SS Empire Brigade
Encyclopedia
{|Empire Brigade was a 5,184 GRT cargo ship
which was built in 1912 as Hannington Court. She served through the First World War and was sold in 1936 to Achille Lauro, being renamed Elios. In 1940, she was interned by the United Kingdom
as a result of war being declared against Italy
. She was declared a war prize
and taken into service by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) as Empire Brigade, serving until torpedo
ed and sunk by .
She entered service as SS Hannington Court with Court Line and was allocated United Kingdom Official Number 135157 and Code Letters
JBDQ. In 1934, her Code Letters were changed to GRSZ. Hannington Court served with them until 1936, when she was sold to the Italian
shipping line owned by Achille Lauro and based in Naples
. They renamed her Elios. Her Italian Official Number was 462 and she carried code letters IBFO. She was in port in Newcastle when Italy entered the war, and she was consequently seized on 10 June 1940 by the Ministry of Shipping. They renamed her Empire Brigade and passed her to Cairns, Noble & Co Ltd, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne to operate for them. She was homeported in Newcastle upon Tyne. Her Official number reverted to 135157 and her code letters were GLZS.
. Empire Brigade sailed from Montreal
to Sydney, Nova Scotia
, Canada
, from where the convoy sailed on 5 October 1940, bound for Leith
via the Tyne
. Empire Brigade carried a cargo of 750 tons of copper
, 129 tons of ferrous
alloy
s and 980 tons of steel
, and as under the command of her master, Sydney Wyman Parks. The convoy had only a single escort to start with, the sloop
HMS Scarborough
. The convoy was located by a wolf pack of U-boat
s from 16 October, and they quickly overwhelmed the convoy, sinking many of the ships. The Empire Brigade was torpedoed and sunk by U-99 at 01.38 hours on 19 October, whilst some 100 miles east-southeast of Rockall
. Out of a total complement of 41, five crew members and one gunner were lost. The master and 34 crew members were picked up by HMS Fowey
and landed at Greenock
. Those lost on Empire Brigade are commemorated at the Tower Hill Memorial
, London.
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
which was built in 1912 as Hannington Court. She served through the First World War and was sold in 1936 to Achille Lauro, being renamed Elios. In 1940, she was interned by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as a result of war being declared against Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. She was declared a war prize
Prize (law)
Prize is a term used in admiralty law to refer to equipment, vehicles, vessels, and cargo captured during armed conflict. The most common use of prize in this sense is the capture of an enemy ship and its cargo as a prize of war. In the past, it was common that the capturing force would be allotted...
and taken into service by the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) as Empire Brigade, serving until torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed and sunk by .
Pre war career
Empire Brigade was built in the yards of Sir John Priestman & Co Ltd, Southwick, Sunderland as yard number 239. She was launched on 10 October 1902 and was completed in November 1912. The ship was 400 feet (121.92 m) long, with a beam of 53 in 5 in (16.28 m) and a depth of 26 in 6 in (8.08 m). She was propelled by a triple expansion steam engine which had cylinders of 27 inches (68.6 cm), 44.5 inches (113 cm) and 74 inches (188 cm) bore by 48 inches (121.9 cm) stroke. The engine was made bu Blair & Co Ltd, Stockton on Tees. It could propel the ship at 10 knots (19.6 km/h)She entered service as SS Hannington Court with Court Line and was allocated United Kingdom Official Number 135157 and Code Letters
Code letters
Code letters were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids. Later, with the introduction of radio, code letters were also used as radio callsigns.-History:...
JBDQ. In 1934, her Code Letters were changed to GRSZ. Hannington Court served with them until 1936, when she was sold to the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
shipping line owned by Achille Lauro and based in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. They renamed her Elios. Her Italian Official Number was 462 and she carried code letters IBFO. She was in port in Newcastle when Italy entered the war, and she was consequently seized on 10 June 1940 by the Ministry of Shipping. They renamed her Empire Brigade and passed her to Cairns, Noble & Co Ltd, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne to operate for them. She was homeported in Newcastle upon Tyne. Her Official number reverted to 135157 and her code letters were GLZS.
Wartime career and sinking
Empire Brigade took part in a number of local convoys, sailing to different ports in the UK. Her first international convoy came when she joined the ill-fated convoy SC-7Convoy SC-7
SC-7 was the code name for a large Allied World War II convoy of 35 merchant ships and six escorts which sailed eastbound from Sydney, Nova Scotia for Liverpool and other United Kingdom ports on 5 October 1940. While crossing the Atlantic, the convoy was intercepted by one of the German Navy's...
. Empire Brigade sailed from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, from where the convoy sailed on 5 October 1940, bound for Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
via the Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
. Empire Brigade carried a cargo of 750 tons of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, 129 tons of ferrous
Ferrous
Ferrous , in chemistry, indicates a divalent iron compound , as opposed to ferric, which indicates a trivalent iron compound ....
alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
s and 980 tons of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, and as under the command of her master, Sydney Wyman Parks. The convoy had only a single escort to start with, the sloop
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
HMS Scarborough
HMS Scarborough (U25)
HMS Scarborough was a Hastings-class sloop of the Royal Navy launched in 1930. She saw active service during the Second World War, especially as a convoy escort in the North Atlantic.-Construction and commissioning:...
. The convoy was located by a wolf pack of U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s from 16 October, and they quickly overwhelmed the convoy, sinking many of the ships. The Empire Brigade was torpedoed and sunk by U-99 at 01.38 hours on 19 October, whilst some 100 miles east-southeast of Rockall
Rockall
Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....
. Out of a total complement of 41, five crew members and one gunner were lost. The master and 34 crew members were picked up by HMS Fowey
HMS Fowey (L15)
HMS Fowey was a Shoreham-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War.-Construction and commissioning:Fowey was ordered on 4 December 1929 under the 1929 Programme. She was laid down at Devonport Dockyard on 24 March 1930, and was launched on 4 November that year by a Mrs...
and landed at Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
. Those lost on Empire Brigade are commemorated at the Tower Hill Memorial
Tower Hill Memorial
The Tower Hill Memorial is a national war memorial on the south side of Trinity Square Gardens, just to the north of the Tower of London. It commemorates those from the Merchant Navy and fishing fleets who died during both world wars and have "no grave but the sea".The First World War memorial...
, London.