Simon, Don't know, but I can find out. Will ask my trawler contacts. Best wishes, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

Dan Stern was kind enough to look up some ships in Lloyd's Register for me, including Francoli. I have updated her file, she was indeed built in 1865: Best wishes, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

Joe, No one is saying that anyone other than te commander who laid the mines should get credit. Rather, what's happening here are database issues. There are four separate issues actually: The uboat.net ships hit database is based upon Yves and my personal databases, circa 2003. We didn't at the time -- and I still don't -- have a field for the commander responsible for sinkin
Forum: WWI forum

Simon, I suspected U73 was responsible and asked Oliver about it. He had already looked at the location of the sinking in British files -- it's 37°11‘N, 13°39‘E, which is an exact match for one of U 73's August 10, 1918 minefields -- and had attributed it to U 73. I've added the location in our file on ALMERIAN -- I should have done that when updating previously. I
Forum: WWI forum

Ed, Dunelm is not considered to be a war loss. In fact, I don't even see a vague possibility that a U-bat sank her -- I have microfilmed copies of most U-boat war diaries (KTBs) and late October 1915 was during a lull in U-boat activity outside of teh North Sea and Mediterranean. With one exception (U 38, en route to the Med -- and even w/o checking her KTB, based upon the date and locati
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Joe, Yes, the time of attack is given (6:30 pm). Description of the steamer is vague (4,000 to 6,000 tons, which is high, but that's not a disqualifier). Torpedo attack from 500 meter, hit observed aft. Ship observed to sink after four minutes. An observed sinking is extremely significant. The location is consustant with ABERDON's course, there are no other ships listed as damaged or
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SMS Kolberg, by mine laid on Dec, 15, 1914. Best wishes, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

Joe, U 12's KTB file on microfilm contains a lengthy statement from a survivor who most certainly knew where the boat was -- her Steuremann. And I wasn't alone in coming to that conclusion. Rather obvious actually if you have the KTB tole. Best wishes, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

Except, of course, that TANGISTAN was sunk off Flamborough Head, not off the Scottish coast, where U 12 was operating. The ship U 12 sank was in fact ABERDON. See Best wishes, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

Daniel, Where a ship is changes rather quickly. And identifying a ship is very difficult -- U-boat commanders tended to overestimate the size of the ships they attacked, and misattributions of the type you describe happened with some frequency. Best wishes, Michael
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Simon, Narragansett was a tanker: See Etonian: Leyland line, see City of Exeter: Built 1914, Ellerman Lines. If "Cunard steamer" could be in a general sense a vessel that carries passengers, than either Etonian or City of Exeter could be the answer. I took a fast look at my database of patrols, and U 20 seems to be the only U-boat in the area. I don't have U 20's
Forum: WWI forum

Simon, BVLAS lists a failed torpedo attack (torpedo missed) against the steamer NARRAGANSETT (9163 grt) on May 7, 1915 south of Ireland. In addition, the steamers ETONIAN (6438 grt) and CITY OF EXETER (9300) were chased by submarine on that date off Queenstown. Best wishes, Michael
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Same deal, need the owner for the database, got everything else. Built 1892 in Bath, Maine. And, yes, I'm working through American sailing vessels at the moment. MPL
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Need the owner of this vessel when she was sunk in 1917. She was built in 1886 in Bath, Maine (I have the builder's name) -- and sailing out of New Haven, CT when sunk. Thanks in advance, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

Thanks! Any idea where ALBERTINE BEATRICE was registered? I think the requisition of EDUARD means that this was a German-flagged vessel that was seized in 1914, which the Admiralty having Fisher, Alimonda & Co. Ltd. then manage the vessel. Her owner at completion was Seetzen Gebr, Hamburg (per Miramar). Best wishes, Michael
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Michael, No, the location is not a match. UC 29's minefield ran from 56°34.4'N, 2°21'W to 56°341'N, 2°13.5'W. Tod Head is at 56°53'N 2°13'W. MPL
Forum: WWI forum

