Empire Brigade
British Steam merchant
Empire Brigade under her former name Hannington Court. Photo courtesy of State Library of New South Wales
| Name | Empire Brigade | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5,154 tons | ||
| Completed | 1912 - Sir John Priestman & Co Ltd, Southwick, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | Cairns, Noble & Co Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne | ||
| Homeport | London | ||
| Date of attack | 19 Oct 1940 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-99 (Otto Kretschmer) | ||
| Position | 57° 12'N, 10° 43'W - Grid AM 2955 | ||
| Complement | 41 (6 dead and 35 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | SC-7 | ||
| Route | Montreal - Sydney - Tyne - Leith | ||
| Cargo | General cargo, including 750 tons of copper, 129 tons of ferro alloys and 980 tons of steel | ||
| History | Completed in November 1912 as Hannington Court for Court Line Ltd (Haldin & Philipps Ltd), London. 1936 sold to Italy and renamed Elios for Achille Lauro, Naples. On 10 Jun 1940, the Elios was seized by Britain at Newcastle-upon-Tyne and renamed Empire Brigade by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). | ||
| Notes on event | At 01.38 hours on 19 Oct 1940 the Empire Brigade (Master Sydney Wyman Parks) in convoy SC-7 was torpedoed and sunk by U-99 about 100 miles east-southeast of Rockall. Five crew members and one gunner were lost. The master and 34 crew members were picked up by HMS Fowey (L 15) (LtCdr L.C.A. Leefe, RN) and landed at Greenock. | ||
| On board | We have details of 7 people who were on board. | ||
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