HMS Sainfoin (F183)

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HMS Sainfoin in Singapore, 1945
History
Name
  • Cape Washington (1943–44)
  • Empire Crossbow (1944)
  • HMS Sainfoin (1944–46)
  • Empire Crossbow (1946–47)
  • Cape Washington (1947–64)
Owner
  • United States Maritime Commission (1943–44)
  • Ministry of War Transport (1944)
  • Royal Navy (1944–46)
  • Ministry of Transport (1946–47)
  • United States Maritime Commission (1947–64)
Operator
  • United States Maritime Commission (1943–44)
  • Ministry of War Transport (1944)
  • Royal Navy (1944–46)
  • Ministry of Transport (1946–47)
  • United States Maritime Commission (1947)
Builder
Wilmington, California
Yard number357
Launched30 November 1943
Completed31 January 1944
CommissionedNovember 1944
DecommissionedSeptember 1946
Maiden voyage7 February 1944
Out of service1948
Homeport
  • United Kingdom London (1944)
  • United Kingdom Royal Navy (1944–46)
  • United Kingdom London (1946–47)
  • United States United States (1947–64)
Identification
  • United Kingdom
    Official Number
    169808 (1944, 1946–47)
  • Code Letters MYMV (1944, 1946–47)
  • Pennant Number F183 (1944–46)
FateSold for scrapping in 1964
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length
  • 396 ft 5 in (120.83 m) between perpendiculars
  • 417 ft 9 in (127.33 m) overall
Beam60 ft 1 in (18.31 m)
Depth35 ft 0 in (10.67 m)
PropulsionTwo steam turbines, double reduction geared driving a single screw propeller
Speed
  • 16 knots (30 km/h) (service)
  • 18 knots (33 km/h) (maximum)
Troops1,500
Armament
  • Empire Crossbow and HMS Sainfoin:
  • 1 × 4-inch (102 mm) gun
  • 1 × 12-pounder (3-inch (76 mm)) gun
  • 12 × 20 mm (0.8 in) anti-aircraft guns
  • 2 × 4.7-inch (119 mm) guns
  • 18 × LCA

HMS Sainfoin was a

merchant vessel Cape Washington. She was transferred to the Ministry of War Transport in 1944 and renamed Empire Crossbow. Later that year, she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS Sainfoin, with the pennant number
F183. In 1946, she was returned to merchant service as Empire Crossbow. She was transferred to the United States in 1947 and renamed Cape Washington. The ship was then laid up until scrapped in 1964.

Description

The ship was built in 1944 by

Wilmington, California.[1] She was Yard Number 357.[2]

The ship was 396 feet 5 inches (120.83 m) long between perpendiculars,[3] 417 feet 9 inches (127.33 m) overall,[4] with a beam of 60 feet 1 inch (18.31 m). She had a depth of 35 feet 0 inches (10.67 m).[3] She was assessed at 7,177 GRT,[1] 4,823 NRT.[3] Her DWT was 6,440.[2]

The ship was propelled by two

Essington, Pennsylvania.[3]

History

Built as the merchant vessel Cape Washington, the ship was launched on 30 November 1943,

Code Letters MYMV were allocated. Her port of registry was London.[6] Empire Crossbow departed from Wilmington on her maiden voyage on 7 February 1944. She sailed via the Panama Canal to Bermuda, sustaining some damage in storms in the Caribbean. At Bermuda, it was estimated that repairs would take 14 days to complete. Empire Crossbow joined a convoy and departed Bermuda on 24 February, the day she had arrived there. She arrived at Greenock, Renfrewshire on 6 March.[7] Empire Crossbow departed the River Clyde on 26 March and sailed via Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire and Weymouth Bay, Dorset to the Cowes Roads, of the Isle of Wight, arriving on 30 March.[8]

During

507th Fighter Squadron at Southampton, Hampshire and landed them at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Lower Normandy.[12] In September, Empire Crossbow embarked troops from the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry at Arromanches and took them to Southampton, from where they were to go to Bulford Camp, on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.[13]

Empire Crossbow was transferred to the Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS Sainfoin in November 1944.[5] She was named after the racehorse Sainfoin, the winner of the 1890 Epsom Derby.[14] Her armament consisted 1 × 4-inch (102 mm) gun, 1 × 12-pounder (3-inch (76.2 mm)) gun, 12 × 20 mm (0.8 in) anti-aircraft guns,[5] and 2 × 4.7-inch (119 mm) guns. She also carried 18 LCAs and could accommodate 1,500 troops.[15]

HMS Sainfoin sailed to Greenock to embark

Emmahaven, Indonesia, where the cmmanders-in-chief of the Japanese forces in Sumatra signed the surrender document on HMS Persimmon.[17]

On 16 October 1945,

Great Nicobar, and caught fire.[18] Using her LCAs, Sainfoin rescued all 1,083 people on board Takliwa, as well as the ship's cat. During the rescue, three of Sainfoin's LCAs were lost.[19] Sainfoin's mascot, a baboon named Mortimer,[20] took a liking to the cat. On arrival at Bombay, the cat promptly went ashore.[19] Mortimer's intended fate was to be given to a zoo in the United Kingdom, but he grew too big and dangerous, so he was euthanased before Sainfoin reached the United Kingdom.[20]

Post-war, Sainfoin assisted in mopping up operations in the Dutch East Indies. On one occasion, a pregnant woman went into labour whilst men from Sainfoin were assisting in one such operation. She was transferred to the ship for medical attention. A healthy baby boy was born on board. He was given the name Sainfoin.[21] Sainfoin was at Singapore when the news came through that she was to be paid off. She sailed the following day;[22] her destination was Greenock. A number of her crew volunteered for service on the voyage to return the ship to the United States, but their request was denied.[23]

HMS Sainfoin was returned to merchant service, with the name reverting to Empire Crossbow in September 1946.

$47,206 to Peck Iron & Metal Co for dismantling.[4] Cape Washington was scrapped at Portsmouth, Virginia.[1]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 1-85044-275-4
    .
  2. ^ a b "C1 Cargo Ships". Shipbuilding History. Archived from the original on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p6". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Front of Card 1". United States Maritime Administration. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8
    .
  6. ^ "Signal Letters Database". Convoyweb. Retrieved 5 May 2011. (Enter MYMV or Empire Crossbow in relevant search box)
  7. ^ Baker, Derek (28 August 2005). "Crewing an LST from the USA to the UK. Part 2". BBC People's War. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  8. ^ "EMPIRE CROSSBOW". Convoyweb. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  9. ^ "Captain A. Rodger". The Times. No. 53207. London. 29 April 1955. col C, p. 15.
  10. ^ Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p5". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  11. ^ "Convoy EWP.1". Convoyweb. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  12. ^ "June 1944". John Levesley. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  13. ^ "Lieutenant Robert Stoddart Preston". Pegasus Archive. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  14. ^ Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p4". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  15. ^ a b Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p7". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  16. ^ a b Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p9". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  17. ^ a b c Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p11". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  18. ^ a b "Ex-Prisoner's Ship in Flames". The Times. No. 50275. London. 17 October 1945. col C, p. 3.
  19. ^ a b c Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p13". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  20. ^ a b Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p22". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  21. ^ Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p25". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  22. ^ Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p26". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
  23. ^ Mitchell, W J ("Walt"); Buckenham, Colin (2007). "Sainfoin's War, p28". Diss: Data Tech. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
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