SS Fort Athabaska

SS Fort Athabaska was a Canadian-owned Fort ship, sunk while under British naval use in 1943. With the heavy demand for British cargo ships it was given to British naval forces.

History
United Kingdom
NameSS Fort Athabaska
OwnerMinistry of War Transport
OperatorJ. & C. Harrison, London
BuilderBurrard Dry Dock Co. Ltd., North Vancouver
Completed15 May 1943
FateSunk, 2 December 1943
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeNorth Sands-type Fort ship
Tonnage7,130 GRT
Length441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam57 ft 2 in (17.42 m)
Draught26 ft 11.5 in (8.217 m)
Propulsion
  • 3 cyl triple expansion steam
  • 2500 ihp
  • One shaft.
Speed11 knots (13 mph; 20 km/h)
Range11,400 nmi (21,100 km) at 10 kn (12 mph; 19 km/h)
Complement115
Armament
  • During the Second World War:
  • 1 × 4-inch (100 mm) gun
  • 8 × 20mm AA guns

She was a North Sands type Fort ship built by Burrard Dry Dock of North Vancouver, and completed 15 May 1943.[2]

On 2 December 1943 multiple squadrons of German bombers conducted a destructive air assault on Bari Harbour in Italy. Twenty-eight Allied ships were sunk in the raid with contents of mustard gas in one of their hulls. The moment the gas spread, the harbour became a poisonous inferno. One of the ships sunk in the raid was Fort Athabaska. The contents of the ship whilst it was stationed at Bari is unknown, but some records suggest medical/oil/ammunition supplies. The fate of the ship was sealed when multiple bombs penetrated the decks of the ship, leaving holes in the hull that could not be repaired. The order to abandon ship was given and the ship quickly submerged. Fort and Park ship were the Canadian equivalent of the American Liberty ships. All three shared a similar design by J.L. Thompson and Sons of Sunderland, England. Fort ships had a triple expansion steam engine and a single screw propeller. [3]

References
  1. DeRoy-Jones, Angela (2004). "Merchant Ships Built in Canada in World War Two". fortships.tripod.com. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  2. Colton, Tim (2011). "Merchant Ships Built in Canada in World War Two". shipbuildinghistory.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  3. "Fort Athabaska". wrecksite.eu. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.



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