Extract from: Blue Star Line at War by Taffrail

In the early hours of February 12th 1942 the Empire Star, Captain Selwyn N. Capon, O.B.E., with the Gorgon, and under the escort of H.M. ships Durban and Kedah, sailed from Singapore for Batavia with evacuated naval, military and R.A.F. personnel, together with civilian refugees-men, women and children. The Empire Star, which carried a considerable amount of R.A.F. equipment and stores, was a crowded ship. According to her Master, she carried more than 2,160 people, though as no accurate muster could be made this was probably an under- estimate. Apart from 35 children, room had been found for more than 160 women., including civilian passengers and the nurses of the 10th and 13th Australian General Hospitals. Air attacks were fully expected, and the presence of enemy aircraft was first reported at 8.50 a.m. as the convoy was about to clear the Durian Strait, south of Singapore. 

The first attack on the Empire Star was made twenty minutes later, when six dive-bombers came hurtling down out of the blue. The guns of all the ships burst into action. On board the Empire Star machine-guns and gunners of the R.A.F. were used to supplement the vessel's normal armament. One 'plane was brought splashing into the sea, to disappear in a sparkle of red flame and a pyre of curling black smoke. Another was hit ; to break off the action with smoke pouring from its tail. But nothing could stop the fanatical determination of the Japanese. The Empire Star sustained three direct hits, which killed 14 people and severely wounded 17 others, besides inflicting great damage and setting the ship on fire in three places. Two of the wounded were the Second Officer, Mr. James Duncan Golightly, who sustained severe injury to his left arm, and Able Seaman Charles P. Barber, wounded in the right thigh. While the wounded were attended to by the medical officers of the R.A.F. and the Australian nurses, parties under the Chief Officer, Mr. Joseph Lindon Dawson, tackled the fires and succeeded in extinguishing them. It was a difficult and dangerous job in a ship thronged with people. Intermittent attacks by enemy aircraft continued for the next four hours. They were high-level attacks from 7,000 to 10,000 feet carried out by twin-engined heavy bombers, as many as 57 being counted. A large number of bombs were dropped, some of which missed the Empire Star by no more than 10 or 20 feet. One lifeboat, which had already been damaged by blast during the first dive-bombing attack, was struck and completely demolished. The final attack was made by a formation of nine aircraft at 1.10 p.m., and once more the vessel, to use Captain Capon's own words- ," miraculously escaped with a series of extremely near misses on both sides." Throughout these attacks Captain Capon took violent evasive action. In this respect he mentioned the " invaluable assistance " rendered by Captain George Wright of the Singapore Pilot Service who had remained in the ship after clearing the harbour, and the Third Officer, Mr. James Peter Smith, "both of whom all through coolly kept the attacking aircraft under close observation, keeping me at the same time advised of their manoeuvres and their probable and eventual angle of attack."

In this particular instance, however, Captain Capon mentioned the names of the following as having given exceptional service-the Chief Officer. Mr. J. L. Dawson, and the Third Officer, Mr. J. P. Smith, whose gallant services have already been touched upon. He drew attention, too, to the work of the Senior Second Engineer, Mr. H. G. Weller, "whose co-operation throughout in the engine room and work afterwards done in the prompt execution of urgent temporary repairs was indeed exemplary," and the Chief Steward, Mr. C. E. Ribbons, " who went to the greatest lengths in doing everything possible under the most trying and exacting conditions for both Service personnel and the civilian refugees then carried, and more especially in instilling amongst the latter that element of comforting assurance which means so much in eliminating in such circumstances any suggestion of or tendency towards panic." 

