The ''Rudyard Kipling'' was a British steam trawler launched in 1920 that undertook fishing operations off the coasts of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

for almost 20 years. On 16 September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II, the trawler was captured west of

Clare Island Clare Island ( or ''Oileán Chliara''), also historically Inishcleer, is a mountainous island guarding the entrance to Clew Bay in County Mayo, Ireland. Historically part of the kingdom of Umhaill, it is famous as the home of the 16th century p ...

by the . After removing food, equipment, and the crew from the ship, the Germans sunk her with the use of scuttling charges. Several hours later the crew of the ''Rudyard Kipling'' were cast adrift off the coast of Ireland. They eventually landed their lifeboats at

Killybegs Killybegs () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the largest fishing port in the country and on the island of Ireland. It is located on the south coast of the county, north of Donegal Bay, near Donegal Town. Its Irish name means 'littl ...

. The ''Rudyard Kipling'' was the 27th merchant ship, the 26th British merchant ship, and the second British trawler to be sunk by a German

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 ...

in World War II.

Construction and design

The ''Rudyard Kipling'' was constructed in the town of Selby by the shipbuilder Cochrane & Sons Ltd. The trawler was launched from yard number 686 on 11 November 1920. Named the ''Rudyard Kipling'' by the ship's owner Newington Steam Trawling Co Ltd., she was registered in the port of Hull on 4 February 1921 and completed later that month. Her official number was 144068. She had a net tonnage of 140 and her gross tonnage was 333. The trawler was from bow to stern with a draught of and a breadth of . Her engine was a T.3-cylinder from C. D. Holmes & Co Ltd., also of Hull.

Service history

Early service

Following completion and registration, the ''Rudyard Kipling'' began fishing off of the coast of Ireland and Great Britain. In May 1934, the trawler was sold to The Sun Steam Trawling Co Ltd. On 10 May, her registry from Hull was closed and on 16 May, she was registered in the English port town of Fleetwood, where her new owners were based. The ''Rudyard Kipling'' remained with the Sun Steam Trawling Co Ltd. for the rest of her career.

Sinking

On 16 September 1939, the ''Rudyard Kipling'' left

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 ...

for a routine fishing trip to an area off the west coast of

. The trawler, under the command of Skipper Charles Robinson and with a crew of 12 men, was about west of the Irish town of Donegal when came alongside and ordered them to pull over to the submarine and surrender. The German crew then took the ''Rudyard Kipling''s food, including sugar, bread and fish, as well as the trawler's wireless radios, and transferred them over to the

. Timed explosive charges were then placed on the trawler and three minutes later, at 15:53, the trawler exploded and sank. While raiding the trawler, the Germans took the crew of the ''Rudyard Kipling'' on board and provided them with food and warm clothes. Eight hours later, in the early hours of 17 September, the Germans allowed the crew of the ''Rudyard Kipling'' to reboard their lifeboats and set them adrift west of the port town of Donegal. Sometime later the crew landed at

to the west of the town. The ''Rudyard Kipling'' was the 27th merchant ship (the 26th one to be British) and the second British trawler to be sunk by a German U-boat in World War II.

References

External links

Steam Trawler Rudyard Kipling Scuttled by U-27 40 miles West of Clare Island Co Mayo 1939Trawler Tales , Life in Fleetwood
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rudyard Kipling (Ship) Ships built in Selby Steamships of the United Kingdom 1920 ships Maritime incidents in September 1939 Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Shipwrecks of Ireland Ships sunk with no fatalities