Onboard is the ship's smallest complement of passengers, just forty people, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and their entourage of thirty six plus a photographer and two reporters. After a stop in St Johns, Newfoundland, the ship carried the Royal party on to Southampton.
A few months later the ship returned to Canada with its largest passenger list, filled beyond capacity, arriving five days after the start of WW2. It was then converted to a troop carrier and for nearly a year, carried military personnel all over the world.
On October 26th 1940, off the coast of Ireland, the ship was hit by bombs in an attack by a German Condor. The resulting fires caused the crew and passengers to abandon ship. While the hulk was being towed, it was torpedoed by U boat U32 on Oct 28 and the Empress of Britain sank.
The Stranraers, part of a fleet of 8 remaining of 40 built by Canadian Vickers, served on anti-submarine patrol with the Canadian air force till February of 1945, never having seen any actual combat.
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