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History
Name	Empire Beaconsfield (1943-46); Hawkinge (1946-51); Angusbrae (1951-56); Hispania (1956-60); Dia (1960-64);
Owner	Ministry of War Transport (1943-46; Constants (South Wales) Ltd (1946-51); Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Co (1951-56); Willem H Müller & Co NV (1956-60); West End Corporation (1960-64);
Operator	Andrew Weir & Co Ltd (Bank Line) (1943); Constants (South Wales) Ltd (1943-51); Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Co (1951-56); Willem H Müller & Co NV (1956-60); West End Corporation (1960-64);
Port of registry	West Hartlepool (1943-51); UK (1951-60); Rotterdam (1956-60); Panama City (1960-64);
Builder	William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool
Launched	2 October 1943
Completed	November 1943
Identification	UK Official Number 180066 (Empire Beaconsfield); Code Letters GFMX (Empire Beaconsfield); ;
Fate	Sank, 14 October 1964
General characteristics
Tonnage	2,905 GRT
Length	315 ft 4 in (96.11 m)
Beam	46 ft 5 in (14.15 m)
Depth	23 ft (7.01 m)
Propulsion	1 triple expansion steam engine, 281 hp (210 kW)

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Location of the sinking of Dia.

SS Dia was a 2,905 GRT cargo ship which was built as Empire Beaconsfield in 1943. She was owned by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and managed by Bank Line Ltd and Constants (South Wales) LTd. Postwar she was sold to her managers and renamed Hawkinge. She later saw service with different owners as Angusbrae, Hispania and Dia. She developed a leak and sank off Savona, Italy on 14 October 1964.

Career

Empire Beaconsfield was built by William Gray & Sons Ltd, West Hartlepool, Co Durham.^[1] She was yard number 1159, Empire Beaconsfield was launched on 2 October 1943 and completed in December that year.^[2] Empire Beaconsfield was built for the MoWT and placed under the management of Andrew Weir & Co Ltd, trading as the Bank Line.^[3] Her port of registry was West Hartlepool.^[4]

In 1943, management was transferred from Bank Line to Constants (South Wales) Ltd, Cardiff.^[3]^[4] In 1946, she was sold to her managers and renamed Hawkinge. In 1951, she was sold to the Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Co and renamed Angusbrae. In 1956, she was sold to Willem H Müller & Co NV, Rotterdam and renamed Hispania. In 1960, she was sold to the West End Corporation, Panama and renamed Dia.^[1]

Sinking

On 14 October 1964, Dia developed a leak and sank south of Savona, Italy at 44°12′N 08°38′E / 44.200°N 8.633°E / 44.200; 8.633.^[1]

Official Numbers and Code Letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. Empire Beaconsfield had the UK Official Number 180066 and used the Code Letters GFMX.^[4]

Propulsion

The ship was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine which had cylinders of 20 inches (51 cm), 31 inches (79 cm) and 55 inches (140 cm) diameter and 39 inches (99 cm) stroke. It was built by the Central Marine Engineering Works Ltd, West Hartlepool and developed 281 horsepower (210 kW).^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Mitchell, W H, and Sawyer, L A (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ "1180066". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Andrew Weir & Co. / Bank Line". The Ships List. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "LLOYD'S REGISTER, STEAMERS & MOTORSHIPS" (PDF). Retrieved 18 October 2009.