List of Empire ships (U–Z)
[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.
[3] Empire Unitas IV was a 341 GRT whaler which was built by Bremer Vulkan Schiff- und Mashcinenbau, Bremen.
Completed in 1937 as Unitas 4 for Jurgens Van Den Bergh Margarine Verkaufs Union GmbH, Hamburg.
[4] Empire Unitas V was a 341 GRT whaler which was built by Bremer Vulkan Schiff- und Mashcinenbau, Bremen.
Completed in 1937 as Unitas 5 for Jurgens Van Den Bergh Margarine Verkaufs Union GmbH, Hamburg.
[4] Empire Unitas VIII was a 341 GRT whaler built by Bremer Vulkan Schiff- und Mashcinenbau, Bremen.
Completed in 1937 as Unitas 8 for Jurgens Van Den Bergh Margarine Verkaufs Union GmbH, Hamburg.
Completed in 1939 as Unitas 10 for Jurgens Van Den Bergh Margarine Verkaufs Union GmbH, Hamburg.
Operated under the management of Sir W R Smith & Sons Ltd. Sold in 1927 to Mervyn Steamship Co, Newport, Monmouthshire and renamed Marklyn.
[8] Empire Venture was a 12,639 GRT factory ship which was built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Launched on 6 July 1944 and completed in November 1944 as RFA Wave Monarch for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Sold in March 1960 to H G Pound, Portsmouth and used as an oil hulk at Le Havre, replacing RFA Wave Conqueror.
[10] Empire Viceroy was a 7,803 GRT (10,360 DWT) heavy lift ship which was built by Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, Barrow in Furness.
[11] Empire Victory was a 21,846 GRT factory ship which was built by Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG, Bremen.
To Ministry of Food, operated under the management of United Whalers Ltd. Sold in 1950 to Union Whaling Co Ltd, South Africa and renamed Abraham Larsen.
Completed in 1929 as Athelviscount for United Molasses Co Ltd. Damaged on 31 August 1940 by bombing at Cammell Laird's shipyard, Birkenhead.
A journey not without problems as three U-boats were reported in the area and the vessels encountered storms and both drifted eastwards when the towline parted.
Spotted by an aircraft on 4 April when still 100 nautical miles (190 km) offshore having been assumed by the Admiralty that both ships had foundered.
[18] Empire Wagtail was a 4,893 GRT cargo ship which was built by Todd Drydock and Construction Company, Tacoma, Washington.
In February 1951, she towed the liberty type ship SS San Leonardo 300 nautical miles (560 km) from Cape Northumberland, South Australia to Melbourne after the latter had lost her propeller.
Th engines were removed in 1962 at Hong Kong ready for replacement but came ashore on 1 September 1962 at Kowloon Docks during Typhoon Wanda.
Chartered in 1973 by Compagnia Agropecuaria y Maritima Santa Rosa Ltd, Colombia, returning to Taboga Enterprises later that year.
Captured on 20 October 1939 in the North Sea by HMS Transylvania and escorted to Kirkwall, Orkney Islands.
[29] Empire Waterhen was a 5,948 GRT (7,500 DWT) cargo ship which was built by Oscar Daniels Shipbuilding Co, Tampa, Florida.
[37] Empire Widgeon was a 6,736 GRT C3-E type ship which was built in the Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts.
[42] In November 1945 she was taken to Jarrow, Northumberland and laid up there until April 1946 when she was refitted as a troopship by Alex, Stephen & Sons Ltd, Glasgow.
Caught fire on 28 March 1954 32 nautical miles (59 km) off Cape Caxine, Algiers and abandoned with the loss of four lives from 1,487 people aboard.
Believed to have foundered at 64°08′N 22°38′W / 64.133°N 22.633°W / 64.133; -22.633 while attempting to assist Shirvan a British tanker and Icelandic passenger ship "Godafoss" which had both been torpedoed and sunk by U-300.
[53] Empire Wye was a 6,446 GRT cargo ship which was built by Bremer Vulkan Schiff- und Maschinenbau, Vegesack.
Captured during Operation Postmaster on 14 January 1942 by the SOE and Royal Navy off Fernando Po, Spanish Guinea and reflagged to the United Kingdom.
