Empire Star had a pair of six-cylinder two-stroke single-acting marine Diesel engines developing a total of 2,463 NHP and driving twin screws.

After France surrendered to Germany in June 1940 the Port of London became too dangerous, so instead the ship used Liverpool or sometimes Avonmouth or Newport, Wales.

[3] At 1107 hrs on 7 March 1940, Empire Star was arriving in Sydney Harbour when she collided almost head on with the Union Steam Ship Co's 2,830 GRT steamship Kairanga.

The latter's bow was torn open for 53 feet (16 m) on her port side, her forward topmast was lost and one of her crew was killed.

[3] In November 1941 Empire Star left Liverpool as a member of Convoy WS 12Z to Freetown, Sierra Leone.

On 8 December Japan had invaded Malaya, and on 19 January Empire Star left Bombay for Singapore as part of Convoy BM 11.

By 11 February[5] Empire Star had loaded RAF equipment and stores and had embarked what the Master, Selwyn Capon, estimated were more than 2,160 people.

[6] In the early hours of 12 February Empire Star and the Ocean Steam Ship Co cargo ship Gorgon left Singapore escorted by the Danae-class cruiser HMS Durban and anti-submarine vessel Kedah, which was a converted Singapore – Penang ferry.

As aircraft machine-gunned the ship two nurses, Margaret Anderson and Veronica ("Vera") Torney, threw themselves upon wounded soldiers to protect them from further injury.

The already-damaged lifeboat aboard Empire Star was destroyed, but the ship evaded many more bombs by what was recorded as "violent evasive action".

The pilot who had guided Empire Star out of Singapore, Captain George Wright, stayed aboard to be evacuated.

[5][10] Commendations were given to engineers JJ Johnson, J Middleton and JR Mitchell, stewards CE Ribbons and TS Hughes, cadets R Foulkner and R Perry, Able Seaman CP Barber and donkeyman HE Heaver.

[11] The London Gazette records:[8] 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.

She crossed the Tasman Sea to New Zealand's North Island, reaching New Plymouth on 27 March and Wellington on 2 April.

She headed east across the Pacific, traversed the Panama Canal on 26–28 August and reached Liverpool on 11 September.

She embarked 12 British, five South African and two Polish passengers and on 20 October left Liverpool independently and unescorted, bound for Cape Town and East London.

[1] On 23 October Empire Star was making 14 knots (26 km/h) in bad weather and had stopped zig-zagging in order to avoid damage to her deck cargo.

About 1500 hrs the Type VIIC German submarine U-615 started following her, and about 40 minutes later fired a spread of four torpedoes at her.

[12] About 25 minutes after the first explosion U-615 attempted a coup de grâce by firing a torpedo from one of her stern tubes.

Empire Star's bow rose from the sea and she sank by the stern, and about five minutes later a strong underwater explosion shook the lifeboats.

Black Swan then searched for 120 miles, and on the morning of 26 October located Moscop-Young's boat and rescued its 27 occupants.

Five of the passengers were South African: 63-year-old Julie Martiessen with her 27-year-old daughter Gisela, and 46-year-old Annie Philpott with her two boys Kenneth (12) and John (nine).

[17] Surviving passengers wrote to Blue Star Line commending the ship's officers and men.

[14] Roland Moscrop-Young was credited with "remarkable coolness, ability and seamanship" and Junior Engineer Hickman was thanked for "continuous and unending" help.