{{short description|World War II merchant ship of the United Kingdom}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header= |country= |flag= |name=*''Empire Baxter'' (1941–46) *''Paris City'' (1946–54) *''Westford'' (1954–58) *''Severn River'' (1958–59) *''Hüseyin Kaptan'' (1959–63) |owner=*Ministry of War Transport (1941–46) *Reardon Smith Line Ltd (1946–54) *Duff, Herbert & Mitchell Ltd (1954–58) *Compagnia Atlantica-Pacifica (1958–59) *R & E Sadikoğlu Ortaktarı (1959–63) |operator=*Haldin & Phillips Ltd (1941–43) *Reardon Smith Line Ltd (1943–54) *Duff, Herbert & Mitchell Ltd (1954–58) *Compagnia Atlantica-Pacifica (1958–59) *R & E Sadikoğlu Ortaktarı (1959–63) |ordered= |awarded= |builder=Vickers Armstrongs Ltd, Barrow in Furness |laid_down= |launched=8 October 1941 |completed=December 1941 |christened= |acquired= |registry=*{{flagicon|United Kingdom|civil}} Barrow in Furness (1941–46) *{{flagicon|United Kingdom|civil}} Bideford (1946–54) *{{flagicon|United Kingdom|civil}} London (1954–58) *{{flagicon|Liberia}} Liberia (1958–59) *{{flagicon|Turkey}} Turkey (1959–63) |identification=*UK Official Number 167740 (1941–58) *Code Letters BCSJ (1941–58) *{{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|Charlie}}{{ICS|Sierra}}{{ICS|Juliet}} |commissioned= |recommissioned= |decommissioned= |in_service= |out_of_service= |renamed= |reclassified= |refit= |captured= |struck= |reinstated= |fate= Scrapped 1963 }}
|section2={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption= |tonnage={{GRT|7,024}} |length={{convert|433|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} |beam={{convert|56|ft|2|in|m|2|abbr=on}} |depth={{convert|34|ft|4|in|m|2|abbr=on}} |draft= |propulsion=Triple expansion steam engine {{convert|516|hp|kW|abbr=on}} |speed= {{convert|9|kn|km/h}} |range= |capacity= |complement= |armament= 1 x 4" gun, 1 x 3" gun, 1 x machine gun (''Empire Baxter'') }} }} '''''Empire Baxter''''' was a {{GRT|7024|link=off}} cargo ship which was built by Vickers Armstrongs Ltd, Barrow in Furness in 1941. Postwar she served as '''''Paris City''''', '''''Westford''''', '''''Severn River''''' and '''''Hüseyin Kaptan''''' before she was scrapped at Haliç, Turkey in June 1963.
==Career== ''Empire Baxter'' was built by Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, Barrow in Furness, Lancashire. She was launched on 8 October 1941 and completed in December that year.<ref name=Miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=1167740|accessdate=18 September 2009}}</ref> She was built for the Ministry of War Transport and placed under the management of Haldin & Phillips Ltd.<ref name=Baxter>{{cite web|url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/41/41b0989.pdf |title=LLOYD'S REGISTER, STEAMERS & MOTORSHIPS |accessdate=18 September 2009}}</ref> Her port of registry was Barrow in Furness.<ref name=Ships>{{cite book | last1=Mitchell|first1=W.H.|last2=Sawyer|first2=L.A. | year = 1995| title = The Empire Ships| publisher = Lloyd's of London Press Ltd| location = London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong|isbn=1-85044-275-4 }}</ref>
===War service=== ''Empire Baxter'' was a member of a number of Convoys during the Second World War.
;KMS 2
Convoy KMS 2 sailed from Loch Ewe on 25 October 1942 and Liverpool and the Clyde on 26 October. The convoy arrived at Gibraltar on 10 November, Oran on 11 November and Algiers on 12 November. ''Empire Baxter'' was carrying 8 tons of stores and ten troops.<ref name=KMS2>{{cite web|url=http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/kms2.html |title=CONVOY KMS 2 |publisher=Warsailors |accessdate=18 September 2009}}</ref>
;ON 158
Convoy ON 158 sailed from Liverpool on 2 January 1943 and arrived at New York on 23 January. She was carrying the convoy commodore, Henry S Allan RNVR and was bound for Portland. The convoy encountered a severe gale off Sable Island with ''Empire Baxter'' losing two lifeboats and two others being badly damaged. Her radio and other signalling equipment was damaged by ice accretion. She arrived at Portland on 24 January.<ref name=ON158>{{cite web|url=http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/on158.html |title=CONVOY ON 158 |publisher=Warsailors |accessdate=18 September 2009}}</ref>
In 1943, ''Empire Baxter'' was placed under the management of Sir William Reardon Smith & Sons Ltd.<ref name=Baxter2>{{cite web|url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/43/43b0295.pdf |title=LLOYD'S REGISTER, STEAMERS & MOTORSHIPS |accessdate=18 September 2009}}</ref>
;MKS 56
Convoy MKS 56 sailed from Port Said, Egypt on 18 July 1944 and arrived at Gibraltar on 29 July. ''Empire Baxter'' was carrying a general cargo and was bound for Algiers.<ref name=MKS56>{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sl/index.html?mks56.htm~slmain |title=Convoy MKS.56 (Mediterranean Passage) |publisher=Convoyweb |accessdate=18 September 2009}}</ref>
;KMS 88
Convoy KMS 88 sailed from Liverpool on 3 March 1945 and arrived at Gibraltar on 11 March. ''Empire Baxter'' was carrying a general cargo from the Clyde and was bound for Algiers.<ref name=KMS88>{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/oskms/index.html?os114.htm~osmain |title=Convoy OS.114/KMS.88 |publisher=Convoyweb |accessdate=18 September 2009}}</ref>
===Postwar service===
In 1946, ''Empire Baxter'' was purchased from the MoWT by Sir William Reardon Smith & Sons Ltd and renamed ''Paris City'', the second ship to carry that name for Reardon Smith's.<ref name=List/> Her port of registry was changed to Bideford<ref name=Ships/> She was sold in 1954 to Duff Herbert & Mitchell Ltd and renamed ''Westford''.<ref name=List/> Her port of registry was changed to London.<ref name=Ships/> In 1957 she was sold to Tidewater Commercial, Liberia and renamed ''Severn River''. In 1959 she was sold to R & A Sadikoğlu, Turkey and renamed ''Hüseyin Kaptan''.<ref name=List>{{cite web |url=http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/wrss.htm |title=William Reardon Smith & Sons |publisher=The Ships List |accessdate=18 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412092409/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/wrss.htm |archive-date=12 April 2010 }}</ref> She was scrapped in Haliç in June 1963.<ref name=Miramar/>
==Official Numbers and Code Letters==
Official numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. ''Empire Baxter'' had the UK Official Number 167740 and used the Code Letters BCSJ.<ref name=Baxter/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Empire ships}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empire Baxter}} Category:1941 ships Category:Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness Category:Empire ships Category:Ministry of War Transport ships Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom Category:Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Category:Steamships of Liberia Category:Merchant ships of Liberia Category:Steamships of Turkey Category:Cargo ships of Turkey