Empire Ely in a dry dock in London
History
Name
  • Empire Ely (1947–54)
  • Maribella (1954–55)
  • Ganges (1955–59)
  • Eleni (1959-72)
Owner
  • Ministry of Transport (1947–54)
  • Mariblanca Navigation SA (1954–55)
  • F A Detjen (1955–59)
  • Compagnia de Navigazione Andria (1959–72)
Operator
  • Common Bros (1948–49)
  • Sir R Ropner & Sons Ltd (1949–50)
  • Maclay & McIntyre Ltd (1950–51)
  • Scott, Mann & Fleming Ltd (1951–54)
  • Mariblanca Navigation SA (1954–55)
  • Deutsche Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft "Hansa" (1955–59)
  • Compagnia de Navigazione Andria (1959–72)
Port of registry
  • United Kingdom United Kingdom (1948–54)
  • Liberia Monrovia, Liberia (1954-55)
  • West Germany Hamburg, West Germany (1955-59)
  • Greece Greece (1959–72)
BuilderLübecker Flenderwerke AG
Launched7 November 1947
Completed1948
Out of service5 September 1971
Identification
  • Code Letters DHNX (1955-59)
FateScrapped
General characteristics
TypeCargo ship
Tonnage
Length455 ft (139 m)
Beam61 ft (19 m)
PropulsionTriple expansion steam engine
Speed12.5 knots (23.2 km/h)

Eleni was a 6,112 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1947 by Lübecker Flenderwerke AG, Lübeck, Germany. She had been laid down as Greifswald for Norddeutscher Lloyd. She was captured uncompleted in May 1945 and passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), being completed in 1948 as Empire Ely. In 1954, she was sold to a Liberian company and renamed Maribella. A sale in 1955 to West Germany saw her renamed Ganges. In 1959, she was sold to Greece and renamed Eleni, serving until she was involved in a collision in 1971. She was declared to be beyond economic and scrapped in April 1972.[1]

Description

The ship was a 6,112 GRT cargo ship. She was built in 1945 by Lübecker Flenderwerke AG, Lübeck.[2]

The ship was 455 feet (139 m) long, with a beam of 61 feet (19 m).. She was assessed at 6,112 GRT,[1] 9,650 DWT.[3]

The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine.[2] The engine was built by Danziger Werft, Danzig, Germany in 1944 and refurbished by Lübeck Flenderwerke in 1946–47. It drove a single screw propeller and could propel the ship at 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h).[3]

History

Laid down as Greifswald by Lübecker Flenderwerke for Norddeutscher Lloyd, the ship was seized in an incomplete state by British forces in May 1945 and was passed to the MoWT.[2] Empire Ely was launched on 7 November 1947.[3] She was completed in 1948.[2] Empire Ely was placed under the management of Common Bros Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1949, management passed to Sir R Ropner & Co, West Hartlepool, Co Durham.[1] Ropner's were given the option to purchase the ship. Although the name Swiftpool was allocated, the sale did not go through.[2] Empire Ely was offered for sale by tender in February 1949, then lying at Leith, Midlothian, undergoing minor repairs. She had not been declared a prize of war at the time.[3] Management passed to Maclay & MacIntyre Ltd, Glasgow in 1950 and then to Stott, Mann & Fleming Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1951.[1] On 26 August 1952, Empire Ely suffered an engine failure when she was 200 nautical miles (370 km) west of Sabang, Indonesia. The rescue tug Griper towed her to Singapore.[4]

In 1954, Empire Ely was sold to Maribella Navigazione SA, Monrovia, Liberia and was renamed Maribella. In 1955, she was sold to F A Detjen, West Germany and renamed Ganges.[2] She was chartered to Deutsche Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft "Hansa". Her port of registry was Hamburg and the Code Letters DHNX were allocated.[5] In 1959, she was sold to the Compagnia de Navigazione Andria, Greece and renamed Eleni.[2]

On 5 September 1971, Eleni was in collision with the Norwegian cargo ship Prinsesse Ragnhild in the Bay of Kiel. Although she proceeded to Gdynia, Poland under her own power, she was declared to be beyond economic repair. Eleni arrived at Santander, Spain in April 1972 for scrapping.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "EMPIRE - D - E". Mariners. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mitchell, W.H.; Sawyer, L.A. (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. p. not cited. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Public Notices". The Times. No. 51311. London. 21 February 1949. col B, p. 10.
  4. ↑ "Disabled Ship Taken in Tow". The Straits Times. No. 27 August 1952. National Library of Singapore. p. 5.
  5. ↑ "S/S GANGES (DHNX)" (in German). DDG Hansa Shipsphotos. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
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