The SS Fortune was a Hansa A Type cargo vessel with a length of 85.19 meters (279 feet 6 inches) and a beam of 13.49 meters (44 feet 3 inches). Its depth was 4.78 meters (15 feet 8 inches), and it had a draught of 8.20 meters (26 feet 11 inches). The ship's gross register tonnage was 1,926 GRT, with a net tonnage of 936 NRT, and it had a deadweight tonnage of 2,956 DWT. Its cargo capacity was approximately 4,862 cubic meters (171,700 cubic feet). The vessel was originally built in 1944 by J Cockerill SA in Antwerp, Belgium, with yard number 701, and was initially named Weserstrom for the German shipping company Norddeutscher Lloyd. She was completed in January 1944 and registered in Bremen. Her propulsion system consisted of a compound steam engine built by Rheinmetall-Borsig AG in Berlin, featuring two cylinders of 42 cm and two cylinders of 90 cm diameter with a 90 cm stroke. Rated at 1,200 indicated horsepower, the engine drove a single screw propeller, enabling her to reach speeds of up to 10.5 knots. During World War II, in May 1945, Weserstrom was seized as a prize of war at Kiel and transferred to the UK’s Ministry of War Transport, where she was renamed Empire Galena. She was managed by W Tulley & Co. Ltd., Hull, and registered in London with code letters GJGL and UK Official Number 180597. In 1947, she was sold to the General Steam Navigation Co Ltd and renamed Albatross. Further ownership changes occurred in 1958, when she was sold to South Africa’s National Shipping Lines and renamed Port Capetown, and in 1959, when she was sold to African Coasters (Pty) Ltd and renamed Frontier. In 1966, the vessel was sold to Summit Navigation Co., Panama, and renamed Fortune, operating under the management of Mollers Ltd, Hong Kong. She served until 1968, when she was scrapped in Hong Kong. Throughout her career, the SS Fortune exemplified the typical design and service life of mid-20th-century cargo ships, transitioning through multiple owners and names before her final scrapping.

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