On 26 Oct, 1940, the unescorted Empress of Britain (Master Charles Havard Sapsworth) was struck by two 250kg bombs from a German Fw 200 Condor aircraft of the 2./KG 40 commanded 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 the HMS Echo (H 23) (Cdr H.K. Spurgeon RAN), the British A/S trawler HMS Cape Arcona and the ORP Burza, which took the ship in tow until she was relieved by the British tug HMS Marauder (Lt W.J. Hammond) and Dutch tug Thames on passage to the Clyde. Later the British tugs Seaman and Raider also participated in the salvage operation.

The salvage convoy, making four knots, was escorted by the HMS Broke (D 83) and HMS Sardonyx (H 26) 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.