| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Builder | Joh. C. Tecklenborg,Geestemünde |
| Yard number | 237 |
| Launched | 20 September 1910 |
| Completed | November 1910 |
| Out of service | 14 November 1941 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | sunk by torpedo |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | cargo ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 128.36 m (421 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 16.80 m (55 ft 1 in) |
| Draught | 7.63 m (25 ft 0 in) |
| Depth | 9.52 m (31 ft 3 in) |
| Installed power | 2,300 ihp (1,700 kW) |
| Propulsion | Quadruple-expansion steam engine |
| Speed | 11.5 kn (21.3 km/h) |
| Complement | 69 (asFreienfels) |
Empire Defender was a 5,649 GRTcargosteamship that was built in 1910 asFreienfels byJoh. C. Tecklenborg inGeestemünde, Germany. She was seized by the United Kingdom in 1914, passing to theAdmiralty. In 1920, she was passed to theSecretary of State for India.
She was sold toGreek owners in 1925 and renamedHadiotis. In 1928, she was sold toItalian owners and renamedFelce. In 1940, she was seized by the United Kingdom and passed to theMinistry of War Transport (MoWT). RenamedEmpire Defender, she served until 14 November 1941, when she was sunk by torpedo. Her sinking killed four members of her crew.
The ship was built in 1910 by Joh. C. Tecklenborg inGeestemünde.[1] She was yard number 237.[2]
As built, the ship was 128.36 m (421 ft 2 in) long, with a beam of 16.80 m (55 ft 1 in). She had a depth of 9.52 m (31 ft 3 in) and a draught of 7.63 m (25 ft 0 in). She was assessed at 5,633 GRT, 3,545 NRT. HerDWT was 8,705.[2]
The ship had a 2,300-indicated-horsepower (1,700 kW)quadruple-expansion steam engine, with cylinders of 61 cm (211⁄64 inches), 88 cm (3421⁄32 inches), 128 cm (5025⁄32 inches) and 189 cm (741⁄32 inches) diameter by 137 cm (5315⁄16 inches) stroke.[3] The engine was built by JC Tecklenborg, Wesermünde. It drove a screw propeller and could propel the ship at 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h).[2]
Freienfels was built for Deutsche Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft "Hansa" (DDG Hansa),Bremen. She was launched on 20 September 1910 and delivered on 22 November. She was registered inBremen and hercode letters were QJVC. She had a crew of 63. On 5 August 1914,Freienfels was seized by the United Kingdom atCalcutta, India.[2] She was requisitioned by theAdmiralty and operated under the management of Grahams & Co Ltd.[4] Her port of registry was changed to London and the code letters JLGB were allocated.[2]Freienfels was allocated theofficial number 139043.[5] In 1920, she was passed to theSecretary of State for India, operating under the management of the Director, India Office Shipping.[2]
Freienfels was one of five ships that were condemned to detention, but not declared to beprizes of war. The other ships wereBraunfels,Frankenfels,Kurmark andRotenfels. Under the terms of theVersailles Treaty, they were to be sold. On 2 March 1925, questions were asked inParliament byJoseph Kenworthy, MP about the profitability and proposed sale of the ships toGreece, and what arrangements had been made for the continued employment of her British crew. In reply,Earl Winterton, thenUnder-Secretary of State for India, said that the five ships had made in excess of£1.7 million profit. The disposal of the ships was a matter for the Reparation Commission and theIndia Office had no say in the disposal of the ships.[6]Frienfels was duly advertised for sale in June 1925. She would be available for inspection atDunkirk, France from 6–18 June, and would then depart forFalmouth, Cornwall where she was to be laid up pending sale. She was described as 5,633 GRT, 9,112 DWT.[7]
Freienfels was sold to Pnevmaticos, Rethymnis & Yannaghas,Syra, Greece. She was renamedHadiotis. In 1927, she was sold to Kassos Steam Navigation Co. Ltd, Syra and placed under the management of Pnevmaticos, Rethymnis & Yannaghas. In September 1928,Hadiotis was sold to Achille Lauro fu Giochine & Co,Naples, Italy and was renamedFelce. The code letters NPCL were allocated. On 1 January 1934, these were changed to IBVL.[2] On 18 January 1937,Felce ran aground atDjibouti,French Somaliland. After her cargo was discharged,[8] she was refloated with assistance from a tug.[9] On10 June 1940,Felce was in port atHaifa,Palestine. She was seized and passed to the MoWT. She was renamedEmpire Defender. Her port of registry was changed to London and the code letters GPJG were allocated. She was placed under the management of the City Line Ltd.[2] She was assessed as 5,649 GRT,[1] and would have regained her previous official number 139043.
