SS Empire Breeze

Empire Breeze was a 7,457 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1940 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). Shortly after entering service she ran aground but was repaired. Empire Breeze was torpedoed and sunk by U-176 on 25 August 1942.

History
NameEmpire Breeze
OwnerMinistry of War Transport
OperatorJ & J Denholm Ltd
Port of registryUnited Kingdom Sunderland
BuilderJ L Thompson & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
Yard number603
Launched3 October 1940
CompletedJanuary 1941
Out of service25 August 1942
Identification
FateTorpedoed 25 August 1942 and sank 27 August. One crew member died.
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length310 ft 6 in (94.64 m)
Beam59 ft 9 in (18.21 m)
Depth35 ft (10.67 m)
Propulsion1 x triple expansion steam engine
Crew42, plus 6 DEMS gunners
Armament1 x 4" gun, 1 x 20mm Anti-Aircraft gun, 2 x twin machine guns
SS Empire Breeze is located in North Atlantic
SS Empire Breeze
Location of the sinking of Empire Breeze.

Description

Empire Breeze was built by J L Thompson & Sons Ltd, Sunderland.[1] She was yard number 603.[2] Launched on 3 October 1940, she was completed in January 1941.[1]

Empire Breeze was 310 feet 6 inches (94.64 m) long, with a beam of 59 feet 9 inches (18.21 m) and a depth of 35 feet (10.67 m). She was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine which had cylinders of 25 inches (64 cm), 41 inches (100 cm) and 68 inches (170 cm) bore by 45 inches (110 cm) stroke. The engine was built by George Clarke (1938) Ltd, Sunderland.[3] Empire Breeze was armed with a 4" gun, a 20mm AA gun and two twin machine guns.[4]

Career

Empire Breeze's port of registry was Sunderland. She was operated under the management of J & J Denholm Ltd, Sunderland.[3] On 5 February 1941, she ran aground on the Bondicar Rocks, off Amble, Northumberland. She was refloated on 13 March and taken in tow by the tug Bullger, but the tug struck a mine and sank in Druridge Bay.[5] Empire Breeze was anchored off Cresswell and later taken to Sunderland for repairs. She was a member of a number of convoys during the Second World War.

ON 37

Convoy ON 37 departed from Liverpool on 15 November 1941 and dispersed at sea on 24 November.[6]

ON 122

Convoy ON 122 departed from Liverpool on 15 August 1942 and dispersed at sea on 3 September.[7] On 25 August 1942, Empire Breeze was torpedoed by U-176 and U-438. Two torpedoes struck Empire Breeze, killing one crew member. She began to settle by the stern. The captain of U-438 claimed the kill, but postwar analysis shows that it was U-176 which had fired the fatal shot. The tug HMS Frisky was sent from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Flower-class corvette HMCS Rosthern was detached from the convoy to assist in salvaging Empire Breeze. The surviving crew abandoned ship, but later reboarded her and sent distress signals after repairing the radio set. On 27 August, the Irish merchant ship Irish Willow rescued the 42 surviving crew and six DEMS gunners. They were landed at Dunmore East, County Waterford on 1 September. Although Empire Breeze was still afloat on 27 August, she could not be found by HMS Frisky and the search was abandoned on 30 August.[4] Those lost on Empire Breeze are commemorated at the Tower Hill Memorial, London.[8]

Official Numbers and Code Letters

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. Empire Breeze had the UK Official Number 168662 and used the Code Letters GPFP.[3]

References
  1. Mitchell, W H, and Sawyer, L A (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "1168662". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  3. "LLOYD'S REGISTER, NAVIRES A VAPEUR ET A MOTEURS" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  4. "Empire Breeze". Uboat. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  5. "RNLI Services 1941" (PDF). rnliarchive.blob.core.windows.net. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  6. "CONVOY ON (S) 37". Warsailors. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  7. "CONVOY ON 122, Code Word MAGOG". Warsailors. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  8. "Ship Index A-F". Brian Watson. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.

49°22′N 35°52′W

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