# SS Dorrington Court



## MT Hopper (Mar 9, 2011)

Is there such a thing as a picture or photo of the SS Dorrington court?
Built by J.L. Thompson and Son in 1938.
I am curious to see this vessel as she gave birth to the Empire Liberty which begat the Liberty ships.

Cheers
Will


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## n. liddell (sparks) (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi Will - If you go to www.photoship.co.uk you will find pictures of 2 vessels named Dorington Court - hope the one you are looking for is there - BV


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## BillH (Oct 10, 2007)

MT Hopper said:


> Is there such a thing as a picture or photo of the SS Dorrington court?
> Built by J.L. Thompson and Son in 1938.
> I am curious to see this vessel as she gave birth to the Empire Liberty which begat the Liberty ships.
> 
> ...


I presume this is the vessel, spelled with a single R in Dorington and 1939 built not 1938 as stated. 

Not sure about the Liberty pattern but I believe more to do with the Empire "North Sands" design but could be wrong. 

DORINGTON COURT (3rd of the name) (1939 - 1942)
O.N. 167241. 5,281g. 3,113n. 426.0 (443.6 oa) x 59.9 x 25.5 feet
T.3-cyl. (26”, 38” & 65” x 45”) engine by North Eastern Marine Engineering Company (1938) Ltd, Newcastle. 420nhp. 11kts.
7.3.1939: Launched by J. L. Thompson & Sons Ltd, Sunderland (Yard No. 592) for Court Line Ltd., (Haldin & Philipps Ltd, managers). 
5.1939: Completed. 
24.11.1942: Whilst on a voyage from Calcutta and Madras, via Lourenco Marques and Durban to UK with general cargo was sunk with a torpedo by the German submarine U 181 at a position 27.14S., 34.25E. 4 lives lost.


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## John Dryden (Sep 26, 2009)

More information in the Ships Nostalgia directory.


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## BobbyMel (Mar 20, 2012)

*Dorington Court*

I believe this to be the ship you refer to:


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## BobbyMel (Mar 20, 2012)

*Dorington Court*

Another of her at sea


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## stores (Apr 8, 2007)

*Re Dorington Court*

HI, this is the correct Dorington Court built 1939, built by Thompson, courtesy of UBOAT .NET AND BENJIDOG.


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## Ian J. Huckin (Sep 27, 2008)

BobbyMel said:


> Another of her at sea


This would appear to be a much later build.....


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## Bootneck (Jan 26, 2006)

MT Hopper said:


> Is there such a thing as a picture or photo of the SS Dorrington court?
> Built by J.L. Thompson and Son in 1938.
> I am curious to see this vessel as she gave birth to the Empire Liberty which begat the Liberty ships.
> 
> ...


Hi Will,

I'd like to resurrect this thread as it interests me and you are right, the Dorington Court is the genesis of the Liberty Ship programme; however there was a little more history before then.

J.L. Thompson and Co., Ltd. produced a design in the late 1930's for a series of standard ships which they could build for various shipping companies at that time. The design was simply titled "A standard steamer carrying 9,300tons on 25ft 6" draft. Length 440' 0" LOA, 416' 0" LBP, 57' 2" Dpth."

 *copy of plan*

In 1938 The Court Line purchased a vessel of this design and named her *DORINGTON COURT*.

In 1940, Britain had an urgent requirement to produce shipping for the war effort but shipyards were being bombed and supplies were already becoming scarce. A contingent of shipping experts was formed by the Admiralty with the purpose of going to the U.S.A. to buy American built ships; however, they found that all the yards were busy building civilian C-1, C-2 and C-3 type ships for their own market (the U.S.A. had not been drawn into war at this time). Also the representatives found that the time taken to build a ship was too long to meet Britain's urgent needs. 

One of the contingent going to America was a representative from J.L. Thompson & Co and he had taken the plans for the Dorington Court standard ship type. After much wrangling and debate the Americans agreed a programme to build sixty ships to this design (thirty each to be built at Todd SB and Henry Kaiser yards) and this type was call the Ocean type. Additional vessels were then built in Canada as the Forts, Parks and Head types.

In December 1941 everything changed, the U.S.A. was at war and they also needed a lot more ships than the C series and the Oceans, plus they needed to reduce the time producing each ship. The Dorington Court design was re-visited and, with some changes, the Empire Ship programme was authorised. The hull was basically the same from the plans but, due to steel shortages and speed, it was decided to change the split superstructure to a single accommodation block amidships.

The Dorington Court is recognised in many publications as the "Prototype of the Liberties".

I am currently converting a Trumpeter 1:350 Liberty Ship kit back to the Dorington Court design and this build will be my third Liberty ship build.

HTH

Mike


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## 760J9 (Jul 22, 2007)

*dorington court liberty ships*

Just read your post about Dorington Court. Had a bit to do with helping Peter Ephick write his book on Liberty Ships. introduced him to the late Patrick Thompson (last of JL Thompson shipbuilding family to manage the yard). The plans that Cyril Thompson (father of Patrick), took to America on 21.09.1940 with Harry Hunter (on behalf of NEM, the engines that were used at Thompsons), were those of Thompsons yard number 607 Empire Wave, launched March 1941, not those of Embassage launched in 1935, Dorington Court yard no 592 launched march 1939 or Empire Liberty in 1941 all of which were the same design and fitted with NEM re-heater engines. See "Liberty The ships that won the war" Peter Elphick, Chatham Publishing 2001. ISBN 13.9781861762764, Page 32 "Parentage of The Liberty Ship." Peter spent quite a lot of time with Patrick Thomson and the pair visited Company House a few times together to access the original do***ents related to the British shipbuilding Mission to the United States. The entire do***ent relating to the mission is in the book. It was after negotiations based on 607 ship had begun that the Admiralty changed the specification, on 16th November 1940, to a larger hull, yard number 611 that would become the Empire Liberty. The book is a fascinating, in depth account of the story of the Liberty ship including explanations about "Forts, Parks, North Sands Type; riveted, welded, coal, oil burers etc
Have a picture of Dorington Court, can loan you a plan of Empiure liberty if you ever need one.
Tom


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## RedDave14 (Jun 15, 2020)

Hi folks, I'm investigating the death of a relative of mine who was an AB on the Dorington Court - but this was earlier than the ship mentioned in this thread. According to a newspaper clipping, she was in Hull in 1930, owned by Messrs Halden & Co of London. Would anyone have any ideas of this earlier ship?


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## john_2063 (11 mo ago)

I am trying to find information on SS Dorrington Court, she was torpedoed in 1916,my uncle was 2nd engineer on her and did not survive


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