SS Thurland Castle
From Our Contribution
New Zealnad troops on SS Thurland Castle | |
History | |
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Name | SS Thurland Castle |
Builder/Built | 1929 Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead |
Type | Motor freighter |
Displacement | 6,732 tons |
Speed | 15 knots |
Remarks
The fourth of five ships of the same name built for the Lancashire Shipping Company. The SS Thurland Castle rescued 3,500 allied troops from Greece, including 1,000 wounded and 100 nurses. Although she was attacked several times and was taking on board water as a result of near misses, she safely reached Crete. Following makeshift repairs the Thurland Castle returned to Megara in Greece for another load of soldiers.
On 5 Sep 1943 she was in a Convoy which encountered heavy seas near the Hebrides where another ship the SS Urlana had been driven onto a rocky coast. With the aid of a Royal National Lifeboat all crew from the Urlana were rescued and boarded the SS Thurland Castle. In 1943 she was sold to Elder Dempster & Co, but retained her name until 1946 when she was renamed SS Fulani.
In 1958 she was scrapped at Odense in Denmark.