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NOTES
General
(1) Sources
in brackets
after each entry start with + for HMSO, followed by main sources in
approximate publication date order e.g J for Jane's, C for Conway's etc. All
other sources, which are in lower case, follow in alphabetical order.
(2) It is
realised that some publications will have used the same primary sources
for their information, but there are enough variations to warrant noting
those that agree and disagree. This might help to highlight data about which
there are doubts.
(3) Within a
given area e.g. North Sea, ships attacked are generally listed in
order North to South, and West to East; the exception is the English Channel
which goes East to West, or down-Channel.
(4) Ships in BOLD capitals are those sunk or otherwise
lost; in lower case bold, attacked and/or damaged. Variations in the
published information are in brackets starting with an abbreviation for the
source e.g.
(wi - in
53.50N, 00.50E).
(5) Loss,
attack
and damage dates are normally those given in the original HSMO
publication. Corrections, often the result of later and more accurate
research, are included in the entry in bold.
(6) Time of
attack
and time of
sinking appear to be used interchangeably in most sources. Unless the
vessel exploded or sank almost instantly (for example, an ammunition or iron
ore ship), there would be a delay of from minutes to hours or even days
between damage inflicted and ship disappearing beneath the water or being
beached. Where possible, these differences are identified.
(7) Times
of sinking
may be British or German depending on the source - there is usually a 1 hour
difference
(8) All
identified loss positions are quoted, whether bearings or latitude
and longitude. Variations may be due to a number of reasons including
incorrect transcription. No attempt has been made to reconcile the
differences.
(9) Where two
U-boat attack positions are quoted, mainly by U-boat.net, both are
quoted without comment.
Warships
(10)
Warship
information is
generally in the order - type, class, displacement tonnage, launch
year, armament, speed, crew, captain if known, unit, operation if known. How
sunk or damaged, lives lost (in brackets: source abbreviations starting with
+ for original HMSO)
(11) Auxiliary and
hired vessel
information is
in the order - gross tonnage/build year, owner, registration port or
place of ownership/ management, crew if known, master or skipper, voyage and
cargo, conditions if known. How sunk or damaged, lives lost (source
abbreviations starting with + for original HMSO)
Merchant
Vessels
(12) Merchant ship and
fishing vessel information is generally in the order - gross tonnage/build year, owner,
registration port or place of ownership/management, crew if known, master or
skipper, voyage and cargo, conditions if known. How sunk or damaged, lives
lost (source abbreviations starting with + for original HMSO)
(13) Three
items of information, the first two from the original HMSO lists,
have been excluded to save space. (i) All merchant
ships and fishing vessels torpedoed, were ATTACKED WITHOUT WARNING; (ii) if
no casualties are shown, NO LIVES WERE LOST; (iii) all sinkings and attacks
were by GERMAN SUBMARINES or U-boats unless otherwise stated.
(14) All
merchant ships are steamships, unless otherwise identified, and
mainly cargo ships - "cargo steamship" is sometimes added as a reminder.
Where known, liners, passenger & cargo ships, and colliers are identified,
plus tankers, tugs, dredgers etc. Those carrying coal may be colliers but
this is not assumed.
(15) Merchant
ships have their gross registered tonnage (grt) first and then year
of build. Even small differences in grt are usually noted. Searching the
internet for ships whose names are in common use e.g. SS New York City, can
be helped by adding the correct grt in the search box.
(16) Some
colliers sunk and damaged may have been Admiralty-chartered, but unless
specifically listed as such, are included with the merchant ships.
(17)
Merchant vessel ownership
is often a total puzzle, and little attempt has been made to sort them out.
Instead, variations are usually noted without comment, and even these may be
wrong or misleading or just out-of-date due to change of ownership. The
companies named may include holding companies, subsidiaries, charterers,
managers, etc., and the place names can be ports of registration or
locations of offices.
