25 - ton derrick at the front of the superstructure amidships . They were 716 gross tons , length and breadth . Water carriers . Three vessels of 215 to 222 gross tons were built as water carriers . These were " Empire Barnaby " , " Empire Billow " and " Empire Fulham " Ore carriers . Four vessels all of 2 , 922 gross tons , length and breadth were built as ore carriers . These were " Empire Moat " , " Empire Ness " , " Empire Ridge " and " Empire Stream " Convoy rescue ships . Five s were completed as Empire convoy rescue ships to join twenty - nine previously - requisitioned ships . The requisitioned passenger ships had a speed of 11 to 12 knots to enable them to catch up with the convoys travelling at 10 knots after completing their rescue operations . Convoy rescue ships were also generally armed with AA guns for protection when they were separated from the convoy and vulnerable to enemy attack . The five Empire ships were 1 , 333 gross tons , length , breadth with a speed of sixteen and a half knots . After the war they were used as troopships in the Eastern Mediterranean . Service . War service . Empire ships were generally involved in convoy duty , including the Atlantic convoys bringing essential supplies from the United States ; military convoys to North Africa ; military convoys around the Cape of Good Hope to prosecute the war in the Middle East ; coastal convoys around the shores of Britain ; Mediterranean convoys , including those supporting the defence of Malta and Arctic convoys to North Russia . They took an active role supporting the invasions of North Africa , Sicily and Italy and in the Normandy assault and in the assaults on German - held ports of Western Europe . In June 1944 . ninety - seven Empire merchant ships were involved in the cross - channel convoys that carried troops and supplies ready for the Normandy invasion . Empire landing craft were involved in the assault phase , and Empire coasters were involved in the beaching of supplies and in ferrying cargo from the larger merchant ships anchored off - shore . The success of the Normandy invasion depended on the successful construction of the Mulberry ports . These were prefabricated ports , constructed at Southampton , Gosport , Portsmouth , Tilbury Docks , and even as far north as Birkenhead and Hartlepool . Two hundred tugs then took three months to tow the components of the harbours from where they were constructed to assembly areas on the South Coast . Between 7 June 1944 and the end of July , the tugs towed the materials across the channel to Normandy . Before D - Day , sixty old merchant ships and four old warships were selected as blockship s , to be scuttled in a line to give protection to the small craft . The blockships were stripped before setting out in convoy across the channel . Empire tugs were used to ensure the safe crossing . On reaching Normandy they were scuttled in five groups , codenamed " Gooseberry 1 " to " Gooseberry 5 " . " Gooseberry 4 " at Juno Beach included four Empire ships : , " Empire Flamingo " , " Empire Moorhen " and " Empire Waterhen " . " Gooseberry 5 " at Ouistreham included three Empire ships : " Empire Defiance " , " Empire Tamar " and " Empire Tana " . Between the 19 and 23 June 1944 a severe gale , damaged many of the Mulberry harbours and wrecked some of the blockships . Additional blockships were added in July 1944 , including one more Empire ship , " Empire Bittern " , and two of the former Empire ships that had been transferred to the Norwegians : " Norfalk " ( formerly " Empire Kittiwake " ) and " Norjerv " ( formerly " Empire Eagle " ) . Post war service . At the end of the war , tankers were released from requisition as they completed voyages after 31 December 1945 and dry cargo ships after voyages completed after 2 March 1946 . However passenger and troopships were still involved in the repatriation of servicemen , prisoners of war and refugees . The government therefore converted several captured German passenger ships to Empire troop ships . These included " Empire Fowey " , " Empire Halladale " , " Empire Ken " , " Empire Orwell " , " Empire Trooper " and " Empire Windrush " . " Empire Comfort " , " Empire Lifeguard " , " Empire Peacemaker " and " Empire Shelter " were smaller troopships operating in the Mediterranean Sea ; " Empire Parkeston " and " Empire Wansbeck " operated as troopships between Harwich and the Hook of Holland . Losses and disposal of Empire ships . In 1942 , shipowners who had lost ships ( either as a casualty of war or requisitioned by the Government ) during the war , were able to