100 Years Ago Today

[Sailor Steve]

November 15, 1916

Air War:
French pilot Jean Derode, flying a Nieuport, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 1.



Celtic Sea:
Richard Hartmann, commanding U-49, sinks two Allied ships west of Ushant:
French barque La Briantais, 255 tons, bound from Trinidad for Le Havre with barrels of asphalt.
British freighter SS Lorca, 4,129 tons, carrying a load of timber from Gulfport to Calais. There are no survivors, and the ship is listed as missing.
Hartmann's score is now 18 ahips and 35,763 tons.

British passenger liner SS Lake Michigan, 9,2588 tons, travelling from Montreal to Brest and then London with horses and a general cargo, hits a mine laid by Wilhelm Kiel in UC-18. The ship is only damaged and makes port safely.

British brigantine Brocklesby, 168 tons, departs Swansea for Guernsey with a load of coal and is not heard from again.



English Channel:
Ralph Wenninger, in UC-17, sinks two ships at the far west end of the Channel:
French barque La Rochejacquelein, 2,199 tons, en route from San Francisco to Ipswich with a load of barley.
Norwegian freighter SS Torridal, 688 tons, travelling from Middlesbrough to Hennebont with a load of pig iron.
Wenninger's score is now 21 ships and 11,221 tons.

British freighter SS Saint Leonards, 4,574 tons, carrying a load of grain from Philadelphia to Le Havre, hits a mine laid by Matthias von Schmettow near Le Havre. His score is now 51 ships and 72,560 tons.



North Sea:
Erich Platsch, in UB-29, takes Dutch freighter SS Midsland, 1,085 tons, travelling from Rotterdam to Newcastle, as a prize. This is his first score.

Danish schooner Doris, 146 tons, is wrecked near West Hartlepool.

Swedish barquentine Höganäs is lost after running aground. No details available.

Danish brigantine Jorgen Larsen departs Dysart for Thurø with a load of coal and is not heard from again.

British freighter SS Reindeer, 2,412 tons, departed Dieppe for Middlesbrough in ballast. Last seen passing the Downs on the 15th and not heard from again.



Barents Sea:
Russian freighter SS Koursk, 6,254 tons, travelling from London to Arkhangelsk, hits a mine laid by Waldemar Bender in U-76 off Svatoy Nos, at the entrance to the White Sea. The ship is only damaged, and makes port safely.



Mediterranean Sea:
Robert Moraht, in U-64, sinks British freighter Fort Matarazzo, 2,823 tons, travelling from Cardiff to an unknown destination with a load of coal. His score is now 5 ships and 9,821 tons.

[Jimbuna]

16th November 1916

Western Front

Heavy French and German air fights near Amiens.

British line extended east from Beaucourt, retreat from part of ground east of Butte de Warlencourt.

French regain ground east of Pressoir.

Eastern Front

Romanian retreat continuing; severe fighting south-east of Tolgyes, near Campulung, and in valleys of Aluta and Jiu.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Indian frontier raid: defeat of Pathans near Shabkadar (Peshawar valley) (aeroplanes used).

Aviation

A war aeroplane is used for the first time in India, as they are used by the British to beat back a raid from the Afghan frontier.

Naval

German blockade-runner submarine Deutschland leaves New London, Connecticut after conducting trade with the U.S.

Political, etc.

Jean Cruppi, former Foreign Minister of France, urges the French government to save Romania, which is defending against a German offensive.

German governors in Poland issue an edict recognizing Judaism as a religion in the civil law.

Ship Losses:

Alphonse Marceline (Belgium) The fishing vessel was sunk in the English Channel off Cap d'Antifer, Seine-Maritime, France by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of four crew.
Antelope (Sweden) The wooden barque was last heard from departing West Hartlepool bound for Uddevalla. No information is available on the cause of her disappearance. Ten casualties.
HMT Anthony Hope (Royal Navy) The naval trawler struck a mine laid by UC 26 (Matthias Graf von Schmettow) and sank in the English Channel off Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France (49°31′N 0°02′W) with the loss of two of her crew.
Dolfijn (Netherlands) The sailing vessel was scuttled in the North Sea (56°50′N 4°20′E) by SM U-47 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Eugenie (France) The sailing vessel was sunk in the English Channel 35 nautical miles (65 km) south of The Lizard, Cornwall, United Kingdom by SM UC-17 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Fenja (Denmark) The barque was sunk in the Baltic Sea 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) off Oxö, Sweden by SM U-75 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Joachim Brinch Lund (Norway) The cargo ship was scuttled in the English Channel 60 nautical miles (110 km) east north east of Ouessant, Finistère, France (49°28′N 4°40′W) by SM UC-26 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of nine of her crew.
Lobelia (France) The sailing vessel was sunk in the English Channel 14 nautical miles (26 km) north west of the Île de Batz, Finistère by SM UC-16 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Parnas (Norway) The barque was scuttled in the North Sea (56°50′N 4°20′E) by SM U-47 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Petit Jean (France) The sailing vessel was sunk in the English Channel 38 nautical miles (70 km) south of The Lizard (49°20′N 5°08′W) by SM UC-17 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
San Nicolao (Portugal) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel east north east of the Île de Batz (49°20′N 3°46′W) by SM UC-26 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Sunlight (United Kingdom) The coaster was abandoned in the Bristol Channel. Her crew were rescued.
SMS T29 (Kaiserliche Marine) The S7-class torpedo boat collided with another vessel and sank off Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony.
Trevarrack (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was shelled and sunk in the English Channel 25 nautical miles (46 km) west of the Les Hanois Lighthouse, Guernsey, Channel Islands (49°40′N 3°48′W) by SM UC-18 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Vanguard (United Kingdom) The ketch was scuttled in the English Channel 18 nautical miles (33 km) north west of Cap d'Antifer by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Vasco (United Kingdom) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 16 (Egon von Werner) and sank in the English Channel 10 nautical miles (19 km) west by south of Beachy Head, East Sussex (50°43′N 0°02′W with the loss of seventeen of her crew.
Vega (Norway) The passenger ship was sunk in the North Sea 24 nautical miles (44 km) south west of Haaboen, Rogaland (58°43′N 4°45′E) by U 78 (Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Violet Courtney (United Kingdom) The schooner was wrecked in a gale at Ibiza, Spain. Her crew were rescued.
Wilf Golding (Denmark) The cargo ship collided with the barge Pure Oil ( United States) at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was consequently beached.

