''Davara'' was a British steam fishing trawler. Launched in 1912, it was requisitioned in 1914 by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

for service in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and fitted out as a

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

. 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, intercepted the ''Davara'' on a normal fishing trip. The submarine began to shell the trawler with its

deck gun A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret. The main deck gun was a dual-purpose w ...

. 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) was constructed in

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse. At the 2021 Census, it had a population of 17,193. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire; from 1974 until 2023, ...

by the shipbuilder Cochrane & Sons Ltd. On 6 January 1912, the trawler was launched from yard number 517. Christened the ''Davara'' by her owners, Mount Steam Fishing Co. Ltd, she was registered in the port of

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830 ...

on 6 March 1912 and completed sometime later that same month. She had a

net register tonnage Net register tonnage (NRT, nrt, n.r.t.) is a ship's cargo volume capacity expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated by subtracting non-revenue-earning spaces i.e. spaces not available for carrying cargo, ...

of 116 and a gross register tonnage of 291. The trawler was from bow to stern, with a draught of and a

breadth Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...

of . Her engine consisted of a T.3-cylinder from C. D. Holmes & Co. Ltd.

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

, the trawler was confiscated for war service by the

and furnished for

minesweeping Minesweeping is the practice of removing explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that purpos ...

. ''Davara'' survived the war and was returned to Mount Steam Fishing Co. Ltd in 1919, beginning fishing duties anew. On 7 August 1930, the trawler was grounded on "Tiger's Tail" during the approach to Wyre Dock in Fleetwood. She was soon re-floated and safely proceeded into the dock.

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, spotted the trawler about northwest by north of

Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory, is an island 14.5 kilometres (7+3⁄4 nautical miles) off the north-west coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. It is officially known by its Iris ...

. ''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. 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 West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland. The former town was originally formed ...

steamer ''Willowpool'' and landed safely. ''Davara'' was the first British trawler, and the seventeenth ship, to be sunk by an enemy submarine in World War II.

References

External links

Article about ''Davara'' in ''The Telegraph''
{{September 1939 shipwrecks Ships built in Selby Steamships of the United Kingdom Trawlers 1912 ships Maritime incidents in September 1939 Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Naval trawlers of the United Kingdom Ships sunk with no fatalities