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{{short description|Belgian cargo ship (1941–1945)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=
|Ship flag=
|Ship name=*''Empire Ballantyne'' (1941-42)
*''Belgian Airman'' (1942-45)
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder= Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow
|Ship original cost=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched= 21 October 1941
|Ship completed= February 1942
|Ship yard number= 1093
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship owner=*Ministry of War Transport (1941-42)
*Belgian Government (1942-45)
|Ship operator=Compagnie Maritime Belge, Antwerp (1942-45)
|Ship registry=*{{Flagicon|UK|civil}} Glasgow (1941-42)
*{{Flagicon|BEL}} Antwerp (1942-45)
|Ship renamed=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate= Sunk, 14 April 1945
|Ship identification=*UK [[Official number]] 168706 (1941-42)
*Code Letters BCQH allocated (1941-42)
*{{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|Charlie}}{{ICS|Quebec}}{{ICS|Hotel}}
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=
|Ship tonnage= {{GRT|6,959}}
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length= {{convert|432|ft|2|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|56|ft|2|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|Ship depth= {{convert|34|ft|3|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship propulsion= 2 x 6-cylinder SCSA diesel engines (Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow) {{convert|490|hp|kW|abbr=on}}
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship complement= 41, plus 6 [[Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships|DEMS]] gunners.<ref name=Gunners>{{cite web |url=http://www.marinebelge.be/pages2/belgian_airmanpag.html |title=M/S Belgian Airman |publisher=Marine Belge |access-date=4 March 2009 |language=fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006173522/http://www.marinebelge.be/pages2/belgian_airmanpag.html |archive-date=6 October 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
|Ship armament=
|Ship speed=
|Ship notes=
|Ship capacity=
}}
|}
{{location map|USA|width=304
|lat=36.15
|long=-74.083
|caption=Location of the sinking of ''Belgian Airman''.
}}

'''''Belgian Airman''''' was a 6,959-ton [[cargo ship]] which was built by [[Harland & Wolff|Harland & Wolff Ltd]], [[Glasgow]] in 1941 for the [[Ministry of War Transport]] (MoWT). She was launched as '''''Empire Ballantyne''''' and transferred to the [[Belgian federal government|Belgian Government]] in 1942. She was sunk by a [[Germany|German]] [[U-boat]] on 14 April 1945.

==History==
''Empire Ballantyne'' was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow as yard number 1093. She was launched on 21 October 1941 and completed in February 1942.<ref name=Ships>{{cite book | first = and Sawyer, L A| last = Mitchell, W H | year = 1995| title = The Empire Ships| pages = 24 | publisher = Lloyd's of London Press Ltd| location = London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong|isbn=1-85044-275-4 }}</ref> She was built for the MoWT and was to have been operated under the management of W A Souter & Co Ltd, [[Newcastle upon Tyne]].<ref name=Ballantyne>{{cite web|url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/41/41b0990.pdf |title=LLOYDS REGISTER, NAVIRES A VAPEUR ET A MOTEURS |publisher=Plimsoll Ship Data|access-date=3 March 2009}}</ref> On 15 February 1942 she was transferred to the Régie de la Marine<ref name=Airman/> of the Belgian Government and renamed ''Belgian Airman''. She was managed by [[Compagnie Maritime Belge]], [[Antwerp]].<ref name=Clyde>{{cite web|url=http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=6381 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526064143/http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=6381 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=26 May 2011 |title=Launched 1941: mv EMPIRE BALLANTYNE |publisher=Clydesite |access-date=4 March 2009}}</ref>

On 25 April 1942, ''Belgian Airman'' rescued 23 survivors from the {{GRT|3841|link=off}} SS ''Modesta'', which had been [[torpedo]]ed and sunk by {{GS|U-108|1940|2}} at {{coord|33|40|N|63|10|W|name=SS Modesta}}. The survivors were landed in [[Bermuda]].<ref name=Rescue>{{cite web
|url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/1567.html
|title=Modesta
|last=Helgason
|first=Guðmundur
|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
|access-date=4 March 2009
}}</ref>

''Belgian Airman'' was a member of a number of convoys during the [[Second World War]].

