Convoy OB 279 departed Liverpool on 28 January 1941 and dispersed at sea on 2 February 1941. Empire Citizen was carrying general cargo bound for Freetown, Sierra Leone and Rangoon, Burma. At 01:45 German time on 3 February, Empire Citizen was torpedoed by under the command of Günter Hessler at . She settled slowly on an even keel and was abandoned by her crew and passengers. Another torpedo was fired at 02:33 following which she quickly sank by the stern. A total of 66 crew and 12 passengers were lost. The corvette rescued five crew and landed them at Londonderry Port (Derry). Those lost on Empire Citizen are commemorated at the Tower Hill Memorial, London.
