Empire Day was built for the MoWT as an
Empire ship. Management would later pass to Lyle Shipping Co Ltd. The United Kingdom
Official Number 168914 was allocated and
Code Letters BCMG were allocated. Built as a
CAM ship,
Empire Day could embark and operate a
Hawker Sea Hurricane aircraft. The ship was armed with one
gun, one
12-pounder gun and two
guns. which had departed from
Southend,
Essex on 25 July and arrived at the
Clyde on 28 July.
Empire Day lost her anchor and chain, and did not arrive until 30 July. She departed the Clyde on 4 August and sailed to
Belfast,
County Antrim. On 12 August, she departed from
Belfast Lough to join
Convoy ON 6, Her destination was
Halifax, Nova Scotia,
Canada, where she arrived on 26 August.
Empire Day departed from Liverpool on 28 September as a member of Convoy ON 21, which dispersed at sea () on 14 October. Her destination was Halifax, where she arrived on 16 October. She departed from Liverpool in ballast on 13 November as a member of Convoy ON 36, which dispersed at sea () on 25 November. Her destination was Halifax, where she arrived on 28 November.
Empire Day departed from Liverpool on 23 January 1942 as a member of Convoy ON 59, which dispersed at sea () on 6 February. She was carrying the convoy's
vice-commodore. Her destination was Halifax, where she arrived the next day. She departed from Liverpool on 17 March as a member of Convoy ON 77, which dispersed at sea () on 28 March. Her destination was Halifax, arriving the next day.
Empire Day departed from Liverpool on 22 May as a member of Convoy ON 97, which arrived at Halifax on 5 June. Laden with grain, she departed from Halifax on 14 June as a member of Convoy HX 194, which arrived at Liverpool on 26 June. She left the convoy at the Belfast Lough on 25 June, to join Convoy BB 191, which departed the next day and arrived at
Avonmouth,
Somerset on 27 June. She arrived that day, and departed the next day for
New York, United States, where she arrived on 27 July.
Empire Day departed from New York on 16 August for
Cape Cod Bay,
Massachusetts, from where she departed on 19 August as a member of Convoy
BX 34, which arrived at Halifax on 22 August.
Empire Day departed from Liverpool on 22 October to join Convoy KMS 1G, She then sailed to
Gibraltar, from where she sailed on 24 November to join Convoy
MKS 2,
Empire Day departed from Liverpool on 31 December for the Clyde, arriving the next day. She left the convoy at Gibraltar on 18 January. On 26 January, she joined Convoy
TE 14, She left the convoy at Algiers on 29 January, departing on 11 February to join Convoy ET 11, She departed Gibraltar on 22 February to join Convoy MKS 8, She left the convoy in home waters, sailing to
Newport,
Monmouthshire where she arrived on 1 March. Laden with grain, She left the convoy at the Clyde on 28 April.
Empire Day departed from the Clyde on 5 June for Milford Haven, arriving the next day and departing the day after that as a member of Convoy WP 351, She left the convoy at
Falmouth, Cornwall on 8 June. She arrived at Algiers on 26 June, departing on 11 July to join Convoy ET 22, She departed from Gibraltar on 22 July to join Convoy GUS 10,
Empire Day departed sailed on to New York, from where she departed on 2 September for the Hampton Roads, where she joined Convoy UGS 17, where she arrived on 25 September. She departed from Algiers on 16 November to join Convoy GUS 21, Her destination was New York. She left the convoy at
Colombo,
Ceylon on 9 March. She departed from Colombo on 25 March with Convoy JC 42, arriving at
Calcutta, India on 1 April and returning with Convoy CJ 24, which departed on 15 April and arrived at Colombo on 22 April. Two days later, she departed for
Lourenço Marques,
Mozambique, where she arrived on 8 May. She left the convoy at Lourenço Marques on 23 June. she departed from Lourenço Marques on 31 July as a member of Convoy DK 21A, which dispersed off
Beira, Mozambique on 2 August. On 7 August 1944,
Empire Day was
torpedoed and sunk by some east of
Dar es Salaam,
Tanganyika (). All 34 crew and eight
DEMS gunners survived. Her chief officer was taken prisoner by
U-198. He was killed when
U-198 was sunk by and off the
Seychelles on 12 August. He is commemorated on the
Tower Hill Memorial. ==References==