* indicates Rescue Ships sunk or lost
* Beachy (1,600 Gross Registered Tons (GRT), built 1936): owned by the Clyde Shipping Company, she was requisitioned in September 1940 and fitted with monitoring equipment for submarine detection, an early prototype of the high-frequency direction-finding (HF/DF) equipment with which later Rescue Ships were all fitted. Her first voyage escorting a convoy was in October 1940 (although not designated as a Rescue Ship until 6 December); she sailed with 5 convoys, but was sunk on her 3rd voyage on 11 January 1941 without having undertaken any rescue operations (hence is sometimes omitted from the list of Rescue Ships).
Hontestroom (1,875 GRT, 12½ knots, built 1921): owned by the Hollandsche Stoomboot Maatschappij and requisitioned in October 1940. Her first voyage was in January 1941; she sailed with 12 convoys to detachment; after her 6th voyage in May 1941, she was withdrawn from service due to her unsuitability.
Lives saved during rescue service: 69
* Toward (1,571 GRT, 12 knots, built 1923): requisitioned from the Clyde Shipping Company in December 1940. Her first voyage was in January 1941; she sailed with 45 convoys (mainly to detachment) until her 18th voyage in February 1942, when she crossed the Atlantic to Halifax, Nova Scotia (NS); she was sunk on 7 February 1943 on her 23rd voyage returning from Halifax, NS, with the loss of 56 of her crew.
Lives saved during rescue service: 337 [341]1
Copeland (1,526 GRT, 11 knots, built 1923): requisitioned from the Clyde Shipping Company in December 1940. Her first voyage from the Clyde was in January/February 1941 shortly after her sister ship, the Toward; she sailed with 71 convoys, mainly to Halifax, NS, having been the first Rescue Ship to cross the Atlantic in February 1942 (16th voyage); she was one of five Rescue Ships which sailed with the Arctic convoys, including PQ 18 (20th voyage). On her 36th voyage, at the end of May 1945, she accompanied the last westbound convoy to sail, ON 305, from the Clyde to detachment, returning to the Clyde in early June.
Lives saved during rescue service: 433
Zamalek (1,565 GRT, 12½ knots, built 1921): belonging to the (Egyptian) Pharaonic Mail Line (formerly the Khedivial Mail S.S. Company). Her first voyage to detachment was in February 1941; she sailed with 64 convoys, mainly to detachment or Halifax, NS; and was one of five Rescue Ships which sailed with the Arctic convoys, including PQ 17 (16th voyage). Her 31st voyage to Halifax, NS was May/June 1945. After the war she was returned to her owners and later sunk as a block ship in 1956 during the Suez Crisis.
Lives saved during rescue service: 6652
* Zaafaran (1,567 GRT, 12½ knots, built 1921): belonging to the (Egyptian) Pharaonic Mail Line (formerly the Khedivial Mail S.S. Company) and sister ship to the Zamalek, her first voyage was in March 1941; she sailed with 26 convoys, mainly to detachment; her 15th voyage was June/July 1942 with PQ 17. She was sunk with the loss of one crewman on 5 July.
Lives saved during rescue service: 220
Melrose Abbey (1,908 GRT, 13½ knots, built 1929): requisitioned from the Hull and Netherlands SS Company in February 1941. Her first voyage to Halifax, NS, took place in May 1942; she sailed with 44 convoys mainly to Halifax, NS, also to Gibraltar; her 22nd voyage from the Clyde to detachment was May 1945.
Lives saved during rescue service: 85 [86]3
Perth (2,258 GRT, 13 knots, built 1915): originally requisitioned from the Dundee, Perth and London Shipping Company in October 1940. Her first voyage as a Rescue Ship was in May 1941; she sailed with 60 convoys, initially mostly to detachment; her last 18 voyages were to Halifax, NS; her 30th voyage to Halifax, NS, was April/May 1945.
Lives saved during rescue service: 455
* Walmer Castle (906 GRT, 15 knots, built 1936): requisitioned from the Union Castle Mail Steamship Company in June 1941, to replace the Hontestroom. Her only voyage was in September of that year, when she saved 81 lives from 3 ships en route to Gibraltar; soon afterwards, on 21 September, she was sunk with the loss of 11 crew members and 20 of the rescued men.
