HOPSON, Robert David James | Huron Remembers

NAME HOPSON Robert David James
RANK Merchant Seaman Sailor Canadian Merchant Navy
SHIP S S Empire Blanda Born Circa 1920/21 Died February 18, 1941 approximately 20/21 years
Memorial Halifax Memorial
Halifax - Nova Scotia
Panel 18.
Parents Mr. Robert and Mabel Wealthy Hopson - Bayfield.

• The SS Empire Blanda had a GRT of 5,693 and was built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1919.
• She was part of Convoy HX 107 that departed Halifax on February 3, 1941 at 11:00 hours with 24 ships.
• The SS Empire Blanda was reported lost south of Iceland at position 060:33 N and 018:50 W after being
struck by a torpedo fired by U-69 under the command of KL Jost Metzler.
• Four very heavy detonations were heard before she slipped below the waves in mere seconds. She had on
board a crew of 40 men and all perished. She had last been sighted on February 9th.
• U-69 had left her home port a week earlier on February 10th on her first operational mission.
• The Empire Blanda had become a straggler of the convoy and when that happens a ship is on its own. At
07:44 hours U-69 had fired two torpedoes with both missing their mark and then at 8:01 hours her fired a
third torpedo that missed. Then at 08:18 hours he fired his fourth torpedo and this is the one that sank her
and all of her crew.
• In fact U-69 was almost struck from the flying debris from the Empire Blanda who was carrying a cargo of
scrap iron, steel and explosives.
• The final destination for convoy HX 107 was Grangemouth in Scotland.
• She had been built in Scotland in 1919 and her home port was London, England.
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