Empire Portia
British Steam merchant
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| Name | Empire Portia | ||
| Type: | Steam merchant | ||
| Tonnage | 7,058 tons | ||
| Completed | 1943 - Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Walker-on-Tyne | ||
| Owner | Common Brothers Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne | ||
| Homeport | Newcastle | ||
| Date of attack | 29 Jun 1944 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | A total loss by unknown | ||
| Position | 50° 33'N, 0° 35'W - Grid BF 3246 | ||
| Complement | 47 (5 dead and 42 survivors). | ||
| Convoy | FTM-22 | ||
| Route | Normandy beaches - Portsmouth | ||
| Cargo | Ballast | ||
| History | Completed in January 1943 for Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) | ||
| Notes on event | About 16.00 hours on 29 June 1944 the Empire Portia (Master Thomas Kirby Suttie) in convoy FTM-22 was badly damaged by an explosion off Selsey Bill. The vessel was taken in tow by HMS LST-416, but the tow parted and she grounded with a broken back on Peel Bank near Ryde, Isle of Wight. The forward section was towed to Falmouth, the aft section to Briton Ferry, South Wales and subsequently broken up. The master and 41 crew members were saved, but five crew members were lost. | ||
| Revisions | October 2015 by Rainer Kolbicz: The discovery of the wreck of U-988 showed that it could not have been responsible for the damage of Empire Portia. It is presently not known if the ship was torpedoed or mined. | ||
| On board | We have details of 7 people who were on board. | ||
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