MV Empire Beacon

Empire Beacon was an 872 GRT coaster which was built in 1941. She was owned by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and managed by John Stewart & Co (Shipping) Ltd. Empire Beacon struck a mine and sank off St. Ann's Head, Pembrokeshire on 5 April 1942.

History
Name	Empire Beacon
Owner	Ministry of War Transport
Operator	John Stewart & Co (Shipping) Ltd
Port of registry	Glasgow
Builder	Scott & Sons Ltd, Bowling
Launched	24 September 1941
Completed	February 1942
Identification	UK Official Number 168695 Code Letters BCSY
Fate	Struck a mine and sank, 5 April 1942
General characteristics
Tonnage	872 GRT
Length	203 ft (61.87 m)
Beam	33 ft 2 in (10.11 m)
Depth	11 ft 7 in (3.53 m)
Propulsion	6-cylinder SCSA Oil engine, 80 hp (60 kW)

Location of the sinking of Empire Beacon.

Career

Empire Beacon was built by Scott & Sons Ltd, Bowling, West Dunbartonshire.^[1] She was yard number 358 and was launched on 24 September 1941 and completed in November that year.^[2] Empire Beacon was built for the MoWT and placed under the management of John Stewart & Co (Shipping) Ltd. Her port of registry was Glasgow.^[3]

Sinking

On 5 April 1942, Empire Beacon struck a mine and sank 6 nautical miles (11 km) off St. Ann's Head (51°41′N 5°10′W).^[1][2]

Official Numbers and Code Letters

Official numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. Empire Beacon had the UK Official Number 168695 and used the Code Letters BCSY.^[2][3]

Propulsion

Empire Beacon was powered by a Single Cycle, Single Action oil engine,^[3] driving a single screw.^[2] The cylinders were 133⁄8 in (340mm) diameter by 227⁄16 in (570 mm) stroke. The engine developed 80 horsepower (60 kW).^[3]