100 Years Ago Today

[Sailor Steve]

November 30, 1916

Iceland:
Danish freighter SS Godafoss, 1,374 tons, carrying a general cargo from Reykyavik to Leith and Copenhagen, is wrecked at Sraumness.



Celtic Sea:
Claus Lafrenz, commanding UB-18, moves from the English Channel to the north side of Cornwall, where he stops and scuttles six vessels:
Norwegian freighter SS Aud, 1,102 tons, bound from Cardiff for Lisbon with a load of coal.
British schooner Christabel, 175 tons, carrying a load of silversand from Fowey to Garston.
British smack E.L.G. , 25 tons.
Danish freighter SS Egholm, 1,348 tons, travelling from Cardiff to Marseille with a load of coal.
French schooner Marie Marguerite, 136 tons, carrying 190 tons of coal from Cardiff to La Rochelle.
Norwegian freighter SS Njaal, 728 tons, bound from Muros for Swansea with a load of pit props.
French sailing ship Saint Ansbert, 275 tons, carrying a load of coal from Briton Ferry to Fécamp.
Lafrenz's score is now 15 ships and 10,608 tons.



English Channel:
Erich Noodt, in UB-19, stops and scuttles British schooner Behrend, 141 tons, travelling from London to Brest with a load of coal.

At 1350 hours Noodt attacks freighter Ibex, but is in turn attacked by a seaplane, which drops bombs. Q-ship HMS Penshurst, under the command of Lt Cmdr Francis Grenfell, comes on the scene and the plane lands to get instructions. The pilot agrees to spot for Grenfell, but then crashes on takeoff. Penshurst moves to pick up the aircrew, at which point UB-19 surfaces and opens fire with her deck gun. At 1612, when UB-19 has closed to 1,000 yards, Grenfell has a boat party abandon ship. Noodt closes in to get the ship's papers. At 250 yards Grenfell opens fire. UB-19 sinks with the loss of 8 crewmen. Her captain is among the 16 survivors. Erich Noodt will end the war as a prisoner, return to the German Navy and leave service in March 1920.


Heinz Ziemer, in UB-23, sinks two ships off Ushant:
French schooner Gaete, 170 tons.
British schooner Heinrich, 125 tons, travelling for London to Saint Malo with a load of pitch.
Ziemer's opeining score is 2 vessels and 295 tons, but there is a problem. U-boat.net and Wrecksite.eu both attribute the sinking to a u-boat mysteriously labelled "UB 29-C19", of which there is no other record. Ziemer was definitely in UB-23, the only boat he ever commanded. Heinrich is not listed in any other sources.

Paul Günther, in UB-37, scuttles British fishing smack Concord, 51 tons, off Start Point, Devonshire, bringing his score to 9 vessels and 447 tons.

Heinrich Küstner, in UB-39, stops and scuttles two Allied ships:
Norwegian freighter SS Harald, 1,083 tons, bound from Algiers for Cherbourg with a load of wine.
Japanese freighter Nagata Maru, 3,521 tons, carrying a load of rice from Kobe to Le Havre.
Küstner's score is now 10 ships and 16,667 tons.

Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks two Allied ships and damages a third norht of Ushant:
Norwegian freighter SS Draupner, 1,126 tons, travelling in ballast from Saint Nazaire to Cardiff. Sunk.
French sailing vessel Therese, 165 tons, carrying a load of pit props from Bayonne to Swansea. Scuttled. Crew rescued the following day by French destroyer Fanion.
British freighter SS Eggesford, 4,414 tons, travelling in ballast from Bordeaux to Cardiff. Only damaged, made port safely.
Saltzwedel's score is now 8 ships and 4,340 tons.

British freighter SS Dartmeet, 886 tons, travelling in ballast from Saint Servan to Newport, Wales, sinks following a collision with SS Swazi nine miles northeast of Eddystone.



North Sea:
His Majesty's Trawler Eskburn, 90 tons, listed as lost following a collision. Other details unknown.



Black Sea:
UC-15 is lost somewhere off the mouth of the Danube River to unknown cause. 15 lost, no survivors.



Tyrrhenian Sea:
Kurt Hartwig, in U-32, sinks Italian barque San Antonio, 611 tons, carrying a load of timber from Rockland, Maine, to Naples. His score is now 6 ships and 24,767 tons.

Otto Schultze, in U-63, sinks British schooner Roma, 125 tons, travelling in ballast from Naples to St. John's, Newfoundland. His score is now 13 ships and 31,182 tons.



Canary Islands:
Spanish freighter SS Punta Anaga, 1,043 tons, is wrecked at Orotava, Tenerife.

[Jimbuna]

1st December 1916

Eastern Front

Russians driven off Rukida and Kirlibaba heights (Carpathians).

Romanians retire south-east from Campulung.

Severe fighting south of Pitesti.

Romanian Government moves to Jassy.

Russian troops arrive in Bucharest to reinforce Romanian troops in the defense of the capital. Germans are only 10 miles away.

Southern Front

Vicenza bombed.

Greek attack on Allied troops at Athens.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Surrender reported of sons of Ali Dinar (late Sultan of Darfur); organised resistance ended.

Political, etc.

Mr. Lloyd George declares his inability to remain in the Government.

