# Empire Ken



## Chriscon (May 12, 2020)

Does anyone know where the Empire Ken sailed to in November 1948. I have info that my Dad James Connan sailed on this ship but I don't know where to. Could have been Kenya? I have a Diploma stating this but don't know any more than that, can anyone shed any light on this please?
Chriscon


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

In 1948 I saw the Empire Ken in the Red Sea and again in the Suez Canal.
There is a photo of her in my photo gallery, you are welcome to download a copy of it. I believe she was trooping UK to Mombasa.


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Hello,
EMPIRE KEN,
Sailed from Southampton 20/Oct/1948
Port Suez 30/10
Suez 31/10
Massawa 03/Nov
Aden 04/11
Berbera 05/11
Mogadishu arrived 08/11 sailed 09/11
KILINDINI KENYA 11/11 sailed 13/11
Aden 18/11
Suez 22/11
Port Said 24/11
Malta 27/11
Southampton 04/Dec
This info is taken from the piece BT40/145 British National Archive.

regards
Roger


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Thanks for that info Roger, I was on the Hartismere in the canal spending Christmas, we were under contract to move army equipment from the Canal Zone down to Mombasa. We made two round trips, our holds were full of cargo and we had deck cargo of trucks.
I took the photo of the Empire Ken as she came past us.


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Diploma? Might have been a 'Crossing the Line' certificate.

Quite possible.


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

I thought the same thing Stephen.


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

John Rogers said:


> Thanks for that info Roger, I was on the Hartismere in the canal spending Christmas, we were under contract to move army equipment from the Canal Zone down to Mombasa. We made two round trips, our holds were full of cargo and we had deck cargo of trucks.
> I took the photo of the Empire Ken as she came past us.


Your memory is still sharp John!
EMPIRE KEN made a transit of the Suez Canal 23/24/Dec/1948.
I think I am correct. Kilindini is the port area of Mombasa.
I understand EMPIRE KEN was the ex German liner UBENA. Can any one expand on her career as UBENA?

regards
Roger


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

You are correct Roger, all I know about her was she was captured by the RN and became a war prize. As for my memory its still sharp for an old fart pushing 89, its my knees that do me in, still have my own teeth and hair. Elbow bending is in fine shape.


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

John, 

Great mate of mine 92. Former Blue Funnel & Cunard and was Harbour Master in Bermuda before I joined. he love to talk about his old sea days. All I have to do it mention a topic and he can spend hours at it. It is real Ship Nostalgia!

OK, here is a bit of blurb on the KEN as well as a couple of photos.

Stephen

Empire Ken[edit]

Empire Ken was a 9,523 GRT passenger ship which was built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg. Launched in 1928 as Ubena for Deutsche Ost-Afrika Linie. Requisitioned in 1939 by the Kriegsmarine, used as depot ship for the 3rd, 5th and 21st U-Boat Flotillas. Converted in 1945 to hospital ship, participated in the evacuation of Germans from the Baltics. Seized in May 1945 at Travemünde. To MoWT and renamed Empire Ken. Conversion to troop ship completed in December 1945. In collision with HMT Empire Medway in Valletta Harbour, Malta in 1951. Involved in the Suez Canal landings in 1956. In September 1957 scrapping commenced at Dalmuir, Dunbartonshire. Hulk arrived on 16 December 1957 at Troon, Ayrshire for final demolition.


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Thanks for the history of Ubena, Roger will enjoy reading about the ship.


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Yes. Thanks Stephen.

regards
Roger


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Tks.

As far as the 'grey' livery. She was taken over, 'seized' is more like it, in 1945. I have found one photo of her in grey livery. I suspect she kept that until after say... 1949, when she was given a refit and given the MOT trooping livery.

Think about trooping in that ancient ship... down to the Equator. Must have been hellish on board!

Stephen


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Empire Ken.

Photo here is the ship as built s.s. UBENA.

Second photo of her as EMPRE KEN in all grey livery.

It appears in her early years in grey livery she has a teak bridge cladding. In later photos, like the colour photo, the bridge is all painted white. Must have been when she went all white livery.

Stephen


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Stephen J. Card said:


> Tks.
> 
> As far as the 'grey' livery. She was taken over, 'seized' is more like it, in 1945. I have found one photo of her in grey livery. I suspect she kept that until after say... 1949, when she was given a refit and given the MOT trooping livery.
> 
> ...


She was only 20 year old in '48... hardly ancient... and designed for the run..

Any troopship must have been a bit rough in the tropics.. rather them than me..


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Cisco said:


> She was only 20 year old in '48... hardly ancient... and designed for the run..
> 
> Any troopship must have been a bit rough in the tropics.. rather them than me..



20 years.... but 5 or 6 years laid up as an accommodation ship. Could not have been in the best of condition.

