SS Olsztyn

History
Name	Imkenturm (1944–45); Empire Gantry (1945–46); Feodosia (1946–47); Olsztyn (1947–72);
Owner	DDG Hansa (1944–45); Ministry of War Transport (1945–46); Soviet Government (1946–47); Gdynia America Lines (1947–51); Polska Żegluga Morska (1951–72);
Operator	DDG Hansa (1945); Moss Hutchinson Line (1945–46); Soviet Government (1946–47); Gdynia America Lines (1947–51); Polska Żegluga Morska (1951–72);
Port of registry	Bremen (1945); London (1945–46); Soviet Union (1946–47); Gdynia (1947–51); Szczecin (1951–72);
Builder	Werf de Noord / Flensberger
Yard number	604
Laid down	29 March 1943
Launched	2 March 1944
Completed	27 February 1945
Out of service	1972
Identification	call sign DOIJ (1945); ; UK official number 180638 (1945–46); call sign GJLQ (1945–46); ; call sign SPAH (1946–72); ; IMO number: 5662782 ( –1972);
Fate	Scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type	Hansa A type cargo ship
Tonnage	1,925 GRT, 936 NRT, 3,196 DWT
Length	87.68 m (287 ft 8 in)
Beam	13.51 m (44 ft 4 in)
Draught	5.59 m (18 ft 4 in)
Depth	4.80 m (15 ft 9 in)
Installed power	Compound steam engine, 1,200IHP
Propulsion	Single screw propeller
Speed	10.5 knots (19.4 km/h)
Crew	25, plus 8–10 gunners (in wartime)

Olsztyn was a Hansa A Type cargo ship which was built as Imkenturm in 1944 by Werf de Noord, Alblasserdam, Netherlands for DDG Hansa, Bremen, Germany. She was seized as a prize of war in 1945, passing to the Ministry of War Transport and renamed Empire Gantry. She was allocated to the Soviet Union in 1946 and was renamed Feodosia (Russian: Феодосия). Sold to Poland in 1947, she was renamed Olsztyn. She served until 1972, when she was scrapped.

Description

The ship was 87.68 m (287 ft 8 in) long, with a beam of 13.51 m (44 ft 4 in). She had a depth of 4.80 m (15 ft 9 in), and a draught of 5.59 m (18 ft 4 in).^[1] She was assessed as 1,925 GRT,^[2] 936 NRT, 3,196 DWT.^[3]

The ship was propelled by a compound steam engine, which had two cylinders of 42 cm (16+9⁄16 in) and two cylinders of 90 cm (35+7⁄16 in) diameter by 90 cm (35+7⁄16 in) inches stroke. The engine was built by Rheinmetall-Börsig AG, Tegel, Germany.^[1] Rated at 1,200IHP, it drove a single screw propeller and could propel the ship at 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h).^[3]

The ship had a complement of 25, plus 8-10 gunners during wartime. She was equipped with 1×30-tonne, 1×10-tonne and 10×5-tonne cranes.^[4]

History

Imkenturm was a Hansa A Type cargo ship built in 1944 as yard number 604 by Werf de Noord, Alblasserdam, Netherlands for Deutsche Dampfschifffarts-Gesellschaft Hansa, Bremen, Germany.^[3]^[2] Her keel was laid on 29 March 1943.^[4] She was launched on 2 March 1944 and completed by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, Flensburg, Germany on 27 February 1945.^[3] Her port of registry was Bremen,^[2] and the Code Letters DOIJ were allocated. She participated in the Evacuation of East Prussia and was damaged in an Allied air raid on Flensburg on 1 May 1945.^[4]

On 8 May 1945,^[4] Imkenturm was seized as a prize of war at Flensburg. She was passed to the Ministry of War Transport and was renamed Empire Gantry.^[2] Her UK official number was 180638 and her call sign was GJLQ. She was registered in London and Moss Hutchinson Line Ltd managed her.^[5]

In 1946 Empire Gantry was allocated to the Soviet Union and renamed Feodosia.^[2]

In 1947, Feodosia was sold to Gdynia America Lines, Poland and was renamed Olsztyn.^[2] The Code Letters SPAH were allocated.^[4] In 1951, she was sold to Polska Żegluga Morska, Szczecin.^[2] With their introduction in the 1960s, Olsztyn was allocated the IMO Number 5662782.^[3] She served until 1972,^[2] arriving at Bruges, Belgium on 31 January for scrapping by Gebroeders Van Heygen.^[3]^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. I, Steamers and Motorships of 300 Tons Gross and Over. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1945. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via Southampton City Council.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Mitchell, WH; Sawyer, LA (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. p. not cited. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Imkenturm (Ty.)" (in Danish). J Marcussen. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "D/S Imkenturm (2) (DOIJ) 1945" (in German). DDG Hansa. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
^ Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. I Steamers and Motorships of 300 Tons Gross and Over. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1945. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via Southampton City Council.

External links

Colour photograph of Olsztyn.

[Feodosia45-1] Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. I, Steamers and Motorships of 300 Tons Gross and Over. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1945. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via Southampton City Council.

[Ships-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Mitchell, WH; Sawyer, LA (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. p. not cited. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.

[Marcussen-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Imkenturm (Ty.)" (in Danish). J Marcussen. Retrieved 15 June 2020.

[DDG-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "D/S Imkenturm (2) (DOIJ) 1945" (in German). DDG Hansa. Retrieved 15 June 2020.

[Gantry45-5] Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. I Steamers and Motorships of 300 Tons Gross and Over. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1945. Retrieved 15 June 2020 – via Southampton City Council.

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v t e Empire ships
By suffix, Empire x
A B Ca–Cl Co–Cy D E F G H I–J K L M N O P R Sa–Sh Si–Sy Ta–Te Th–Ty U–Z
See also: Fort ship, Liberty ship, Park ship, Ocean ship, Victory ship.