British Admiral Baron Beresford warns about increased German submarine activity: “We are in a position of unparalleled gravity.”

Compared to 1910, the population of Berlin dropped by almost 300,000 and is now 1,712,679 people.

President Wilson, accompanied by Secret Service men, goes through Washington’s shopping district to buy Christmas presents.

Ship Losses:

Bossi (Norway) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 33 nautical miles (61 km) west south west of The Lizard, Cornwall, United Kingdom (49°38′N 5°50′W) by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Briardene (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 12.5 nautical miles (23.2 km) south east by east of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly (49°45′N 6°11′W) by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Burcombe (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 100 nautical miles (190 km) south east by east of Malta (35°20′N 16°23′E) by SM UC-22 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of three of her crew.
Camellia (United Kingdom) The fishing smack struck a mine and sank in the Atlantic Ocean off the Eddystone Lighthouse with the loss of three of her crew.
Cuore di Gesu (Italy) The brigantine was sunk in the Tyrrhenian Sea by SM U-32 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Douglas (Sweden) The cargo ship was sunk in the North Sea 120 nautical miles (220 km) off Lindesnes, Vest-Agder, Norway (56°36′N 4°37′E) by SM U-81 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
HMS E37 (Royal Navy) The E-class submarine was lost in the North Sea with the loss of all 30 crew.
E.L.G. (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 25 nautical miles (46 km) north west of Trevose Head, Cornwall by a Kaiserliche Marine submarine.
Erich Lindoe (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 150 nautical miles (280 km) off Ouessant, Finistère, France (47°45′N 7°48′W) by SM UB-37 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Indiana (France) The barquentine was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) north west of Trevose Head, Cornwall, (50°41′N 5°10′W) by SM UB-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her seven crew survived.
Jeanne d'Arc (France) The schooner was scuttled in the English Channel 10 nautical miles (19 km) north of the Île de Batz, Finistère by SM UB-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Kediri (Netherlands) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 10 nautical miles (19 km) south south east of Maspalomas, Canary Isles, Spain by SM U-47 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
King Bleddyn (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 30 nautical miles (56 km) south by west of Ouessant (47°54′N 5°07′W) by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Lampo (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Tyrrhenian Sea by SM U-32 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
René Montrieux (France) The schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean off Ouessant (48°37′N 5°01′W) by SM UC-19 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Saint Joseph (France) The schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 15 nautical miles (28 km) north north west of Trevose Head (50°46′N 4°52′W) by SM UB-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived, they were rescued by Cran ( Norway).
T. and A.C. (United Kingdom) The fishing smack was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 20 nautical miles (37 km) north north west of Trevose Head (50°50′N 5°30′W) by SM UB-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

December 1, 1916

Air War:
Sometime during this month, following protests from the German government to the American government, the name of French squadron N.124 is changed from Escadrille Américaine to Escadrille Lafayette.

French pilots Georges Madon and André Delorme, flying Nieuports, together claim a German two-seater, but it is unconfirmed.

Italian ace Mario Stoppani, in a Nieuport 11, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 6. This is Stoppani's last kill. In March 1917 he will become a test pilot for Ansaldo, where he will spend the rest of the war. After the war he will become an instructor and test pilot for various companies and set 41 records, mostly in seaplanes, continuing through the Second World War. Stoppani will live until 1959.



Celtic Sea:
Claus Lafrenz, in UB-18, scuttles three Allied vessels off the north coast of Cornwall:
British fishing smack T. and A.C., 23 tons.
French barquentine Indiana, 178 tons, carrying 226 tons of coal from Cardiff to La Rochelle.
French schoonter Saint Joseph, 182 tons, carrying 245 tons of coal from Cardiff to Bordeaux.
Lafrenz's score is now 18 vessels and 10,991 tons.

Erich Platsch, in UB-29, scuttles two Allied ships just off the west end of the Channel:
Norwegian freighter SS Bossi, 1,462 tons, travelling from Bordeaux to Barry with a load of pit props.
Brotosj freogjter SS Briardene, 2,701 tons, en route from New York to London with a general cargo.
Platsch's score is now 3 ships and 5,248 tons.

Paul Günther, in UB-37, sinks Norwegian freighter Erich Lindøe, 1,097 tons, carrying a load of coal from Glasgow to Gibraltar. His score is now 10 ships and 1,554 tons.

Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks British freighter SS King Bleddyn, 4,387 tons, bound from New York for Le Havre with a general cargo. His score is now 9 ships and 8,727 tons.



English Channel:
Heinrich Küstner, in UB-39, scuttles French schooner Jeanne d'Arc, 205 tons, travelling from Newfoundland to Granville with a load of salted codfish. His score is now 11 ships and 16,782 tons.

French schooner René-Montrieux, 234 tons, is stopped and scuttled north of Ushant. From the description given by the ship's Master this is credited to Alfred Nitzsche and UC-19, giving him 17 ships and 29,549 tons.

British fishing smack Camellia, 46 tons, hits a mine laid by an unknown vessel, with the loss of three lives including her master.



North Sea::
Raimund Weisbach, now commanding U-81, sinks Swedish freighter SS Douglas, 1,177 tons, bound from Grimsby to Skien with a general cargo, 120 miles west of Lindesnes. His score is now 7 ships and 20,457 tons.

