SS Wallsend (1943)

Wallsend was a cargo ship which was built in 1943 as Empire Buttress for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). Completed in July 1943, she was sold postwar and renamed Wallsend. In 1959 she was sold to Liberia and renamed Bordagain, a further change of ownership in 1967 saw her renamed Daring. She served until 1976, when she was scrapped.

Description
Empire Buttress was built by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool for the MoWT. She was yard number 1150. Empire Buttress was launched on 6 May 1943 and completed in July 1943.

The ship was 315 ft long, with a beam of 46 ft and a depth of 23 ft. She was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine which had cylinders of 20 in, 31 in, and 55 in bore by 39 in stroke. The engine was built by North East Marine Engine Co (1938) Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Career
Empire Buttress was operated under the management of Martyn, Martyn & Co Ltd of Newport, Wales. Her port of registry was West Hartlepool. She was a member of a number of convoys during the Second World War.

Convoy JW 59 departed Loch Ewe on 15 August 1944 and arrived at the Kola Inlet on 24 August. Empire Buttress had orders to sail to Archangelsk and Molotovsk, where she was not expected. Her eventual destination was Murmansk.
 * JW 59

Convoy SC 141 departed Halifax, Nova Scotia on 3 September 1943 and arrived at Liverpool on 17 September. Empire Buttress was to have sailed with this convoy, but sailed with the next convoy.
 * SC 141

Convoy SC 142 departed Halifax, Nova Scotia on 15 September 1943 and arrived at Liverpool on 29 September. Empire Buttress was carrying a cargo of steel and pulpwood bound for Glasgow.
 * SC 142

In 1946, Empire Buttress was sold to the Burnett Steamship Co Ltd, Newcastle upon Tyne and was renamed Wallsend. Her port of registry was changed to Newcastle upon Tyne. On 11 October 1955, Wallsend ran aground at Hook of Holland, Netherlands. She was refloated by 13 October. In 1959, Wallsend was sold to the Bordagain Shipping Co Ltd, Liberia and was renamed Bordagain. She was operated under the management of Ramon de la Sota Jr, France. In 1967, Bordagain was sold to the Compania de Navegacion Pinares SA, Panama and was renamed Daring. She served until 1976, when she was scrapped at Split, Yugoslavia, in May of that year.

Official Numbers and Code Letters
Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. Empire Buttress and Wallsend had the United Kingdom Official Number 168959. Bordagain and Daring had the Liberian Official Number 1475.

Empire Buttress and Wallsend used the Code Letters BFKP.