Sister ship Empire Might
Built 1942 for Ministry of War Transport MoWT
Tonnage: 7,009 / 9,500 tons
Cargo: Ballast
Route. Durban - Trinidad
Sunk 02 NOV 42 by Italian submarine Leonardo Da Vinci on position 00º 30’S 30º 45W
1 Dead
51 Survivors
2 POW. Empire Zeal was attacked and sunk by a pair of torpedoes and gunfire from Da Vinci. She was armed with a single 102mm gun and twin 9mm machine guns. She was unable to send an SOS once her aerial had been destroyed by the sub. The Master and the First Mate were made POW.
Survivors in two lifeboats were spotted by one US Navy Catalina and rescued by Destroyer USS Winslow on 4th November.