British submarine E-37 is lost off Harwich along with all her crew. Cause unknown but presumed to be a mine.



Bay of Biscay:
Portuguese freighter SS Ilha do Fogo, 4,315 tons, sinks following a collision with SS Amelia Campisi, off San Sebastian, Spain.



Tyrrhenian Sea:
Kurt Hartwig, in U-32, sinks two Italian sailing vessels:
Brigantine Cuore Di Gesu, 199 tons.
Lampo, 59 tons.
Hartwig's score is now 8 vessels and 25,025 tons.



Mediterranean Sea:
Heino von Heimburg, in UC-22, torpedoes British freighter SS Burcombe, 3,516 tons, carrying a load of grain from Karachi to Hull. His score is now 9 ships and 31,286 tons.



Canary Islands:
Heinrich Metzger, in U-47, torpedoes Dutch freighter SS Kediri, 3,781 tons, carrying a load of sugar and tin, plus a general cargo, from Batavia to Marseille and Rotterdam, off Maspalomas, Gran Canaria. His score is now 4 ships and 5,716 tons.

[Jimbuna]

2nd December 1916

Eastern Front

Continued Russian offensive in Carpathians.

Romanian front: Heavy fighting at Cerna Voda (Dobruja); serious enemy pressure towards Bucharest.

Southern Front

Serbs carry strong Bulgar positions north of Gumishta; Turks assist Bulgars at Seres and Drama.

Armistice concluded at Athens; Allied troops withdrawn.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Embargo on all Greek vessels in Allied ports.

Greece declared in state of blockade.

Greek Government agrees to surrender six (subsequently eight) field batteries.

Political, etc.

Premier Asquith meets with the King, as David Lloyd George challenges Asquith’s leadership.

200 people are killed in Athens due to clashes between Entente and Greek troops. King Constantine of Greece agrees to a truce.

Ship Losses:

HMT Adequate (Royal Navy) The naval trawler was lost on this date.
Angelo Madre G. (Italy) The brigantine was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Isola Rossa, Sardinia (42°44′N 8°48′E) by SM U-32 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Bravo (Spain) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Ouessant, Finistère, France by SM U-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Demetrios Inglesis (Greece) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Ouessant, Finistère, France by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
France Chérie (United Kingdom) The cargo ship sprang a leak and was beached at Sutton Harbour, Devon.
Godafoss (Denmark) The mailboat ran aground at Straumnes, Iceland and was wrecked.
Harpalus (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 34 nautical miles (63 km) south south west of Galley Head, County Cork (50°56′N 8°58′W) by SM UB-23 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Hitterøy (Norway) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 26 nautical miles (48 km) west south west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom (49°42′N 7°04′W) by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Istrar (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 120 nautical miles (220 km) north north west of Alexandria, Egypt (33°15′N 28°20′E) by SM U-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member. One of the survivors was taken as a prisoner of war.
Luigi C. (Italy) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Isola Rossa, Sardinia by SM U-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Palacine (Canada) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 18 nautical miles (33 km) east north east of Ouessant (48°40′N 4°43′W) by SM UB-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Robinson (France) The brig was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 15 nautical miles (28 km) west north west of Ouessant (48°32′N 5°25′W) by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew were rescued by Ardent ( French Navy).
Roma (Italy) The barque was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Isola Rossa (42°45′N 8°58′E) by SM U-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Palermo (Italy) The passenger ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 25 nautical miles (46 km) off Cape San Sebastian, Spain by SM U-72 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Skjodulf (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 26 nautical miles (48 km) south of the Longships Lighthouse (49°45′N 6°13′W) by SM UB-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Uribitarte (Spain) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 15 nautical miles (28 km) south west of Ouessant by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Voltaire (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 650 nautical miles (1,200 km) west of the Fastnet Rock by SMS Möwe ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew were taken as prisoners of war.

[Sailor Steve]

December 2, 1916

Air War:
German ace Hartmuth Baldamus, flying a Fokker E.IV, shoots down a pair of Caudrons for victories number 8 and 9.

German ace Hermann Pfeiffer, alson in a Fokker E.IV, shoots down a Caudron for victory number 8.



Celtic Sea:
Claus Lafrenz, commanding UB-18, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Skjoldulf, 502 tons, bound from Cardiff for Marans with a load of coal, just off the west end of the English Channel. His score is now 19 ships and 11,403 tons.

Heinz Ziemer, in U-23, captures and sinks British freighter SS Harpalus, 1,445 tons, carrying a load of coal from Penarth to Nantes. His score is now 3 ships and 1,740 tons.

Erich Platsch, in UB-29, stops and scuttles Norwegian freighter SS Hitterøy, 1,985 tons, travelling from Glasgow to Civitavecchia with a load of coal. His score is now 4 ships and 7,233 tons.

Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks three ships off Ushant:
Greek freighter SS Demetros Inglesis, 2,088 tons, carrying a load of maize from Rosario to Hull.
French sailing vessel Robinson, 186 tons, stopped and scuttled while underway from Newport, Wales to La Rochelle with 250 tons of coal.
Spanish freighter SS Urbitarte, 1,756 tons, travelling from Bilbao to Cardiff with a load of iron ore.
Saltzwedel's score is now 12 ships and 12,757 tons.