| | | | ABBREVIATIONS USED IN TEXT | | |
+ | listed in original British Vessels Lost at Sea, 1914-18 |
* | bar to gallantry award | A/No. | Admiralty Number | A/P | Auxiliary Patrol or auxiliary patrol vessel | AA | anti-aircraft gun | AB | Able Seaman | ABS | armed boarding steamer | Adm | Admiral (flew flag at sea) | Adty | Admiralty | aka | also known as (e.g. Q-ship aliases) | AM | Albert Medal | AMC | armed merchant cruiser | ANZAC | Australian and New Zealand Army Corps | B. | German destroyer built by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg | BC | British Columbia, Canada | BCF | Battle Cruiser Force | BCS | Battle Cruiser Squadron | BEF | British Expeditionary Force | Bros | Brothers | BS | Battle Squadron | c | circa or approximate | Capt | Captain | CB | Order of the Commander of the Bath | Cdr | Commander | Cdre | Commodore (flew broad pendant at sea) | C-in-C | commander-in-chief | CMB | coastal motor boat | CO | commanding officer | Co | company or County, mainly in Ireland | CPO | Chief Petty Officer | CS | Cruiser Squadron (heavy or large) | CTL | constructive total loss | CV | Cape Verde Islands | DBS | distressed British seamen | DCB | distance controlled boat | DF | Destroyer Flotilla | Div | Division of destroyers, part of a DF | DOW | died of wounds | DSC | Distinguished Service Cross | DSM | Distinguished Service Medal | DSO | Distinguished Service Order | ft | feet | G. | German destroyer built by Germaniawerft, Kiel | GC | George Cross | grt | gross registered tons, usually auxiliaries, merchant ships, fishing vessels | H. | German destroyer built by Howaldtswerke, Kiel | HA | high angle | HF | Half Flotilla = 1/2 German TBF | HM S/M | HM Submarine | HMS | His Majesty’s Ship | HMSO | His Majesty's Stationery Office, usually referring to British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-18 | MT | HM Trawler | HQ | headquarters | HX | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada | i/c | in command | in | inches, gun calibre | IoM | Isle of Man | IoW | Isle of Wight | Is | island | Ja | Jamaica | kts | knots | LCS | Light Cruiser Squadron | LH | lighthouse | LS | Leading Seaman | Lt | Lieutenant or light | Lt-Cdr | Lieutenant-Commander | LV | light vessel or ship | m | miles | M/S | minesweeper | mag | magnetic | Mass | Massachusetts, USA | MB | motor boat | Me | Maine, USA | mg | machine gun(s) | MID | Mentioned in Dispatches | Mid | Midshipman | min | minutes | Mk | mark | ML | motor launch | mm | millimeters | MMR | Merchant Marine Reserve | MN | Merchant Navy | Mon | Monmouthshire, now Gwent, S Wales | Mr | Master or mister, merchant ship captain | MS | merchant seamen | MTB | motor torpedo boat | NB | New Brunswick, Canada | NF | Newfoundland | No. | Number | Nos | Numbers | NS | Nova Scotia, Canada | NSW | New South Wales, Australia | NZ | New Zealand | Ore | Oregon, USA | P/No. | Pendant Number | pdr | pounder, shell weight | PO | Petty Officer | POW | prisoner(s) of war | Pt | Point | PT | prize trawler | QARNNS | | QF | quick firing | Q-ship | submarine decoy ship, possibly Q for Queenstown, Ireland | RAF | Royal Air Force | RAMC | Royal Army Medical Corps | RAN | Royal Australian Navy | RD | Reserve Decoration | Reg | port of registration; for fishing vessels followed, if known, by port abbreviation and | RFA | Royal Fleet Auxiliary | RFC | Royal Flying Corps (Army) | RFR | Royal Fleet Reserve | RIM | Royal Indian Marine | RM | Royal Marine(s) | RMA | Royal Marine Artillery | RMLI | Royal Marine Light Infantry | RN | Royal Navy | RNAS | Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Naval Air Station | RNLI | Royal National Lifeboat Institution | RNR | Royal Naval Reserve | RNVR | Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve | Rtd | retired | S. | German destroyer built by F Schichau, Elbing | sec | seconds | SG | Scouting Group (German BCS) | SP | Steam Packet (company) | Sqn | Squadron | SS | steamship or Steam Ship (company) or Steam Shipping (company) | St | Saint, ship’s names may sometimes use both Saint and the abbreviation | Sub-Lt | Sub-Lieutenant | t | tons displacement, usually warships, or weight of cargo | TB | torpedo boat | TBF | Torpedo Boat Flotilla (German DF) | tt | torpedo tube(s) | U. | German submarine or U-boat | UB. | small German coastal submarine | UC. | German coastal minelaying submarine | V. | German destroyer built by A G Vulcan, Stettin | Va | Virginia, USA | VC | Victoria Cross | W/T | wireless telegraphy | yds | yards | ZHF | Zeebrugge Half Flotilla | | |