Stephen


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Those small landing Craft were the same craft that they used to load us when we were picking up cargo in the Bitter Lakes they belonged to the army unit located at Fanara wharf a small dock below Ismailia, the main port for our loading was at a army wharf opposite Suez a place called Adabiya, no town just army tin huts and a canteen.It took weeks to load us.


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## Chriscon (May 12, 2020)

Hi all. Reading all your info is great, thank you. Yes Stephen I have since found out the diploma, as it states, is in fact a crossing the line certificate. This has been great to learn all about my Dad and probably what he endured like the rest of you. 

My next step is to see if I can find out where he served etc in the Army as I don't know anything. I think the MOD may be able to help me when they reopen their telephone lines after this crisis! He died 49 years ago so being deceased they may be able to give me some kind of information.

Thank you all again 

Christine


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Chriscon said:


> Hi all. Reading all your info is great, thank you. Yes Stephen I have since found out the diploma, as it states, is in fact a crossing the line certificate. This has been great to learn all about my Dad and probably what he endured like the rest of you.
> 
> My next step is to see if I can find out where he served etc in the Army as I don't know anything. I think the MOD may be able to help me when they reopen their telephone lines after this crisis! He died 49 years ago so being deceased they may be able to give me some kind of information.
> 
> ...




Thanks Christine. I'm sure there will be records for sure... what the army was up to. Please tell us what you find after MOD.

Stephen


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

The British Army had a Headquarters in Aden and the equipment we were transporting was marked for Nairobi, Kenya. So if he received the Crossing The Line Ceremony it would have to be East Africa. Bottom line was that we were moving all the equipment out of the Canal Zone Area to East Africa. So a good bet would be that Christine father was in Kenya.


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Chriscon said:


> Hi all. Reading all your info is great, thank you.
> 
> My next step is to see if I can find out where he served etc in the Army as I don't know anything. I think the MOD may be able to help me when they reopen their telephone lines after this crisis! He died 49 years ago so being deceased they may be able to give me some kind of information.
> 
> ...


Glad to help. 
Your first Move is to contact the MOD for his Army records via this form.
https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/apply-for-someone-elses-records
It can take a while for them to respond, so don't lose heart.

regards
Roger


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

The MOD are only prepared to process a record search if you can provide the full name of the person plus the person's Army number or their date of birth (having both is a bonus). 

When trying to get my grandfather's records I had neither but knew both his regiment and rank plus the date that he left on completion of his 27 yearsservice. Even though his regiment couldn't have had too many Regimental Sergeant-Majors who retired on that day, the records are not indexed with that information so it was no go.

Luckily some years later I was later able to find his d.o.b so eventually got the records I was looking for.


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## gordonarfur (May 27, 2018)

I sailed on the Lancashire in 1955 from Liverpool to Port Said and the Empire Ken looks to me like a luxury liner compared to the old Bibby line banger which was born about 1911 and could get up to 11 knots downwind and downhill if you were lucky..


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## orcadiankiwi (Feb 25, 2014)

*Empire ken*



Chriscon said:


> Does anyone know where the Empire Ken sailed to in November 1948. I have info that my Dad James Connan sailed on this ship but I don't know where to. Could have been Kenya? I have a Diploma stating this but don't know any more than that, can anyone shed any light on this please?
> Chriscon


Chriscon,
I was a junior Radio Officer, (4th & 3rd), on the Empire Ken, (Ex ss Ubena, Blohm & Voss, 1937), from 1951 to 1952. The Empire Ken was a troopship. Typical voyage at that time was Southampton, Gibraltar, Valletta, (Malta), Suez Canal, Famagusta,(Cyprus), Port Sudan, Massawa, Aden, Mombasa, (Kenya), Port Louis, (Mauritius) and same returning home. We delivered two year conscripts to Cyprus and Suez, took Mauritius troops from Suez home, Picked up King's African rifles for Mauritius, fresh Mauritius troops for Suez, British conscripts going home. Suspect that 1948 would have been similar.
OrcadianKiwi


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

That is some great info there of the voyages the Ken made, should help a lot with Christine project on her father. Many thanks for providing it.


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## Chriscon (May 12, 2020)

Yes I do thank you all for your comments, my brother and I are so pleased with this info! 
I will fill in the MOD form as I do have Dads DOB and his death certificate so they may be able to help me. They charge £30 for this if you are not their spouse but it'll be worth it if I know a little more about his service days.
I will still log on seeing if there are any more comments as I'm hooked now! And I have only just got the hang of this site! My excuse is I'm old, 64 actually, but as I see some of you are a little older than me. I think this site is great. (Applause)

Christine


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Christine, age does not mean a thing unless you are Wine or cheese.


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