English Channel:
Heinrich Küstner, in UB-39, sinks Canadian freighter SS Palacine, 3,286 tons, bound from New York for Le Havre and Rouen with a load of oil. His score is now 12 ships and 20,068 tons.



North Sea:
Norwegian barque Henrik Ibsen, 850 tons, departed Frederikstad for Leith with a load of pit props on November 14th. On December 2nd she was found drifting with a large hole in the bow, suggesting a collision. The crew were never found, and the ship was condemned for scrap.

British trawler Queenstown, 161 tons, is wrecked on the Farne Islands.

German freighter SS Schwalbe, 1,178 tons, collides with German freighter Timandra off Haugesund, Norway. Schwalbe is beached, but finally lost.



Golfo de León:
Ernst Krafft, in U-72, sinks Italian passenger liner SS Palermo, 9,203 tons, carrying horses, munitions and general cargo from New York to Genoa. Sunk off Cabo San Sebastian, Spain. His score is now 10 ships and 19,260 tons.



Ligurian Sea:
Kurt Hartwig, in U-32, sinks Italian brigantine Angela Maria G, 155 tons, just north of Sardinia. His score is now 9 shipx and 25,180 tons.

Otto Schultze, in U-63, sinks two Italian ships north of Sardinia:
Sailing vessel Luigi C, 71 tons.
Barque Roma, 643 tons.
Schultze's score is now 15 ships and 31,896 tons.



Mediterranean Sea:
Walter Forstmann, in U-39, sinks British freighter SS Istrar, 4,582 tons, travelling from Birkenhead to Calcutta with a load of coal plus general cargo. His score is now 137 ships and 274,732 tons.



Australia:
British ketch Swansea, 52 tons, is lost off Newcastle, New South Wales harbour.



Atlantic Ocean:
American schooner Marcus L. Urann, 1,576 tons, carrying a load of lumber from St. Joe, Florida to Naples, becomes waterlogged and dismasted in a storm east of Bermuda. Most of the crew are washed overboard. The three survivors are rescued nearly two weeks later by Spanish ship Mar Del Orte.

German surface raider SMS Möwe captures and sinks British freighter SS Voltaire, 8,168 tons, travelling in ballast from Liverpool to Boston.

[Jimbuna]

3rd December 1916

Eastern Front

Severe fighting in Carpathian and Moldavian Valleys; Russians push up the Trotus.

Romanian retreat south-east; heavily beaten by Mackensen on Lower Arges.

Bulgars repulse Russian assaults in the Dobruja.

Southern Front

Outrages against Venizelists at Athens; 1,300 French troops landed at Piraeus, but re-embarked.

Naval and Overseas Operations

German submarine SM U-38 raids the port of Funchal, Portugal, and sinks 1 British ship and 2 French ships.

Political, etc.

Mr. Asquith decides on re-construction of Government.

Wage dispute in South Wales settled in favour of miners.

Greek Government gives pledge to Allies.

Russian Premier Trepov promises that after the war, Russia will create a new Kingdom of Poland that encompasses all Polish territory.

Ship Losses:

Aiglon (France) The barquentine was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 35 nautical miles (65 km) north north west of Ouessant, Finistère by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Dacia (United Kingdom) The cable layer was torpedoed and sunk at Funchal, Madeira, Portugal by SM U-38 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Kanguroo (France) The submarine carrier was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off Funchal, Madeira by SM U-38 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Louise (France) The schooner was scuttled in the English Channel (49°17′N 5°17′W) by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew were rescued by Kalfond ( Norway).
Mizpah (United Kingdom) The ketch was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 30 nautical miles (56 km) south south east of the Eddystone Lighthouse (49°47′N 3°40′W) by SM UB-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
HMS Perugia (Royal Navy) The Q-ship was sunk in the Gulf of Genoa (42°54′N 7°39′E) by SM U-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Plata (Italy) The cargo ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 33°40′N 28°10′E) by SM U-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Primevere (France) The schooner was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 12 nautical miles (22 km) north of the Stiff Lighthouse, Finistère by SM UB-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
HMT Remarko (Royal Navy) The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 4 (Hans Howaldt) and sank in the North Sea off Lowestoft, Suffolk (54°20′N 1°53′E) with the loss of twelve of her crew.
Seeker (United Kingdom) The schooner was scuttled in the English Channel 30 nautical miles (56 km) north west of the Les Hanois Lighthouse, Guernsey, Channel Islands by SM UB-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Surprise (French Navy) The Surprise-class gunboat was torpedoed and sunk off Funchal by SM U-38 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Verdun (France) The ship was sunk in the Bay of Biscay off the Glénan Islands, Finistère (47°19′N 5°32′W) by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Yrsa (Denmark) The coaster was sunk in the English Channel 30 nautical miles (56 km) west north west of Guernsey by SM UB-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

December 3, 1916

Air War:
Galicia-born Austro-Hungarian pilot Godwin Brumowski, flying the new single-seater Hansa-Brandenburg D.I 65.53, shoots down a Caproni bomber for victory number 4.

Two Austro-Hungarian two-seater crews team up to bring down another Caproni bomber.
Hansa-Brandenburg C.I 29.61: Adolf Heyrowski, victory number 6, Stefan Wagner, number 1.
Hansa C.I 20.08: Franz Mahner, number 1, Alexander Tahy, number 1.



