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Empire Cedric was the first ro-ro ferry. She was built for the Royal Navy as the Landing Ship, Tank, HMS LST 3534. She was commissioned in 1945 and converted for civilian use as a ferry in 1948. She was used in the Irish Sea on routes between Preston and Larne, and Preston and Belfast. In 1956, she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for a few months during the Suez Crisis as HMS Empire Cedric. She served until 1960 when she was scrapped.

Description

The ship was built Yarrows Ltd, Esquimalt, British Columbia. She was launched on 25 June 1945.

The ship was 347 feet 6 inches (105.92 m) long, with a beam of 55 feet 3 inches (16.84 m) and a draught of 12 feet 5 inches (3.78 m). She had a GRT of 4,820, and a DWT of 3,065. She was capable of 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h).

History

LST 3534 was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 25 October 1945. She was chartered by the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company Ltd on 13 September 1946, and then converted to a ferry by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Tilbury.

Between 1946 and 1948, Empire Cedric was used on trooping duties between Tilbury and Hamburg, Germany. Empire Cedric entered service on 21 May 1948 on the Preston - Larne route, becoming the first commercial ro-ro ferry. She was certified to carry 50 passengers. Initially, there were two services per week. The service was so successful that an extra route between Preston and Belfast was opened in 1950, with services increasing to six or seven per week between the two routes. On 18 November 1949, Empire Cedric was involved in a collision with the coaster Topaz in fog in the Ribble Estuary. Empire Cedric appeared in a film made by Pathé News in 1949 about the delivery of prefabs from Gloucester to Northern Ireland.

In 1956, Empire Cedric took part in Operation Musketeer. She was used to transport member of 35 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers to Famagusta, Cyprus and also bring vehicles back to the United Kingdom from Egypt. Due to weather damage had to divert to Malta for repairs. In 1959, Empire Cedric was withdrawn from service. She was sold to a Belgian company on 12 August 1960 and arrived at Ghent for scrapping on 16 September.

References

1. ^ 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)
2. ^ "LST 3534". Old Ships. Archived from the original on 24 December 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
3. ^ "HMS LST 3534". Warships. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
4. "Empire Cedric (1181506)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
5. ^ "The 'Empire' Class, the pioneer ships of Roll on / Roll off ferries". The Maritime Steam Restoration Trust. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
6. "Traffic Delayed by Fog". The Times. No. 51543. London. 19 November 1949. col E, p. 4.
7. "PRE FABS FOR IRELAND (NORTHERN)". British Pathé. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
8. "British Units involved in the Suez crisis". Britain's Small Wars. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 18 March 2010.

External links

• Photo of LST 3534
• Photo of Empire Cedric
• Full length photograph of the SS Empire Cedric

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
• Ships built in Esquimalt
• Steamships of the United Kingdom
• LST (3)-class tank landing ships
• Empire ships
• Ministry of War Transport ships
• Ferries of the United Kingdom