SS Empire Broadsword

History
Class and type:	C1-S-AY-1 Infantry landing ship
Name:	Cape Marshall (1943) Empire Broadsword (1943-44)
Owner:	War Shipping Administration
Operator:	Cunard White Star Line
Port of registry:	London
Builder:	Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California
Launched:	16 August 1943
Completed:	December 1943
Out of service:	2 July 1944
Identification:	United Kingdom Official Number 169737 Code Letters MYMJ
Fate:	Struck a mine and sank
General characteristics
Tonnage:	7,177 GRT 4,823 NRT
Length:	396 ft 5 in (120.83 m)
Beam:	60 ft 1 in (18.31 m)
Depth:	35 ft (10.67 m)
Propulsion:	Steam turbines, double reduction geared driving a single screw
Armament:	1 × 4 in gun 1 × 12 pdr gun 12 × 20mm guns

Location of the sinking of Empire Broadsword.

Empire Broadsword was a Type C1-S-AY-1 infantry landing ship built in 1943 as Cape Marshall. She was renamed Empire Broadsword before completion and entering into service for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She had a short career, entering service in December 1943 and being sunk by a mine in July 1944.

Construction

The ship was built by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California as yard number 348. She was launched on 16 August 1943 as Cape Marshall.^[1] She was 396 feet 5 inches (120.83 m) long, with a beam of 60 feet 1 inch (18.31 m) and a depth of 35 feet (10.67 m). She was propelled by two steam turbines which drove a single screw via double reduction gearing. The steam turbine were manufactured by Westinghouse Electrical and Manufacturing Corp, Essington, Pennsylvania.^[2]

Career

The ship was transferred under the terms of lend lease shortly after being completed in 1943 under the name Empire Broadsword.^[3] She was chartered by the MoWT, and was operated under the management of Cunard White Star Line^[2]

The Empire Broadsword was mined and sunk off Normandy while supporting the allied invasion of Europe.^[4] Her position is 49°25′N 0°54′W / 49.417°N 0.900°W / 49.417; -0.900.^[1] Seventy survivors were rescued by USS PC-1225.^[5] The wreck lies on its starboard side in 27 metres (89 ft) of water and is now a dive site.^[6] Those lost on Empire Broadsword are commemorated at the Tower Hill Memorial, London.^[7]

Official Numbers and Code Letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. Empire Broadsword had the UK Official Number 169737 and used the Code Letters MYMJ.^[2]

References

1 2 "1169737". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 10 December 2009. (subscription required (help)).
1 2 3 "LLOYD'S REGISTER, NAVIRES A VAPEUR ET A MOTEURS" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
↑ Colledge. Ships of the Royal Navy. p. 113.
↑ "EMPIRE - B". mariners-l.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
↑ "Waverly". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
↑ "Legacy of the landings". Dive Magazine. Archived from the original on March 13, 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
↑ "Ship Index A-F". Brian Watson. Retrieved 20 May 2011.

Sources

Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.

Type C1-S ships

Cape Argos Cape Berkeley Cape Comorin Cape Compass Cape Girardeau Cape Gregory Cape Lobos Cape Marshall Cape Pine Cape St. Roque Cape St. Vincent Cape Turner Cape Washington

Empire ships beginning with Empire B

Cargo ships	Empire Baffin Empire Balfour Empire Balham Empire Ballad Empire Ballantyne Empire Bank¹ Empire Banner Empire Barbados² Empire Bard² Empire Bardolph³ Empire Baron Empire Barracuda Empire Barrie Empire Baxter Empire Bay Empire Beacon¹ Empire Beaconsfield Empire Beatrice Empire Beaumont Empire Beauty Empire Beaver³ Empire Bede Empire Bell Empire Bermuda Empire Birdsay Empire Bison Empire Blackwater Empire Blanda Empire Blessing Empire Blossom Empire Bond Empire Boswell Empire Bowman Empire Boy Empire Breeze Empire Bridge¹ Empire Brigade Empire Bromley¹ Empire Brook¹ Empire Bruce Empire Brutus Empire Buckler Empire Buffalo Empire Builder Empire Bulbul¹ Empire Bunting Empire Burton Empire Buttress Empire Byng² Empire Byron

Landing ships	Empire Baltic Empire Battleaxe Empire Broadsword

Ocean liners	Empire Bittern Empire Brent Empire Bure⁴

Tankers	Empire Bairn¹ Empire Barkis¹ Empire Barnaby¹ Empire Belgrave¹ Empire Benefit Empire Beresford Empire Billow¹ Empire Bombardier Empire Bounty Empire Boxer¹ Empire Bronze Empire Bute¹

Tugs	Empire Barbara⁵ Empire Bascobel Empire Becky⁵ Empire Belle⁵ Empire Ben⁵ Empire Bess Empire Betsy⁵ Empire Birch⁵ Empire Bracken⁵

A B Ca–Cl Co–Cy D E F G H I–J K L M N O P R Sa–Sh Si–Sy Ta–Te Th–Ty U–Z

1 Coaster 2 Heavy lift ship 3 Refrigerated Cargo Ship 4 Cargo liner 5 Coastal tug

Ships of the Cunard Line

Current fleet

Former ships 1840–1994

Years indicate year of entry into Cunard service.

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in July 1944

Shipwrecks	2 Jul: Empire Broadsword, U-543 3 Jul: U-154, U-1191 4 July: I-10, USS S-28, Sarushima 5 Jul: U-233, U-390, U-586, U-642, Usugumo 6 Jul: Hokaze 7 Jul: Saubadia, Tamanami, U-678 8 Jul: HMS Pylades, U-243 9 Jul: Shahzada, USS Swerve 10 Jul: Duilio, Giulio Cesare 11 Jul: U-1222 14 Jul: U-415 15 Jul: U-319 16 Jul: Niobe, Norjerv 17 Jul: E. A. Bryan, Quinault Victory, U-347, U-361 18 Jul: U-672, U-742 19 Jul: Ōi 20 Jul: ORP Dragon, HMS Isis 21 Jul: U-212 23 Jul: Empire Bittern 24 Jul: U-1164 26 Jul: I-29, USS Robalo, U-214, U-2323 27 Jul: V-1 30 Jul: U-250 31 Jul: Fuso Maru, Yoshino Maru, U-333 Unknown date:I-55

Other incidents	6 Jul: HMS Trollope 7 Jul: ORP Dragon 8 Jul: Empire Brutus 17 Jul: Port Chicago disaster 24 Jul: U-239 27 Jul: HMAS Fremantle,nbsp;HMAS Wilcannia 28 Jul: U-1166 29 Jul: U-872, Z44

1943 1944 1945 June 1944 August 1944

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