100 Years Ago Today

[Jimbuna]

3rd January 1916

Western Front

In Artois, Germany detonates a mine below French lines, allowing them to capture the stretch of trenches.

Eastern Front

Development of Russian offensive in Bukovina and eastern Galicia and Poland.

Political etc.

President Wilson returns to Washington D.C. as the international crisis mounts over German and Austro-Hungarian submarine activity.

Anti-Ally press campaign in Greece; Greek Government protests against arrest of Consuls at Salonika.

Greek King Constantine states he is not favoring Germany, but warns the Allies he is not willing to abandon neutrality.

Japanese government considers sending cruisers into the Mediterranean after two Japanese ships were sunk by submarines.

Italian government places all ports and dock laborers under military control in an effort to prevent strikes.

Hellen Keller’s magazine, printed in braille, bypasses censors in the UK, France, and Austria-Hungary as officials cannot read it.

Ship Losses:

Geelong ( United Kingdom): The ship collided with another vessel and sank in the Mediterranean Sea.

Halil (Albania): The sailing vessel was taken as a prize off the coast of Albania by k.u.k. U4 (Rudolf Singule).

[Sailor Steve]

January 3, 1916:

"I have got wind of something rather priceless...for when the war is over, I will tell you a little about this scheme, only remember it's strictly private and confidential, so you must not mention it to anyone.

In a nutshell it's this, a flight from _____ to _____. It sounds rather impossible at first, but I think quite a number of people would have a shot if they could get some one to pay expenses. This is where I get a look in. the experience anyhow would be wonderful. One of the subs (sub-lieutenants) here has just put me up to it, and says he has everything arranged. That sounds rather rapid, but he has written for an appointment, so I shal be able to let you know later how things go. In the meanwhile lie doggo and do come down this week-end, if possible, so that we can talk things over."
-Harold Rosher, letter to his father, January 3, 1916



North Sea:
Swedish freighter SS Hermod, 1,167 tons, bound from Methil, Scotland to Gothenburg, Sweden, is wrecked at Knapper, near Thyborøn, Denmark.

British trawler Malabar, 171 tons, departed from Hull for a fishing trip on December 20, 1915. She was last seen in a storm on January 3, 1916. Listed as missing with all 9 crew.



Aegean Sea:
Rudolf Singule, commanding Austrian U-4, takes Albanian sailing vessel Halil as a prize. Two other vessels are sunk in this action, but details are lacking.

[Jimbuna]

4th January 1916

Eastern Front

Russian counterattack forces Austro-Hungarian troops to retreat from Czernowitz (Chernivtsi), Bukowina.

Southern Front

Artillery duel in southern Tyrol.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

General Aylmer moves from Ali Gherbi to relieve Kut.

Naval and Overseas Operations

White Paper on the "Baralong" case.

Political etc.

Out of the 5 million men of military age in England, Scotland, and Wales, 2,829,263 men have volunteered to serve.

British authorities offer 30,000 franc reward for information regarding the presence of German submarines in the Aegean Sea.

Lord Derby's report on recruiting published.

U.S. Commission for the Relief of Belgium has supplied Belgium and Northern France supplies to feed 9 million people the last year.

Prussian Ministry of Agriculture announces plans to purchase goats in order to provide milk to poor children.

Ship Losses:

Coquet ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship was scuttled in the Mediterranean Sea 200 nautical miles (370 km) east of Malta (35°34′N 18°22′E) by SM U-34 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of seventeen crew of her 27.
Forest City ( United States): The schooner was wrecked at San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Leto ( Netherlands): The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 10 (Alfred Nitzsche) and was damaged in the North Sea 0.5 nautical miles (930 m) off the Galloper Lightship ( United Kingdom). She sank the next day 12 nautical miles (22 km) east by north of the Galloper Lightship.

H.L. Burnett, Civil War brigadier general & prosecutor in the Lincoln assassination trial, has passed away.

[Sailor Steve]

January 4, 1916:

North Sea:
Dutch freighter SS Leto, 3,225 tons, carrying a load of wheat from New York to Rotterdam, strikes a mine laid by Alfred Nitzsche in UC-10. Nitzsche's score is now 2 ships and 5,454 tons.



Ireland:
British schooner SV Kelp, 267 tons, travelling from Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, to London with a load of skins and tallow, is wrecked at Spanish Point, Miltown Malhay, Ireland.



Mediterranean Sea:
Claus Rücker, commanding U-34, ends his fifth war patrol with the capture and scuttling of British freighter SS Coquet, 4,396 tons, bound from Torrevieja to Rangoon with a load of salt. His score is now 20 ships and 70,089 tons.