OK, first question: does anyone have the owners of these two sailing vessels when they were sunk: EDUARD, British, 476 grt, built 1898, sunk by UC 70 on April 16, 1917 ALBERTINE BEATRICE, Dutch, 1395 grt, built 1885 as THETIS, sunk by U 82 on June 15, 1917 Thanks in advance, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

OK, thought I'd give everybody an update as to where we are: Have gotten through updating all steamers sunk of 300 grt+ built built from 1874 plus virtually all purpose-built warships. In addition, I'm also completed the matching game for most (but not all) ships damaged or taken in as a prize. Also have updated in a variety of other ships as well. To put it in perspective, about 4,9
Forum: WWI forum

From the date and location, I strongly suspect the U-boat would have to have been U 39. Best wishes, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

We're slowly updating the files on ships sunk, damaged, or taken in as a prize. I've worked through lists of steamer of 300+ grt built from 1874 on and FRANCOLI isn't in any of them. So it would seem that the FRANCOLI was a very old vessel indeed, especially for a steamer. Miramar lists a ship for Spanish owners named FRANCOLI as being built in 1865, which would be a possibility.
Forum: WWI forum

Simon, UB 37 is correct for both Lynx and Diligence. UB 37's KTB mentions six fishing vessels, and gives fishing port registrations for five of them (the one not given is Catena). Best wishes, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

Michael -- nice find. Michael and Simon -- This is obviously a weird one, as it isn't in Spindler or British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-18. My first thought is that this might be some sort of error in LWL, but Michael's find seems to eliminate that possibility. The series of events described does tie things up nicely, with Diligence being a CTL but not sunk outright. That's a d
Forum: WWI forum

Joe, Yeah, there are probably 50 to 80 small fishing vessel and small sailing vessels that needs to go into the database. Included in that are a number of "unidenified sailing vessels" -- including multiple vessels on the same day by the same U-boat in some cases. Fun stuff indeed. All these will probably get included in bulk in a month or two. As for a location for U 53's si
Forum: WWI forum

Correct on both accounts, especially the "S" and "F" in certain type faces. BTW, this is the sort of problems that I'm slowly weeding out of the database. Am now through steamers of 300+ grt built from 1874 - 1918. Am currently working on damaged steamers and everything else Norwegian. Best wishes, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

George, Correct, U 90 under Remy on May 15, 1918. The primary source document would be U 90's KTB (Kriegstagebuch = war diary). I actually have a microfilmed copy of it obtained from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and plan to look through a different section this weekend anyways. Can certainly get you a scan of the relivent portions. Best wishes, Michael
Forum: General Discussions

Michael, The January 1918 U 84/U 93/UC 50 situation is an absolute mess. That said, we're pretty sure U 93 was elsewhere on January 15 (like off Brest) and that SPITAL was not sunk by U 93, but rather through an internal expplosion. Best wishes, Michael
Forum: WWI forum

Oliver, I agree that CORTON is the most difficult of the cases and that UB 35 is a possibility. The situation is actually even more confusing -- BVLAS lists CORTON as being torpedoed on the 22nd, not the 23rd as in Lloyd's War Losses. U 90 describes an attack on a convoy bound for Southampton, which would be consistant with CORTON's actual destination. Looks like we need the file
Forum: WWI forum

Joe, I was aware of that "typo" -- I had left it there as a reminder to myself that I needed to take another look at U 90 and UB 31's activities. Basically, Spindler made a complete mess of it. As Simon says, U 90 should get credit for VICTOR DE CHAVARRI. UB 31, in turn, is the boat that damaged ADMIRAL COCHRANE. Spindler also got the date wrong on when U 90 torpedoed CORT
Forum: WWI forum

And we should now have Gansser on all appropriate sinkings. MPL
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Daniel, It's a transcription error. I have some sources for crew casualties. The mane's name was Ing. Langfeldt, with Ing. being an abbreviated listing for his first name. He was a Heuzer. I'm bad on RN ranks, but I do believe a O.Matrose would be the equivalent of an AB. Best wishes, Michael
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