HMS ''Dunraven'' was a

Q-ship Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, decoy vessels, special service ships, or mystery ships, were heavily armed merchantman, armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the c ...

of 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 ...

during

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 ...

. On 8 August 1917, 130 miles southwest of

Ushant Ushant (; , ; , ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and in medieval times, Léon. In lower tiers of government, it is a commune in t ...

in the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay ( ) is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Point Penmarc'h to the Spanish border, and along the northern coast of Spain, extending westward ...

, disguised as the collier ''Boverton'' and commanded by Gordon Campbell, VC, ''Dunraven'' spotted , commanded by Reinhold Saltzwedel. Saltzwedel believed the disguised ship was a merchant vessel. The

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

submerged and closed with ''Dunraven'' before surfacing astern at 11:43 am and opening fire at long range. ''Dunraven'' made smoke and sent off a panic party (a small number of men who "abandon ship" during an attack to continue the impersonation of a merchant). Shells began hitting ''Dunraven'', detonating her depth charges and setting her stern afire. Her crew remained hidden letting the fires burn. Then a 4-inch (102 mm) gun and crew were blown away revealing ''Dunraven''s identity as a warship, and ''UC-71'' submerged. A second "panic party" abandoned ship. ''Dunraven'' was hit by a torpedo. A third "panic party" went over the side, leaving only two guns manned. ''UC-71'' surfaced, shelled ''Dunraven'' and again submerged. Campbell replied with two torpedoes that missed, and around 3 pm, the undamaged U-boat left that area. Only one of ''Dunraven''s crew was killed, but the Q-Ship was sinking. The British

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

picked up ''Dunraven''s survivors and took her in tow for

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, but ''Dunraven'' sank at 1:30 am early on 10 August 1917 to the north of Ushant. In recognition, two

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

es were awarded, one to the ship's First Lieutenant, Lt. Charles George Bonner RNR, and the other, by ballot, to a gunlayer, Petty Officer Ernest Herbert Pitcher. Captain Campbell later wrote: :"It had been a fair and honest fight, and I lost it. Referring to my crew, words cannot express what I am feeling. No one let me down. No one could have done better." Captain Campbell had been previously awarded the Victoria Cross, in February 1917, for the sinking of .

Notes and references

External links

* illustrated account of Gordon Campbell, "the most famous Q-ship officer", including his time with HMS ''Dunraven'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunraven Q-ships of the Royal Navy World War I shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Maritime incidents in 1917 Ships sunk by German submarines in World War I 1909 ships