United States:
American schooner SV Samuel Dillaway, 623 tons, travelling in ballast from New London, Connecticut to Wiggins, South Carolina, is wrecked at St. Helena Sound, Beaufort County, South Carolina.

[Jimbuna]

5th January 1915

Southern Front

Austrian offensive in Montenegro.

Political etc.

Premier Asquith introduces a bill providing for compulsory military service for single men, ages 18 to 41.

E.H. Gary, head of U.S. Steel, warns that the end of the war will negatively impact U.S. exports and urges protective tariffs.

Ship Losses:

Fridtjof Nansen ( Norway): The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 10 (Alfred Nitzscheand) and sank in the North Sea 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) south west of the Galloper Lightship ( United Kingdom) with the loss of two of her crew.

Banquet to U.S. Admiral Albert G. Winterhalter in Japan.

[Sailor Steve]

January 5, 1916:

Air War:
The first Nieuport 11s arrive at the front, joining Escadrille MS 31.

A.M. German ace Oswald Boelcke shoots down BE.2c 1734 for victory number 8. Pilot Geoffrey C. Formelli is slightly injured and observer Willy E. Somervell seriously wounded. Both are taken prisoner.

1330 German pilot Ernst Hess, flying a Fokker E.III, is assisted by Boelcke and Immelmann in bringing down BE.2c 2019. Pilot A.L. Russell lands his plane safely and is captured. The two aces let Hess claim the kill, his first.



North Sea:
Norwegian freighter SS Fridtjof Nansen, 3,275 tons, carrying a load of superphosphate from Bône to Rotterdam, runs on a mine laid by Alfred Nitzsche and UC-10.

Norwegian barque SV Olivia, 492 tons, departs Leith for Trondhiem with a load of coal and is not heard from again.



Bay of Biscay:
French barque SV Paul Marie Gaston hits a mine and is lost.



German East Africa:
HMS Mersey reports that two native spies have arrived and are to be dropped near the German-held coastline.



United States:
On November 25th Greek liner SS Thessaloniki, 4,682 tons, departed Piraeus, Greece with 177 passengers. What followed became an odd tale of fright and possible mutiny.

On December 21st the ship ran into a gale which flooded the boiler and engine rooms. A distress signal was sent, and was answered by Italian freighter SS Stampalia. The passengers asked Captain John Goulandris if they could be transferred to Stampalia, but he refused, assuring them there was no cause for alarm. Partial repairs were made and the ship was able to proceed at a speed of 5 knots.

On December 28th the officers joined the passengers in their protests. At midnight First Officer Nicholas Orloff, accompanied by three other officers and the ship's engineers, had the wirless operator send an SOS to the United States Government. This was apparently done without the captain's permission.

On December 29th Orloff told the passengers that USCG Seneca was on the way. At 2230 the captain told the passengers that he had sent an SOS. When the passengers said they didn't believe him the captain wrote out a signed statement that he had indeed sent for help.

On December 31st SS Florizel came alongside and said that he could tow the stricken liner to Bermuda. Captain Goulandris replied that he would accept a tow to New York and nowhere else. At this point Thessaloniki received a message from SS Patris stating that she was coming to help as well. At 2000 hours Captain Goulandris took a boat with ten water casks to get fresh water from Patris, returning and 2300. He then told the passengers they would be transferred to Patris the next day.

On January 1st all 177 passengers and two stewards were taken to Patris, and Stampalia began to tow Thessaloniki to New York. When asked if he thought the actions of Orloff and the officers of Thessaloniki constituted mutiny, Captain Zagoras of Patris replied in the affirmative. "Yes, you couldn't call it anything else." When Patris arrived, however, Captain Goulandris and the officers agreed to patch up their differences and work together. At this time the coast guard steamer Seneca reported that she had still not found Thessaloniki.

On January 5th it was decided the situation was hopeless. Captain and crew were taken aboard Patris and SS Thessaloniki was scuttled 350 miles east of Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Much of the passengers' luggage was also rescued at this time.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstrac...679C946796D6CF

[Jimbuna]

6th January 1916

Southern Front

British troops attempt to breakthrough Ottoman troops that are besieging the city of Kut, Iraq, starting the Battle of Sheikh Sa’ad.

Naval and Overseas Operations

HMS King Edward VII, a Royal Navy pre-dreadnought battleship, sinks after hitting a German mine.


British submarine sunk off Dutch coast.

HMS E17
Scuttled off Texel Island after striking submerged rock

Whilst patrolling north of Texel Island on Thursday 6th January 1916, HMS E17 struck an uncharted sandbank. Badly damaged the submarine was forced to surface. The Royal Netherlands Navy Cruiser Noord Brabant approached the stricken submarine to investigate. E17 believing the Cruiser was belligerent submerged, but owing to the damage was forced to surface again. E1 signalled the un-identified cruisers for assistance and her crew were taken off and interned. E17 finally sank at 1140 on Thursday 6th January 1916.

