EMPIRE HOPE
BUILT BY HARLAND AND WOLFF IN BELFAST IN 1941. SHE WAS 12,688 TONS AND THE THE SISTER SHIP TO THE WAIRANGI.
SHE DID TWO VOYAGES DOWN TO AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND PRIOR TO BEING INCLUDED IN 'OPERATION PEDESTAL'
IN 1942. THIS CONVEY HAD BEEN PUT TOGEATHER TO HELP RE-SUPPLY THE BESIEGED ISLAND OF MALTA, ALSO INCLUDED AMONGST OTHER VESSELS WERE SHAW SAVILL & ALBIONS ' WAIMARAMA ' AND ' WAIRANGI '. THE ' EMPIRE HOPE ' WAS ATTACKED AND MADE GOOD HER ESCAPE, BUT THE CARRIER H.M.S EAGLE WAS NOT SO LUCKY, SHE WAS TORPEDOED AND SANK ( THE ABOVE PICTURE SHOWS EMPIRE HOPE WITH H.M.S EAGLE TO HER RIGHT, THIS PHOTO WAS PROBABLY TAKEN FROM ONBOARD THE BRISBANE STAR )
THE FOLLOWING DAY ' EMPIRE HOPE ' WAS ATTACKED FROM THE AIR AND DAMAGED, THE MASTER OF THE VESSEL ORDERING THE SHIP TO BE ABANDONED, AND THE CREW TOOK TO THE BOATS, TO BE PICKED UP BY H.M.S PENN.
AS H.M.S PENN LEFT THE SCENE SHE TORPEDOED ' EMPIRE HOPE ' AND SENT HER TO THE BOTTOM. THE ' WAIMARAMA ' WAS ALSO BOMBED AND SUNK, THE ' WAIRANGI ' WAS TORPEDOED AND SANK, ALL PART OF OPERATION PEDESTAL.
n tOPERATION PEDESTAL - EMPIRE HOPE AND WAIMARAMA IN THE CENTRE OF THE PICTURE
