Thankyou so much, Michael.

As to E-48's involvement I have obtained a copy of E-48’s log book, from the 31 July 1917 up to 13th August, 1917.

On the 31st July, E-48 was on patrol in the Atlantic. She did a 5 minute trim dive at 6:00am, diving to 20 feet. At 10:45am she sighted a patrol trawler and dived to 80 feet. 3 depth charges were dropped (on her!!) at 10:58am, so she went down to 160 feet.

She spent the rest of the day skulking down at 60 feet, avoiding our own patrols.

When she resurfaced at 4:50am on the 1st August, she did a trim dive at 7.20am, and spent the rest of the day patrolling on the surface, on a line East West, topping up her air tanks.

2nd August was spent on the surface, charging batteries and heading east towards Killybegs, Donegal.

E-48 arrived in Killybegs at 6:30am on the 3rd August, securing alongside her depot ship, the Vulcan, at 6:45am. The hands were employed the rest of the day cleaning the boat.

4th August saw E-48 refueling before casting off from the ‘Permol’ (presumably the oiler). They then broke out the towing gear and assembled it before tying up again at 4:30pm to Vulcan. The ER hands were then employed working on the towing gear.

5th August was a Sunday. “Sunday Routine” it says in the log. The hands were “employed working and overhauling the towing gear.”

6th August saw E48 cast off from Vulcan at 8:00am to test the “slipping gear” astern of Vulcan. It seemed to be working ok because by 11:20 she was secured alongside Vulcan once again. There she remained until 9:00pm when she slipped and proceeded to sea. At 9:20pm she dived in tow of HMS Bergamot, diving to 45 feet. At 9:45pm she surfaced, but remained in tow. The ER hands were employed working on the “Crank Heads” and she topped up her air groups.

7th August saw her still under tow, although at 3:20am she dived briefly to 45 feet before resurfacing to repair the telephone. (These towing gears had a telephone cable interwoven with the tow rope so that the surface ship could communicate with the submarine. In 1915, trawlers had towed C class submarines behind them, to some success, looking, with a rope hanging over the stern, that they were fishing. What a U boat captain would think of a 1300 merchantman with a towrope hanging over the stern is anyone’s guess! But I wouldn't mind betting he would be very suspicious.)

E-48 remained submerged behind Bergamot until 4:20pm when the tow carried away and she surfaced. The log reports that lost overboard were “1 towing pendant, 1 towing shackle.” They then proceeded on patrol on the surface on course N85W for the rest of the night.

8th August saw E-48 conduct a brief trim dive to 20 feet, but otherwise continued on the same course of N85W until noon when she turned onto a SW course. She topped up air groups, and the ER hands spent their time “adjusting Cam shaft bearings.”

9th August saw E-48 still on patrol, and the ER hands fixing “packing glands”.

10th August saw E-48 still at sea. She appears to be steering a box of East, North west and South (a kind of triangle as best I can make out). The usual morning trim dive took place, and the batteries were charged.

11 August still at sea, still wandering about until the “ER hands working on Cam shaft and timing gear” (bet that problem had the engines coughing!) saw her steer an easterly course.

12th August, and that Easterly course took her back to Killybegs, where she arrived at 11:00am, securing alongside Vulcan at 11:10am. The hands cleaned the boat, whilst the ER hands struggled with the engine and those “cam shafts and timing gear.”

On the 13th August, when Bergamot was sunk at sea, the E-48 was refitting its bridge screen (which I believe was made of canvas), the ER hands were still “working on cam shaft and timing gear,” and “half crew proceeded on leave.”

So, as the Bergamot slipped beneath the waves, E-48 was tied up alongside Vulcan in Killybegs with her crew going off on leave.