When Italy entered the Second World War in 1940, Gabbiano was in a British port, so the Royal Navy seized her.

The UK Ministry of Shipping renamed her Empire Energy, and appointed a British tramp company to manage her.

[1][2] In July 1923, Wohlenberg took delivery of an ocean-going cargo ship, Grete, from AG "Neptun" in Rostock.

[16] The UK Ministry of Shipping (MoS) took possession of her; renamed her Empire Energy; and registered her in London.

[8] On 31 July 1940, Empire Energy left Liverpool with Convoy OB 192, which dispersed at sea on 4 August.

[17] She called at Durban, South Africa from 8 to 16 September, and reached Bombay (now Mumbai), India, on 6 October.

SL 64S immediately dispersed, but Hipper closed to attack, and with artillery fire and 12 torpedoes she sank seven ships.

They were the British ships Derrynane, Oswestry Grange, Shrewsbury, Warlaby, and Westbury; Norwegian Borgestad; and Greek Perseus.

[19] On 8 March 1941, Empire Energy crossed the Bristol Channel from Avonmouth to Newport in South Wales.

[18] On 1 August she resumed her voyage, and then at sea she joined Convoy HX 140, which had left Halifax on 22 July.

[24] FS 566 was bound for Southend, but Empire Energy detached, and on 13 August arrived in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire.

[26] EC 72 was bound for the Firth of Clyde, but on 15 September Empire Energy detached at Loch Ewe.

On 5 November the convoy got back to Sydney,[27] except for Empire Energy, which on that day ran aground at Big Brook, near the northernmost point of Newfoundland, at position 51°31′45.50″N 56°07′21.15″W / 51.5293056°N 56.1225417°W / 51.5293056; -56.1225417.