John Kenneth Tyers

Portsmouth Naval Memorial Panel 89, Column 2

Name Empire Gold
Type: Steam tanker
Tonnage 8,028 tons
Completed 1941 - Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Haverton Hill, Middlesbrough
Owner Common Brothers Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Homeport Middlesbrough
Date of attack 18 Apr 1945 Nationality: British

Fate Sunk by U-1107 (Fritz Parduhn)
Position 47° 47'N, 6° 26'W - Grid BF 5151
Complement 47 (43 dead and 4 survivors).
Convoy HX-348
Route Philadelphia - New York - Antwerp
Cargo 10,278 tons of motor spirit
History Ordered as Eppingdale for the Admiralty as Royal Fleet Auxiliary, completed in February 1941 as Empire Gold for Ministry of War Transport (MoWT).

At 10.38 hours on 21 March 1942 the unescorted British Gold, detached from convoy OS-21, was shelled by U-161 (Achilles) in position 27°11N/48°35W about 930 miles northeast of Antigua. The U-boat was returning from a successful patrol in the Caribbean and had no torpedoes left, so the Germans opened fire with the deck gun from a distance of about 3500 meters and reported to have observed two hits. However, the tanker was apparently not damaged, turned away at full speed and returned fire, forcing U-161 to break off the engagement after one hour. Empire Gold was en route in ballast from the UK to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Notes on event
At 10.15 hours on 18 April 1945, U-1107 fired a spread of three torpedoes at two overlapping ships in convoy HX-348 about 70 miles west of Brest and reported two hits. Both ships, the Cyrus H. McCormick and Empire Gold were hit and sunk.

The master, 37 crew members and five gunners from the Empire Gold (Master Henry Cecil Cansdale) were lost. Four crew members were picked up by the British rescue ship Gothland (Master James Murray Hadden, OBE) and landed at Greenock on 21 April. (Courtesy of uboat.net)

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