Re: UC 22 and HMS Louvain
Posted by: Michael Lowrey ()
Date: June 25, 2005 02:51AM

Steve,

I do have UC 22's KTB. Here's what happened from the German side: At 7:40pm German time on January 20, 1918, UC 22 spotted a steamer with an escorting destroyer. UC 22's commanding officer, Oblt.z.S Carl Bünte, decided to maneuver to lay a minefield across the formation's path and then process with a bow torpedo attack. The first mine is laid at 8:00pm, the last at 8:10pm.

UC 22 immediately thereafter begins her torpedo attack and soon fires a single torpedo at 600 meter range. The torpedo hits the steamer (Louvain); UC 22 is rather near the escort and is soon being depth charged. UC 22 finally surfaces about an hour after the attack and sees the destroyer at the attack site but the steamer is gone. The minefield prevents the U-boat from getting back to the attack site.

Conditions were sea state 2 with clear skys and very good visability. Given the conditions and the presence of an escorting vessel, I would presume Louvain must have gone down very quickly for there to be such a heavy loss of life. (Bendert lists 224 dead).

The location would be the Keos passage. I didn't write down the estimated location of the sinking; the minefield location was 37°37.8'N, 24°10.4'E to 37°38.5'N, 24°10.5'E.

Louvain was a 1830 grt steamer built in 1897. She was listed as an armed boarding steamer.

I don't know if Lt Purcell-Gilpin won the DSC for this.

I do have a scan of the page from the KTB if it would be of help.

Best wishes,

Michael



Subject Written By Posted
UC 22 and HMS Louvain SteveB 06/24/2005 11:16PM
Re: UC 22 and HMS Louvain Michael Lowrey 06/25/2005 02:51AM
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