Celtic Sea:
Italian freighter SS Giustizia, 1,168 tons, bound from Lisbon for Glasgow with a load of cork, is shelled and sunk by an unidentified German submarine. It is assumed the attacking boat was either UB-29 or UC-19, both of which were sunk not long after.



English Channel:
Claus Lafrenz, commanding UB-18, sinks three Allied ships near the west end of the Channel:
British ketch Mizpah, 57 tons, travelling in ballast from Saint Malo to Charlestown, Cornwall.
British schooner Seeker, 74 tons, travelling in ballast from Saint Malo to Plymouth.
Danish freighter SS Yrsa, carrying a load of lead and fruit from La Garrucha, Spain to London and Newcastle.
Lafrenz's score is now 22 ships and 20,270 tons.

Heinrich Küstner, in UB-39, sinks French schooner Primevere, 143 tons, carrying a load of coal from Swansea to Montagne. His score is now 13 ships and 20,211 tons.

Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, stops and scuttles three French ships near Ushant:
Barquentine Aiglon, 280 tons, en route from Cardif to Lorient.
Schooner Louise, 155 tons, carrying a load of coal from Swansea to Bordeaux.
Sailing vessel Verdun, 184 tons, travelling from Halifax to Saint Malo with a load of peas.
Saltzwedel now has 15 ships and 13,367 tons.



North Sea:
His Majesty's Trawler Remarko, 245 tons, hits a mine laid off Lowestoft by Hans Howaldt in UC-4, bringing his score to 5 ships and 3,517 tons.



Ligurian Sea:
Kurt Hartwig, in U-32, torpedoes British freighter SS Lucellum, 5,184 tons, carrying petroleum from New Orleans to La Spezia, near San Rafael. The damaged ship manages to make Villefranche safely.



Gulf of Genoa:
Otto Schultze, in U-63, sinks British Q-ship SS Perugia, 4,348 tons, raising his score to 16 ships and 36,244 tons.



Madeira:
Max Valentiner, in U-38, torpedoes three ships at Funchal Harbor:
British cable-laying ship Dacia, 1,856 tons, picking up telegraph cable from Gibraltar to Madeira.
French submarine carrier Kanguroo, 2,493 tons, travelling from Bordeaux to Madeira.
French gunboate Surprise, 680 tons.
Valentiner's score is now 115 ships and 250,542 tons.



Mediterranean Sea:
Walter Forstmann, in U-39, sinks Italian freighter SS Plata, 1861 tons, en route from Genoa to Alexandria, bringing his score to 138 ships and 276,593 tons.

[Jimbuna]

4th December 1916

Eastern Front

Fighting in Stanislau and Tarnopol (Galicia).

Russians capture peak commanding Jablonitsa Pass.

Struggle continues round Bucharest.

Southern Front

French and Serbs advance eastwards of Monastir.

Quieter at Athens; detachments (Allies) continue to re-embark.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Great aerial activity on Tigris front (Mesopotamia).

Political, etc.

Canadian War Department reports Canadian casualties now numbers 65,680 soldiers.

Ship Losses:

Algerie (France) The passenger ship was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 145 nautical miles (269 km) south east of Malta by SM UC-22 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Caledonia (United Kingdom) The passenger ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea 125 nautical miles (232 km) east by south of Malta (35°40′N 17°05′E) by SM U-65 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member. Her captain was taken as a prisoner of war.
Fofo (Greece) The cargo ship was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 40 nautical miles (74 km) off Ouessant, Finistère, France by SM UB-37 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Hallbjørg (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk with scuttling charges in the Atlantic Ocean (49°09′N 26°08′W) by SMS Möwe ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Nervion (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south of the Fastnet Rock by SM UB-23 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her 24 crew were rescued by Zaanland ( Netherlands).
Pallas (Russia) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 32 nautical miles (59 km) south west of Ar Men, Finistère (47°50′N 5°52′W) by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Senta (Sweden) The barque was sunk in the Kattegat 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south west of Ryvingen Lighthouse, Vest-Agder, Norway by SM U-58 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

"As Low As Possible" (News Of The World cartoon).

[Sailor Steve]

December 4, 1916

Air War:
Fokker D.I 175/16 suffers a wing failure, killing Karl Ehrnthaller of Jasta 1. This is the second such accident since the plane went into service.

0750 French ace Marcel Viallet, flying a Nieuport, shoots down a Fokker fighter, model unknown, for victory number 7.

1010 Canadian RFC pilot Carleton Main Clement and observer J.K. Campbell, in FE.2b 7703, shoot down an Albatros D.I for victory number 1.

1010 English pilot Alwyne Lloyd, flying FE.2b 4855 with 2nd Lt L.C. Welford as observer, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 2.

1015 Canadian RFC pilot Chster Duffus, flying FE.2b 4883 with 2nd Lt G.O. McEntee as observer, shoots down an Albatros D.I for victory number 4.

1100 Australian RNAS ace Stanley Goble, flying Sopwith Pup N5194, shoots down a Halberstadt D.II for victory number 7.

1100 Australian RNAS observer George Goodman Simpson, in Nieuport 5938, shares an Albatros D.I with Lt Colin Roy McKenzie for victory number 1.

