RFA Fort Charlotte

(Redirected from SS Buffalo Park)

RFA Fort Charlotte (A236) was a stores issuing ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

History
Royal Fleet Auxiilary EnsignCanada
NameRFA Fort Charlotte
Launched12 February 1944, as Buffalo Park
Acquired1945
Commissioned11 June 1948
Decommissioned1967
RenamedFort Charlotte, 1945
FateSold for scrapping, January 1968
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length441 ft 6 in (134.57 m)
Beam57 ft 2 in (17.42 m)
Draught27 ft (8.2 m)
Propulsion
  • 1 × 3-cylinder triple expansion steam engine, 2,500 ihp (1,864 kW)
  • 1 shaft
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Range11,400 nmi (21,100 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement115
Armament
  • World War II :
  • 1 × 4 in (100 mm) gun
  • 8 × 20 mm AA guns

Launched on 12 February 1944 as SS Buffalo Park a merchant steamship constructed for Canada’s Merchant Navy in 1944 during the Second World War as part of Canada's Park ship program. The ship was acquired by the Ministry of War Transport in 1945 and renamed Fort Charlotte, a Fort ship. The ship was transferred to the RFA on 11 June 1948. Decommissioned in 1967, she was sold to Singapore breakers in January 1968. [1][2] During World War II, 28 were lost to enemy action, and four were lost due to accidents. Many of the surviving 166 ships passed to the United States Maritime Commission. The last recorded scrapping was in 1985,[3][4][5] and two ships, the former Fort St. James and Fort St. Paul, were listed on Lloyd's Register until 1992.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "'FORT', 'OCEAN' & 'PARK' TYPE SHIPS". Mariners. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  2. ^ "The Forts". Angela DeRoy-Jones. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  3. ^ "FORT SHIPS A – J". Mariners. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  4. ^ a b "FORT SHIPS K – S". Mariners. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  5. ^ "FORT SHIPS T – Y". Mariners. Retrieved 12 August 2012.