[Sailor Steve]

November 16, 1916

London:
Samuel Waring starts the Neiuport & General Aircraft Company at Cricklewood, to build Nieuport 11s in the United Kingdom. The company will later build Nieuport 17s, Sopwith Camels and Sopwith Snipes.



Air War:
0900 German ace Hans von Keudell, flying a Halberstadt D.III, shoots down Nieuport 17 A225 for victory number 8.

0935 German pilot Fritz Loerzer, flying an Albatros D.I, shoots down a Caudron for victory number 1.

0950 French ace Alfred Heurtaux, in a SPAD VII, shoots down a Fokker Eindecker for victory number 13.

1045 German pilot Max von Müller, in an Albatros D.II, shoots down BE.2e 6080 for victory number 4. Lt Charles Walter Hyde manages to bring his crippled plane down inside his own lines. Observer Lt James Vincent Barry is severly wounded in the right leg, which will be amputated the following January 3rd.

1055 Australian RNAS pilot Stanley Goble, flying Sopwith Pup N5194, shoots down an LVG two-seater for victory number 4.

1100 English observer William Thompson Gilson, riding in FE.2d A29 with an unnameed pilot, is credited with two Albatros D.IIs for victories 1 and 2. The Aerodrome's listing pairs Gilson with pilot Reginald Maxwell, but their listing for Maxwell does not show him ever paired with Gilson, no double kills and no kills on this date.

1135 English pilot Edwin Benbow, in FE.8 7627, shoots down an Albatros two-seater for victory number 3.

1200 German pilot Alfred Mohr, in a Halberstadt D.III, shoots down a Nieuport for victory number 2.

1300 Canadian RFC pilot Harry Wood, in a DH.2, shoots down an unidentified German "Scout" for victory number 5.

1340 French ace Georges Guynemer, in a SPAD VII, shoots down a Fokker eindecker for victory number 21.

1530 Canadian RNAS pilot Daniel Galbraith, flying Sopwith Pup N5193, shoots down a German two-seater for victory number 5.

1545 German ace Stefan Kirmaier, in an Albatros D.II, shoots down Sopwith 1½ Strutter 9677 for victory number 10.

French team of Jean Loste, Achille Rousseaux and Marie Vitalis, in a three-seat Caudron "Battle Plane" shoot down an Albatros. Victory number 5 for Loste and Vitalsis, number 3 for Rousseaux.



Cornwall:
British schooner Busy Bee, 112 tons, carrying a load of china clay from Newquay to Runcorn, runs aground off Bude.



Celtic Sea:
British freighter SS Serbistan, 2,934 tons, departs Brest for Cardiff and is not heard from again.



English Channel:
Ralph Wenninger, in UC-17, sinks two Allied vessels at the western entrance to the Channel, just south of the Lizard:
French sailing vessel Eugenie, 66 tons, bound from Cardiff to Lannion with a load of coal.
French schooner Petit Jean, 126 tons, en route from Cardiff to Bayonne.
Wenninger's score is now 23 ships and 11,413 tons.



Karl Neumann, in UB-40, sinks two vessels of Cap Antifer:
Belgian fishing vessel Alphonse Marceline, 60 tons.
British barque Vanguard, 142 tons, travelling in ballast from Honfleur to London.
Neumann's score is now 13 ships and 9,215 tons.

Egon von Werner, in UC-16, sinks two Allied vessels:
French sailing ship Lobelia, 80 tons, stopped and scuttled.
British freighter SS Vasco, 1,914 tons, travelling from Hull to Naples with a general cargo, hits a mine laid by UC-16.
Von Werner's score is now 39 ships and 43,118 tons.

