SS Empire Defender Empire Defender was a 5 , 649 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1910 as Freienfels by JC Tecklenborg AG , Wesermünde , Germany . She was seized by the United Kingdom in 1914 , passing to the Admiralty . In 1920 , she was passed to the Secretary of State for India . She was sold to Greece in 1925 and renamed Hadiotis . In 1928 , she was sold to Italy and renamed Felce . In 1940 , she was seized by the United Kingdom and passed to the Ministry of War Transport ( MoWT ) . Renamed " Empire Defender " , she served until 14 November 1941 , when she was torpedoed and sunk . Description . The ship was built in 1910 by JC Tecklenborg AG , Wesermünde . She was yard number 237 . As built , the ship was long , with a beam of . She had a depth of and a draught of . She was assessed at 5 , 633 GRT , 3 , 545 NRT . Her DWT was 8 , 705 . The ship had a quadruple expansion steam engine , with cylinders of 61 cm ( 21 inches ) , 88 cm ( 34 inches ) , 128 cm ( 50 inches ) and 189 cm ( 74 inches ) diameter by 137 cm ( 53 inches ) stroke . The engine was built by JC Tecklenborg , Wesermünde . It drove a screw propeller and could propel the ship at . History . " Freienfels " was built for Deutsche Dampfschiffahrts - Gesellschaft " Hansa " ( DDG Hansa ) , Bremen . She was launched on 20 September 1910 and delivered on 22 November . Her port of registry was Bremen and the Code Letters QJVC were allocated . She had a crew of 63 . On 5 August 1914 , " Freienfels " was seized by the United Kingdom at Calcutta , India . She was requisitioned by the Admiralty and operated under the management of Grahams & Co Ltd . Her port of registry was changed to London and the Code Letters JLGB were allocated . " Freienfels " was allocated the Official Number 139043 . In 1920 , she was passed to the Secretary of State for India , operating under the management of the Director , India Office Shipping . " Freienfels " was one of five ships that were condemned to detention , but not declared to be prizes of war . The other ships were , , and . Under the terms of the Versailles Treaty , they were to be sold . On 2 March 1925 , questions were asked in Parliament by Joseph Kenworthy , MP about the profitability and proposed sale of the ships to Greece , and what arrangements had been made for the continued employment of her British crew . In reply , Earl Winterton , then Under - Secretary of State for India said that the five ships had made in excess of £1 , 700 , 000 profit . The disposal of the ships was a matter for the Reparation Commission and the India Office had no say in the disposal of the ships . " Frienfels " was duly advertised for sale in June 1925 . She would be available for inspection at Dunquerque , France from 6 – 18 June , and would then depart for Falmouth , Cornwall where she was to be laid up pending sale . She was described as 5 , 633 GRT , 9 , 112 DWT . " Freienfels " was sold to Pnevmaticos , Rethymnis & Yannaghas , Syra , Greece . She was renamed " Hadiotis " . 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 renamed " Felce " . The Code Letters NPCL were allocated . On 1 January 1934 , these were changed to IBVL . On 18 January 1937 , " Felce " ran aground at Djibouti , French Somaliland . After her cargo was discharged , she was refloated with assistance from a tug . On 10 June 1940 , " Felce " was in port at Haifa , Palestine . She was seized and passed to the MoWT . She was renamed " Empire 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 . She was assessed as 5 , 649 GRT , and would have regained her previous Official Number 139043 . " Empire Defenders " movements over the next six months are not recorded . She departed from Suez , Egypt on 4 November 1940 as a member of Convoy BS 8 , which dispersed off Aden on 12 November . She detached from the convoy before it dispersed and sailed to Port Sudan , Sudan , arriving on 8 November . She departed from Port Sudan on 22 November to join Convoy BS 9 , which had departed from Suez on 18 November and dispersed on 26 November at . She sailed to Mombasa , Kenya , arriving on 8 December . Leaving Mombasa on 15 December , she sailed to Durban , South Africa , where she arrived on 26 December . During 1941 , management of " Empire Defender " passed to the Stanhope Steamship Co Ltd . " Empire Defender " departed from Durban on 6 April 1941 for Cape 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 for Freetown , Sierra Leone , arriving there on 22 May . " Empire Defender " departed from Freetown on 15 June for Saint Lucia , where she arrived on 5 July , departing five days later for the Hampton Roads , Virginia , United States , arriving on 21 July . She departed from the Hampton Roads on 10 August for Halifax , Nova Scotia , Canada , arrving four days later . She departed from Halifax on 16 August as a member of Convoy HX 156 , which arrived at Liverpool , Lancashire , United Kingdom on 31 August . " Empire Defender " was carrying general cargo . She left the convoy at Loch Ewe on 30 August to join Convoy WN 175 , which departed the next day and arrived at Methil , Fife on 3 September . She then joined Convoy FS 585 , which arrived at Southend - on - Sea on 6 September . " 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 , which had departed from Southend on 28 September and arrived at Oban , Argyllshire on 3 October . She sailed on to the Clyde , arriving on 3 October . " Empire Defender " was ordered to sail from Glasgow to Malta laden with ammunition , as part of Operation Astrologer . On 20 October 1941 , 60 lascar sailors refused to sail , claiming that the vessel was cursed and would be sunk before the next new 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 . She departed from the Clyde on 29 October to join Convoy OG 76 , which departed from Milford Haven , Pembrokeshire on 26 October and arrived at Gibraltar on 11 November . " Empire Defender " passed Gibraltar on 11 November , 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 . Operation Astrologer had probably been compromised following the loss of the merchantman on 2 May 1941 and the subsequent interrogation of her crew who were interned in France . The progress of " Empire Defender " had probably been monitored from the Spanish coast . On 14 November 1941 , she was attacked either by a Savoia - Marchetti SM . 79 or a Savoia - Marchetti S . 84 aircraft of the " Regia Aeronautica " , which dropped an aerial torpedo . " Empire Defender " was set on fire and her crew abandoned her . They had only just done this when she blew up and sank south of the Galite Islands , Tunisia . Four of her crew were killed . The survivors became Prisoners of War . Those lost on " Empire Defender " are commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial , London .