Ships hit by U-boats


Empire Progress

British Steam merchant



Empire Progress under her former name Andrea. Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart

NameEmpire Progress
Type:Steam merchant
Tonnage5,249 tons
Completed1918 - Harland & Wolff Ltd, Govan, Glasgow 
OwnerH. Hogarth & Sons Ltd, Glasgow 
HomeportLondon 
Date of attack13 Apr 1942Nationality:      British
 
FateSunk by U-402 (Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner)
Position40° 29'N, 52° 35'W - Grid CC 2855
Complement50 (12 dead and 38 survivors).
ConvoyON-80 (dispersed)
RouteGlasgow (28 Mar) - Tampa, Florida 
CargoBallast 
History Completed in March 1918 as British steam tanker War Expert for The Shipping Controller (Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co), London. 1921 renamed Anomia for Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd, London. 1927 sold to Norway and renamed Andrea for A/B Brøvigseil (Th. Brøvig), Farsund. 1938 sold to Italy and converted to the steam merchant Mugnone for Ditta Marino Querci, Genoa. On 10 Jun 1940, seized by Britain at Newcastle and was renamed Empire Progress by Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). 
Notes on event

At 23.26 hours on 13 April 1942 the Empire Progress (Master Thomas S. Hewitt), dispersed from convoy ON-80, was hit by one of two torpedoes from U-402 south of Cape Race. The torpedo was a dud but the ship stopped nevertheless and was missed with a first coup de grâce at 00.17 hours. Seven minutes later a second coup de grâce was fired that hit aft and caused the ship to sink in less than 8 minutes. The master, seven crew members and four gunners were lost. 32 crew members and six gunners abandoned ship, were questioned by the Germans and later picked up by the Olaf Fostenes and landed at Halifax.

 
On boardWe have details of 14 people who were on board


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