Empire Antelope was a 4,782-ton
cargo ship which was built as Ophis in 1919. She was renamed Bangu in 1928. In 1941 she was renamed Empire Antelope. She was sunk by the German
submarineU-402 on 2 November 1942.
History
Ophis was built by
Todd Dry Dock and Construction Company,
Tacoma as yard number 9. She was allocated
United States Shipping Board hull number 2630.[1] She was launched on 30 July 1919 and completed on 5 August 1919.[2] Delivery was on 30 September 1919.[1]Ophis was powered by a triple expansion steam engine and could make 10 knots.[2]
She was owned by the United States Shipping Board.[3] In March 1920, Maritime Salvors Ltd,
London reported that they had been involved in the salvage of Ophis.[4] On 29 November 1920, Ophis came to the rescue of the
Norwegian 3-masted
barqueHebe, which had been dismasted off the
Azores,
Portugal. Hebe was towed in to
Fayal.[5] In 1928, she was renamed Bangu[3] On 26 January 1931, she lost her propeller 200 nautical miles (370 km) south of
Bahía Blanca,
Argentina.[6] She was passed to the
United States Maritime Commission in 1937,[3] and laid up as part of the reserve fleet.[7] In 1941, Bangu passed to the
Ministry of War Transport and was renamed Empire Antelope.[3]
War Service
Empire Antelope was a member of a number of convoys during
World War II.
Convoy SC 77 departed
Halifax,
Nova Scotia on 30 March 1942 and arrived at Liverpool on 16 April. Empire Antelope was carrying a cargo of steel and other general cargo, destined for
Garston.[9]
Convoy SC 94 departed
Sydney, Nova Scotia on 31 July 1942.[10] Five ships from the convoy were torpedoed by simultaneous attacks of
U-176 and
U-379 at 13:25
Z on 8 August. Detonations of the five sinking ships caused hasty abandonment of three additional ships (including Empire Antelope) whose crews believed they had been torpedoed.[11]Empire Antelope's crewmen reboarded their slightly damaged ship and arrived at Liverpool on 13 August.[10]
Official Numbers were a forerunner to
IMO Numbers.
Bangu used the US Official Number 219009 and the
Code Letters LTDP.[13]Empire Antelope used the UK
Official Number 168205 and the Code Letters BCGT.[14]