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As Empire Baltic in 1946
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS LST 3519 Empire Baltic
Owner	Royal Navy (1945-46) Ministry of Transport (1946-62)
Operator	Atlantic Steam Navigation Company (1946–1961) British-India Steam Navigation Company (1961–1962)
Port of registry	Royal Navy (1945-46) UK (1946-62)
Builder	Canadian Vickers Limited, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Launched	26 April 1945
Fate	Scrapped in 1962
General characteristics
Class and type	Landing Ship, Tank (LST 3519) Ferry (Empire Baltic)
Tonnage	4,280 GRT (Empire Baltic)
Displacement	2,256 long tons (2,292 t) (LST 3519)
Length	347 ft (105.77 m)
Beam	55 ft 3 in (16.84 m)
Depth	12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Propulsion	8-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, 2,750 hp (2,050 kW)
Speed	13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)
Capacity	62 passengers (Empire Baltic)
Complement	104 (LST 3519)
Armament	10 × 20 mm AA guns (LST 3519)

HMS LST 3519 was a Landing Ship, Tank of the Royal Navy, entering service during the last months of the Second World War. She was chartered for civilian service as the Empire Baltic from 1946, serving as an early RO-RO ferry until the navy suspended the charter and requisitioned the ship during the Suez Crisis in 1956. She briefly returned to normal service, but was retired soon after and was eventually sold for breaking up.

Career

LST 3519 was built in the Montreal yards of the Canadian subsidiary of Vickers, Canadian Vickers Limited. She was launched on 26 April 1945 and completed in September 1945. After the end of the war she was one of three LSTs chartered by the Government to the firm of F.Bustard & Sons Ltd., who employed the ships in his Atlantic Steam Navigation Company. She was converted to civilian use by Harland & Wolf Ltd, Tilbury. A new bridge was built and accommodation was provided for 50 lorry drivers and 12 passengers. The renamed Empire Baltic made the first voyage of the new company, sailing from Tilbury Docks to Rotterdam on 11 September 1946. The journey took 24 hours The ship spent the next decade conveying army vehicles and personnel across the English Channel. On 24 September 1949, Empire Baltic hit a mine off Borkum, West Germany. Tugs from Borkum and Cuxhaven went to her assistance. The outbreak of the Suez Crisis in 1956 led to her being requisitioned along with the other LSTs operating under Admiralty charter, and Empire Baltic was used to carry Centurion tanks to Alexandria. In August 1958, Empire Baltic was involved in a collision with SS Orontes in the River Thames.

She returned to operate for the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company after the end of the conflict, but was withdrawn from service in 1959. She appears to have been briefly operated by the British-India Steam Navigation Company in 1961. Empire Baltic and Empire Curlew were advertised for sale in April 1962 as lying at Malta. Empire Baltic arrived at La Spezia, Italy for breaking up on 10 July 1962.

Notes

1. His Majesty's Landing Ship Tank Number 3519
2. ^ Colledge. Ships of the Royal Navy. p. 207.
3. ^ Mitchell and Sawyer. The Empire Ships. p. 359.
4. ^ "The pioneer ships of Roll on / Roll off ferries". The Maritime Steam Restoration Trust. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
5. "Atlantic Steam Navigation Company, 1946–1971". The Ships List. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2009.
6. "British Ship Mined in North Sea". The Times. No. 51496. London. 26 September 1949. col C, p. 3.
7. "British Units involved in the Suez crisis". britains-smallwars.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
8. "Builder's model of SS Orontes". Sydney, New South Wales: Australian National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
9. "Public Notices". The Times. No. 55368. London. 17 April 1962. col a, p. 3.
10. "EMPIRE - b". mariners-l.co.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2009.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) . Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Finch, Ted (2001). "EMPIRE - B". THE 'EMPIRE' SHIPS. mariners-l.co.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
• Paul, James; Spirit, Martin (2008). "British Units involved in the Suez crisis". Assault on the Canal: The Suez Index. britains-smallwars.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2009.
• Tattersall, Malcolm (2004). "The pioneer ships of Roll on / Roll off ferries". The 'Empire' Class. The Maritime Steam Restoration Trust. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 28 January 2009.