Lives saved during rescue service: 81 [61]4
Dewsbury (1,686 GRT, 11½ knots, built 1910): requisitioned from the London & North Eastern Railway Company (LNER) in July 1941. She sailed with 43 convoys, her first voyage being December 1941; in March/ April 1945 she served as a standby rescue ship (20th voyage); her 24th voyage was to Halifax, NS in May 1945; she returned independently in June.
Lives saved during rescue service: 5
Rathlin (1,599 GRT, 12½ knots, built 1936): requisitioned from the Clyde Shipping Company in July 1941. Her first voyage was in October 1941; she accompanied 47 convoys and was one of five Rescue Ships which sailed with the Arctic convoys, including PQ 17 (8th voyage). Her 24th voyage was to Kola Inlet in May 1945.
Lives saved during rescue service: 634
* Stockport (1,683 GRT, 13½ knots, built 1911): requisitioned from the London & North Eastern Railway Company (LNER) in July 1941. Her first voyage to detachment was in December 1941; she sailed with 16 convoys mainly to Halifax, NS; sunk on 25 February 1943 in the North Atlantic on her 8th voyage with the loss of all crew members.
Lives saved during rescue service: 413 [322]5
Tjaldur (1,130 GRT, built 1916): seized in the Faroe Islands in June 1941 and requisitioned for rescue service in July. She made only one round-trip voyage to Iceland in October and due to her unsuitability was withdrawn from service in December 1941. She did not undertake any rescue operations.
Bury (1,686 GRT, 11½ knots, built 1911): requisitioned from the London & North Eastern Railway Company (LNER) in August 1941. Her first voyage was in December 1941; she sailed with 46 convoys, to Halifax, NS, St John’s, Newfoundland and Gibraltar; her 23rd voyage was to Halifax in May /June 1945.
Lives saved during rescue service: 237 [239]6
Gothland (1,286 GRT, 14 knots, built 1929): requisitioned from the Currie Line in November 1941. Her first voyage was to Gibraltar in February/ March 1942; she sailed with 40 convoys, the majority to Halifax, NS; her 20th voyage to Halifax was May/ June 1945.
Lives saved during rescue service: 149
Accrington (1,678 GRT, 11 knots, built 1910): requisitioned from the London & North Eastern Railway Company (LNER) in March 1942. Her first voyage was to Gibraltar, August /September 1942; she sailed with 35 convoys mainly to Halifax, NS; on her 17th voyage in March 1945 she was on standby as a rescue ship; her 19th voyage to detachment was in May 1945.
Lives saved during rescue service: 141 [138]7
* St Sunniva (1,368 GRT, built 1931): requisitioned from the North of Scotland, Orkney & Shetland Steamship Company (the North Company) in September 1942. Her first and only voyage was January 1943; she sank on about 23 January without trace due to extreme weather conditions in the North Atlantic, losing all hands on board, 64 men.
Goodwin (1,569 GRT, 11½ knots, built 1917): requisitioned from the Clyde Shipping Company in December 1942. After passage to the Clyde from Hull, her first voyage April 1943 was to Iceland; she sailed with 25 convoys, mainly to Halifax, NS, also acting as a duty rescue ship at Moville; on her 15th voyage in June 1945 she returned independently from Halifax to the Clyde.
Lives saved during rescue service: 133
Dundee (GRT 1,541, 12½ knots, built 1934): requisitioned from the Dundee, Perth and London Shipping Company in April 1943. Her first voyage was to Halifax, NS, in August 1943; she sailed with 24 convoys, mainly to Halifax, NS; her only rescue operation was off the Bay of Biscay; her 13th voyage was to Halifax, NS, in May 1945; she returned independently to the Clyde.
Lives saved during rescue service: 11
Eddystone (1,550 GRT, 12 knots, built 1927): requisitioned from the Clyde Shipping Company in April 1943. Her first voyage to Halifax, NS, was in November 1943; she sailed with 25 convoys, mainly to Halifax, NS, but also to Gibraltar; her 13th voyage was to Halifax, NS, returning independently to the Clyde June 1945.
Lives saved during rescue service: 64
Fastnet (1,425 GRT, 11 knots, built 1928): requisitioned from the Clyde Shipping Company in June 1943. Her first voyage was in October 1943; she sailed with 25 convoys, mainly to Halifax, NS, but also to Gibraltar; her 13th voyage was to the Mediterranean in May 1945; she returned independently to the Clyde.