1130 Australian RNAS pilot Bob Little, in Sopwith Pup 5182, shoots down a Halberstadt D.II for victory number 2.

1200 French ace Charles Nungesser, in a Nieuport 17, shoots down a Halberstadt D.III for victory number 19.

1250 English pilot Edwin Benbow, in FE.8 7627, shoots down an Albatros D.I for victory number 4.

1305 Charles Nungesser scores his second kill of the day, shooting down an LVG two-seater for number 20. Eight-kill ace observer Hans Schilling is killed along with pilot Lt Rosenbachs. Schilling scored all his kills with Albert Dossenbach as pilot. The pair had split up after both were wounded on November 3rd.

German pilot Otto Splitgerber, probably flying a Fokker D.I, shoots down FE.2b 7022 for victory number 1.



Celtic Sea:
Heinz Zeimer, commanding UB-23, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Nervion, 1,921 tons, bound from Skien for Nantes with a load of nitrate. His score is now 4 ships and 3,661 tons.

German surface raider SMS Möwe captures and sinks Norwegian freighter SS Hallbjorg, 2,586 tons, carrying 3,500 tons of rubber, meat, cars and metal products.



English Channel:
Spanish freighter SS Julian Benito 1,075 tons, is stopped and scuttled by a German u-boat. Since no boats claimed this sinking it is again assumed to be the work of either UB-29 or UC-19.

Paul Günther, in UB-37, stops and scuttles Greek freighter SS Fofo, 2,615 tons, en route from Tyne to Saint Vincent with a load of coal. His score is now 11 ships and 4,169 tons.



Bay of Biscay:
Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks Russian freighter SS Pallas, 1,202 tons, carrying a load of fruit from Valencia to Bristol. His score is now 16 ships and 14,239 tons.



Kattegat:
Kurt Wippern, in U-58, stops and scuttles Swedish barque Senta, 1,024 tons, carrying a load of lumber from Drammen to Delagoa Bay, South Africa. Sunk just off Ryningen. Wippern's score is 2 ships and 1,164 tons.



Mediterranean Sea:
Hermann von Fischel, in U-65, torpedoes British freighter SS Caledonia, 9,223 tons, travelling from Salonica to Marseille with mail. The ships master is taken prisoner, along with Major General H.S.L. Ravenshaw and his aide. This is Fischel's first sinking.

Heino von Heimburg, in UC-22, sinks French passenger liner SS Algerie, 4,035 tons, travelling from Salonica to France. His score is now 10 ships and 35,321 tons.



Atlantic Ocean:
American schooner Margaret M. Ford, 291 tons, carrying a load of lumber from Santo Domingo to New York, is wrecked off the Bahamas.

[Aktungbby]

12/05/1916: After much British cabinet backroom politicking and 'backstabbing', Herbert Henry Asquith, regarded as a successful 'peacetime' PM, resigns as wartime British Prime Minister and David Lloyd George succeeds him. As great a case of switching horses in midstream as ever seen in history imho. The 'shell crises' and the failure of the Dardanelles campaign under his leadership notwithstanding, the epic Battle of Jutland had occurred and the German High Seas fleet would remain 'bottled up' for the duration of the war putting paid to "Germany's place in the sun" as Kaiser Wilhelm had envisioned. His own son, Raymond Asquith, a 38 year-old barrister, had been killed 15/SEP/1916 on the Somme leading his company....not three months previously.

[Jimbuna]

5th December 1916

Eastern Front

Enemy counter-attacks in Carpathians.

Mackensen's demand for surrender of Bucharest refused; enemy advancing on Ploeshti (oilfields); Romanians abandon Predeal Pass; their Orsova rearguard gives battle on the Aluta.

Southern Front

Greece: Much unrest at Athens, but comparative order. Reservists concerned in attack dismissed.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Reported advance of Turks in Arabia to Yanbu Port.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Portuguese invested by Germans at Newala escape over Rovuma River to Nangadi.

Political, etc.

H. H. Asquith resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom due to political conflict with Lloyd George.

Allies associate themselves with Belgian protest against German slave raids in Belgium.

Belgian poet Maurice Maeterlinck urges the US to act, saying, “What Germany is doing [in Belgium] is wholesale murder.”

To conserve food, British Board of Trade bans meals that exceed 3-courses at hotels and restaurants, starting after December 18.

Ship Losses:

Dorit (Denmark) The three-masted schooner was sunk in the North Sea 100 nautical miles (190 km) west of Hanstholm, Nordjylland by SM U-82 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Ella (Norway) The coaster was sunk in the North Sea by SM U-82 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Grigorios Anghelatos (Greece) The cargo ship was sunk in the Gulf of Genoa 20 nautical miles (37 km) south of Genoa, Italy (43°52′N 8°49′E) by SM U-63 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Nexos (Denmark) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 26 nautical miles (48 km) west south west of Ar Men, Finistère, France (48°02′N 5°40′W) by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Pio IX (Spain) The cargo ship foundered in the Atlantic Ocean 800 nautical miles (1,500 km) south east of Madeira, Portugal. Twenty-two of her 61 crew were rescued by Buenos Ayres (flag unknown) and another vessel.
Stettin (Norway) The coaster was scuttled in the North Sea 48 nautical miles (89 km) south west by west of Slotterø, Rogaland (59°20′N 3°49′E) by SM U-58 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.[
HMT Tervani (Royal Navy)The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 4 Hans Howaldt) and sank in the North Sea off Orfordness, Suffolk (52°06′00″N 1°39′30″E) with the loss of a crew member.

