Military service
Burial/memorial information
On 21 November 1942, the Empire Sailor sailed with convoy ON-145 carrying poison gas and cyanide in her holds, all in barrels. At 4:16 am, U-518 fired two torpedoes at the ships, another at 4:24 am and two more at 4:25 am, 200 miles (322km) south-east of Sydney, Nova Scotia. One of them hit the Empire Sailor and exploded part of the cargo. The gases spread and affected unprotected sailors. The HMCS Minas (J165) took on shipwrecked crew, including the captain. HMCS Timmins (K-223) also took some on board. The doctor from HMS Wanderer (D74) boarded HMCS Minas and found he was powerless. As a result of the gas breathed in, 17 crew members and 3 gunners died. The attack itself had cost the lives of three sailors. The ship sank while being towed, in position 43°53'N/55°02'W.
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 218 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance.
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HALIFAX MEMORIAL Nova Scotia, Canada
The HALIFAX MEMORIAL in Nova Scotia's capital, erected in Point Pleasant Park, is one of the few tangible reminders of the men who died at sea. Twenty-four ships were lost by the Royal Canadian Navy in the Second World War and nearly 2,000 members of the RCN lost their lives.
This Memorial was erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and was unveiled in November 1967 with naval ceremony by H.P. MacKeen, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, in the presence of R. Teillet, then Minister of Veterans Affairs.
The monument is a great granite Cross of Sacrifice over 12 metres high, clearly visible to all ships approaching Halifax. The cross is mounted on a large podium bearing 23 bronze panels upon which are inscribed the names of over 3,000 Canadian men and women who were buried at sea.
The dedicatory inscription, in French and English, reads as follows:
1918-1945
IN THE HONOUR OF
THE MEN AND WOMEN
OF THE NAVY
ARMY AND MERCHANT NAVY
OF CANADA
WHOSE NAMES
ARE INSCRIBED HERE
THEIR GRAVES ARE UNKNOWN
BUT THEIR MEMORY
SHALL ENDURE.
On June 19, 2003, the Government of Canada designated September 3rd of each year as a day to acknowledge the contribution of Merchant Navy Veterans.
For more information, visit Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Poppy Design is a trademark of The Royal Canadian Legion (Dominion Command) and is used with permission. Click here to learn more about the poppy.
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