Hansa 39 Schedule

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Attached to the force was the aircraft carrier , whose aircraft had spotted another disguised German merchant the previous month, when on 9 October they had sighted the German tanker Altmark. The Altmark had been disguised as the American Delmar, and consequently had escaped unmolested. The Uhenfels was not so fortunate.

The Empire Ability was not a part of this convoy however.Empire Ability was a part of convoy SL 78 though, when it was attacked by U-69 on 27 June 1941. Empire Ability was carrying a cargo of 7,725 tons of sugar, 238 tons of rum, 400 tons of kernels and 35 tons of fibre, and was under the command of her master Herbert Flowerdew.

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U-69s commander, Jost Metzler, made several attacks, sinking the SS River Lugar at 01.49 hours, and hitting the Empire Ability at 02.37 hours with a single torpedo. The Empire Ability caught fire and was abandoned, sinking at 21 minutes after having been hit. Only two people were killed, with a total of 107 crew, gunners, military personnel and assorted passengers successfully abandoning ship. The survivors were picked up by the SS Amerika and transferred to the corvette.

The convoy was then 200 miles southeast of the Azores.

By the time she had been captured the Uhenfels was running short of food.The Uhenfels was taken into service with the British, being renamed Empire Ability in April 1940 by the Ministry of War Transport. She was assigned to be operated by Elder Dempster Lines and sailed in a number of convoys. On 23 October 1940 she was among those bombed and damaged by German aircraft while waiting in Gare Loch for a convoy to assemble. On 27 February 1941 the Italian submarine Bianchi attacked convoy OB 290, and claimed to have scored a probable hit on the Empire Ability.