[Sailor Steve]

May 15, 1917

Air War:
0645 German pilot Friedrich Christian Christiansen and observer Ltn z.S. Hillger, flying Friedrichshaven FF.33 938 with FF.33s 936 and 937, come across a pair of FBA flying boats escorted by a Sopwith Pup. Christiansen and Hillger shoot down the Pup for victory number 1. The two British patrol planes were forced to land. as was FF.33 937. 938 rescues Ltn z.S. Röver and Flugmt Elässer and sinks the crippled FF.33 with their machine gun. FF.33 936 finds a German destroyer and reports the downed British boats. The destroyer takes the crews prisoner and sinks the aircraft.

0830 German pilot Joachim von Bertrab, in an Altabros D.III, shoots down FE.2d A6446 for victory number 5. 2nd Lt E.J. Grout and AM2 A. Tyrrel are taken prisoner.

Austrian ace Adolf Heyrowski in Hansa-Brandenburg C.I 19.64 with Ladislaus Hauser as observer, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 9.

Italian Pilot Orazio Pierozzi, in a Nieuport, shoots down a Lohner K flying boat for victory number 1.



North Atlantic Ocean, far northwest of Ireland:
Leo Hillebrand, commanding U-46, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Grosholm, 1,847 tons, travelling in ballast from Liverpool to Norfolk. His score is now 24 ships and 46,709 tons.



Far west of Ireland:
Karl Edeling, in U-48, sinks French freighter SS Meuse, 4,075 tons, bound from New York for Le Havre with a general cargo. His score is now 3 ships and 17,703 tons.



English Channel:
Claus Lafrenz, in UB-18, sinks Greek freighter Panaghi Lykiardopoulo, 3,193 tons, en route from Tyne to Genoa with a load of coal; off Roches Douvres lighthouse. His score is now 47 ships and 51,822 tons.

Hans Howaldt, in UB-40, scuttles British barquentine Cuba, 271 tons, off the Owers lightship, bringing his score to 27 vessels and 23,102 tons.

Johannes Lohs, in UC-75, torpedoes British freighter SS Polymnia, 2,426 tons, en route from Lisbon to the United Kingdom with a load of iron ore and fruit. His score is now 17 ships and 7,419 tons.



North Sea:
Hugo Thielmann, in UC-71, scuttles Dutch auxiliary motor sailing vessel Boras, 192 tons, carrying a load of zinc ore fro Gothenburg to Rotterdam; off Ymuiden. His total is now 5 vessels and 8,975 tons.



Skagerrak:
Erich Haecker, in UC-79, takes Danish freighter SS Ellen, 786 tons, as a prize. It is later released by the Prize Court.



Alboran Sea:
Heinrich Metzger, in U-47, attacks British freighter SS Pancras, 4,436 tons, carrying a load of coal from Cardiff to Almeria, off Punta Entinas-Sabinar with his deck gun. The damaged ship is beached, refloated and returned to service.



Balearic Sea:
1700 Johannes Klasing, in U-34, scuttles British freighter SS Tung Shan, 3,999 tons, on its way from Tyne to Genoa with a load of coal; off Cabo San Antonio. His score is now 20 ships and 23,390 tons.



Adriatic Sea:
French destroyer Boutefeu, 703 tons, hits a mine laid off Brindisi, Italy by Johannes Feldkirchner in UC-25. His tally is now 7 ships and 2,519 tons.



Strait of Messina:
Otto Schultze, in U-63, torpedoes Italian freighter SS Ferrara, 5,660 tons. The ship is beached and later refloated.