Empire Chaucer
British Steam merchant
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| Name | Empire Chaucer | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 5,970 tons | ||
| Completed | 1942 - Wm. Pickersgill & Sons Ltd, Sunderland | ||
| Owner | W.J. Tatem Ltd, Cardiff | ||
| Homeport | London | ||
| Date of attack | 17 Oct 1942 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-504 (Hans-Georg Friedrich Poske) | ||
| Position | 38° 12'S, 20° 04'E - Grid JJ 1313 | ||
| Complement | 50 (3 dead and 47 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | |||
| Route | Calcutta - Durban (13 Oct) - Capetown - Trinidad - UK | ||
| Cargo | 2000 tons of pig iron and 6500 tons of general cargo, including tea and bags of mail | ||
| History | Built for Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) | ||
| Notes on event | At 06.15 hours on 17 Oct 1942 the unescorted Empire Chaucer (Master Roy Jennings) was torpedoed and sunk by U-504 about 450 miles south of Capetown. Three crew members were lost. She had also one passenger on board which was among the survivors. The master and 11 survivors were picked up by the British merchant Empire Squire and landed at Trinidad. 15 survivors in one lifeboat were picked up by the British merchant Nebraska after 23 days in an open boat and landed at Capetown. The remaining 20 survivors in another lifeboat landed at Bredasdorp near Simonstown after 14 days. | ||
| On board | We have details of 11 people who were on board. | ||
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