Hi Oliver, I spoke to an elderly gentleman who acts as a voluntary guide to the Garrison Library in Gibraltar. He advised me that from what he had heard the ship that was fired on and sunk was actually one being used for target practice! Charles
Forum: WWI forum

Hello Oliver, Yes, I agree that we will never know what really happened but it is more than likely that a friendly submarine was actually fired upon; probably French as I think that the battery commander would have been severely reprimanded if it had been a British sub! I had considered whether a German U-boat was after a "spectacular" by attacking an important British naval base,
Forum: WWI forum

Hello Oliver, Yes, that was my first thought after I started going through the records and it became clear that no U-Boats were sunk or operational (I am an absolute beginner, so please excuse any mistakes!). I checked British naval records and there are no sinkings of a British sub in that area. Also there are no details of a French sub being sunk. I have no doubt that shots were fired
Forum: WWI forum

Sorry, it should have been "off" Gibraltar!
Forum: WWI forum

Hi, I live in Gibraltar and whilst on a walk, I came across the Devils Gap Battery, which still has the original 6 inch guns in position. The wikipedia entry intrigued me by stating that one of the guns fired and sunk a German submarine close to Algeciras in August 1917, though no mention was made as to which U-Boat it was (this information is in my historic walking guide as well).
Forum: WWI forum