Author Topic: U-boat rammed by British tanker  (Read 3287 times)

Offline John915

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Re: U-boat rammed by British tanker
« Reply #18 on: Friday 23 February 18 13:19 GMT (UK) »
Good afternoon,

A list here of all u boats lost in WW1; https://www.uboat.net/wwi/fates/losses.html

John915
Stephens, Fuller, Tedham, Bennett, Ransome (Sussex)
Rider (Fulham)
Stephens (Somerset)
Kentfield (Essex)

Offline TreeSpirit

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Re: U-boat rammed by British tanker
« Reply #19 on: Friday 23 February 18 13:44 GMT (UK) »

Offline Chiad Fhear

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Re: U-boat rammed by British tanker
« Reply #20 on: Friday 23 February 18 14:15 GMT (UK) »
Could you tell us some more of the actual details ...
2 - Was your grandfather the captain of said ship or was he there in another role?

Hi Sylvia

Don't you just love it when everyone gets so involved in a topic  :)

I would assume he was the Captain of the vessel as he was awarded his Master's Ticket in 1901 (copy attached)

Chiad Fhear
Aye mair questions than answers in a world where the past was a different place - that cannae be revisited!

Family surnames being researched ...
Crawford, Neilson, Lindsay, Reekie, Davidson
Drummond, Laing, Pearson, Tulloch ... will do for starters but there's a whole lot more!

Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline TreeSpirit

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Re: U-boat rammed by British tanker
« Reply #21 on: Friday 23 February 18 14:30 GMT (UK) »
@Chiad

That's a wonderful document


Offline ADM

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Re: U-boat rammed by British tanker
« Reply #22 on: Friday 23 February 18 14:56 GMT (UK) »
I don't know how you do it @Chiad, I'm very impressed.

@Sylvia: yes, that's the wreck my colleague told me about. We're both divers so we're keen to explore this avenue in due course.


Offline Chiad Fhear

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Re: U-boat rammed by British tanker
« Reply #23 on: Saturday 24 February 18 09:48 GMT (UK) »
I don't know how you do it @Chiad ...
Hi Andrew

I love a challenge and it's mainly come from many years of digging around in the tree roots and with thanks to the RootsChatters here who have NEVER failed to come up with an answer or two - or more  ;)

Chiad Fhear
Aye mair questions than answers in a world where the past was a different place - that cannae be revisited!

Family surnames being researched ...
Crawford, Neilson, Lindsay, Reekie, Davidson
Drummond, Laing, Pearson, Tulloch ... will do for starters but there's a whole lot more!

Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Chiad Fhear

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Re: U-boat rammed by British tanker
« Reply #24 on: Saturday 24 February 18 09:58 GMT (UK) »
I could ask Michael Lowrey, The WW1 moderator at uboat.net to see if he has anything on this ramming ...

Hi Seaweed

Michael has responded to me with this ...

Sometimes obituaries contain exaggerations. Very few U-boats were rammed by merchant ships. Based upon the information in the thread you linked to, I suspect that Murray was awarded the DSO for his handling of the steamer Baynyassa (4,937 grt, built 1915 as Nyassa) on July 25, 1917 in a firefight with a U-boat in the Atlantic.

The incident can be further researched. The next step would probably be to get a hold of Murray’s statement about the exchange with a U-boat. This should be at The National Archives, Kew in file ADM 137/3997. With the specifics on where and when from ADM 137/3997, it should be possible to identify the U-boat involved.


Chiad Fhear
Aye mair questions than answers in a world where the past was a different place - that cannae be revisited!

Family surnames being researched ...
Crawford, Neilson, Lindsay, Reekie, Davidson
Drummond, Laing, Pearson, Tulloch ... will do for starters but there's a whole lot more!

Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Chiad Fhear

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Re: U-boat rammed by British tanker
« Reply #25 on: Saturday 24 February 18 10:17 GMT (UK) »
And there's more ...

George had a chequered naval career by all accounts. Having survived the sinking of his vessel S.S. "Tritonia" in December 1914, this followed:

George re-applied to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen in 14 February 1917 for replacement of his Masters Certificate "The Certificate having been lost or destroyed at Mediterranean, 9th January 1917, Vessel torpedoed and sunk by enemy submarine."  The Application records George's last command as the S.S. "Baynesk" of London sailing from Mauritius to Marseilles from 13 December 1916 until the vessel was sunk on 9 January 1917. It also lists the "Kastalia" and "Alconda".
The S.S. "Baynesk" of London was a British cargo ship torpedoed and sunk on 9 January 1917 in the Mediterranean Sea 130 nautical miles (240 km) north by west of Alexandria, Egypt, en-route from Mauritius to Marseilles, France, with the loss of seven crew.

Chiad Fhear
Aye mair questions than answers in a world where the past was a different place - that cannae be revisited!

Family surnames being researched ...
Crawford, Neilson, Lindsay, Reekie, Davidson
Drummond, Laing, Pearson, Tulloch ... will do for starters but there's a whole lot more!

Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline ADM

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Re: U-boat rammed by British tanker
« Reply #26 on: Saturday 24 February 18 11:51 GMT (UK) »
A very interesting document Chiad, well done for tracking down hard evidence that shows Captain Murray was no stranger to enemy action.

I suspect that by the time of the submarine action in July 1917 my Grandfather had rather had enough of falling victim to enemy submarines and on that day decided to take decisive action not just to protect his vessel and crew but to actively destroy an enemy. This would be in keeping with what I know of his personality and his response to threats against his person.

Newspaper articles seldom tell the full story and do contain inaccuracies and I think we all accept that. However, if the award of his DSO was for gunfire alone then he lied to his wife on his return, something that while possible I think most unlikely.

Records are important but knowledge of family history and anecdotes have a role to play here too.

To Kew....