| | | | INFORMATION SOURCE ABBREVIATIONS | | | Primary Sources (in order used) | | | H or
+ | British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-18, HMSO, August 1919 | J | Jane's Fighting Ships of World War 1, Studio edition, 1990 | J | Jane's Fighting Ships, Sampson Low Marston, 1914 | L | Lloyds War Losses, the First World War: Casualties to Shipping through Enemy Causes 1914-1918, Lloyds Official List, c 1919 | Lr | Lloyds Register of Shipping, various - 1912/13 to 1916/17 | Mn | History of the Great War, The Merchant Navy, 3 volumes by Archibald Hurd, John Murray 1921-29 | Rn | History of the Great War: Naval Operations, 5 vols with 4 vols of maps by Julian S Corbett & Henry Newbolt, Longmans, Green, 1920-31 | C | Ships of the Royal Navy, Volumes 1 & 2 by J J Colledge, 1989 | C | Ships of the Royal Navy: A supplement to the historical index by J J Colledge, 1986 | Cn | Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905, Conway Maritime Press 1979 | Cn | Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921, Conway Maritime Press 1985 | Cn | Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946, Conway Maritime Press 1980 | D | British Warships 1914-1919 by F J Dittmar & J J Colledge, Ian Allan, 1972 | He | British Warship Losses in the Ironclad Era 1860-1919 by David Hepper, Chatham Publishing 2006 (sources also quoted as ADM - Admiralty record number) | un | Uboat.net is now included as a primary source for U-boat attacks | | | Secondary Sources (in alphabetical order) | | | ad | Mr Aled Williams of Cardiff (email correspondent) | al | Anglesey & Lleyn Shipwrecks by Ian Skidmore, Christopher Davies 1992 | an | The Army's Navy: British Military Vessels and their History since Henry VIII by David Habesch, Chatham Publishing 2001 | ap | The Auxiliary Patrol by E Keble Chatterton, Sidgwick & Jackson 1923 | as | The Great War at Sea 1914-1918 by A A Hoehling, Corgi 1965 | aw | Allenby's War: The Palestine-Arabian Campaigns Blandford Press, 19881916-1918 by David L Bullock, | ba | British Airships, Past, Present and Future by George Whale, c 1920's, internet site | bb | Battlebags, British Airships of The First World War by Ces Mowthorne, Alan Sutton Publishing, 1995 | bg | Business in Great Waters, The U-boat Wars 1916-1945 by John Terraine, Leo Cooper 1989 | bh | Battles and Honours of the Royal Navy by David A Thomas, Leo Cooper 1998 | bi | The Big Blockade by E Keble Chatterton, Hurst & Blackett, post-WW1 | bm | Brixham Built, Owned or Registered Fishing Vessels lost to U-Boats in WW1, for Gordon Smith by Mike Miller, 2003compiled | bo | Boston Deep Sea Fisheries: The Story of One of Britain's Major Fishing Companies by Mark Stopper and Ray Maltby, 1995 | bp | The British Tankers (BP Tanker fleets) by Norman L Middlemass, Shield Publications 1989 | br | British Standard Ships of World War 1 by W H Mitchell and L A Sawyer, Sea Breezes 1968 | bs | British Submarines in the Great War by Edwyn Gray, Leo Cooper, 2001 | bt | Before the Aircraft Carrier, The Development of Aviation Vessels 1849-1922 by R D Layman, Conway Maritime Press 1989 | bw | Beneath the Waves, A History of HM Submarine Losses 1904-1971 by A.S. Evans, William Kimber 1986 | ch | Chronology of the Great War, originally published 1918-1920, Greenhill Books edition 1988 | co | A Companion to the Royal Navy by David A Thomas, Harrap 1988 | cs | Coastal & Short Sea Liners by C V Waine, Wayne Research Publications 1999 | cu | Cunningham by John Winton, John Murray 1998 | cw | Aircraft Carriers of the World, 1914 to Present by Roger Chesneau, Brockhampton Press 1998 | da | Dardanelles: A Midshipman's Diary 1915-19 by H M Denham, John Murray 1981 | dc | Handbook of Depth Charges and Equipment - General and Operational Notes, Royal Navy 1943 | dd | Endless Story, Being an Account of the Work of the Destroyers, Flotilla Leaders, Torpedo Boats and Patrol Boats in the