WWI forum
World War One discussions.
Re: UC 22 and HMS Louvain
Posted by:
albert cachia
()
Date: April 23, 2012 01:57PM
Hello;MY GRANDFATHER WAS A LEADING STOKER,HE LOST HIS LIFE WITH THE REST ONLY FEW DID SURVIVE MY MUM WAS BORN 6 MONTHS LATER. I USED TO WORK ON SHIPS TO IN MY YOUNGER DAYS ,IT LOOKS LIKE THE HMS LOUVAIN WAS LOADED WITH AMMUNITION A NEW SHAFT FOR A SUB, MAIL AND PARCELS, SUNK ,DUE TO NEGLECT ,AS THE COMMANDER DID NOT ZIG-ZAG ON HIS WAY TO MUDROS,THE COMMANDER OF THE GERMAN U22-SUB CARL BUNTE ONLY TOOK ONE MINUTE TO LAY 10 MINES AND FROM A DISTANCE OF 6OO METERS A ONE SHOT HIT POSITION 37.38N 24.10E 35 SECONDS LATER THAT IS WHAT TOOK THE U22 DIVE TIME AND MOST PROBABLY STAYED SUBMERGED FOR ONE HOUR WHICH IS ITS MAXIMUM TIME,FROM EYEWITNESS VISIBILITY WAS EXCELLENT MINIMAL WINDS FLAT SEA AT MIDNIGHT,1ST TORPEDOED STRUCK THE SHIP HOLD 2ND THEY HEARD THE ENGINE ROOM BULKHEAD BURST BY EXPLOSION AND THE BOILER BLEW UP,IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES THE SHIP WAS LISTING,AND THERE WAS PANIC, WHAT GETS ME IS WHY IT TOOK LONGER THAN TWO HOURS TO PICK UP SURVIVORS,LOOKS LIKE THE DESTROYER THAT RESCUED THE SURVIVORS WAS CHASING THE U22 1ST ,CARL BUNTE HAD 2 MORE HITS THAT MONTH THE GREEK SMALL CRAFT AGHIOS DIMITRIOS ON THE 25TH JAN 1918, AND THE ITALIAN SHIP ROMANIA ON THE 16TH APRIL 1918 POS;40.24N 19.14E SO THE U22 WAS HEADING TO ALBANIA, WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A COPY OF THE COURT MARSHALL,WHICH WAS HELD AFTER ,