SS Empire Darwin
1943
(Santa Rosa SR-4a)
- Class: Catapult Armed Merchantman
- Displacement: 6,765 tons
- Dimensions: 432 x 57 ft.
- Machinery: Steam triple expansion
- Armament: 1 Hawker Hurricane aircraft
- Complement:
- Builder: William Gray & Co. Ltd., West Hartlepool
- Launched: 13 May 1941
- Commpleted: Jul 1941
- Notes: Built for Ministry of War Transport. The CAM ships were ordered disbanded in Jun 1943; the last two to escort a convoy were Empire Darwin and Empire Tide departing Gibraltar 23 Jul. German intelligence had monitored the disbandment order and on 28 Jul sent long-range planes to attack the convoy when it was halfway to Britain thinking it would have no air cover. Both ships launched their fighters and two FW-200 Condors were shot down, the last engagement for the CAM ships. Damaged by a near miss on the 29th, she reached Glasgow for repairs. Postwar she became Cubain in 1946 and Mersinidi in 1959. Broken up in Singapore in 1966.
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