• Mitchell, W H, and Sawyer, L A (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

• Photo of Empire Baltic
• Photo of Empire Baltic
• Photo of Empire Baltic

v t e LST (3)-class tank landing ships
Completed LST 3001 LST 3002 LST 3003 / Anzio LST 3004 LST 3006 / Tromso LST 3007 LST 3008 LST 3009 LST 3010 / Attacker / Empire Cymric LST 3011 / Avenger LST 3012 / LST(Q) 1 / Ben Nevis LST 3013 / LST(Q) 2 / Ben Lomond LST 3014 LST 3015 / Battler LST 3016 / Dieppe LST 3017 LST 3018 LST 3019 / Vaagso LST 3020 LST 3021 LST 3022 LST 3023 LST 3024 LST 3025 / Bruiser LST 3026 / Charger LST 3027 / Lofoten LST 3028 LST 3029 / Chaser LST 3030 LST 3031 LST 3032 LST 3033 LST 3035 LST 3036 / Puncher LST 3037 LST 3038 / Fighter LST 3039 LST 3041 LST 3042 / Hunter LST 3043 / LST(C) 3043 / Messina LST 3044 / LST(C) 3044 / Narvik LST 3501 LST 3502 LST 3503 LST 3504 / Pursuer LST 3505 / Ravager LST 3506 LST 3507 / Empire Gaelic LST 3508 / Searcher LST 3509 LST 3510 / Slinger LST 3511 / Reggio LST 3512 / Empire Celtic LST 3513 / Salerno LST 3514 / Smiter LST 3515 / Stalker LST 3516 / Striker LST 3517 / St Nazaire LST 3518 / Suvla LST 3519 / Empire Baltic LST 3520 / Thruster LST 3522 / Tracker LST 3523 / Trouncer HMS LST 3524 / Trumpeter LST 3525 / Walcheren LST 3526 LST 3527 LST 3530 LST 3531 LST 3532 / Zeebrugge LST 3534 / Empire Cedric Scrapped or scuttled before completion LST 3005 LST 3034 LST 3040 LST 3045 LST 3521 LST 3535 LST 3536 LST 3537 Cancelled LST 3528 LST 3529 LST 3533 LST 3538 LST 3539 LST 3540 LST 3541 LST 3542 LST 3543 LST 3544 LST 3545 LST 3546 LST 3547 LST 3548 LST 3549 LST 3550 LST 3551 LST 3552 LST 3553 LST 3554 LST 3555 LST 3556 LST 3557 LST 3558 LST 3559 LST 3560 LST 3561 LST 3562 LST 3563 LST 3564 LST 3565 LST 3566 LST 3567 LST 3568 LST 3569 LST 3570 LST 3571 LST 3572 LST 3573 LST 3574
Other operators  Royal Australian Navy LST 3008 LST 3014 LST 3017 / Tarakan LST 3022 LST 3035 / Lae LST 3501 / Labuan  Hellenic Navy Achelaos (ex-LST 3503) Alfios (ex-LST 3020) Aliakmon (ex-LST 3002) Axios (ex-LST 3007) Pinios (ex-LST 3506) Strymon (ex-LST 3502)  Indian Navy Magar (ex-Avenger)  Royal Netherlands Navy LST 3010  Royal Army Service Corps Charles Macleod (ex-LST 3021) Evan Gibb (ex-LST 3037) Fredrick Glover (ex-LST 3001) Humphrey Gale (ex-LST 3509) Maxwell Brander (ex-LST 3024) Reginald Kerr (ex-LST 3009) Snowden Smith (ex-LST 3028)
Preceded by: LST (2) class Followed by: None
List of amphibious warfare ships of the Royal Navy

• 1945 ships
• LST (3)-class tank landing ships
• Empire ships
• Steamships of the United Kingdom
• Merchant ships of the United Kingdom
• Ferries of the United Kingdom