SS Fort McMurray

SS Fort McMurray was a North Sands–type Fort ship, a type of cargo ship.^[1] She took her name from the town of Fort McMurray in Alberta, following the same naming scheme as the other Fort ships. She was built as yard number 164 at the Burrard Dry Docks in North Vancouver and was successfully delivered in 1942.^[2][3]

SS Fort McMurray

History
Name	Fort McMurray
Namesake	Fort McMurray
Owner	Ministry of War Transport (1942–1947) United States War Shipping Administration (1947) Italia – Società di Navigazione (1948–1951) Achille Lauro (1951–1967)
Builder	Burrard Dry Dock, North Vancouver
Cost	$1,856,500 (CAD)
Yard number	164
Launched	27 August 1942
Fate	Broken up in 1967, La Spezia, Italy
General characteristics
Class & type	North Sands–type Fort ship
Tonnage	7,133 GRT (1942–1948) 6,968 GRT (1948–1967)
Length	129.39 m (424 ft 6 in)
Beam	17.37 m (57 ft 0 in)
Height	10.64 m (34 ft 11 in)
Propulsion	1 × 3-cylinder 2,500 ihp (1,900 kW) Dominion steam reciprocating engine
Speed	11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Armament	1 × 4 in (100 mm) gun 8 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons anti-aircraft gun mounts

Service history

World War II

Fort McMurray initially served under the Ministry of War Transport, along with the other Fort ships, where she was operated and managed by Morel Ltd. of Cardiff. She joined several convoys transporting cargo across the Atlantic Ocean to the United Kingdom and the Mediterranean, with stops at Glasgow, Alexandria, and Bizerte.^[1][4][5]

Postwar

Fort McMurray was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission in 1947, where she served for a year, ferrying cargo and personnel across the Atlantic numerous times. Post-1948, she was removed from military service, renamed Pegaso, and sold to the Italian Line. The Italian Line operated her for only three years before she was sold to Napolitano entrepreneur Achille Lauro in 1951.^[1] For the next 17 years, she served as a merchant cargo ship throughout the Mediterranean.^[6] The ship was recorded as being only 6,968 GRT at this time, compared to her earlier 7,133 GRT measurement.^[7] This was likely due to owner modifications and the removal of her armament after being sold to Italian Line. She was broken up in La Spezia during 1967, following a 25-year career.^[1][6]