MV Aqueity (1945)

Aqueity was an coastal tanker which was built by A & J Inglis Ltd, Glasgow in 1945 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) as Empire Belgrave. In 1947 she was sold to F T Everard and Sons and renamed Aqueity, being lost later that year when she struck a mine and sank off the coast of the Netherlands.

Description
Empire Belgrave was built by A. & J. Inglis Ltd, Glasgow. She was yard number 1299. Empire Belgrave was launched on 16 March 1945 and completed on 19 June. She was 193 ft long, with a beam of 32 ft and a depth of 14 ft. Her GRT was 890, DWT 900 with a NRT of 382.

Career
Empire Belgrave was managed for the MoWT by the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd. Postwar management passed to Shell Tankers. In 1947, Empire Belgrave was sold to F T Everard & Sons Ltd, Greenhithe and renamed Aqueity. On 11 November 1947, she struck a mine off Terschelling, the Netherlands and sank. The wreck lies in 22 m of water at 53.53333°N, 5.03333°W.

Official Numbers and Code Letters
Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. The ship had the UK Official Number 169440 and the Code Letters GKJW.

Propulsion
The ship was propelled by a two-stroke Single Cycle, Single Action diesel engine which had four cylinders of 13+3/4 in diameter by 22+7/16 in stroke. It was built by British Polar Engines Ltd, Glasgow.