buy ships built for the Government . Such ships were then managed by the shipowner on behalf of the Ministry of War Transport , until the end of the war . Tramps and colliers built before 1942 were sold on in this way , although some smaller ships remained unsold . Empire ships were also transferred to the representatives of governments of countries that had been invaded by Germany , in recognition of the losses suffered by the fleets of Britain ' s allies . Ships transferred to other governments . Ten Empire ships and one Ocean type American tramp , " Ocean Veteran " , as well as a number of Liberty type ships were transferred to Belgium between the years 1941 - 1943 . Twenty - nine Empire ships were transferred or built for the Netherlands and several American built ships including " Ocean Athlete " , " Ocean Merchant " and were also transferred . Twenty - four Empire ships were purchased by the French Government after liberation in 1945 . All were transferred in 1945 - 46 . " Empire Gala " and " Empire Jupiter " were later placed with the Gouvernement Generale de L ' Indo - Chine , along with 10 " Park " - type Canadian - built ships . Nineteen Empire ships were transferred to the Norwegian Government in 1941 - 1942 . More were transferred to the Norwegian Government in 1946 . Three Empire ships and a number of American ships were built or transferred to the Polish Government in 1942 - 1943 . A number of Empire ships were transferred to the Soviet Union during and after the war . Transferred in 1944 : " Empire Nigel " Transferred in 1946 : " Empire Ayr " , " Empire Conclyde " , " Empire Concord " , " Empire Confederation " , " Empire Congleton " , " Empire Congreve " , " Empire Conisborough " , " Empire Conleven " , " Empire Connah " , " Empire Connaught " , " Empire Connemara " , " Empire Consett " , " Empire Constable " , " Empire Constellation " , " Empire Contees " , " Empire Contest " , " Empire Convention " , " Empire Conway " , " Empire Conwear " , " Empire Dart " , " Empire Dee " , " Empire Douglas " , " Empire Dovey " , " Empire Durant " , " Empire Forth " , " Empire Gable " , " Empire Gabon " , " Empire Gage " , " Empire Gala " , " Empire Galashiels " , " Empire Galaxy " , " Empire Galleon " , " Empire Gallic " , " Empire Galveston " , " Empire Gantry " , " Empire Garner " , " Empire Kennet " , " Empire Lea " , " Empire Neath " , " Empire Nidd " , " Empire Ock " , " Empire Orwell " , " Empire Tageland " , " Empire Tageos " , " Empire Tarne " , " Empire Tegaden " , " Empire Tegados " , " Empire Tegaica " , " Empire Tegalta " , " Empire Tegamas " , " Empire Tegleone " , " Empire Tegoria " , " Empire Teguda " , " Empire Teguto " , " Empire Teme " , " Empire Teviot " , " Empire Tigarth " , " Empire Tigbart " , " Empire Tigina " , " Empire Tigombo " , " Empire Tigonto " , " Empire Tigost " , " Empire Tigouver " , " Empire Venture " , " Empire Viking I " , " Empire Viking II " , " Empire Viking III " , " Empire Viking VI " , " Empire Viking VIII " , " Empire Viking IX " , " Empire Viking X " , " Empire Weaver " , " Empire Welland " , " Empire Wey " , " Empire Yare " . Transferred in 1947 : " Empire Cherwell " † denotes those ships transferred under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement . War losses . One hundred and eighty two Empire ships were lost through enemy action , including to mines , submarines , enemy aircraft , E - boats and blockships . The first lost was " Empire Commerce " in 1940 and the last was " Empire Gold " in 1945 . Eight Empire ships were sacrificed as blockships to support the Normandy invasion . Some of the blockships were later raised and scrapped . A considerable number of the losses were sunk by U - boat s during the Battle of the Atlantic . Post - war disposal . In 1946 numerous of the British - built Empire ships , as well as ex - German prize ships were offered for sale or for three - or five - year charter . Survivors . At least three Empire ships survive today . " Empire Sandy " , built as a tug , has been converted to a schooner and is active on the Great Lakes . ST " Cervia " , a tug built as " Empire Raymond " is preserved as a museum ship at Ramsgate , Kent . A recent survivor was ST " Sea Alarm " , formerly " Empire Ash " , which was controversially scrapped in 1998 . The former " Empire Forth " , a cargo ship built in 1939 as " Mars " is preserved at Kaliningrad , Russia as " Vityaz " . The tug " Laut Sawu " ( ex - " Empire Humphrey " ) was still in active service in Indonesia in 2004 . The tug " Poetto " ( ex - " Empire Stella " ) was still in service in Italy in 2004 .