Edward Whyles

TOWER HILL MEMORIAL Panel 45.

Name Empire Sky
Type: Steam merchant
Tonnage 7,455 tons
Completed 1941 - J.L. Thompson & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
Owner Claymore Shipping Co Ltd, Cardiff
Homeport Sunderland
Date of attack 6 Nov 1942 Nationality: British

Fate Sunk by U-625 (Hans Benker)
Position 76° 20'N, 17° 30'E - Grid AB 3388
Complement 60 (60 dead - no survivors)
Convoy
Route Hull - Reykjavik - Archangel
Cargo Government stores, including ammunition and aircraft as deck cargo
History Completed in June 1941 for Ministry of War Transport (MoWT).
Notes on event
At 22.24 hours on 6 Nov 1942 the unescorted Empire Sky (Master Thomas Morley) was hit by two torpedoes from U-625 about 20 miles southeast of Spitzbergen. The U-boat had spotted the ship more than three hours earlier and had first to reload its torpedo tubes after missing her with two spreads of two torpedoes at 20.40 and 20.55 hours. The ship settled by the bow and sent emergency radio messages from which the Germans misidentified the ship as Bangalore. At 22.50 hours, a coup de grâce was fired from the stern torpedo tube that hit the Empire Sky and ignited her cargo of ammunition. She blew up in a terrific explosion with debris falling over a wide area and also hitting the U-boat. One piece of 1 kilogram even fell through the open conning tower hatch into the control room. The master, 41 crew members and 18 gunners were lost.

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