Empire Sky
British Steam merchant
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| Name | Empire Sky | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 7,455 tons | ||
| Completed | 1941 - J.L. Thompson & Sons Ltd, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | Claymore Shipping Co Ltd, Cardiff | ||
| Homeport | Sunderland | ||
| Date of attack | 6 Nov 1942 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-625 (Hans Benker) | ||
| Position | 76.20N, 17.30E - Grid AB 3388 | ||
| Complement | 51 (51 dead - no survivors) | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Hull - Reykjavik - Archangel | ||
| Cargo | Government stores, including ammunition and aircraft as deck cargo | ||
| History | Completed in June 1941 for Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). | ||
| Notes on loss | At 22.24 hours on 6 Nov, 1942, the unescorted Empire Sky (Master Thomas Morley) was hit by two torpedoes from U-625 about 20 miles southeast of Spitzbergen. The U-boat had spotted the ship more than three hours earlier and had first to reload its torpedo tubes after missing her with two spreads of two torpedoes at 20.40 and 20.55 hours. The ship settled by the bow and sent emergency radio messages from which the Germans misidentified the ship as Bangalore. At 22.50 hours, a coup de grāce was fired from the stern torpedo tube that hit the Empire Sky and ignited her cargo of ammunition. She blew up in a terrific explosion with debris falling over a wide area and also hitting the U-boat. One piece of 1 kilogram even fell through the open conning tower hatch into the control room. The master, 41 crew members and nine gunners were lost. | ||
| Crewlists | We have listing of 51 people who were on this vessel | ||
Location of attack on Empire Sky.
ship sunk.
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