HMS Archer (D78)

HMS Archer
History
Name	Mormacland
Owner	United States Maritime Commission
Operator	Moore-McCormack Lines
Port of registry	New York
Ordered	C3
Builder	Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester, Pennsylvania
Yard number	184
Laid down	1 August 1939
Launched	14 December 1939
Completed	24 April 1940
Identification	US Official Number 239370
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Archer (BAVG-1)
Commissioned	17 November 1941
Identification	Pennant number: BAVG-1, D78
Decommissioned	6 November 1943
Stricken	26 February 1946
Honours and awards	Atlantic 1943–44, Biscay 1944
Name	1945: Empire Lagan 1946: Archer 1948: Anna Salén 1955: Tasmania 1961: Union Reliance
Owner	1945: Ministry of War Transport 1946: United States Maritime Commission 1948: Rederi Pulp AB 1955: Compagnia Navigazione Tasmania SA 1961: China Union Lines
Operator	1944: Blue Funnel Line 1945: A Holt & Co 1946: United States Maritime Commission 1948: Sven Salén, Sweden 1949: Rederi Pulp AB 1955: Hellenic Mediterranean Lines 1961: China Union Lines, Taiwan
Port of registry	1945: London 1946: United States 1948: Stockholm 1955: Piraeus 1961: Taipei
Fate	Scrapped in New Orleans in 1962
General characteristics
Class and type	Long Island-class escort carrier
Tonnage	7,886 GRT (Mormacland) 13,399 GRT (Empire Lagan) 11,762 GRT (Anna Salén, Tasmania) 7,368 GRT (Tasmania, Union Reliance) 11,976 DWT (Mormacland)
Displacement	9,000 long tons (9,100 t) standard 15,700 long tons (16,000 t) full load (HMS Archer)
Length	461 ft 1 in (140.54 m) (Mormacland) 468 ft 4 in (142.75 m) (Empire Lagan)
Beam	69 ft 7 in (21.21 m) (Mormacland, Empire Lagan)
Depth	29 ft 1 in (8.86 m) (Mormacland) 39 ft 7 in (12.07 m) (Empire Lagan)
Propulsion	4 × 7 -ylinder SCSA diesel engines (Busch-Sulzer Bros Diesel Engine Co, St Louis) 2,060 hp (1,540 kW) (each) driving a single screw through electro-magnetic couplings and single reduction gearing.
Speed	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Range	14,550 nmi (26,950 km; 16,740 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Capacity	1,500 passengers (Anna Salén, Tasmania)
Complement	555 (HMS Archer)
Armament	3 × 4 in (102 mm) guns, 4 × twin and 7 × single machine guns. (HMS Archer) 7 × 20 mm guns AA guns 4 twin 20 mm AA guns (HMS Archer)
Aircraft carried	15 (HMS Archer)
Notes	Aviation facilities:- 1 lift, 1 catapult, 9 arrester wires and 3 barriers. (HMS Archer)

HMS Archer was a Long Island-class escort carrier built by the United States in 1939–1940 and operated by the Royal Navy during World War II. She was built as the cargo ship Mormacland, but was converted to an escort carrier and renamed HMS Archer. Her transmission was a constant cause of problems which led to her being withdrawn from front-line service. She was used as a stores ship and then as an accommodation ship before a refit and subsequent use as a merchant aircraft ferry ship, Empire Lagan.

She was returned to the US Navy, then laid up as Archer before being sold into merchant service and converted to a passenger ship, Anna Salén. She was used to take emigrants to Australia and Canada in the early 1950s. She was sold and renamed Tasmania and after further service as an emigrant ship was converted back to a cargo ship. She was later sold and renamed Union Reliance. She was scrapped after a collision and fire in 1961.