List of Empire ships (L)
[1] They were acquired from a number of sources: many were built for the government; others obtained from the United States; still others were captured or seized from enemy powers.
Empire Labrador was a 3,539 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool.
On 12 February 1953 she was attacked by Chinese Nationalist warships when in the Strait of Formosa but evaded capture and safely reached Hong Kong.
[2] Empire Labuan was a 7,339 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool.
Launched on 5 September 1944 as Empire Labuan and completed in November 1944 as HMS Holm Sound (F 189),[3] an aircraft component repair and maintenance ship.
Completed one wartime tour to Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said, Aden, Bombay, Cochin, Ceylon, Cocas Islands, Fremantle and return, in support of the Pacific fleet.
[6] Empire Lagan was an 11,399 GRT escort aircraft carrier which was built by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester, Pennsylvania.
Rebuilt in March 1941 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company as an escort carrier with a capacity for twenty aircraft.
On 7 November 1961 she was involved in a collision with the Norwegian tanker MV Berean, which caught fire and exploded, then beached.
Laid down as Empire Lagos but launched on 31 October 1944 as HMS Solway Firth, an aircraft engine repair ship.
[12] Empire Lakeland was a 7,015 GRT cargo ship that was built by John Readhead & Sons Ltd, South Shields.
Launched on 15 July 1946 as Empire Lambeth and completed in September 1946 as Dashwood for William France, Fenwick & Co Ltd. Scrapped in June 1961 at Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands.
[15] Empire Lance was a 7,177 GRT (11,650 tons displacement) Type C1-S-AY-1 cargo ship which was built by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California.
To the Royal Navy in 1945 as HMS Sir Hugo, then reverted to MoWT and renamed Empire Lance later that year.
[19] Empire Lapwing was a 5,358 GRT cargo ship which was built by the Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation, Harriman, Pennsylvania.
The ship was operated by the Hull-based United Towing Co. on behalf of the owners (MoWT) and was armed under the DEMS programme.
Was towing tug TID 12 on 9 August 1943 when she broke free and went aground at Tarlair Point, Macduff, Banffshire.
In April 1944 she was assigned to "Operation Corncob" in preparation for the coming invasion of France and sailed from Hull to join the convoy which collected the vessels which were to be used as blockships to form the breakwater for the Mulberry Harbour.
On 6 June 1944 she crossed the channel from Poole to join the Normandy invasion fleet and arrived in the evening off Arromanches (Gold Beach) and assisted in positioning and scuttling the blockships.
She ran aground on the morning of 7 June (while still under artillery fire from a German shore battery) and was towed off a sandbar by a US Navy tug.
She departed Cape Town, South Africa on 9 December 1962 with Marianella on tow, bound for Genoa to be scrapped.
Arrived on 27 October 1939 at Las Palmas with machinery damage while carrying a cargo of wheat from Argentina to Germany.
[25] Empire Latimer was a 7,244 GRT cargo ship which was built by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland.
[clarification needed][39] Empire Light was a 6,828 GRT cargo ship built by Barclay, Curle & Co in Glasgow.
Sold in 1956 to East African Railways & Harbours Administration, Dar es Salaam and renamed Linden.
[46] Empire Longford was a 3,703 GRT cargo ship which was built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Beached 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) west of Cape Garraway, Liberia but a constructive total loss.
Operated under the management of Glover Bros (London) Ltd Foundered on 12 April 1942 in the Atlantic while in convoy SC79 from Halifax NS at 44°06′N 60°27′W / 44.100°N 60.450°W / 44.100; -60.450.
Launched on 4 March 1946 and completed in June 1946 as Corflow for William Cory & Son Ltd. Sold in 1959 to G Vlassis & Co, Greece.
To C Barnes, USA in 1922 and Fairfield Steamship Corp in 1923, Operated under the management of Seas Shipping Company, New York.