[Sailor Steve]

December 5, 1916

Celtic Sea:
Reinhold Saltzwedel, commanding UC-21, sinks Danish freighter SS Nexos, 1,013 tons, bound from Catagena to London with a load of fruit plus a general cargo. His score is now 17 ships and 15,252 tons.



North Sea:
Kurt Wippern, in U-58, stops and scuttles Norwegian coaster SS Stettin, 412 tons, carrying a general cargo from Bergen to Newcastle. His score is now 3 ships and 1,576 tons.

His Majesty's Trawler Tervani, 457 tons, hits a mine laid by Hans Howaldt in UC-4, raising his score to 6 ships and 3,974 tons.

Hans Adam, in U-82, begins his career with two Allied ships:
Danish schooner Dorit, 247 tons, travelling from Uddesvall to West Hartlepool with a load of pit props.
Norwegian freighter SS Ella, 879 tons, en route from Göteborg to Goole with a general cargo.
Adam's opening score is 2 ships and 1,126 tons.



Ligurian Sea:
Otto Schultze, in U-63, sinks Greek freighter SS Grigorios Anghelatos, 3,635 tons, en route from an unknown starting point to Genoa with a load of coal. His score is now 17 ships and 39,879 tons.



Aegean Sea:
Italian freighter SS Helvetia, 1,664 tons, travelling in ballast from Salonika to Naples, sinks following a collision off Patsura, Salonika.



Australia:
Australian cutter Olive, 43 tons, laden with 72 bales of wool, is lost off Dorre Island, Carnarvon, Western Australia.



Atlantic Ocean:
Spanish passenger/cargo ship SS Pio IX, 3,895 tons, bound from New Orleans for Barcelona with a load of staves and cotton, founders after her cargo shifts, 300 miles off Las Palmas, with the loss of 40 lives.

[Jimbuna]

6th December 1916

Western Front

Germans gain footing in salient, Hill 304 (Verdun).

Eastern Front

Fighting in Volhynia, west of Lutsk, round Tarnopol and Stanislau (Galicia) and round Dorna Vatra (Bukovina).

Fall of Bucharest, Ploeshti and Sinaia.

Orsova rear-guard on the Aluta capitulates (with 8,000 men).

Southern Front

Enemy activity on the Carso checked.

Reciprocal air attacks on Trieste and Aquileia (Isonzo mouth).

Hard fighting round Monastir.

Royalists at Athens in control. British legation prepares to leave.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Further German attacks on Kibata (East Africa) repelled 7-15 December.

Mount Temple, a ship that responded to the Titanic’s distress signal, is captured by German raider SMS Möwe. She is then scuttled, resulting in the loss of her cargo, which included 710 horses and 22 crates of dinosaur fossils.


Political, etc.

Cabinet Crisis: Mr. Lloyd George asked to form administration.

Greek Provisional Government at Salonika denounces Royalist Government at Athens as unrepresentative.

King George signs an Order in Council giving the Board of Agriculture power to seize land to grow food.

German newspapers react to Prime Minister Asquith’s resignation, predicting that the war will end soon.

Ship Losses:

Amicitia (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 120 nautical miles (220 km) south west of Ouessant, Finistère, France by SM UB-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Ans (Russia) The three-masted schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 15 nautical miles (28 km) south west of the Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom (49°42′N 6°43′W) by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Campania (Italy) The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the Tyrrhenian Sea (41°20′N 11°30′E) by SM U-32 ( Kaiserliche Marine)
Christine (Denmark) The three-masted schooner was sunk in the North Sea 110 nautical miles (200 km) west of Hanstholm, Nordjylland (56°53′N 5°23′E) by SM U-82 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Duchess of Cornwall (United Kingdom) The sailing vessel was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 650 nautical miles (1,200 km) west of the Fastnet Rock by SMS Möwe ( Kaiserliche Marine): Her crew were taken as prisoners of war.
Gerona (Spain) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel (49°04′N 6°20′W) by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Halfdan (Denmark) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 20 nautical miles (37 km) south of the Eddystone Lighthouse by SM UB-37 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Marie (Denmark) The three-masted schooner was scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 10 nautical miles (19 km) west of the Bishop Rock (49°50′N 6°41′W) by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Mount Temple (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was captured and scuttled in the Atlantic Ocean 1,200 nautical miles (2,200 km) north of the Azores, Portugal by SMS Möwe ( Kaiserliche Marine with the loss of four of her crew.
Robert (Denmark) The barque was sunk in the North Sea 110 nautical miles (200 km) west of Hanstholm by SM U-82 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Shchit (Imperial Russian Navy) The minesweeper struck a mine laid by UC 25 (Johannes Feldkirchner) and sank in the Baltic Sea.
SM UC-19 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type UC II submarine was depth charged and sunk in the English Channel (49°41′N 6°31′W) by HMS Ariel ( Royal Navy) with the loss of all 25 crew.

