In last month's issue, we mentioned the sale of FIRBRANCH to Socodena Ltee. and enquired as to her present whereabouts. While we realized that the report of the sale was definitely belated, we were fishing for more details, and they have been provided for us by Rene Beauchamp of Montreal. Apparently, Socodena Ltee. runs a small breaking yard near Marine Industries in Sorel and FIRBRANCH was scrapped there over the winter of 1969-70.

We are still getting comments on our various fleet lists, and the latest comes from John Wilterding who has reported on the eventual end of the canal motorship EMPIRE STATE which was chartered by Q&O during the second war. Sold to the Honduras Shipping Co. of Puerto Cortes, Honduras, about 1950, or shortly thereafter, she was stranded at Walton, Nova Scotia, on June 17, 1953. She was refloated July 1st and was sold to the Patapsco Steel Co., at whose Baltimore yard she arrived on November 1953 for scrapping.

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