HMS Royal Scotsman
History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | Royal Scotsman |
Builder | Harland and Wolff, Belfast |
Yard number | 964[1] |
Launched | 11 March 1936 |
Completed | 29 May 1936[1] |
Acquired | October 1940 |
Identification | IMO number: 5301394 |
Honours and awards |
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Fate |
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General characteristics | |
Type | Landing Ship, Infantry |
Tonnage | 3,244 gross register tons (GRT) |
Length | 340 ft (100 m) o/a |
Beam | 48 ft (15 m) |
Draught | 17 ft (5.2 m) (deep) |
Propulsion | 7,500 shp (5,593 kW) twin diesel engines[2] |
Troops | 830 |
Complement | 236 |
Armament |
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HMS Royal Scotsman, originally the MV Royal Scotsman, was an
The ship was later purchased in 1967 by the Church of Scientology, re-registered to Sierra Leone and renamed to the MV Royal Scotman (due to a transcription error)[3] : 274 and then MV Apollo.[3]: 291, 295 It served as the headquarters of the Church of Scientology, the founding flagship of the Sea Org, and the personal residence of L. Ron Hubbard until 1975.[3]: 270–274
Construction
The ship was built by
Operational history
At 09:30 on 5 May 1940 Royal Scotsman left Gourock to transport Force HQ and the 3rd
Royal Scotsman was then requisitioned by the
Initially deployed in home waters, in August 1941, she embarked troops at the Clyde for "Operation Grey", a planned occupation of the Azores. After sailing to Scapa Flow to join military convoy WS-8C, the operation was cancelled, and Royal Scotsman returned to the Clyde. On 17 September 1941, she joined military convoy WS-11X in the Clyde, to transport military personnel to Gibraltar, as reinforcements for Malta ("Operation Halberd"), returning to the UK, in October, to train with Combined Operations personnel.[2]
From January 1942, she took part in extensive exercises for
In May 1943, she took part in landings on the Italian island of
There is no record of her being deployed in any further operations, though whether the ship was damaged or only used for training purposes is unknown. In February 1945, she was decommissioned and returned to her original owners in March.[2]
Scientology
She remained in service with Burns & Laird, until 1967, when she was purchased by the Church of Scientology and renamed Apollo, to serve as flagship of the Sea Org, as well as the residence of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and his family. (Coincidentally, Apollo was of a similar ship type to the USS Algol, an amphibious cargo ship[dubious ] which Hubbard served on from December 1943 to September 1944.) She cruised mostly in the Mediterranean Sea and on the Atlantic coasts of Europe and Africa. Apollo served as the headquarters of the Church of Scientology until the church established its headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, in 1975.[3]: Chapter 20
After Scientology and fate
After the Sea Org moved to Clearwater, the ship sat dormant until it was eventually sold in 1977 to Consolidated-Andy Inc., a
References
- ^ ISBN 9780752488615.
- ^ OL 26305813M.
- ^ The National Archives WO 218/11 p.1
- ^ Price, Bob (1991). "Darby's Rangers in Action". darbysrangers.tripod.com. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
- ^ "ZANZIBAR SHPG. v. Railroad Locomotive Engine, 533 F. Supp. 392". 25 February 1982.
- ^ Ortega, Tony (27 September 2018). "What a train wreck: The ignominious fate of Scientology's original flagship, the 'Apollo'". tonyortega.org. Retrieved 16 April 2024.