Captain Capon's modest list of recommendations was considerably extended when it came to be considered by the authorities. He himself, having earned the O.B.E. in the First World War, became a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. The Chief Officer, Mr. Joseph Lindon Dawson, and the Chief Engineer, Mr. Richard Frederick Francis, were both awarded the O.B.E. and Messrs. James Duncan Golightly, the Second Officer Herbert Gordon Charles Weller, Senior Second Engineer ; with James Peter Smith, Third Officer, the M.B.E. The British Empire Medal went to Messrs. W. Power, the Boatswain, and S. Milne, the Carpenter. The following were officially " Commended "-J. J. Johnson, Junior Second Engineer ; J. Middleton, Senior Third Engineer; J. R. Mitchell, Junior Third Engineer; C. E. Ribbons, Chief Steward; T. S. Hughes, Second Steward ; R. Foulkner and R. Perry, Cadets ; C. P. Barber, Able Seaman ; H. E. Heaver, Donkeyman. The London Gazette of September 15th, 1942, contained most of these awards, though because of the wartime, censorship and security regulations it did not mention the Empire Star by name. After describing how the ship left Singapore and was fiercely attacked it continued : " The Master's coolness, leadership and skill were outstanding, and it was mainly due to his handling of the ship that the vessel reached safety. The Chief Officer showed great organising ability and tireless leadership throughout. Under the direction of the Chief Engineer, the Engineer Officers remained at their posts and kept the engine and fire service pumps working thus releasing all others of the engine-room staff to help the fire parties. The Second Officer was in charge of the guns and fought them with gallantry throughout the attacks. One aircraft was shot down and one certainly damaged by the combined fire of the ship and her escort. The Boatswain and Carpenter behaved magnificently throughout. They led the crew and worked tirelessly during the attacks. They were always present, leading fire parties, dealing efficiently with the fires and led parties that carded the wounded to hospital." Such an official eulogy, which needed no embellishment, redounds greatly to the credit of the officers and men of the Empire Star.

