The winner of the February competition was Geoff Holmes of Wallasey. Geoff Holmes writes:

The February Mystery Ship is the s.s. Ampleforth of the Ampleforth S.S. Co. Ltd. (Charles Cravos & Co.). However, which Ampleforth?

In 1941 Chas. Connell & Co. Ltd., Glasgow, built a series of four identical ships. Two of these were bought by the Ampleforth S.S. Co. Ltd. (Charles Cravos & Co.). The first was completed in August 1941 as Empire Mallory for the Ministry of War Transport and was registered at Glasgow and managed by H. Hogarth & Sons. She was sold in 1946 to Cravos and renamed Ampleforth. On January 23rd 1947 she dragged her anchor and stranded off Tel-Aviv being subsequently declared a Constructive Total Loss. After being refloated in March 1947 she was bought by Irish Bay Lines Ltd. (Henry P. Lenaghan & Sons, Ltd. ) Belfast and renamed Bangor Bay.

In 1954 she was sold to Great Eastern Shipping Co. Ltd., Bombay and renamed Jag Shanti. On 9th September 1961 she arrived at Bombay for breaking up by Jagatjit Industrial Corp.

The second ship was completed as the Empire Zephyr and managed for the M.o.W.T. by Kaye, Son & Co. Ltd. & registered at Glasgow. In 1946 she was purchased by the Kelston S.S. Co.,Ltd. (J.I. Jacobs & Co. Ltd.), and renamed Valewood, retaining her Glasgow registry. In 1949 she was purchased by the Ampleforth S.S. Co., Ltd. and renamed Ampleforth. On 12th August 1959 she arrived at Port Glasgow for breaking up.

I think that the picture is of the former Empire Mallory and was taken in 1946. In 1947 H.M. King George Vl toured South Africa and the face of Signal Hill in the background was planted with bushes to spell out Welcome. These bushes were still visible in 1967. There is no sign of these in the photograph.

Alan Blackwood writes:

This month’s ‘unknown’ is the 6,327 grt tramp Ampleforth. With her counter stern belying her true age, she was one of a class of four vessels designed and constructed by Charles Connell & Co. at Scotstoun for the MoWT. Completed during April 1941 as Empire Zephyr she was placed under the management of Kaye, Son & Co. of London until 1943, when transferred to that of the Kelston Steamship Co., also of London. During 1946 the Kelston Company took up the option to purchase the vessel, when she was renamed Valewood and placed under the management of John I. Jacobs & Co., London. With dimensions of 420′ (loa) x 407’02″(lbp) x 54′ 09″ beam, she was powered by a coal fired triple expansion main engine constructed by David Rowan & Co. Ltd. of Glasgow to return a service speed of 10.5 knots.

Valewood was purchased by the Ampleforth Steamship Company (Charles Cravos & Co., of Cardiff – Managers) during 1949 when renamed Ampleforth to replace an earlier and essentially identical counter sterned namesake of the original class of four, (ex Empire Mallory) completed at Connell’s Scotstoun yard some 4 months later than the subject Ampleforth, but which had stranded off Haifa on 23rd January 1947 when her anchors dragged, after some 5 weeks refloated and declared a CTL on arrival at Alexandria (later sold, rebuilt and renamed for a Belfast owner). During 1950 Ampleforth’s boilers were converted for oil firing and she continued to trade worldwide for her owners until 1959, when sold to Smith & Houston Ltd. for demolition at Port Glasgow, commencing on 12th August of the year.

A.D. Frost writes:

February’s Unknown Ship is ss Ampleforth (Chas. Cravos), built in 1941 by Chas. Connell, Glasgow as Empire Zephyr (managers. Kaye & Sons), renamed 1946 Valewood (J.I. Jacobs), renamed 1949 Ampleforth. Broken up by Smith & Houston Ltd. at PortGlasgow 12.8.59.

John Jordan writes:

This could be a Commons Brothers ship. There is a difficulty with the funnel markings, particularly the light coloured band which should be darker. However going on the premise that it is a ship from The Hindustan Steam Ship Company, I believe it is SS Pukkastan, built in 1929 by Shorts of Sunderland and sunk by U-Boat in September 1939. All crew were rescued by a passing Dutch vessel.

Mike West writes:

The mystery ship in the February edition was one of four sisterships built by C. Connell & Co. Ltd. of Scotstoun yards, Glasgow, all four were of 6,300grt and unique in the design of having counter sterns. They were the Empire Snow, Empire Zephyr, Empire Glen and Empire Mallory. The shipping company Ampleforth SS Co. Ltd., (C. Cravos & Co. of Cardiff), bought the Empire Mallory in 1946 and renamed her Ampleforth. In January 1947 she went ashore and was badly damaged at Tel Aviv and was sold. Cravos then bought the Valewood ex-Empire Zephyr, and renamed her Ampleforth. She lasted with thecompany until 1959 when she was sold for scrapping at Port Glasgow. The vessel in the photograph is the Ampleforth, ex- Empire Zephyr, taken at Cape Town.