SS Empire Dunstan Empire Dunstan was a cargo ship that was built in 1941 by Grangemouth Dockyard Co Ltd , Grangemouth , Stirlingshire , United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport ( MoWT ) . Entering service in January 1942 , she served until November 1943 , when she was torpedoed and sunk by . Description . " Empire Dustan " was built in 1945 by Grangemouth Dockyard Co Ltd , Grangemouth , Stirlingshire . " Empire Dustan " was long , with a beam of . She had a depth of and a draught of . She was assessed at 2 , 887 GRT , 1 , 695 NRT . " Empire Dustan " was propelled by a 275 nhp triple expansion steam engine , which had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke . The engine was built by North East Marine Engine Co ( 1938 ) Ltd , Newcastle upon Tyne . Armament consisted a 4 - inch or 4 . 7 - inch gun , two Bofors guns , two machine guns and a kite . History . " Empire Dustan " was launched on 19 November 1941 and completed in January 1942 . She was allocated the United Kingdom Official Number 168796 and Code Letters BCWN . Her port of registry was Grangemouth and she was placed under the management of Christian Salvesen & Co Ltd , Leith , Midlothian . Her crew consisted 32 officers and men , plus seven DEMS gunners . " Empire Dunstan " made her maiden voyage on 30 March 1942 , when she joined Convoy EN 65 , which departed from Methil , Fife that day and arrived at Oban , Argyllshire on 1 April . She left the convoy at Loch Ewe and joined Convoy On 82 , which had departed from Liverpool , Lancashire on 2 April and arrived at Halifax , Nova Scotia , Canada on 18 April . Her destination was St . John ' s , Newfoundland where she arrived on 14 April . She departed from St . John ' s on 25 April as a member of Convoy CL 27 , which arrived at Halifax on 28 April . " Empire Dunstan " departed two days later with Convoy XB 15 , which arrived at Boston , Massachusetts , United States on 2 May . She left the convoy at Saint John , New Brunswick , arriving that day . She departed from St . John on 13 May and joined Convoy BX 16 , which had departed from Boston that day and arrived at Halifax on 14 May . Laden with a cargo of flour , she departed on 24 May as a member of Convoy HX 191 , which arrived at Liverpool on 6 June . She left the convoy at the Clyde , arriving on 5 June . " Empire Dunstan " departed from the Clyde on 16 June to join Convoy ON 104 , which had departed from Liverpool that day and arrived at Boston on 2 July . She left the convoy at Halifax , on 2 July and then joined Convoy HS 21 , which departed on 5 July and arrived at Sydney , Cape Breton , Nova Scotia , two days later . She then joined Convoy SQ 18 , which departed on 10 July and arrived at Father Point , Quebec on 13 July . She left the convoy at Clarke City , Quebec on that day . " Empire Dunstan " sailed a week later to join Convoy QS 19 , which had departed from Father Point on 19 July and arrived at Sydney on 22 July . Carrying a cargo of woodpulp , she departed two days later with Convoy SC 67 , which arrived at Liverpool on 7 August . Her destination wasLondon , which was reached by leaving the convoy at Loch Ewe on 6 August and then sailing with Convoy WN 319 to Methil and FS 877 to Southend , Essex , where she arrived on 11 August . " Empire Dunstan " Departed from Southend on 19 August and sailed to Loch Ewe via Convoy FN 791 to Methil and Convoy EN 128 to Loch Ewe , where she arrived on 26 August . She then joined Convoy ON 126 , which departed from Liverpool on 29 August and arrived at New York , United States on 18 September . She was carrying a cargo of cement bound for St , John ' s , where she arrived on 13 September . She sailed a week later with Convoy CL 58 , arriving at Sydney on 22 September and departing three days later as a member of Convoy SH 46 , which arrived at Halifax on 26 September . She then joined Convoy ON 130 , which had departed from Liverpool on 12 September and arrived at New York on 30 September . " Empire Dunstan " was a member of Convoy SC 105 , which departed from New York on 11 October and arrived at Liverpool on 31 October . She was carrying general cargo and her captain was the convoy ' s Vice - Commodore . She left the convoy