SS Lesbian (1915)

Coordinates: 35°48′N 17°6′E / 35.800°N 17.100°E / 35.800; 17.100
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

History
NameSS Lesbian
NamesakeInhabitants of the island of Lesbos
OwnerEllerman Lines
Port of registryUnited Kingdom Liverpool
BuilderW. Harkess & Sons, Middlesbrough[1]
Yard number207[1]
Launched3 April 1915[1]
CompletedJuly 1915[1]
IdentificationUK official number: 137465[1]
FateSunk by U-35, 5 January 1917[1]
General characteristics
TypeCargo ship[1]
Tonnage2,555 GRT[1]
Length93.1 m (305 ft 5 in) (lpp)[1]
Beam12.9 m (42 ft 4 in)[1]
Propulsion1 ×
triple-expansion steam engine[1]
Speed11 knots (20 km/h)[1]
Armamentunknown

SS Lesbian was a cargo ship built for the Ellerman Lines in 1915. On 5 January 1917 she was shelled and sunk by German U-boat U-35, the most successful U-boat participating in World War I, without loss of life.

Design and construction

Lesbian was a built as a

triple-expansion steam engine and had a top speed of 11 knots (20 km/h). Lesbian was registered at 2,555 gross register tons (GRT).[1] Sources do not indicate what size crew she carried. Lesbian was defensively armed against attacks by submarines, but available sources provide no indication of what size or how many guns with which she was equipped.[2]

Career

Little information is available about Lesbian's short career, but details about her final voyage suggest that she may have been employed in cargo service between India and the United Kingdom. For her final voyage, she departed Calicut—where she had taken on a general cargo bound for London and Tees—in December 1916. After passing through the Suez Canal, Lesbian entered the Mediterranean and headed towards Malta. While 125 nautical miles (232 km) from there on 5 January 1917, she encountered U-35, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière.[3]

At 16:15 on 5 January 1917, U-35 shelled and sank Lesbian east of Malta at position 35°48′N 17°6′E / 35.800°N 17.100°E / 35.800; 17.100.

master of Lesbian was taken prisoner aboard U-35 by von Arnauld de la Perière.[2] There were no casualties among Lesbian's crew in the attack and sinking.[2][3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Lesbian (1137465)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
  2. ^ a b c "British merchant ships lost at sea due to enemy action, January–August 1917 in date order". World War 1 at Sea. Naval-History.net. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 16 March 2009. The information on the website is extracted from British Vessels Lost at Sea: 1914–1918. His Majesty's Stationery Office. 1919.
  3. ^ a b c d Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Lesbian". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 16 March 2009.
  4. ^ Tennant, pp. 78–79.
  5. ^ Gibson and Prendergast, p. 130.

Bibliography