SS Gedania

Gedania under way
History
Name	1919: Gedania 1941: Empire Garden 1947: Southern Garden
Namesake	1919: a Latinisation of Danzig
Owner	1919: BAPIG 1933: Waried Tankschiff Rhederei 1941: Ministry of War Transport 1946: Ministry of Transport 1947: The South Georgia Co
Operator	1919: Standard Oil Co of NJ 1931: Waried Tankschiff Rhederei 1940: Kriegsmarine 1941: Gow, Harrison & Co 1947: Christian Salvesen & Co
Port of registry	1919: Danzig 1933: Hamburg 1941: London 1947: Leith
Builder	Howaldtswerke, Kiel
Yard number	587
Launched	September 1919
Completed	October 1920
Refit	1941; 1947–48
Identification	1920: code letters HGDT 1933: code letters RJGH by 1934: call sign DJLT 1941: UK official number 168211 1941: call sign BFXQ 1948: call sign MASF
Fate	scrapped, 1960
General characteristics
Type	1919: oil tanker 1940: supply ship 1948: supply ship & whale oil tanker
Tonnage	as built: 8,966 GRT, 5,107 NRT by 1949: 10,263 GRT, 6,763 NRT
Length	516 ft 6 in (157.43 m) overall 500.5 ft (152.6 m) registered
Beam	64.6 ft (19.7 m)
Draught	1957: 27 ft 9+1⁄4 in (8.46 m)
Depth	32 ft (9.8 m)
Decks	2
Installed power	as built: 1 × quadruple expansion engine, 404 NHP from 1932: as above, plus exhaust turbine, 462 NHP or 3,000 ihp
Propulsion	1 × screw
Speed	as built: 10+1⁄4 knots (19 km/h)
Boats & landing craft carried	4 × lifeboats 1940: as above, plus 2 × launches
Complement	in Kriegsmarine service: 101
Sensors and processing systems	as built: submarine signalling by 1931: wireless direction finding added by 1937: echo sounding device added by 1948: radar added by 1957: gyrocompass added
Armament	1941: 2 × 75 mm (3 in) guns 4 × 50 mm (2 in) anti-aircraft guns
Notes	sister ship: Vistula

SS Gedania was a steam tanker that was launched in Germany in 1919. Until 1939 she imported oil to Germany for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. In 1941 the Kriegsmarine had her converted into a supply ship to support commerce raiders at sea. The Royal Navy captured her on her first naval voyage, and the UK Ministry of War Transport renamed her Empire Garden. In 1947 the South Georgia Company bought her; had her converted into a whaling supply ship and whale oil tanker; and renamed her Southern Garden. She was scrapped in Scotland in 1960.