Flaminian was a 2,699-gross register ton (GRT) cargo ship that was built in 1917 by W Harkness & Sons Ltd, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, United Kingdom for Ellerman & Papayanni Lines.

She was sold in 1944 to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) in 1944, converted to a cable storage hulk for Operation Pluto and renamed Empire Flaminian.

The ship was built in 1917 by W Harkness & Sons Ltd, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

[4] The ship was built by W Harkness & Sons Ltd, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, United Kingdom for Ellerman & Papayanni Lines.

[1] The third Ellerman Lines ship bearing that name,[5] she was launched on 21 January 1917 and completed in July 1917.

[2] The Code Letters JQRV and United Kingdom Official Number 140521 were allocated.

She made a voyage from Table Bay to Southampton, Hampshire in 1919,[6] and from Port Natal to the Clyde in 1920.

[4] She was still serving the Mediterranean at this time, sailing from Liverpool for İzmir and Istanbul, Turkey in March 1934.

[10] This continued in the years before World War II, with an identical voyage being made in November 1938.

[12] Flaminian was a member of Convoy HG 28F, which sailed from Gibraltar on 26 April and arrived at Liverpool on 5 May.

[12] She sailed two days later as a member of Convoy FN 200, which arrived at Methil, Fife on 22 June.

Flaminian sailed on 10 August for Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.

[12] Flaminian departed from Trinidad on 3 January 1941 for Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, arriving two days later.

She was carrying general cargo, rum and sugar, some of which caught fire and she left the convoy,[29] arriving at St. John's, Newfoundland on 15 February.

[12] Flaminian joined Convoy SC 27, which sailed on 30 March and arrived at Liverpool on 18 April.

She later joined Convoy FN 481,[12] which departed from Southend on 17 June and arrived at Methil two days later.

[35] Flaminian departed on 26 July for Lisbon, Portugal and sailing from there on 4 August for Gibraltar, which was reached two days later.

[12] Carrying West African produce, she sailed on 30 November with Convoy SL 94, which arrived at Liverpool on 20 December.

[12] Flaminian was a member of Convoy HG 82, which sailed on 27 April and reached Liverpool on 8 May.

[12] Flaminian was a member of Convoy HG 85, which sailed on 30 June and arrived at Liverpool on 12 July.

[12] Carrying general cargo and mercury, Flaminian departed on 29 August with Convoy HG 88, which arrived at Liverpool on 9 September.

[12] Flaminian sailed on 21 October to join Convoy KX 4A,[12] which departed from the Clyde the next day and arrived at Gibraltar on 4 November.

[12] Flaminian sailed with Convoy KX 5 on 30 October, reaching Gibraltar on 10 November.

[12] Flaminian departed from Southend on 27 January 1943 with Convoy FN 929, which reached Methil two days later.

She sailed on 11 May to join Convoy ET 20,[12] which had departed from Bône two days earlier and arrived at Gibraltar on 14 May.

[63] Carrying general cargo, she sailed on 24 January 1944 as a member of Convoy OS 66KM, which split at sea on 5 February.

Converted to a cable storage hulk for use in Operation Pluto,[71] she was now assessed as 2,763 GRT, 1,696 NRT.

[72] Empire Flaminian departed from Southend on 9 June with Convoy ETC 4, which arrived in the Seine Bay the next day.

[74] Empire Flaminian departed from the St Helens Roads on 6 October with Convoy FTC 30A, which arrived at Southend the next day.

Based at Marchwood, Hampshire, she was used by the Royal Engineers as a training ship for stevedores.