Lives saved during rescue service: 35
Aboyne (1,020 GRT, 13 knots, built 1937): requisitioned from the Aberdeen, Newcastle and Hull Steam Company in June 1943. Her first voyage was to Halifax, NS, in November 1943; she sailed with 26 convoys; her 13th round-trip voyage was to Halifax, NS, in May 1945.
Lives saved during rescue service: 20
Syrian Prince (1,989 GRT, 12 knots, built 1936): requisitioned from the Prince’s Line in July 1943. Her first voyage was in December 1943; she sailed with 19 convoys, mainly to Halifax, NS, but also to Gibraltar; she sailed with one Arctic convoy (6th voyage). Her 10th voyage, to Halifax, NS, was April/May 1945. She undertook no rescue operations.
* Pinto (1,346 GRT, 12 knots, built 1928): requisitioned from the MacAndrew’s Company in July 1943. Her first voyage to Gibraltar was in December; she sailed with 10 convoys; she was sunk in the North Atlantic on her 5th voyage, returning from Halifax, NS, on 8 September 1944, with the loss of 21 men and 2 survivors picked up from the Empire Heritage.
St Clair (1,636 GRT, 15 knots, built 1937): requisitioned from the North of Scotland, Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Company (the North Company) in about November 1943. Her first voyage was in July 1944; she sailed with 14 convoys mainly to Halifax, NS, but was not required to undertake any rescue operations. Her 7th voyage to Halifax was in May/June 1945.
Empire Rest (1,327 GRT tons, 16/16½ knots, built 1944): was the first of five converted Castle-class corvettes to become a Rescue Ship and was in service from November 1944. She undertook 6 voyages, sailing with 11 convoys. Her last westbound voyage was in June 1945, following which she returned independently to the Clyde. She undertook no rescue operations.
Empire Peacemaker (1,333 GRT, 16/16½ knots, built 1944): her first voyage was February 1945; she sailed with 8 convoys; on her 4th westbound voyage in April 1945 she rescued 3 airmen whose planes had crashed into the sea.
Lives saved during rescue service: 3
Empire Comfort (1,333 GRT, 16/16½ knots, built 1944): her first voyage was February 1945; she sailed with 8 convoys, her 4th voyage taking place in May 1945. She undertook no rescue operations.
Empire Lifeguard (1,333 GRT, 16/16½ knots, built 1944): her first voyage was March 1945; she sailed with 6 convoys, her 3rd voyage taking place in May 1945. She undertook no rescue operations. After being laid up at the end of the war, she went back into service in October 1945, sailing to Murmansk and Kiel to bring home RN personnel.
Empire Shelter (1,336 GRT, 16/16½ knots, built 1944/45): her first voyage was in April 1945; she sailed with 6 convoys, her 3rd voyage taking place in May 1945. She undertook no rescue operations.
Note: Statistics of convoys escorted do not necessarily tally with the number of voyages made. Sometimes a Rescue Ship sailed independently on the return voyage; they also often sailed ‘to detachment’ i.e. sailing with a convoy, until the merchant ships dispersed to sail independently. Having crossed the Atlantic they also sailed with one convoy to Sydney Cape Breton (CB) and then with another convoy to the Clyde.
The figure of 4,194 is normally stated as the number of lives rescued (see Appendix II). But, given uncertain statistics, it is not possible to be categorical.
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1. Lt Cdr Louis F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA statistic: 341; Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships: 337. Unless otherwise stated all statistics for rescued men are from these sources.
2. As recorded by her Master, Capt Owen Morris, DSO; Lt Cdr Louis F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, statistics 611; Arnold Hague, Convoy Rescue Ships, 617. As Hague points out earlier reports for the Zamalek are not available and so Morris’s figure cannot be corroborated, Convoy Rescue Ships, p.70.
3. Lt Cdr Louis F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA, statistic: 86.
4. It does not appear that either Martyn or Hague subtracted the 20 men lost from the total of lives recorded as saved.
5. It is not clear whether this figure includes the 91 rescued from torpedoed ships before the Stockport sank, or whether they had been already transferred to another ship. If they were sunk with the Stockport the figure should more correctly be 322. In the Rescue Ships History, Lt Cdr L. F. Martyn states: ‘Vessel was lost on this voyage with all hands, so accurate details not available.’ Arnold Hague describes the documents as being ‘in considerable disarray,’ Convoy Rescue Ships, p. 40.
6. Lt Cdr Louis F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA, statistic: 239.
7. Lt Cdr Louis F. Martyn, Rescue Ships History, ADM 199/2150, TNA, statistic: 138.