In October 1942, still under the command of Captain Capon, she sailed from Liverpool with 19 passengers and a mixed cargo, including some ammunition and aircraft. Being a comparatively fast ship she was routed an independently far out in the Atlantic, and sailed unescorted. There had been some changes among the officers. Mr. Dawson, the Chief Officer at the time of her escape from Singapore, had been relieved by Mr. L. Vernon, while Mr. J. P. Smith had been promoted from Third Officer to Second. The new Third Officer was Mr. R. Moscrop-Young. On the afternoon of October 23^rd the ship was almost in mid-Atlantic about 570 miles north of the Azores steaming southerly at 14 knots. There was a clear sky with good visibility, and it was blowing hard from the north-west with a heavy swell and breaking sea. To prevent damage to the valuable deck cargo, zig-zagging had been discontinued. At 3.43 p.m., a torpedo struck and exploded the starboard side amidships, Mr. Vernon actually hearing the thud of its impact a split second before the roar of the detonation. The engine-room was immediately flooded, which stopped the ship and put out the lights. Two engineers and two others on duty below were killed immediately, while two more men on the upper platform of the engine-room were injured. The ship listed heavily over to starboard. Passengers and crew assembled at their boat stations. There were originally four lifeboats ; but one, on the starboard side, had been destroyed by the explosion. Orders were given to abandon ship, which, in spite of the heavy sea, was carried out in an orderly manner. As the boats lay' off, the ship righted herself, and, though low in the water, did not appear to be sinking. Indeed, thinking she might be saved, Mr. Vernon had the idea of returning on board to see what could be done. But about half-an-hour after the first explosion she was torpedoed again twice at five minute intervals on the starboard side aft. The Empire Star's stern rapidly became submerged, and flinging her bows skywards she disappeared from sight in a little up-heaval of spray and a cloud of steam and smoke, which was soon dispersed by the tearing wind. Some minutes after the ship sank, those in the boats heard and felt a heavy underwater explosion, which was sufficiently severe to cause anxiety as to their safety. It may have been caused by an explosion in the Empire Star ; but it was peculiar that no sign of the U-boat was seen either before or after the torpedoing. It was the usual habit of the German submarine commanders to surface and to question the survivors as to the name of the ship and the cargo carried. Before darkness came Mr. Vernon picked up five survivors who were floating about on rafts, which brought the complement of his boat to 34. Her official life-saving capacity was 40 ; but even with six less the Chief Officer found his boat inconveniently crowded and difficult to handle in the heavy, breaking sea. He spoke to the two other boats, to learn that all on board the Empire Star except the four killed in the engine- room were accounted for. Captain Capon's orders were to keep together during the night, and then make sail for the Azores. Throughout the hours of darkness the wind still raged furiously and the curling, breaking seas came surging down from the north-west. Those in the boats were drenched with spray and bitterly cold. As Mr. Vernon wrote : " We lay to a sea anchor during the night ; but in addition to the sea anchor we had to use five oars to keep the boat's head to sea and avoid flooding. I tried to communicate with the other boats by light ; but was unsuccessful." Any seaman can visualize what lay behind the Chief Officer's simple description : those plunging, crowded boats with the spray sweeping over them in sheets ; the alternate roar and lull of the gale as they rose to the foaming crests and fell dizzily into the troughs ; the sickening motion ; and the constant watchfulness as the labouring men tugged at the oars ,to prevent broaching to and destruction. After a miserable night, the first streaks of dawn on September 24th came stealing up over the heaving horizon to the east- ward. Mr. Vernon could see no other boats when full daylight came. He hoisted his sails and steered off before the wind, until, at 10.10 a.m. : " A boat which I have since learned was the Third Officer's " (Mr. Moscrop-Young)-" was sighted several miles distant and to the south- west. I attempted to close ; but could not steer a closing course, and at 12.30 I gave up the attempt and steered south-cast." Here, unhappily, it has to be said that Captain Capon's boat, in which were 38 people, was never seen again. Mr. Moscrop-Young had tried to take his boat alongside the Captain's to take off some of his people soon after the ship was abandoned. But in the heavy sea he was unable to do so. They had six oars out ; but found it impossible to pull up to windward. Of what happened to Captain Capon's boat we have no knowledge, and can only surmise. As Mr. Vernon wrote : " If for any reason a boat got beam on to the sea for two or three successive heavy seas I consider that in the conditions prevailing she could easily have capsized." To continue Mr. Vernon's story. By 5.00 p.m. on the 24th the sea and swell had become so heavy that he was forced to lower the sail and lie to a sea anchor during the night, oars again being used to keep the boat head to sea. At 11.00 p.m. the rudder broke off at the top pintle and was useless. They had to use a steering oar instead, at best a cumbrous expedient. The weather was as wild as ever at daylight on the 25th, so, as he writes:" We drifted before the wind with sail and sea anchor until picked up by H.M.S. Black Swan at 61.5 p.m." Radio signals of distress had been sent off from the Empire Star on being torpedoed. The Third Officer's boat was also picked up by the Black Swan. To those wireless messages, and to the fine seamanship of Mr. Vernon, the Chief Officer ; Mr. Moscrop-Young, the Third Officer; and all those others who helped them in those hours of trial, must be attributed the fact that so man ' people of the Empire Star were brought to safety,  when so many might have perished. Mr. W. A. Smith, one of the- passengers of the Empire Star wrote to the Blue Star Line :

"I cannot fully enjoy the feeling of safety without making comments on the behaviour of your officers and men at the recent disaster-Chief Officer Vernon and Second Officer Smith upheld the true traditions of the Merchant Navy. These officers worked with unflinching courage through- out. The boat was handled with skill in fearful weather. Both officers never tired in their fight for our lives. They always had words of encouragement for their passengers.-I would like also to make special mention of Mr. Donaldson A.B. This man worked like a Trojan throughout our ordeal. The excellent radio service on board certainly set the rescue machine in motion, but I feel certain that Messrs. Vernon and Smith were very largely responsible for our salvation. To these fine officers I say thank you, and may God grant them their reward in the trying days ahead of us." That fine tribute is borne out by another passenger, Mr. W. F. Blackhall, who wrote: " I should like to place on record that I consider I owe my life to the seamanship, courage and tact of Chief Officer Vernon, most ably backed up by Second Officer Smith. Seaman Donaldson was outstanding among the members of the crew of the lifeboat for the energy and zeal with which he obeyed all orders."