Marialaura was a cargo ship that was built in 1945 as Empire Eddystone by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool, Co Durham, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1947, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Winston Churchill. A sale to an Italian owner in 1952 saw her renamed Marialaura, serving until she was scrapped in 1966.
The ship was built in 1945 by William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool.[1] She was yard number 1176.[2]
The ship was 431feet long, with a beam of 56feet. She was assessed at .[1]
The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine.[1]
Empire Eddystone was launched on 8 December 1943 and completed in May 1944.[1] She was placed under the management of E T Radcliff & Co Ltd, Cardiff, Glamorgan.[3] She was allocated the United Kingdom Official Number 180084,[4] and Code Letters GKMC. Her port of registry was West Hartlepool.[5]
In 1947, Empire Eddystone was sold to Aegean Shipping Co Ltd and renamed Winston Churchill. She was placed under the management of S G Embiricos Ltd, London.[1]
In 1952, Winston Churchill was sold to Fratelli D'Amico, Rome, Italy and renamed Marialaura. She served until May 1966, when she was scrapped at Trieste.[1]