SS Iserlohn (1909)

History
Name	Iserlohn (1909-21); Union City (1921-24); Wasaborg (1924-35); Erica (1935-40); Empire Defiance (1940-44);
Owner	Deutsche-Australische Dampfschiffs Gesellschaft (1909-19); British Shipping Controller (1919-21); William Reardon Smith & Sons (1921-24); J A Zachariassen & Co (1924-35); Achille Lauro & Co (1935-40); Ministry of War Transport (1940-44);
Operator	Deutsche-Australische Dampfschiffs Gesellschaft (1909-19); British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd (1919-21); St Just Steamship Co Ltd (1921-24); J A Zachariassen & Co (1924-35); Achille Lauro & Co (1935-40); T & J Brocklebank (1940-43); J & J Denholm (1944);
Port of registry	Hamburg, Germany (1909-19); United Kingdom (1919-21); Bideford (1921-24); Uusikaupunki, Finland (1924-35); Naples, Italy (1935-40); London (1940-44);
Builder	Reiherstieg Schiffswerfte & Maschinenfabrik
Yard number	426
Launched	14 August 1909
Out of service	7 June 1944
Identification	United Kingdom Official Number 143916 (1919-24, 1940-44); Finnish Official Number 323 (1927-35); Italian Official Number 438 (1935-40); Code Letters VBTP (1927-33); ; Code Letters OHBR (1934-35); ; Code Letters IBNN (1935-40); ; Code Letters GWLC (1940-44); ;
Fate	Scuttled as blockship in 1944, salvaged and scrapped in 1951
General characteristics
Type	Cargo ship (1909-43); Storage hulk (1943-44); Blockship (1944-51);
Tonnage	4,667 GRT; 2,760 NRT; 7,669 DWT;
Length	121.61 m (399 ft 0 in)
Beam	16.37 m (53 ft 8 in)
Depth	7.55 m (24 ft 9 in)
Propulsion	Triple expansion steam engine

Location of the scuttling of Empire Defiance.

Iserlohn was a 4,667 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1909 by Reiherstieg Schiffswerfte & Maschinenfabrik, Hamburg, Germany. She was ceded to the United Kingdom in 1919, passing to the Admiralty. In 1921, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Union City. She was sold to Finland in 1924 and renamed Wasaborg. In 1935, she was sold to Italy and renamed Erica. In 1940, she was seized by the United Kingdom and passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). Renamed Empire Defiance, she served until June 1944, when she was sunk as a blockship at Sword, Ouistreham, France in support of Operation Overlord. She was salvaged in 1951 and scrapped at Antwerp, Belgium.

History

Name	Iserlohn (1909-21) Union City (1921-24) Wasaborg (1924-35) Erica (1935-40) Empire Defiance (1940-44)
Owner	Deutsche-Australische Dampfschiffs Gesellschaft (1909-19) British Shipping Controller (1919-21) William Reardon Smith & Sons (1921-24) J A Zachariassen & Co (1924-35) Achille Lauro & Co (1935-40) Ministry of War Transport (1940-44)
Operator	Deutsche-Australische Dampfschiffs Gesellschaft (1909-19) British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd (1919-21) St Just Steamship Co Ltd (1921-24) J A Zachariassen & Co (1924-35) Achille Lauro & Co (1935-40) T & J Brocklebank (1940-43) J & J Denholm (1944)
Port of registry	Hamburg, Germany (1909-19) United Kingdom (1919-21) Bideford (1921-24) Uusikaupunki, Finland (1924-35) Naples, Italy (1935-40) London (1940-44)
Builder	Reiherstieg Schiffswerfte & Maschinenfabrik
Yard number	426
Launched	14 August 1909
Out of service	7 June 1944
Identification	United Kingdom Official Number 143916 (1919-24, 1940-44) Finnish Official Number 323 (1927-35) Italian Official Number 438 (1935-40) Code Letters VBTP (1927-33) Code Letters OHBR (1934-35) Code Letters IBNN (1935-40) Code Letters GWLC (1940-44)
Fate	Scuttled as blockship in 1944, salvaged and scrapped in 1951
General characteristics
Type	Cargo ship (1909-43) Storage hulk (1943-44) Blockship (1944-51)
Tonnage	4,667 GRT 2,760 NRT 7,669 DWT
Length	121.61 m (399 ft 0 in)
Beam	16.37 m (53 ft 8 in)
Depth	7.55 m (24 ft 9 in)
Propulsion	Triple expansion steam engine