Empire Drum was a 7,244 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1941 by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT).

[9] Defects rectified, she joined Convoy EN 61, which departed on 20 March and arrived at Oban two days later.

Empire Drum then sailed to Liverpool, Lancashire to join Convoy ON 79,[7] which departed on 23 March and arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on 7 April.

She departed from New York on 23 April bound for Alexandria, Egypt via Cape Town, South Africa.

At 23:48 (German time) on 24 April, U-136, under the command of Heinrich Zimmerman, fired two torpedoes at Empire Drum, which was then 280 nautical miles (520 km) south east of New York (37°00′N 69°15′W / 37.000°N 69.250°W / 37.000; -69.250).

All 35 crew and six DEMS gunners abandoned ship and took to the four lifeboats due to the nature of her cargo.

Empire Drum quickly sank but the explosion wrecked one lifeboat, throwing its four occupants into the sea.

The survivors on board second lifeboat, containing the chief officer and 13 crew were rescued by USS Roper on 29 April, having been spotted at 37°47′N 71°28′W / 37.783°N 71.467°W / 37.783; -71.467 by an aircraft.