ANNA SALEN
constructed as the MORMACLAND

Built 1939

Ex MORMACLAND / ARCHER / EMPIRE LAGAN / ANNA SALEN / TASMANIA / UNION RELIANCE 1939

The ANNA SALEN was built in 1939 as the MORMACLAND by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester for

Moore-McCormack Lines.

She was a 11,672 gross ton ship, length 494ft x beam 69.2ft, single screw and a with a service speed of 17

knots. In 1940 she was taken over before completion by the US Navy and refitted as an auxiliary aircraft

carrier.

In 1941 she was commissioned by the British Royal Navy as HMS ARCHER and was used for convoy protection

duties. She collided with and sank the American SS BRAZOS on 13th Jan.1942, was badly damaged and towed stern

first to Charleston.

In 1945 she was taken over by the Ministry of War Transport, renamed ARCHER and refitted as a cargo ship.

Managed by the Blue Funnel Line and renamed EMPIRE LAGAN, she was returned to the US Maritime Commission in

1946.

Purchased by Sven Salen of Stockholm and registered under the ownership of Rederi A/S Pulp, she was rebuilt

as a passenger ship with accommodation for 600 single class passengers and renamed ANNA SALEN. Used as an

emigrant ship on various routes, she started a single round voyage between Bremen and Quebec on 2nd July

1953.

Sold to Cia Nav.Tasmania, Piraeus in 1955, she was renamed TASMANIA and placed on the Piraeus - Melbourne

service of the Hellenic Mediterranean Line. In 1958 she was rebuilt to 7,638 gross tons and in 1961 was sold

to China Union Lines, Taipeh and renamed UNION RELIANCE.

On 7th Nov.1961 she collided with the Norwegian tanker BERAN in the Houston Ship Channel and was beached on

fire. Towed to Galveston on 11th Nov, she was sold in Jan.1962 to be scrapped at New Orleans


Added information
The Swedish immigrant ship Anna Salen was heading back to New York after attending the Olympic games in Helsinki with some 630 passengers and crew aboard when she collided with the Norwegian whale factory ship Thorshovdi some 3.1/2 miles SEof Duncansby head. It was thick fog at the time and both ships suffered damage The Anna Salen had bow damage and the Thorshovdi had damage to her port side, fire broke out on both ships but this was soon brought under control by the ships crews. The Thorshovdi carried on her way but the Anna Salen was piloted in to Scapa Flow where repairs were effected by Metal Industries after repairs she was allowed to resume her passage to the United States. Date of incident 13th August 1952.


Photo Credits: The late Allan Green Victoria Australia

Details supplied by Shiplist