Empire Defender's movements over the next six months are not recorded.[10] She departed fromSuez,Egypt on 4 November 1940 as a member of Convoy BS 8, which dispersed offAden on 12 November.[11] She detached from the convoy before it dispersed and sailed toPort Sudan,Sudan, arriving on 8 November.[10] She departed from Port Sudan on 22 November to join Convoy BS 9,[10] which had departed from Suez on 18 November and dispersed on 26 November at12°30′N48°23′E / 12.500°N 48.383°E /12.500; 48.383.[12] She sailed toMombasa,Kenya, arriving on 8 December. Leaving Mombasa on 15 December, she sailed toDurban, South Africa, where she arrived on 26 December.[10]
During 1941, management ofEmpire Defender passed to the Stanhope Steamship Co Ltd.[2]Empire Defender departed from Durban on 6 April 1941 forCape Town, where she arrived on 11 April. Although she departed from Cape Town on 17 April, she returned two days later. She departed for a second time on 3 May forFreetown,Sierra Leone, arriving there on 22 May.Empire Defender departed from Freetown on 15 June forSaint Lucia, where she arrived on 5 July, departing five days later for theHampton Roads,Virginia, United States, arriving on 21 July. She departed from the Hampton Roads on 10 August forHalifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, arriving four days later.[10] She departed from Halifax on 16 August as a member of Convoy HX 156, which arrived atLiverpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom on 31 August.Empire Defender was carrying general cargo.[13] She left the convoy atLoch Ewe on 30 August to join Convoy WN 175,[10] which departed the next day and arrived atMethil, Fife on 3 September.[14] She then joined Convoy FS 585, which arrived atSouthend-on-Sea on 6 September.[10]
Empire Defender departed from Southend on 27 September as a member of Convoy FN 524, which arrived at Methil on 29 September. The next day, she departed from Methil to join Convoy EC 79,[10] which had departed from Southend on 28 September and arrived atOban, Argyllshire on 3 October.[15] She sailed on to theClyde, arriving on 3 October.[10]Empire Defender was ordered to sail fromGlasgow toMalta laden with ammunition,[1] as part ofOperation Astrologer.[16] On 20 October 1941, sixtylascar sailors refused to sail, claiming that the vessel was cursed and would be sunk before the nextnew moon. The authorities were unable to persuade them to sail by either threats or inducements. An equivalent number of white sailors were procured with a payment of £10 in cash each to accept the lascar accommodation. The ship had been repainted with a black hull, white topsides and a buff funnel, contrary to wartime regulations. All armament had been removed in an effort to make the ship appear as though it belonged to a neutral country.[1] She departed from the Clyde on 29 October to join Convoy OG 76,[10] which departed fromMilford Haven,Pembrokeshire on 26 October and arrived atGibraltar on 11 November.[17]Empire Defender passed Gibraltar on 11 November,[10] and headed for Malta. The flag of whichever nation's waters she was in at the time was painted on her hull, thus she was passed off as a French, Spanish and Italian ship.[1] Operation Astrologer had probably been compromised following the loss of the merchantmanParracombe on 2 May 1941 and the subsequent interrogation of her crew who were interned inFrance. The progress ofEmpire Defender had probably been monitored from the Spanish coast.[16] On 14 November 1941,[1] she was attacked either by aSavoia-Marchetti SM.79 or aSavoia-Marchetti S.84 aircraft of theRegia Aeronautica,[16][18] which dropped anaerial torpedo.Empire Defender was set on fire and her crew abandoned her. They had only just done this when she blew up and sank 18 nautical miles (33 km) south of theGalite Islands, Tunisia.[1] Four of her crew were killed. The survivors becameprisoners of war.[19] Those lost onEmpire Defender are commemorated on theTower Hill Memorial, London.[20]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1941 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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