Empire Vigilance
Ship Number
1116
Vessel Type
Oil Tanker
Built
Govan Yard
Slip Number
5
Launch Date
February 18, 1942
Delivered
May 23, 1942
Owner
Ministry of Shipping-British Tanker Co
Weight
8093 grt
BP Length
460 feet
Breadth
61 feet
No. of Screws
Single
Speed (approx)
11.5 knots
Propulsion
6-cyl. 4 SCSA B&W Oil
Official No.
168286
Registered
London
Fate
Torpedoed
Empire Vigilance

[Harland and Wolff GA]
Originally named British Vigilance
 
She was powered by a 6-cyl. 4 SCSA B&W Oil engine built by H&W. She was later renamed Empire Vigilance when taken over by the MOWT. On the 3rd January 1943 when on route from Curaçao - Trinidad - Gibraltar in Convoy TM-1 as a straggler and carrying a cargo of 11,000 tons of clean petroleum products she was torpedoed by German submarine U-514 about 900 miles NE of Barbados.
 
The vessel was abandoned. 25 crew members and two gunners were lost. The master, 21 crew members and five gunners were picked up by HMS Saxifrage and landed at Gibraltar. The burning tanker drifted for three weeks, before the wreck was sunk by German submarine U-105 with two torpedoes at 10.05 hours on 24 January.