-- commercial vessels -->
|
|---|
SS Thorpehall was a small freighter built before the First World War. Completed in 1910, she was intended for the West African trade. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, the ship was sunk by Nationalist bombers in May 1938.
Thorpehall had an overall length of 245feet, with a beam of 36feet and a draught of 15.9feet. The ship was assessed at and . She had a vertical triple-expansion steam engine driving a single screw propeller. The engine was rated at a total of 173 nominal horsepower and produced 950ihp. This gave her a maximum speed of 10kn.[1]
Thorpehall was laid down as yard number 259 by the Sunderland Shipbuilding Co. at its shipyard in Sunderland for the Watson Steamship Co. as Oakmere. Named after the village of Oakmere in Cheshire, the ship was launched on 8 June 1910 and completed on 13 July. She was sold to the Lever Brothers on 19 April 1916 and transferred to the company's subsidiary Bromport Steamship Co. on 9 May 1917. Oakmere was sold to MacAndrews and Co. on 25 September 1923 and renamed Bazan on 13 October. She was sold to the Westcliffe Shipping Co. on 26 October and renamed Thorpehall three days later.[2]
The ship was en route to Valencia, Spain, from Marseilles, France, with a load of wheat and war material when she was sunk by Nationalist bombers 1miles off Valencia on 25 May 1938.[3]