City of Lancaster

Vessel name on Arrival: Lancastrian

Original Builder: Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Company of Jarrow

Original Yard No: 940

Official Number: 147242

Vessel Type: cargo

GRT: 2996

Year Built: 1924

Arrival Date: 06/12/1953

Breakup Started: 11/12/1953

Date First Beached: 04/05/1954

Date Breakup Completed: 08/09/1954

Draught For’d: 7' 9"

Draught Aft: 11' 6"

Name Changes:

 

1926 – 1947  :  City of Lancaster – Ellerman Lines

1947 – 1953  :  Lancastrian – Ellerman Lines

Other Information:

 

Cargo Ship built for Ellerman Lines

 

Launched on 22-01-1924                Completed in February 1924

 

Dimensions  :  100.6 metres  x  13.7 metres

 

Propulsion :  Triple Expansion steam reciprocating engine driving a single screwshaft

 

In 1929, the vessel was lengthened to 102.2 metres resulting in an increase of GRT to 3,209 tons

 

In May 1943, the infamous double spy Edward Arnold Chapman (1914 – 1997) posing under the name 'Hugh Anson', signed on board the City of Lancaster as a steward, for a voyage from Liverpool – Lisbon.  He was paid £20,000 by the Germans to take a bomb disguided as a lump of coal, on board the vessel and plant it within the vessel's coal bunkers, with the objective of it detonating and the loss of the vessel.  As it happens, he passed the bomb to the ship's Captain, so nothing became of the incident.

 

In 1947 the vessel was renamed LANCASTRIAN without change in Ownership

 

In December 1953, the LANCASTRIAN arrived at the West of Scotland Shipbreaking Company's TRoon facility for demolition.