Is it possible to be able to identify the U-boat that attacked my great
grandfather's ship, the schooner, Mary Ann Mandall on 3rd March 1918. I see from other posters this appears to be possible.

The action of the Mary Ann Mandall and the Mary Sinclair against the German U-boat off Littlehampton is mentioned in the book "The Merchant Schooners" by Basil Greenhill. The schooners were armed, but were not Q-ships. They were attacked while at anchor.

A plaque at the Littlehampton Look and Sea centre continues:

The Mary Ann Mandall 'which had bravely counter-attacked a u-boat three miles off the coast of Littlehampton. The Mary Ann and her sister ship the Mary Sinclair where approaching the harbour when the lone wolf surfaced nearby and started firing at them. "The u-boat surfaced because it wasn't worth using a torpedo on schooners so they surfaced to shoot at them and they shot back. The Admiralty had mounted a six-pound gun by the hatch of the Mary Ann and they did hit the u-boat with it but they didn't put it out of business As the battle raged the brave crews dodged the u-boat's heavy machine-guns and fought for their lives to protect their battered vessels. The u-boat scored a direct hit on the Mary Ann Mandall's foremast which crashed to the deck just missing the crew. As the German captain lined up for the kill a sharp-eyed look out on a Royal Navy cruiser spotted the scrap and raced to the scene. The battle lasted for an hour and a half and the Mary Ann Mandall lost its foremast which was shot off at the cross tree. When the cruiser came across the horizon at full speed the u-boat left as quick as it could.

As a result of the action my Great Grandfather received the Lloyds Medal for Bravery.

Thanks in advance

Adrian Prince