The MV Esso Cadillac was an 8,149 GRT (Gross Register Tonnage) tanker built in 1940, originally named Empire Bronze. Constructed by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co Ltd in Newcastle upon Tyne, she was launched on 19 August 1940 and completed by November of the same year. The vessel measured 465 feet 3 inches (approximately 142 meters) in length, with a beam of 59 feet 3 inches (about 18 meters) and a depth of 33 feet 8 inches (around 10.3 meters). Her propulsion system was a four-stroke, single-cycle, single-action diesel engine, built by Hawthorn Leslie, featuring eight cylinders with a bore of 25+9/16 inches and a stroke of 22+1/8 inches. This engine drove her to navigate the seas during her operational life. The ship had a Net Register Tonnage (NRT) of 4,770 and was registered in South Shields, with the UK Official Number 168646 and the code letters GMYV. Initially managed by A Weir Ltd., Empire Bronze served during World War II, participating in several convoys, including HX 152 and HX 196, which traveled between Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Liverpool. She was noted for her distinctive appearance, described as "an odd-looking ship" by wartime convoy records. In 1942, her management was transferred to Anglo-American Oil Co Ltd. Following the war, in 1946, she was sold into civilian service and renamed Esso Cadillac, maintaining her port of registry at South Shields. She continued her tanker operations until 1956, when she was sold to Mariblanca Navigazione SA of Panama and renamed Maribella II. Under this new ownership, managed by Chandris (England) Ltd., she served until 1959. Her maritime career concluded when she arrived in Okinawa, Japan, on 14 August 1959, for scrapping by Hanwa Co Ltd. Throughout her service, the vessel was notable for her wartime convoy participation and her transition from wartime to commercial service, reflecting the broader history of maritime logistics during and after World War II.

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