[Sailor Steve]

December 6, 1916

Air War:
Following wing failures in two Fokker D.Is and at least five Eindeckers, all Fokker fighters are grounded.



Celtic Sea:
Erich Platsch, commanding UB-29, stops and scuttles two Allied vessels near Bishop Rock:
Russian schooner Ans, 362 tons, travelling from Preston to Nantes.
Danish schooner Marie, 325 tons, carrying a load of pitch from Liverpool to Charente.
Platsch's score is now 6 ships and 7,920 tons.

Heinrich Küstner, in UB-39, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Amicitia, 1,111 tons, carrying a load of pyrites from Seville to Honfleur. His score is now 14 ships and 5,474 tons.

Reinhold Saltzwedel, in UC-21, sinks Spanish freighter SS Gerona, 1,328 tons, en route from Oporto to Cardiff with a general cargo, off the western entrance to the Channel. His score is now 18 ships and 16,580 tons.



English Channel:
British freighter SS Poona, 7,626 tons, bound from London for Calcutta with a general cargo, is damaged by a mine laid by an unknown source. the ship makes it safely to port.

Paul Günther, in UB-37, captures Danish freighter SS Halfdan, 1,305 tons, travelling from Newcastle to Livorno with a load of coke, and sinks her with a torpedo. His score is now 12 ships and 5,474 tons.

HMS Ariel depth-charges and sinks UC-19. All 25 crew lost, including her captain Alfred Nitzsche, 0 survivors. In January two more ships will be sunk by mines from UC-19.



North Sea:
Hans Adam, in U-82, stops and scuttles two Danish sailing vessels.
Schooner Christine, 196 tons, carrying a load of pit props from Halmstad to West hartlepool.
Barque Robert, 353 tons, also out of Halmstad for West Hartlepool with a load of pit props.
Adam's score is now 4 ships and 1,675 tons.



Baltic Sea:
Russian minesweeper Shchit, 248 tons, hits a mine laid by Johannes Feldkirchner in UC-25 between Hiiu and Saare (Dagö and Osel in German). His score is now 3 ships and 1,189 tons.



Tyrhennian Sea:
Kurt Hartwig, in U-32, uses his deck gun to sink Italian freighter SS Campania, 4,297 tons, en route from Genoa to Karachi. His score is now 10 ships and 29,477 tons.



Atlantic Ocean:
German raider SMS Möwe captures and scuttles British passenger/cargo ship SS Mount Temple, 9,792 tons, travelling from Montreal, Canada to Brest and Liverpool with a cargo of 710 horses, 6,250 tons of goods including 3,000 tons of corn, 1,400 cases of eggs and 22 crates of dinosaur fossils. Mount Temple's captain, Alfred Henry Sargent, puts up a fight which results in the loss of 4 of the ship's 116 crew. The captain and surviving 112 crew are placed aboard the captured British freighter SS Yarrowdale and sent to Swinemünde (Świnoujście), Poland.

[Jimbuna]

7th December 1916

Western Front

French regain trenches lost on Hill 304.

Eastern Front

Russians attack in south-east Galicia.

Fighting in Oitoz and Trotus valleys.

Romanian retreat east on all fronts; Wallachia in enemy's hands; latter checked on Moldavian frontier.

Southern Front

Heavy fighting in Monastir region.

Action south of Seres.

Sir G. Milne's despatch of 9 October 1916 issued, covering operations on Salonika front 9 July to 8 October 1916.

Troops from the Morea concentrating round Athens.

Persecution of Venizelists continues.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

East African situation described.

Sir P. Chetwode assumes command of deser (Sinai) column.

Naval and Overseas Operations

German submarine UB-46 hits a Russian mine near Bosphorus, resulting in the deaths of all 20 crew. Wreckage today.

Political, etc.

Mr. Lloyd George becomes Prime Minister.

In Britain, workers in munition factories are now also subject to conscription.

French Chamber of Deputies votes 344 to 160 expressing confidence in their government in its conduct of the war.

Ship Losses:

August (Sweden) The barquentine was sunk in the North Sea by SM U-59 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Avristan (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 14 nautical miles (26 km) south by west of Ouessant, Finistère, France (47°13′N 5°12′W) by SM UC-21 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of a crew member.
Bato (France) The cargo ship caught fire and sank at Addah, French West Africa.
Bravo (Spain) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 7 nautical miles (13 km) south west of the Créac'h Lighthouse, Finistère by SM UB-39 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Keltier (Belgium) The cargo ship was torpedoed and damaged in the Atlantic Ocean 40 nautical miles (74 km) west of the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived. She was towed to Falmouth, Cornwall, United Kingdom where she was beached on 12 December. Later repaired and returned to service.
Marguerite Dollfus (France) The barque was scuttled in the English Channel 35 nautical miles (65 km) north west of Guernsey, Channel Islands (49°45′N 3°40′W) by SM UB-37 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew were rescued by Baltic ( Norway).
Meteor (Norway) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south west of the Isles of Scilly (49°23′N 7°54′W) by SM UB-29 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Spyros (Greece) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean south of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain (28°00′N 14°20′W) by SM U-47 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
SM UB-46 (Kaiserliche Marine) The Type UB II submarine struck a mine and sank in the Black Sea off Akpına, Turkey with the loss of all twenty crew.