SS Michael E was a cargo ship that was built in 1941. She was the first British catapult aircraft merchant ship (CAM ship): a merchant ship fitted with a rocket catapult to launch a single Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft to defend a convoy against long-range German bombers. She was sunk on her maiden voyage by a German submarine.
Description
Michael E was built by William Hamilton & Co Ltd, Port Glasgow. Launched in 1941, she was completed in May of that year. She was the United Kingdom's first CAM ship, armed with an aircraft catapult on her bow to launch a Hawker Sea Hurricane.[2]
The ship was 421.1 ft long between perpendiculars (434.5 ft overall), with a beam of 60.4 ft. She had a depth of 35.8 ft and a draught of 23 ft. She was measured at and .[1]
She had six corrugated furnaces feeding two 225 lb/in2 single-ended boilers with a combined heating surface of 5940 sqft.