HMS Cicero was an infantry landing ship that served with the Royal Navy during the late stages of the Second World War, originally built as the cargo ship Cape St Vincent by the Consolidated Steel Corporation in Wilmington, California. Upon completion in January 1944, she was transferred under the lend-lease agreement and initially named Empire Arquebus. As Empire Arquebus, she was operated by Donaldson Bros & Black Ltd. and participated in convoy operations, including Convoy CU 15 from New York carrying fish and personnel, and Convoy HX 280 arriving at Liverpool in March 1944. During the Normandy landings, Empire Arquebus played a significant role by transporting troops from the Hampshire Regiment and Mk3 Landing Craft Support vessels to Gold Beach. After the invasion, she was laid up in the Clyde but later served in the Pacific theater. In January 1945, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and commissioned as HMS Cicero, although she appears to have retained her original name during her service. Notably, in March 1945, she transported troops from Sydney and Brisbane via New Ireland, New Britain, and Manus to Ponam, during which she was infested by beetles brought aboard in bales of tobacco. Following the war, she was returned to the Ministry of War Transport in September 1945 and reverted to her original name, Empire Arquebus. She continued commercial service with Donaldson Bros & Black until 1946, when she was transferred to the US Navy and subsequently laid up. In November 1946, she was sold to the Egyptian Société Misr de Navigation Maritime and renamed Al Sudan. Over the next decades, she operated primarily in the Middle East, transporting pilgrims to Jeddah and making voyages to Australia. The Egyptian government acquired her in 1959, and she became part of the United Arab Maritime Company in 1961, remaining in operation for the next 12 years. She was later owned by the Egyptian Navigation Company before being sold for scrap in 1980. Laid up at Suez, she was finally broken up in 1987 after years of inactivity. Her service history reflects her versatility and longevity, transitioning from a wartime landing ship to a commercial vessel in Middle Eastern service, marking her as a notable example of mid-20th-century maritime history.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.