Daily Event for April 20, 2015

The Whitgift was a single screw steamer built in 1901 by Northumberland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. on the Tyne and launched on June 15, 1901. She was 381' long and registered at 4,397 gross tons. She was owned by the Whitgift Steamship Company, but may have been managed by Houlder, Middleton & Company Ltd. of London. In 1915 the ship was sold to Westminster Shipping Company of London, but retained the same name. About a year later on Apr. 12, 1916 Whitgift sailed from Almeria, Spain with a load of iron ore bound for the Tyne, probably to produce more ships, but the ore would never arrive.

She passed Gibraltar on Apr. 13 and sailed into the North Atlantic and set course for home sailing alone. Between Gibraltar and the Channel SMS U-67 lay in wait. The ship was located by Oberleutnant zur See Hans Nieland on April 20, 1916 about 63 miles southwest of the Ile d' Ouessant (Ushant), France, at the mouth of English Channel. He fired one torpedo at the ship which hit her causing great damage.

Nieland, who had some trouble keeping the boat trimmed, finally regained periscope depth and surfaced four minutes later, he found no sign of the ship and only one survivor, which he identified as Japanese. This may have been an error of nationality as most of the crew were Chinese. He pulled the man out of the water and questioned him. Somehow, even with the language barrier which must have existed, Nieland learned the name of the ship and her destination.

The British knew nothing of the fate of the ship, only that she never arrived. Weeks went by and no word was received. Wreckage finally began to wash up in the Bay of Biscay in mid May. In June the body of the Master washed up on the coast of France, his was the only body ever found. It was not until Aug. 17, almost four months after the sinking, that the British learned the fate of the ship. Word was received from that the survivor was in Holzminden internment camp in Germany that the ship had been torpedoed and he was the only survivor.
© 2015 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com



Roll of Honor
In memory of those who lost their lives in
SS Whitgift
"As long as we embrace them in our memory, their spirit will always be with us"

Name
Rate
Notes
Aharez, Gregorio
Steward
Costa Rican national
Cheng, Kai
Fireman
Chinese national
Cheong, Chee
Fireman and Trimmer
Chinese national
Cheong, Chin
Donkeyman
Chinese national
Chow, Hing
Fireman and Trimmer
Chinese national
Chung, Tak
Fireman and Trimmer
Chinese national
Coltar, George
Master
Currie, John T.
Engineer
Fook
Seaman
Chinese national
Fook, Chang
Fireman and Trimmer
Chinese national
Ho, Chow
Carpenter
Chinese national
Jenkins, Owen
Mate
Kee, Chu
Boatswain
Chinese national
Kee, Kong
Seaman
Chinese national
Kum, Chang
Seaman
Chinese national
Kwai, Kow
Fireman and Trimmer
Chinese national
Lee, Loo
Fireman and Trimmer
Chinese national
Lo, Men
Seaman
Chinese national
Nam, Cheong
Fireman
Chinese national
Pong, Kong
Second Fireman
Chinese national
Pow
Cook
Chinese national
Sang, He
Quartermaster
Chinese national
Sing, Long
Steward
Chinese national
Tai, Chong
Quartermaster
Chinese national
Tui, Sheng
Cook
Chinese national
Walker, David
3rd Engineer
Wan, Cheung
Fireman
Chinese national
Webbe, Josiah A.
2nd Mate
Wilkins, Edmund C.
2nd Engineer
Woo
Quartermaster
Chinese national
Yao
2nd Steward
Chinese national
Yao, Low
Fireman and Trimmer
Chinese national


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