Comments by "Ben Wilson" (@benwilson6145) on "MAC and CAM; When Merchantmen Became Aircraft Carriers" video.

  1. Sir Amos Ayre, the Director of Merchant Shipbuilding, credits Douglas Thomson of Ben Line Steamers of Edinburgh as the originator of the MAC concept. The first MAC ship delivered was in April 1943. The Empire Macalpine was built in Burntisland and manned by Ben Line Steamers. The vessel remained owned by the Controller of Shipping and manned by Ben Line until 1946 when she was sold to McCowan and Cross and converted into a cargo ship the Derryanne. The vessel had many names and was finaly scrapped as the Pacific Endeavour in Hong Kong in 1970. This vessel was followed by a sister the Empire MacKendrick built at Burntisland and was operated by William Thomson & Co (the Ben Line Steamers). She was broken up in Split in 1973.
    9
  2. Minor correction, in Britain it is the Merchant Navy, not Merchant Marine.
    8
  3. That was the Empire MacKendrick
    2
  4. Your Father was a Ben Line Officer?
    1