Great War by Taffrail (Capt Taprell Dorling RN), Hodder & Stoughton 1931 | dk | Mr Don Kindell of Ohio, USA, Royal Navy casualty data | dn | Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, internet site | do | A Dangerous Occupation, A Story of Paddle Minesweepers in the First World War by Chris Collard, Wheelhouse Books 1999 | dp | The Dover Patrol, 1915-1917 in 2 vols by Adm Sir Reginald Bacon, Hutchinson 1919 | dq | The Dover Patrol 1914-1918 by Roy Humphries, Sutton Publishing 1998 | dx | Royal Navy Day by Day, edited by Lt Cdr R E A Shrubb RN and Capt A B Sainsbury RNR, 1st edition 1979; also by Capt A B Sainsbury and Lt-Cdr F L Phillips, 3rd edition 2005 | ec | The Eclipse of the Big Gun: The Warship 1906-45, Conway's History of the Ship, 1992 | ed | Elder Dempster Lines by Duncan Haws, Merchant Fleets, 1990 | ev | Evolution of Engineering in the Royal Navy, Volume 1: 1827-1939 by Commander P M Rippon RN, Spellmount Ltd, 1988 | fd | Fleetwood's Fishing Industry: The Story of Deep-Sea Fishing from Fleetwood, 1840- 1990 by Peter Horsley and Alan Hirst, 1991 | fh | Furness-Houlder Lines by Norman L Middlemiss, Shield Publications 1991 | ft | Fleetwood Trawler Losses by The Bosun's Watch 2004, internet site | gb | Gunboat - Small Ships at War by Bryan Perrett, Cassell & Co 2000 | gc | George Cross (GC) Database, internet site | ge | The German Submarine War by R H Gibson & Maurice Prendergast, originally 1931, Periscope Publishing reprint | gf | The Grand Fleet, 1914-16, Its Creation, Development and Work Jellicoe, Cassell 1919by Adm of the Fleet Earl | gh | Germany's High Seas Fleet in the World War by Adm Reinhard Scheer, Cassell 1919 | go | RN Submarine Museum, Gosport, internet site | gr | Mr George Ransome - Royal Navy ship collisions | gs | Goodwin Sands Shipwrecks by Richard Larn, Newton Abbot 1977 | gs | Yeoman of Signals George Smith RN, personal records of North Russian Expeditionary Force 1919 | gw | The Great War: The Illustrated History of the First World War, edited by H W Wilson and J A Hammerton, 13 volumes, reprinted 1999 | gy | Grimsby Fishing Vessel Losses, supplied by Steve Richards of Grimsby 2003 | hb | Ms Heather Brewer (email correspondent) | hw | Hull Trawler Losses of World War 1by Hullwebs UK 2004, internet site | ja | Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting by John Campbell, Conway Maritime Press,1986 | jm | Mr John Meadows of Lowestoft (email correspondent) | ju | Jutland 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes by Nigel Steel & Peter Hart, Cassell 2003 | ke | British Warship Losses of the 20th Century by Paul Kemp, Sutton Publishing 1999 | kp | Kaiser's Pirates, The: German Surface Raiders in World War One by John Walter, Arms & Armour Press 1994 | kt | The Killing Time: the U-boat War 1914-18 by Edwin Gray, Seeley, Service & Co 1972 | lg | The London Gazette - various | lt | A Century of Fishing, Fishing from Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, 1899-1999, compiled and published by Malcolm White | mc | 150 Years of the Maltese Cross: the Story of Tyne, Blyth and Wear Tug Companies by John H Proud, 1993 | md | Mediterranean Submarines - Submarine Warfare in World War One by Michael Wilson & Paul Kemp, Crecy, 1997 | me | Statistics of the Military Effort of the British Empire During The Great War 1914-1920, War Office, HMSO, March 1922 | mf | The First World War: the Mediterranean Front 1914-1923 by Michael Hickey, Osprey | mh | Official History of the Great War, Medical Services General History | ms | Miramar Ship Index , also internet site | na | Naval Aviation in the First World War - It's Impact and Influence by R D Layman, Caxton Editions, 2002 | nb | Naval Battles of the First World War by Geoffrey Bennett, Pan Books, 1983 | nh | A Naval History of World War 1 by Paul G Halpern, UCL Press, 1994 | ns | Century of North Sea Passenger Steamers, A by Ambrose Greenway, Ian Allan 1986 | nw | The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1914-1918 by Paul G Halpern, Allen & Unwin 1987 | on | 100 Years of Royal Navy Submarines by Jeremy Flack, Airlife Publishing, 2002 | os | Outrage at Sea, Naval Atrocities of the First World War by Tony Bridgland, Leo Cooper, 2002 | pa | Mr Pat Gariepy, Oregon, US (email correspondent) | pb | Paddle Steamers of the Bristol Channel by Nigel Coombes, Twelveheads Press 1990 | pd | Peterhead Fishing Vessel Losses, provided by George Strachan 2003 | pg | Mr Peter George - fishing vessel information | pm | Pembrokeshire Shipwrecks by Ted Goddard, Hughes & Sons 1983 | po | P & O, A Fleet History by Stephen Rabson & Kevin O'Donogue, World Ship Society 1988 | ps | Paddle Steamers by Bernard Cox, Blandford Press 1979 | pt | The Royal Navy at Portland since 1845 by Geoffrey Carter, Maritime Books, 1987 | rf | The Russian Fleet, 1914-17 by Rene Greger, Ian Allan 1972 | ry | The Rogue's Yarn: The Sea-going Life of Captain 'Joe' Oram edited by Wendy Harris, Combined Books 1993 | sb | The World War One Source Book by Philip J Haythornthwaite, Arms & Armour Press 1998 | sc | Swept Channels: Being an Account of the Work of the Minesweepers in the Great War by Taffrail, Hodder and Stoughton 1935 | sf | The Steam Collier Fleets by J A MacRae & C V Waine, Wayne Research Publications 1990 | se | Shore Establishments of the Royal Navy by Lt Cdr B Warlow RN, Maritime Books 2000 | sh | British Shipbuilding Yards by Norman L Middlemiss in 3 Volumes, c1994-95 | sk | Sea Killers in Disguise, Q Ships and Decoy Raiders by Tony Bridgland, Leo Cooper 1999 | sl | The Anglo-Saxon/Shell Tankers by N L Middlemass, Shield Publications 1990 | sm | Smoke on the Horizon, Mediterranean Fighting 1914-1918 by Vice-Admiral C V Usborne, Hodder and Stoughton 1933 | sn | The Starvation Blockades: Naval Blockades of WW1 by Nigel Hawkins, Leo Cooper 2002 | ss | The Sea is Strong by Admiral Sir Dudley de Chair, George G Harrap 1961 | st | Stealth at Sea: The History of the Submarine by Dan van der Vat, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1994 | su | Submarines & The War at Sea 1914-18 by Richard Compton-Hall, MacMillian Ltd, 1991 | td | Admiralty Trawlers and Drifters, 1916 - 1921, D.N.C. Admiralty | te | British Merchant Ships Sunk by U-boats in the 1914-18 War by A J Tennent, 1990 (sources include Lloyd's Marine Collection, Guildhall Library, and Der Handelskrieg mit U-booten, 1914-18, 5 vols by Rear Admiral Spindler,1932-66) | tf | The National Army Museum Book of the Turkish Front 1914-1918, The Campaigns at Gallipoli, in Mesopotamia and in Palestine by Field Marshal Lord Carver, Sidgwick & Jackson 2001 | tg | The Great War at Sea 1914-1918 by Richard Hough, Oxford University Press, 1983 | th | A Companion to the Royal Navy by David A Thomas, Harrap 1988 | ti | HMS Tiger at Bay: A Sailor's Memoir by Victor Hayward, William Kimber 1977 | tl | The Ships List, internet site | tn | The Naval Who's Who, originally January 1917, reprinted J B Hayward & Son 1981 | tr | The Review: Quarterly Journal of the Naval Historical Collectors & Research Association, various editions | ts | The Submariners: Life in British Submarines 1901-1999 by John Winton, Constable 1999 | tt | Travels of the Tramps, Twenty Tramp Fleets by Norman L Middlemiss, Shield Publications 1989 | tu | British Steam Tugs by P N Thomas, Wayne Research Publications, 1983 | ty | Tyrwhitt of the Harwich Force by A Temple Patterson, Macdonald & Jane's 1973 | ub | U-Boats Destroyed: German Submarine Losses in the World Wars by Paul Kemp, 1999 | un | U-boat-net, internet site | uw | Undersea Warfare by Richard Humble, New English Library 1981 | vc | The Victoria Cross at Sea by John Winton, Arms & Armour 1978 | wd | Wartime Disasters at Sea, Every Passenger Ship Loss in World Wars I and II by David Williams, Patrick Stephens 1997 | wg | Commonwealth War Graves Commission, internet site | wi | War Illustrated, The, edited by Sir John Hammerton, bound weekly wartime journal | wi | Shipwreck Index of the British Isles in 6 volumes by Richard & Bridget Larn, Lloyd’s Register 1995- | ww | Weapons & Warfare of the 20th Century by Eric Morris and others, Octopus Books, 1976 | zo | The Zeebrugge and Ostend Raids 1918 by Deborah Lake, Leo Cooper, 2002 | zp | Zeppelin, The German Airship Story by Manfred Griehl & Joachim Dressel, Arms and Armour 1990 | zr | The Zeebrugge Raid by Philip Warner, William Kimber 1978 |
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