Empire Toucan
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| Name | Empire Toucan | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 4.127 tons | ||
| Completed | 1920 - Federal Shipbuilding Co, Kearny NJ | ||
| Owner | Sir William Reardon Smith & Sons Ltd, Cardiff | ||
| Homeport | London | ||
| Date of attack | 29 Jun, 1940 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-47 (Günther Prien) | ||
| Position | 49.20N, 13.52W - Grid BE 3821 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 34 (3 dead and 31 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Garston - Port Sulphur, Louisiana | ||
| Cargo | Ballast | ||
| History | Built as American Freeport Sulphur No 5 for Freeport Sulphur Transportation Co, New York; 1939 the sulphur carrier was laid up at Freeport. On 12 Jun, 1940 given to Britain and renamed Empire Toucan by Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). | ||
| Notes on loss | About 05.00 hours on 29 Jun, 1940, the unescorted Empire Toucan (Master Hywel Tudor Thomas) was torpedoed by U-47 190 miles southwest of Fastnet and broke in two. The U-boat sank the afterpart by gunfire. The bowsection was sunk by gunfire by the British destroyer HMS Hurricane (H 06) (LtCdr H.C. Simms), which picked up the master and 30 crew members and landed them at Plymouth. Three crew members were lost. | ||
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