Political etc.

Labour Congress opposes Military Service Bill.

President Wilson proposes a new “Monroe Doctrine,” where countries of the Americas would sign mutual peace pledges.

French General Joseph Maurice Pambet, who had been relieved of command due to “lack of impetus,” is killed in a car accident.

French Chamber of Deputies proposes a bill to lower the retirement age of military officers in order to replace them with younger men.

Ship Losses:

Australian Transport ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship ran aground on Samasana Island, Formosa. She was refloated in early February.
HMT Courtier ( Royal Navy): The naval trawler struck a mine and sank in the North Sea off Kilnsea, Yorkshire with the loss of twelve of her crew.
HMS E17 ( Royal Navy): The E-class submarine was wrecked in the North Sea off Texel, North Holland, Netherlands. Her crew were rescued by HNLMS Noordbrabant ( Royal Netherlands Navy) and interned.
HMY Hersilia ( Royal Navy): The naval yacht was lost on this date.
HMS King Edward VII ( Royal Navy): The King Edward VII-class battleship struck a mine laid by SMS "Möwe" in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Wrath, Sutherland and sank with the loss of one of her 777 crew. Survivors were rescued by HMS Fortune, HMS Marne, HMS Musketeer and HMS Nessus (all Royal Navy).

[Sailor Steve]

January 6, 1916:

Air War:
German pilot Hans-Joachim Buddecke, flying a Fokker E.III, shoots down a Farman two-seat pusher for kill number 4. He claims a second Farman but it is listed as unconfirmed.



Celtic Sea:
French schooner SV Alcyone runs aground on the Isles of Scilly, off Normandy.



North Sea:
British freighter SS Camille, 1,111 tons, carrying coal from Sunderland to Le Havre, is wrecked at Haisborough Sands, off Norwich.

0712 British battleship HMS King Edward VII, 15,630 tons, departs Scapa Flow for Belfast where she will be refitted. At 1047 she strikes a mine laid by German merchant raider SMS Möwe. The starboard engine room is flooded and the ship begins to list. Captain Maclachlan attemts to reach the shore and beach the ship, but the port engine room also floods and the ship is stranded. Collier SS Princess Melita and destroyer HMS Kempenfelt attempt to tow the stricken battleship at 1415, but King Edward settles more and Princess Melita's towline parts at 1440. Kempenfelt can't tow the ship by herself, so the attempt is given up. At 1445 Destroyers Fortune, Marne and Musketeer take the crew off. Captain Maclachlan is the last man to leave the ship, boarding destroyer Nessus at 1610. King Edward VII stays afload for another four hours, and finally sinks at 2010.



Adriatic Sea:
Italian passenger ship SS Brindisi, 863 tons, is sunk by a mine off Vlorë, Albania.



Atlantic Ocean:
Norwegian schooner SV John, 114 tons, sails from the Cabo Verde Islands for Gibraltar with a load of fish and is not heard from again.



Norwegian brig SV Lillesand, bound from St. Mark, Haiti to Le Havre with a load of logwood, is abandoned in mid-Atlantic.



German East Africa:
0620 Monitor HMS Mersey drops two native spies ashore.

[Jimbuna]

7th January 1916

Eastern Front

Russians storm Chartorysk.

Southern Front

Sir Ian Hamilton's despatch on Suvla Bay published.

Embarkation of French and English at Seddul-Bahr (Dardanelles) begins, after repulse of a Turkish attack.

Ottoman troops under Liman von Sanders launch an attack against British troops at Gallipoli, but suffer heavy casualties.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

General Aylmer defeats Turks at Sheikh-Saad.

Political etc.

Count Bernstorff presents a memorandum on submarine policy to U.S.A. Government. Germany promises the U.S. that it will offer an indemnity to the Lusitania victims and will safeguard passengers traveling at sea.

Great Britain arranges to ration Holland.

Russian General Oskar Grippenberg, who commanded in the Russo-Japanese War, has passed away.


Ship Losses:

Euterpe ( United Kingdom): The cargo ship struck a mine and sank in the North Sea with the loss of nineteen of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

January 7, 1916:

Air War:
German pilot Theodor Jakob Croneiss, flying a Fokker E.I for the Turkish Air Force, shoots down a British-flown Farman for his first victory.



North Sea:
Norwegian freighter SS Bonheur, 1,158 tons, bound from Frederikstad to Garston with a load of boards, hits a mine laid by SMS Möwe. This is Möwe's second victim.

British freighter SS Euterpe, 1,522 tons, travelling from Huelva, Spain to Tees, hits a mine and sinks.



