Empire Byron
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| Name | Empire Byron | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 6.645 tons | ||
| Completed | 1941 - Bartram & Sons Ltd, South Dock, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | J. & C. Harrison Ltd, London | ||
| Homeport | London | ||
| Date of attack | 5 Jul, 1942 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-703 (Heinz Bielfeld) | ||
| Position | 76.18N, 33.30E - Grid AC 2625 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 70 (7 dead and 63 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | PQ-17 (straggler) | ||
| Route | Hull - Reykjavik (27 Jun) - Archangel | ||
| Cargo | 2455 tons of military stores, 6 vehicles, 30 tanks and 15 aircraft | ||
| History | Built for Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) | ||
| Notes on loss | On 4 Jul, 1942, the Empire Byron (Master John Wharton MBE) in convoy PQ-17 was torpedoed by a German He111 torpedo bomber of II./KG 26 and fell behind the convoy, where she was sunk by a coup de grāce by U-703 at 08.27 hours the next day. Three crew members, three gunners and one passenger were lost. The master, 45 crew members and 16 gunners were picked up by HMS Dianella (K 07) (Lt J. Rankin) and landed at Archangel on 16 July. Another passenger, Capt J. Rimington (Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers) was taken prisoner and landed at Narvik on 15 July. | ||
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