My great grandfather, Joseph Cook Tait, was the Engineer Lieutenant on RFA Industry which was attacked (sunk?) on 18 Oct 1918. Inquiries at various sites have produced anomalous results. The Royal Naval Museum came up with the following:

"RFA Industry was a storeship ex Glasgow 1,460 tons built by Beardmore Shipyard 7.6.1901. She was renamed Industry in 1900 and hired by the Admiralty in 1914 and RFA manned until 1919. She was sold in 11.11.1924

Source:Colledge/Warlow "Ships of the British Navy"

RFA Industry's role during WWI was as a Q ship, merchant ships which were armed but disguised to fool enemy subs and lure them into surface attacks in order to sink them. There are accounts of the sailors disguising themselves as women to further their role.

The Industry sometimes used the name Tay and Tyne and was torpedoed 19.10.1918 in the Atlantic and although there were casualties she managed to reach harbour. It is likely that this is the action where Joseph Cook Tait sadly lost his life."

This information (apart from the date - Portsmouth Memorial has 18 Oct) is at odds with the Historical RFA website which cites the following fate for RFA Industry:

"18 October 1918 torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UB92 in the Irish Sea near the Strangford Light Buoy while under escort of the armed trawler HMS PERSIAN EMPIRE - Engineer Lieutenant Joseph Cook Tait RNR. Able Seaman William Robert Mason MMR 857858. Firemen Benjamin Ambridge MMR 912971. Ordinary Seaman Arthur Barlow MMR 882966. Fireman Victor Charles Berridge MMR 881783. Ordinary Seaman John James Carney MMR 836789. Leading Fireman Thomas H Foreman MMR. Ordinary Seaman John Robert Garrick MMR 955637. Stoker Charles Goddard MMR 801031. Able Seaman Percy Green MMR. Stoker John Alfred Jones MMR 862937. Able Seaman Reginald John Mole MMR. Able Seaman Frederick Westhorpe Mole MMR. Fireman Alfred John Mole MMR. Quartermaster Henry Pullen MMR and Able Seaman Harold Frederick Stoker MMR discharged dead. They are remembered with pride on the Plymouth and Portsmouth Naval Memorials - just four of the crew survived."

Research on this site suggests that you have access to KTMs for UB 94 which, I am led to believe, was involved in the action and possibly for UB 92.

I have personal correspondence sent by Lt Cook to his son from Belfast on 17th Oct 1918 which seems to dispute suggestions that Industry was en route to Belfast when she was attacked. I can find no reports of the action, the Navy deny all knowledge (Industry is not listed as sunk on the Navy lists) and the Royal Naval Museum's suggestion that Industry was a Q ship and sold in 1924 cannot be substantiated.

Can anyone on this site throw further light on the mystery.