The SS Empire Driver was a British cargo ship built in 1942 by William Gray & Co Ltd in West Hartlepool, with yard number 1137. She measured 431 feet 5 inches (131.50 meters) in length and had a beam of 56 feet 2 inches (17.12 meters). Her depth was 35 feet 2 inches (10.72 meters), and she had a draught of 26 feet 9 inches (8.15 meters). The vessel was assessed at 7,042 gross register tons (GRT) and 4,860 net register tons (NRT), with a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of 10,300. Propulsion was provided by a 510 nhp triple expansion steam engine, built by Harland & Wolff Ltd in Glasgow, featuring cylinders measuring 24½ inches, 39 inches, and 70 inches in diameter, with a 48-inch stroke. Launched on 24 September 1942 and completed by November of that year, Empire Driver was registered in West Hartlepool under the UK Official Number 168917 and Code Letters BDFV. She was managed by Watts, Watts & Co Ltd. Early in her service, she participated in numerous wartime convoy operations, including routes from Southend to Methil, Clyde, Milford Haven, and Gibraltar, carrying vital supplies such as petrol, stores, and linseed. She traveled extensively during World War II, joining convoys to North Africa, the Mediterranean, South America, and Africa, often carrying cargoes like cased meats, linseed, and general stores. In 1945, Empire Driver was transferred to the French Government and renamed Radiotélégraphiste Biard, after Victor Biard. Managed by Compagnie des Chargeurs Reunis, she continued service under this name until 1950, when she was sold to an Italian company, Pasquale Mazzella, and renamed Dea Mazzella. Her career included notable incidents, such as being caught in dockers' strikes in Melbourne in 1951 and a collision with the Panamanian ship Estoril in 1956. Later sales saw her renamed Maria Mazzella, Falzarego, and Grazia Prima, before her final sale to Liberian interests in 1965, when she was renamed Missouri. Her operational life concluded in 1969 when she was scrapped in Santander, Spain. Throughout her career, the vessel served in a variety of roles across different nations, reflecting the post-war redistribution and continued utility of wartime-built merchant ships.

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