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A week in Welsh waters:
During the First World War the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) possessed a fleet of submarines which attacked Allied trade routes in the seas. Thousands of merchant vessels were sunk, many carrying vital resources for the war effort. [1/7]
![A week in Welsh waters:During the First World War the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) possessed a fleet of submarines which attacked Allied trade routes in the seas. Thousands of merchant vessels were sunk, many carrying vital resources for the war effort. [1/7]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcZBwTrXQAARtoL.jpg "A week in Welsh waters:During the First World War the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) possessed a fleet of submarines which attacked Allied trade routes in the seas. Thousands of merchant vessels were sunk, many carrying vital resources for the war effort. [1/7]")
During the First World War the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) possessed a fleet of submarines which attacked Allied trade routes in the seas. Thousands of merchant vessels were sunk, many carrying vital resources for the war effort. [1/7]
This U-boat campaign posed a serious threat to the Allies as the seas around the British Isles became war zones. Perhaps the most infamous sinking by a U-boat in the war was that of the RMS LUSITANIA in May 1915, with the loss of 1198 lives. [2/7]
The U-boat that sank the LUSITANIA, U-20, was captained by Walther Schwieger, and a little under two months later, he was involved in another incident, this time in the Celtic Sea. [3/7] [image of Bundesarchiv_Walther Schwieber]. Image source: Bundesarchiv, CC BY-SA 3.0 de.
![The U-boat that sank the LUSITANIA, U-20, was captained by Walther Schwieger, and a little under two months later, he was involved in another incident, this time in the Celtic Sea. [3/7] [image of Bundesarchiv_Walther Schwieber]. Image source: Bundesarchiv, CC BY-SA 3.0 de.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcZB1FbWAAE38nK.jpg "The U-boat that sank the LUSITANIA, U-20, was captained by Walther Schwieger, and a little under two months later, he was involved in another incident, this time in the Celtic Sea. [3/7] [image of Bundesarchiv_Walther Schwieber]. Image source: Bundesarchiv, CC BY-SA 3.0 de.")
On 9 July 1915, the steamship ELLESMERE was on a voyage from Valencia to Manchester with a cargo of fruit when it was torpedoed by Schwieger’s U-20. The U-boat followed the torpedo with a salvo of shots from her guns. [4/7]
![On 9 July 1915, the steamship ELLESMERE was on a voyage from Valencia to Manchester with a cargo of fruit when it was torpedoed by Schwieger’s U-20. The U-boat followed the torpedo with a salvo of shots from her guns. [4/7]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcZCIcHWkAAYr1d.jpg "On 9 July 1915, the steamship ELLESMERE was on a voyage from Valencia to Manchester with a cargo of fruit when it was torpedoed by Schwieger’s U-20. The U-boat followed the torpedo with a salvo of shots from her guns. [4/7]")
The ELLESMERE was ravaged by the U-boat and 21 crew members had to cram into the one remaining boat that wasn’t destroyed in order to get away. The Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph reported the incident on 14 July, calling the attack a ‘murder’ by ‘pirates’. [5/7]
![The ELLESMERE was ravaged by the U-boat and 21 crew members had to cram into the one remaining boat that wasn’t destroyed in order to get away. The Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph reported the incident on 14 July, calling the attack a ‘murder’ by ‘pirates’. [5/7]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcZCMJ0WsAAcp-7.jpg "The ELLESMERE was ravaged by the U-boat and 21 crew members had to cram into the one remaining boat that wasn’t destroyed in order to get away. The Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph reported the incident on 14 July, calling the attack a ‘murder’ by ‘pirates’. [5/7]")
One seaman, a Norwegian named Jensen, was killed whilst Thomas Boyle of Swansea suffered terrible injuries to his arm. The crew, packed into a solitary lifeboat, were picked up after a couple of hours by the OSPREY. The U-boat proceeded to attack the Russian steamer, ITO. [6/7]
Notice the lack of information on its location in the Lloyd’s Casualty Returns. However, we were able to identify the ELLESMERE as a Welsh shipwreck from our previous ‘U-Boat Project, 1914-1918’. Discover more here: [7/7] https://uboatproject.wales/
![Notice the lack of information on its location in the Lloyd’s Casualty Returns. However, we were able to identify the ELLESMERE as a Welsh shipwreck from our previous ‘U-Boat Project, 1914-1918’. Discover more here: [7/7] https://uboatproject.wales/](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcZCQa9WsAEtcfx.jpg "Notice the lack of information on its location in the Lloyd’s Casualty Returns. However, we were able to identify the ELLESMERE as a Welsh shipwreck from our previous ‘U-Boat Project, 1914-1918’. Discover more here: [7/7] https://uboatproject.wales/")
