HMS Archer was a 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 Her transmission was a constant cause of problems which led to her being withdrawn from front-line service.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.

Description and construction

Mormacland was laid down as a Type C3 cargo ship on 1 August 1939, under United States Maritime Commission contract (MC Hull 46), by the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania, as Yard number 184. She was launched on 14 December 1939 and completed on 24 April 1940. The propulsion system was also used on the four sister ships built by Sun Shipbuilding in 1939: Mormacpenn, Mormacyork, Mormacland and Mormacmail

HMS Archer was the only in service with the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was converted from the American merchant ship Mormacland which was built at the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company. She was laid down on 1 August 1939, launched on 14 December 1939 and delivered on 24 April 1940.

She was converted to an escort aircraft carrier at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co, Newport News, Virginia and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 17 November 1941.

Archer had a complement of 555 men and an overall length of , a beam of and a height of .

Aircraft facilities were a small combined bridge–flight control on the starboard side and above the -long wooden flight deck, one aircraft lift , one aircraft catapult and nine arrestor wires. Aircraft could be housed in the half hangar below the flight deck. She was operated by Moore-McCormack Lines Inc., with New York as her homeport, until 6 March 1941 when she was requisitioned by the United States Navy and sent to Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co, Newport News, Virginia, for conversion to an aircraft carrier. Archer sustained damage to her bow, and eventually settled down at the bow by 5 degrees after the damage and flooding had been contained. Both ships were dead in the water. The 35 crewmembers of Brazos transferred to Archer in their own lifeboats and Brazos sank on 14 January. Archers captain had radioed for assistance and at first light started to make for the coast, but as her propeller was half out of the water, progress was minimal. On 16 January, Archer rendezvoused with US Coast Guard tug which unsuccessfully attempted to tow Archer. It was decided that Archer should continue under her own power until a more powerful tug could assist her. On 17 January, reached her and proceeded to tow her to Charleston, where she arrived on 21 January. She entered dry dock on 28 January for repairs, which took about six weeks. On 23 May, a Swordfish II of 819 Squadron sank U-752 with a Rocket Spear, a new weapon, and one of five motor ships (the remainder were powered by geared turbines). Unlike the others, Archer was powered by four diesel engines instead of two.

Empire Lagan

On completion of the repairs on 15 March 1945, she operated under the management of the Blue Funnel Line Empire Lagan returned to the US in Convoy UC 69, which departed Liverpool on 24 May 1945 and arrived at New York on 3 June 1945. She then sailed to Norfolk, Virginia.

Archer

On 9 January 1946,

Anna Salén

thumb|Anna Salen in 1950. Titled 'Bremerhaven 24.6.50 Melbourne 29.7.50' with insert photograph presumably of Frank Kolarik, Czech migrant 1950. Photograph from [[Australian National Maritime Museum]]

In 1948 Archer was bought by Swedish businessman Sven Salén, and registered under the ownership of Rederi Pulp AB; She was renamed Anna Salén and, after initial conversion into a bulk carrier at the Bethlehem Shipyard in Baltimore, took a load of coal from the US to Italy. voyage to Australia as Anna Salén she broke down in the Indian Ocean and limped into Aden, where her passengers were transferred to another ship, the Skaugum, to complete their voyage. It was later widely shown in Germany to give people a view of how the emigration process worked. Anna Salén arrived at Fremantle on 31 December 1950 and sailed for Melbourne later that day. It was realised that she couldn't make Melbourne before the New Year, so for political reasons Anna Salén was ordered back to Fremantle where all 1,522 passengers were disembarked.

In the early to mid-1950s, Anna Salén was used between Europe, Saigon and Australia. returning from a holiday in Europe. Later that year, on 26 December 1951, Anna Salén came across the Canadian coaster SS Mayfall flying a distress signal. She had encountered bad weather and run out of fuel. Anna Salén towed Mayfall to St Johns and then continued her journey to Halifax On 13 August 1952, Anna Salén collided with the Norwegian whaler SS Thorshovdi in the Pentland Firth. She put into Lyness with damage to her bows. On 2 July 1953 Anna Salén departed Bremen, West Germany to make a round trip to Quebec, Canada She was sold to a Taiwanese buyer in 1961. The wreck was removed on 9 November