;ON 162

Convoy ON 162 sailed from [[Liverpool]] on 12 January 1943 and arrived at [[New York City|New York]] on 11 February. ''Belgian Airman'' was carrying the [[Convoy commodore|Commodore]], Captain [[H.C. Birnie]], [[Royal Naval Reserve|RNR]].<ref name=ON162>{{cite web|url=http://warsailors.com/convoys/on162.html |title=CONVOY ON 162 |publisher=Warsailors |access-date=4 March 2009}}</ref>

;HX 228

[[Convoy HX 228]] sailed from New York on 28 February 1943 and arrived at Liverpool on 15 March. ''Belgian Airman'' was one of the ships that detached from the convoy and proceeded to [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]] in order to reduce the size of the convoy to 60 ships.<ref name=HX228>{{cite web|url=http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/hx228page2.html |title=CONVOY HX 228 |publisher=Warsailors |access-date=4 March 2009}}</ref>

;HX 229A

Convoy HX 229A which from New York on 9 March 1943 and arrived at Liverpool on 26 March. ''Belgian Airman'' joined at Halifax on 12 March. During the voyage, ''Belgian Airman'' was damaged by [[iceberg|ice]] and diverted to [[Reykjavík]], [[Iceland]]. She was carrying a cargo of [[steel]] and [[timber]].<ref name=HX229A>{{cite web|url=http://www.warsailors.com/convoys/hx229a.html |title=CONVOY HX 229 A |publisher=Warsailors |access-date=4 March 2009}}</ref>

;SL 136

Convoy SL 136 sailed from [[Freetown]], [[Sierra Leone]] on 3 September 1943 and arrived at Liverpool on 23 September. ''Belgian Airman'' was destined for [[Loch Ewe]].<ref name=SL136>{{cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sl/index.html?sl136.htm~slmain |title=Convoy SL.136 / MKS.24 |publisher=Convoyweb|access-date=4 March 2009}}</ref>

==Sinking==
On 8 April 1945, ''Belgian Airman'' departed [[Houston]], bound for New York and Antwerp.<ref name=Airman>{{cite web|url=http://www.belgian-ships.be/a-g.htm |title=ss BELGIAN AIRMAN |publisher=Belgian Ships |access-date=4 March 2009 |language=en, fr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606210344/http://www.belgian-ships.be/a-g.htm |archive-date=6 June 2009 }}</ref> She was carrying a cargo of [[sorghum]] and dairy feed.<ref name=Uboat>{{cite web
|url=http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/3488.html
|title=Belgian Airman
|last=Helgason
|first=Guðmundur
|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
|access-date=4 March 2009
}}</ref> At 15:50 [[Central European Time|CET]],<ref name=Waffe>{{cite web|url=http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=857;nr=1 |title=Ship Details Belgian Airman |publisher=Ubootwaffe.net |access-date=4 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215024320/http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/ships.cgi?boat=857%3Bnr%3D1 |archive-date=15 February 2012 }}</ref> on 14 April 1945, ''Belgian Airman'' was torpedoed and sunk off [[Chesapeake Bay]], [[Maryland]] ({{coord|36|09|N|75|05|W}}). Her attacker was {{GS|U-857||2}}.<ref name=U879>Some sources state that she was sunk by {{GS|U-879||2}}</ref> One crew member was killed. The 46 survivors were rescued by the [[Liberty ship]] {{SS|Harold A. Jordan}}. The survivors were landed at New York.<ref name=Airman/>

The fate of the ''U-857'' is unknown. It disappeared in the Atlantic in April, 1945. One theory is that it was sunk by a US Navy Airship with a [[Mark 24 Mine|Mk 24 ''FIDO'' Air-Dropped ASW Homing Torpedo]].<ref name=U857>{{cite web
|url=http://www.uboat.net/boats/u857.htm
|title=U-857
|last=Helgason
|first=Guðmundur
|website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
|access-date=12 March 2009
}}</ref>

==Official number and code letters==
Official Numbers were a forerunner to [[IMO ship identification number|IMO Numbers]].

''Empire Ballantyne'' had the UK Official Number 168706 and the [[Code Letters]] BCHQ were allocated to her.<ref name=Ballantyne/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{coord|36|9|N|74|5|W|display=title}}


{{Empire ships}}
{{April 1945 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belgian Airman}}
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:1941 ships]]
[[Category:Ministry of War Transport ships]]
[[Category:World War II merchant ships of Belgium]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1945]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast]]
[[Category:Ships built by Harland and Wolff]]

MV Belgian Airman - Revision history

imported>Chomik1129: added short description