WWI forum
World War One discussions.
Identity of U-boat and Q-ship sought.
Posted by:
Ron Morris
()
Date: September 08, 2012 09:13PM
I have been reading "U-Boat stories" edited by Claus Bergen and Karl Neureuther and was particularly interested in a short account (chapter 18) titled "A U-boat Decoy" by Wireless Operator Haidt.
Haidt describes an incident somewhere off the Orkney and Shetland isles where at 7 am on 30th April 1918, U 54 fired a torpedo into a steamer and then surfaced to finish it off with her deck gun, but it turned out their victim was a Q-ship which subjected U 54 to a barrage from its guns and also fired a torpedo at the U-boat's hull, but the torpedo failed to detonate. U 54 succeeded in diving and survived being depth charged, eventually escaping and heading south.
The following day (1st May) U 54 was off St Kilda when Haidt heard picked up a message on the radio from another U-boat that it had just sunk the Q-ship in question by putting two torpedoes into her, sending it to the bottom with all hands on board.
I have made searches to try and establish the identities of the Q-ship and the other U-boat to no avail. Also I would like to know Wireless Operator Haidt's full name. Can anyone please help?
Haidt describes an incident somewhere off the Orkney and Shetland isles where at 7 am on 30th April 1918, U 54 fired a torpedo into a steamer and then surfaced to finish it off with her deck gun, but it turned out their victim was a Q-ship which subjected U 54 to a barrage from its guns and also fired a torpedo at the U-boat's hull, but the torpedo failed to detonate. U 54 succeeded in diving and survived being depth charged, eventually escaping and heading south.
The following day (1st May) U 54 was off St Kilda when Haidt heard picked up a message on the radio from another U-boat that it had just sunk the Q-ship in question by putting two torpedoes into her, sending it to the bottom with all hands on board.
I have made searches to try and establish the identities of the Q-ship and the other U-boat to no avail. Also I would like to know Wireless Operator Haidt's full name. Can anyone please help?