SS Empire Antelope
Encyclopedia
{|Empire Antelope was a 4,782 ton cargo ship
which was built as Ophis in 1919. She was renamed Bangu in 1928. In 1941 she was renamed Empire Antelope. She was sunk by U-402
on 4 February 1942.
as yard number 9. She was allocated United States Shipping Board
hull number 2630. She was launched on 30 July 1919 and completed on 5 August 1919. Delivery was on 30 September 1919. Ophis was powered by a triple expansion steam engine and could make 10 knots.
She was owned by the United States Shipping Board. In March 1920, Maritime Salvors Ltd, London
reported that they had been involved in the salvage of Ophis. On 29 November 1920, Ophis came to the rescue of the Norwegian
3-masted barque
Hebe, which had been dismasted off the Azores
, Portugal
. Hebe was towed in to Fayal. In 1928, she was renamed Bangu On 26 January 1931, she lost her propeller 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) south of Bahía Blanca
, Argentina
. She was passed to the United States Maritime Commission
in 1937, and laid up as part of the reserve fleet. In 1941, Bangu passed to the Ministry of War Transport and was renamed Empire Antelope.
.
ON37
Convoy ON 37 sailed from Liverpool
on 15 November 1941 and dispersed during the night of November 23/34. Empire Antelope sailed from Aultbea
.
SC 77
Convoy SC 77 departed Halifax, Nova Scotia
on 30 March 1942 and arrived at Liverpool on 16 April. Empire Antelope was carrying a cargo of steel and other general cargo, destined for Garston
.
SC 94
Convoy SC 94 departed Sydney, Nova Scotia
on 31 July 1942. Five ships from the convoy were torpedoed by simultaneous attacks of U-176 and U-379 at 13:25Z
on 8 August. Detonations of the five sinking ships caused hasty abandonment of three additional ships (including Empire Antelope) whose crews believed they had been torpedoed. Empire Antelopes crewmen reboarded their slightly damaged ship and arrived at Liverpool on 13 August.
SC 107
Empire Antelope departed New York City
on 24 October 1942 with 5,560 tons of general cargo as a member of Convoy SC 107. At 08:04 hrs (CET
) on 2 November 1942, U-402, captained by Baron Siegfried von Forstner
, fired a torpedo and sank Empire Antelope at 52°26′N 45°22′W. All fifty crew members were saved by convoy rescue ship
SS Stockport and landed at Reykjavik
on 8 November.
.
Bangu used the US Official Number 219009 and the Code Letters
LTDP. Empire Antelope used the UK Official Number 168205 and the Code Letters BCGT.
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
which was built as Ophis in 1919. She was renamed Bangu in 1928. In 1941 she was renamed Empire Antelope. She was sunk by U-402
German submarine U-402
German submarine U-402 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.U-402 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Siegfried von Forstner carried out eight combat patrols sinking 14 merchantmen and one warship during the Second World War. U-402 also damaged three...
on 4 February 1942.
History
Ophis was built by Todd Dry Dock and Construction Corporation, TacomaTacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
as yard number 9. She was allocated United States Shipping Board
United States Shipping Board
The United States Shipping Board was established as an emergency agency by the Shipping Act , 7 September 1916. It was formally organized 30 January 1917. It was sometimes referred to as the War Shipping Board.http://www.gwpda.org/wwi-www/Hurley/bridgeTC.htm | The Bridge To France by Edward N....
hull number 2630. She was launched on 30 July 1919 and completed on 5 August 1919. Delivery was on 30 September 1919. Ophis was powered by a triple expansion steam engine and could make 10 knots.
She was owned by the United States Shipping Board. In March 1920, Maritime Salvors Ltd, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
reported that they had been involved in the salvage of Ophis. On 29 November 1920, Ophis came to the rescue of the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
3-masted barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
Hebe, which had been dismasted off the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. Hebe was towed in to Fayal. In 1928, she was renamed Bangu On 26 January 1931, she lost her propeller 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) south of Bahía Blanca
Bahía Blanca
Bahía Blanca is a city located in the south-west of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Atlantic Ocean, and seat of government of Bahía Blanca Partido. It has a population of 274,509 inhabitants according to the...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. She was passed to the United States Maritime Commission
United States Maritime Commission
The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...
in 1937, and laid up as part of the reserve fleet. In 1941, Bangu passed to the Ministry of War Transport and was renamed Empire Antelope.
War Service
Empire Antelope was a member of a number of convoys during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
ON37
Convoy ON 37 sailed from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
on 15 November 1941 and dispersed during the night of November 23/34. Empire Antelope sailed from Aultbea
Aultbea
Aultbea is a small fishing village in the North-West Highlands of Scotland. It is situated on the shores of Loch Ewe, about 30 km west of Ullapool. The village has two hotels, the Aultbea Hotel and the Drumchork Lodge Hotel, which won the accolade of top whisky hotel in the world in 2006...
.
SC 77
Convoy SC 77 departed Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
on 30 March 1942 and arrived at Liverpool on 16 April. Empire Antelope was carrying a cargo of steel and other general cargo, destined for Garston
Garston, Merseyside
Garston is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is bordered by Aigburth, Allerton, and Speke.-History:Gaerstun, meaning 'grazing settlement' or 'grazing farm' in Old English, is one possible root of the name....
.
SC 94
Convoy SC 94 departed Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
on 31 July 1942. Five ships from the convoy were torpedoed by simultaneous attacks of U-176 and U-379 at 13:25Z
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on 8 August. Detonations of the five sinking ships caused hasty abandonment of three additional ships (including Empire Antelope) whose crews believed they had been torpedoed. Empire Antelopes crewmen reboarded their slightly damaged ship and arrived at Liverpool on 13 August.
SC 107
Empire Antelope departed New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 24 October 1942 with 5,560 tons of general cargo as a member of Convoy SC 107. At 08:04 hrs (CET
Central European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
) on 2 November 1942, U-402, captained by Baron Siegfried von Forstner
Siegfried von Forstner
Korvettenkapitän Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, fired a torpedo and sank Empire Antelope at 52°26′N 45°22′W. All fifty crew members were saved by convoy rescue ship
Convoy rescue ship
During the Second World War purpose built convoy rescue ships accompanied some Atlantic convoys to rescue survivors from ships which had been attacked. Rescue ships were typically small freighters with passenger accommodations. Conversion to rescue service involved enlarging galley and food...
SS Stockport and landed at Reykjavik
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
on 8 November.
Official number and code letters
Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO NumbersIMO ship identification number
The IMO ship identification number is made of the three letters "IMO" followed by the seven-digit number assigned to all ships by IHS Fairplay when constructed. This is a unique seven digit number that is assigned to propelled, sea-going merchant ships of 100 GT and above...
.
Bangu used the US Official Number 219009 and the Code Letters
Code letters
Code letters were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids. Later, with the introduction of radio, code letters were also used as radio callsigns.-History:...
LTDP. Empire Antelope used the UK Official Number 168205 and the Code Letters BCGT.