The SS Michael E was a British cargo ship constructed in 1941 by William Hamilton & Co Ltd in Port Glasgow. She had a gross register tonnage of 7,628 GRT and measured approximately 434.5 feet (132.4 meters) in overall length, with a beam of 60.4 feet (18.4 meters). Her hull featured a depth of 35.8 feet (10.9 meters) and a draught of 23 feet 2¼ inches (7.07 meters). The vessel's propulsion was powered by a triple-expansion steam engine built by David Rowan & Co Ltd, Glasgow, which developed 443 nominal horsepower from two single-ended boilers with a heating surface of 5,940 square feet. The SS Michael E holds the distinction of being the first British catapult aircraft merchant ship (CAM ship). She was uniquely equipped with an aircraft catapult mounted on her bow, designed to launch a single Hawker Sea Hurricane fighter aircraft to defend convoys against long-range German bombers. This innovative feature reflected her strategic role in convoy protection during World War II. Owned by Bury Hill Shipping Co Ltd and managed by Counties Ship Management Ltd of London, she was named after Michael Eustathiou, a member of the Nicholas Eustathiou family. Her official code letters were BCKB, and she was registered in London with the UK Official Number 163168. She was a sister ship to vessels such as Kingston Hill, Lulworth Hill, Marietta E, and Primrose Hill, which shared similar management and ownership. Her service record began with her maiden voyage on 28 May 1941, sailing from Belfast in ballast bound for Halifax as part of convoy OB 327. Her career was cut short during her first voyage when, on 2 June 1941, she was attacked in the North Atlantic by the German U-boat U-108. One torpedo struck her stern, killing one crew member and two gunners, and she sank by the stern at 22:21 hours. The Dutch cargo ship Alcinous rescued her master, 44 crew members, two gunners, and 12 Royal Air Force personnel on 3 June 1941. Her sinking underscored the peril faced by convoy ships during the Battle of the Atlantic and marked her as a notable early example of a CAM ship's wartime deployment.

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