Bristol Channel, Cornwall:
British freighter SS Newtown, 1,153 tons, carrying a load of pit props from Oporto, Portugal to Newport, Wales, is wrecked at Barricane Beach, North Devon.



Canada:
Canadian schooner SV Nellie, 59 tons, en route from Mahone Bay to Ship Harbour, Nova Scotia, runs aground off Cape Sable.

[Jimbuna]

8th January 1916

Eastern Front

Severe fighting in Galicia.

Southern Front

Austro-Hungarian troops launch their final offensive against Montenegro with a 500-gun barrage and over 50,000 troops.

British troops win the Battle of Sheikh Sa’ad, but they suffer heavy casualties and Ottoman troops are able to retreat in good order.

Naval

HMS Repulse, a Royal Navy Renown-class battlecruiser, is launched.


Political etc.

Italian government orders a census of all grains and establishes rules to allow the military to requisition grain supplies.

Colonel House, President Wilson’s personal representative, meets with British Foreign Minister Sir Edward Grey.

Ship Losses:

Citta di Palermo ( Italy): The troopship struck a mine laid by UC 14 (Cäsar Bauer) and sank in the Adriatic Sea 6 nautical miles (11 km) north east of Brindisi.
HMT Freuchny ( Royal Navy): The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 14 (Cäsar Bauerand) sank in the Adriatic Sea off Brindisi with the loss of eight of her crew.
HMT Morning Star ( Royal Navy): The naval trawler struck a mine and sank in the Adriatic Sea off Brindisi with the loss of nine of her crew.

[Sailor Steve]

January 8, 1916:

Air War:
German pilot Theodor Croneiss, flying a Fokker E.III in Turkey, shoots down British-flown Voisin III 8502 for victory number 2.



Adriatic Sea:
Italian troopship Citta Di Palermo, 3,415 tons, and British drifters HMD Freuchny, 84 tons, and HMD Morning Star, 97 tons, all hit mines laid off Brindisi by Cäsar Bauer in UC-14. Bauer's score is now 5 ships and 7,231 tons.



Black Sea:
Russian destroyer Pronzitelynj torpedoes Italian freighter SS Carmen, 4,424 tons, off Kefken Island. Wrecksite gives the 8th in their heading but the 9th in the text. I can find no other sources for this sinking.

[Jimbuna]

9th January 1915

Western Front

Slight German attack in Champagne.

German troops capture the peak near Harmannswillerkopf and capture 1000 French soldiers and 15 machine guns.

Eastern Front

Further Russian offensive in Bukovina.

Southern Front

Austrians assault Mt. Lovchen (Montenegro).

Dardanelles

The Newfoundland Regiment, last of the Allied troops on Gallipoli, are withdrawn.

The Gallipoli Campaign comes to an end. Allied troops suffer 252,000 casualties, while the Ottoman Empire suffer around the same figures.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Turks fall back to the Wadi.

Political etc.

The Chinese government faces a deficit of $8 million and seeks to raise another international loan.

Ottoman Empire interns 1000 subjects of the Entente still in the country as reprisal against the arrest of their consuls in Greece.

Exchange rate of German Marks to Dollars falls to the record low, with 5.42 Marks being exchanged for one Dollar.

The Allies have bought 195,000 horses, worth $34 million, from the National Stock Yards in St. Louis.

[Sailor Steve]

January 9, 1916:

Air War:
German pilot Hans-Joachim Buddecke files a claim for a Farman two-seater, but it is unconfirmed.



Aegean Sea:
British freighter SS Calioubieh, 407 tons, founders off Moudros, on the Island of Lemnos.

[Jimbuna]

10th January 1916

Southern Front

Austrians take Mt. Lovchen.

Sir A. Murray succeeds Sir C. Monro in command of Mediterranean Expeditionary Force.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Russian offensive in Armenia. Battle of Koprukoy begins as Russian forces attack Ottoman troops near Erzurum.

Sir A. Murray's command in Egypt limited to country east of line five miles west of Suez Canal.

Political etc.

British Prime Minister Asquith states the Gallipoli withdrawal “takes an imperishable place in our national history.”

MP Walter Runciman urges “we must do everything in our power to cripple and destroy German finance, credit, and trade…”

British censors open mail destined to the U.S. Embassy. Embassy officials consider filing a protest.

Polish immigrants urge Britain to lift the blockade against Germany so that food supplies can alleviate the ongoing famine in Poland.

An explosion at the du Pont Powder Company, which was making munitions for the Allies, in Carney’s Point, Philadelphia results in 13 deaths.

Ship Losses:

Nostra Signora delle Vigne ( Italy): The brig collided with Pelion ( France) in the Mediterranean Sea and was abandoned. Her crew were rescued by Pelion.