EMPRESS of BRITAIN

British

Type: Steam passenger ship

Tonnage 42,348 tons (one of the largest ships sunk).

Completed 1931 - John Brown & Co Ltd, Clydebank

Owner Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd, Montreal

Homeport London

Date of attack 28 Oct 1940 Nationality: British

Fate Sunk by U-32 (Hans Jenisch)

Position 55.16N, 09.50W - Grid AM 5455

Complement 623 (45 dead and 578 survivors).

Convoy
Route Port Twefik, Egypt - Capetown - Liverpool
Cargo 300 tons of sugar and 300 tons of government stores
History Completed in May 1931. In March 1940 brought troops from Australia to Europe and then

brought troops to Suez via Capetown.

Notes on loss
On 26 Oct, 1940, the unescorted Empress of Britain (Master Charles Havard Sapsworth) was

struck by two 250kg bombs from a German Fw200 Condor aircraft of the 2./KG 40 piloted by Oblt

Bernhard Jope (awarded the Knight Cross on 30 Dec, 1940 and the Oak Leaves on 24 Mar, 1944)

and caught fire in 54°53N/10°49W about 70 miles northwest of Aran Island, Co. Donegal.

The most of the 416 crew members, two gunners and 205 passengers (military personnel and their

families) abandoned ship, leaving only a skeleton crew on board and were picked up by HMS Echo

(H 23) (Cdr S.H.K. Spurgeon, DSC, RAN), the British A/S trawler HMS Cape Arcona and ORP Burza

(H 73) (LtCdr Pitulko), which took the ship in tow until she was relieved by HMS Marauder (W

98) (Lt W.J. Hammond, RNR) and HMS Thames on passage to the Clyde. Later the tugs HMS Seaman

(W 44) and Raider also participated in the salvage operation.

The salvage convoy, making four knots, was escorted by HMS Broke (D 83) (Cdr B.G. Scurfield,

RN) and HMS Sardonyx (H 26) (LtCdr R.B.S. Tennant, RN) and had air cover from Sunderland

flying boats during daylight. On 28 October, two of three torpedoes fired by U-32 which

followed the convoy for almost 24 hours, struck the Empress of Britain and sank her northwest

of Bloody Foreland, Co. Donegal. 25 crew members and 20 passengers were lost.

Photo Credits: The Alexander Turnbull Library NZ

Cheers and GB

Gordy