at Loch Ewe on 1 November and joined Convoy WN 356 , arriving at Methil on 3 November . " Empire Dunstan " then joined Convoy FS 951 , which departed the next day and arrived at Southend on 6 November . She left the convoy at Hull , Yorkshire , on that day . " Empire Dunstan " sailed from Hull to Hartlepool , Co Durham on 16 November , departed from there two days later to join Convoy FN 869 , which had departed from Southend on 18 November and arrived at Methil on 20 November . She then joined Convoy EN 164 to Loch Ewe and sailed on to the Clyde , arriving on 25 November . " Empire Dunstan " was a member of Convoy ON 150 , which departed from Liverpool on 1 December and arrived at New York on 25 December . She was carrying a cargo of coal . " Empire Dunstan " then sailed to Trinidad , leaving New York on 11 January 1943 as a member of Convoy NG 336 , arriving at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba on 18 January and then joining Convoy GAT 38 to Trinidad , arriving on 24 January . She arrived at San Pedro de Macorís on 8 February , departing four days later for Guantanamo Bay , arriving on 14 February and sailing two days later for New York , where she arrived on 23 February . " Empire Dunstan " was a member of Convoy SC 122 , which departed from New York on 5 March and arrived at Liverpool on 24 March . She was carrying a cargo of sugar . " Empire Dunstan " departed from Liverpool on 2 April and sailed to Cardiff , Glamorgan , where she arrived the next day . She departed from Cardiff on 12 April and sailed to Milford Haven , Pembrokeshire , arriving the next day . Laden with a cargo of coal bound for Algiers , Algeria , she sailed on 14 April to join Convoy OS46KM , which had departed from Liverpool on 15 April and split at sea on 24 April . Convoy OS 46 arriving at Freetown , Sierra Leone on 3 May . " Empire Dunstan " was in the part of the convoy that formed Convoy KMS 13G , which arrived at Gibraltar on 26 April . She departed that day with Convoy KMS 13 , which arrived at Bône , Algeria on 29 April , " Empire Dunstan " departed from Bône on 26 May to join Convoy GTX 1 , which had departed from Gibraltar on 24 May and arrived at Alexandria , Egypt on 4 June . She left the convoy at Bizerta , Algeria , arriving on 30 May . She departed from Bizerta on 5 June for Bône , arriving that day . She departed on 12 June for Philippeville , arriving there the same day and sailing four days later for Bizerta , where she arrived on 24 June . " Empire Dunstan " departed two days later for Sousse , Tunisia , arriving on 27 June and sailing on 3 July for Sfax , where she arrived the next day . She then sailed to Algiers , from where she departed on 31 July for Malta , departing from there on 4 August for Syracuse , Italy . She departed on 12 August for Malta , arriving the next day and departing two days later to join Convoy GUS 12 , which had departed from Alexandria on 10 August and arrived at the Hampton Roads , Virginia , United States on 6 September . She called at Algiers before leaving the convoy at Bône , " Empire Dunstan " departed then sailed to Philippeville , from where she departed on 21 August for Algiers , arriving the next day . " Empire Dunstan " departed from Algiers on 11 October and sailed to Bizerta , arriving on 16 October . She then sailed to Augusta , Italy , joining Convoy HA 6 , which departed on 29 October and arrived at Bari two days later . She arrived back at Augusta on 4 November and then sailed to Bône , from where she sailed on 15 November for Augusta , arriving two days later . " Empire Dunstan " departed from Augusta on 17 November as a member of Convoy AH 9 , which was bound for Bari . She was bound for Brindisi , carrying of military stores ( including of land mine s ) . There were also three passengers on board . At 17 : 12 ( German time ) on 18 November , " Empire Dunstan " was hit by one of the two torpedoes fired by . Two crewmembers were killed . The ship broke in two and sank in 20 minutes in the Ionian Sea off Taranto ( ) . The survivors were rescued by the Norwegian merchant ship and landed at Taranto . Those killed on " Empire Dunstan " are commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial , London .