Davara

Coordinates: 55°31′15″N 8°37′57″W / 55.52083°N 8.63250°W / 55.52083; -8.63250
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The steam trawler Davara.
History
United Kingdom
NameDavara
OwnerMount Steam Fishing Co. Ltd, Fleetwood[1]
Port of registryFleetwood, England[1]
BuilderCochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby[1]
Yard number517[2]
Launched6 January 1912[2]
CompletedMarch 1912[1][2]
In service1912–1939[1][2]
IdentificationFD 152[1]
FateSunk by U-27 northwest of Tory Island, 13 September 1939.[1][2]
General characteristics [1][2]
Tonnage291 GRT
Length130 ft (40 m)
Draught12.5 ft (3.8 m)
PropulsionT.3-cylinder by Charles D. Holmes & Co. Ltd, Hull
Crew12

Davara was a British steam fishing trawler. Launched in 1912, it was requisitioned in 1914 by the Royal Navy for service in World War I and fitted out as a minesweeper. She was returned to her owners after the war and began service as a trawler once more.

On 13 September 1939, twelve days after the outbreak of World War II, U-27 intercepted the Davara on a normal fishing trip. The submarine began to shell the trawler with its deck gun. The hands managed to escape the trawler in a lifeboat, and the Davara sank at 14:55 from the damage inflicted by U-27's deck gun. Her crew remained in the water "baling and rowing" for five hours before they were picked up by the steamer Willowpool and safely made landfall. Davara was the first British trawler to be sunk by enemy action in World War II.

Construction and design

Davara (Official Number 132409)

breadth of 23.5 feet (7.2 m). Her engine consisted of a T.3-cylinder from C. D. Holmes & Co. Ltd.[1][2]

History

Early service

Following completion and registration, Davara began a fishing career off the coast of Ireland and Great Britain. Her service as a trawler continued for about two years uninterrupted. In November 1914, three months after the outbreak of

re-floated and safely proceeded into the dock.[2]

Sinking

On 12 September 1939, Davara left Fleetwood for a routine fishing trip off the west coast of Ireland under the command of her skipper, William Boyles. The next day,

northwest by north of Tory Island.[5] U-27 then began shelling Davara with its 8.8 cm SK C/35 deck gun, firing a total of 35 rounds at the trawler. Boyles managed to get a lifeboat into the water and all of the crew abandoned ship.[5]

The shelling of the abandoned Davara continued a further thirty minutes, stopping at 14:55 with the trawler's sinking. The crew remained in the lifeboat for a further five hours. They were eventually picked up by the West Hartlepool steamer Willowpool and landed safely.[5] Davara was the first British trawler, and the seventeenth ship, to be sunk by an enemy submarine in World War II. [2][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Helgason, Guðmundur. "Davara (Steam trawler)". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "S.T. Davara FD152". Fleetwood Trawlers. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  3. ^ "Steam Trawler Davara". Irish Shipwrecks. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Davara: Lloyd's Register of Ships". the Lloyds Register searchable database. southampton.spydus.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "First Trawler Loss of WWII". fleetwood-trawlers.info. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
  6. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ship losses by month - September 1939". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 June 2010.

55°31′15″N 8°37′57″W / 55.52083°N 8.63250°W / 55.52083; -8.63250

External links

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