MV Empire MacKay was an oil tanker constructed with rudimentary aircraft handling facilities as a merchant aircraft carrier (MAC ship).
 Fairey Swordfish landing on Empire MacKay in 1944
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Empire MacKay |
| Owner | Ministry of War Transport |
| Operator | British Tanker Co. Ltd. |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff, Govan |
| Yard number | 1167[1] |
| Launched | 17 June 1943 |
| Completed | 5 October 1943[1] |
| Renamed | British Swordfish in 1946 |
| Fate | Scrapped Rotterdam 1959 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 8,908 GRT |
| Length | 460 ft (140 m) (pp) 482 ft 9 in (147.14 m) (oa) |
| Beam | 59 ft (18 m) |
| Depth | 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h) |
| Complement | 110 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | Four Fairey Swordfish |
MV Empire MacKay was built by Harland and Wolff, Govan under order from the Ministry of War Transport. She entered service as a MAC ship in October 1943, however only her air crew and the necessary maintenance staff were naval personnel.[2] She was operated by the British Tanker Company.[3]
She returned to merchant service as an oil tanker in 1946 as British Swordfish and she was eventually scrapped in Rotterdam in 1959.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b McCluskie, Tom (2013). The Rise and Fall of Harland and Wolff. Stroud: The History Press. p. 152. ISBN 9780752488615.
- ^ H.T. Lenton & J. J. Colledge (1973). Warships of World War II. Ian Allan. p. 296. ISBN 0-7110-0403-X.
- ^ a b "List and history of the Empire ships - M". Mariners. Retrieved 18 March 2007.