Manganese was a 964 GRT coaster that was built in 1925 by Norderwerft AG, Hamburg, Germany as Wiedau for German owners. She was seized by the Allies in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Contract. Later that year, she was transferred to Greece and renamed Herakleion. She was sold into merchant service in 1948 and renamed Laconia. In 1965, she was sold to Egypt and renamed Manganese. The ship was deleted from Lloyd's Register in 1993.