Empire MacAndrew remained a merchant-operated grain carrier rather than becoming a commissioned warship. Her merchant crew navigated the ship and handled the cargo, while attached naval personnel operated the aircraft, hangar, flight deck, and related systems. This divided command arrangement preserved commercial carrying capacity while adding a specialized Fleet Air Arm function. Delays in arrestor cables and other carrier equipment show that the conversion was simple in outline but still depended on scarce, purpose-built aviation hardware.
Chapter · 21:49-23:07
Merchant command with a naval aviation detachment
Empire MacAndrew illustrates the divided organization: merchant sailors ran the cargo ship while naval personnel handled the aircraft and flight-deck systems.