Wilhelm Kiel, in UC-18, sinks British freighter SS Trevarrack, 4,199 tons, travelling from Buenos Aires to Hull with a load of maize. His score is now 14 ships and 10,780 tons.

Matthias von Schmettow, in UC-26, sinks three Allied ships:
His Majesty's Trawler Anthony Hope, 388 tons, hits a mine near Le Havre.
Norwegian freighter SS Joachim Brinch Lund, 1,603 tons, is captured and scuttled off Ushant.
Portuegese freighter SS San Nicolao, 2,697 tons, bound from Lisbon for Le Havre, is sunk off the isle de Batz.
Von Schmettow's score is now 54 ships and 77,148 tons.



North Sea:
Heinrich Metzger, in U-47, stops and scuttles two Allied vessels:
Dutch sailing ship Dolfijn, 140 tons, carrying a load of pit props from Christiania to Newcastle.
Norwegian barque Parnass, 646 tons, travelling froom Gravningsundet to West Hartlepool with a load of pit props.
Metzger's score is now 3 ships and 1,836 tons.

Kurt Beitzen, in U-75, stops and scuttles Danish barque Fenja, 433 tons, carrying a load of battons from Kragerø to Saint Nazaire. His score is now 6 ships and 15,449 tons.

Otto Dröscher, in U-78, sinks Norwegian passenger ship SS Vega, 1,204 tons, carrying passengers and canned goods from Stavanger to Newcastle. His score is now 5 ships and 9,546 tons.

Swedish barque Antelope, 357 tons, departs West hartlepool for Uddevall with a load of coal, and is not heard from again.

Norwegian schooner Isafjord, 183 tons, departs Staanger in ballast for Hull, and is not heard from again.



Baltic Sea:
Swedish coaster SS Laila, 171 tons, bound from Landskrona for Stockholm with a load of wheat, is wrecked at Saltbaden.



Portugal:
Portuguese freighter SS Desertas runs over the bar at Aveiro and suffers engine damage. The ship is beached and salvaged.

[Jimbuna]

17th November 1916

Western Front

French Air raid by Captain Beauchamp on Munich, crossing Alps, landing near Venice.

End of the Battle of the Somme.

Eastern Front

Battle of Targu Jiu (in Jiu Valley); Germans break Romanian front.

Southern Front

Struma front: British capture Kavakli on left bank of Struma.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

Suez bombed: Waterpipe reaches Romani.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Raid of British naval aeroplanes and seaplanes on Ostend and Zeebrugge.

Aviation

Sidney Cowan, Irish flying ace with 7 credited aerial victories, is killed in action in France after colliding with another British pilot.

French flier Captain De Beauchamp makes a 435-mile flight from the French front to Venice in order to bomb Munich.

Political, etc.

(British) Food regulations issued.

Note of French Admiral to Greek Government demanding delivery of War material.

Ship Losses:

Canganian (France) The collier struck a mine laid by UC 29 (Ernst Rosenow) and sank in the North Sea off Montrose, Forfarshire with the loss of thirteen of her crew.
Edward G. Hight (United States) The schooner ran aground in Belfast Lough. She was refloated on 16 December.
Emilia (Portugal) The barque was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean off the Canary Islands, Spain by SM UC-20 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Fred A. Davenport (United States) The schooner was driven ashore at Cape Frances, Dominican Republic and wrecked with some loss of life.
Mansuri (United Kingdom) The collier was lost on this date.
Monia (United Kingdom) The cargo ship foundered in the Irish Sea off Puffin Island, Anglesey. Her crew were rescued by the Moelfre Lifeboat.
Saint Rogatien (France) The barque was torpedoed, shelled and sunk in the English Channel off Dieppe, Seine-Maritime (50°25′N 0°08′E) by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of five of her crew.
St. Christophe (France) The schooner was wrecked on the Cherrystones, in the Bristol Channel Her eight crew were rescued and the ship's dog survived. St. Christophe was on a voyage from Blaye, Gironde to Swansea, Glamorgan, United Kingdom.
White Swan (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was driven ashore at Gorleston, Suffolk. Her twenty crew were rescued by rocket apparatus.

[Sailor Steve]

November 17, 1916

Air War:
Jasta 22 becomes operational, under the command of Erich Honnemanns, with nine Halberstadt D.IIs and two Albatros D.IIs.

1130 German ace Otto Höhne, flying an Albatros D.I, shoots down FE.2b 6950 for victory number 6.

1200 German ace Hans von Keudell, flying a Halberstadt D.III, shoots down an FE.2b for victory number 9.

1535 Australian RNAS pilot Stanley Goble, in Sopwith Pup N5194, shoots down a German two-seater for victory number 5.

1930 Five FE.2bs gang up to shoot down one German plane, but no one seems to have recorded what type it was. Ten aircrew awarded the kill: H.L. Chadwick and J.C. Butler in 7025, R. Chadwick and William Geoffrey Meggit in 7022, C. Dunlop and Harry Scandrett in 7024, James Green and A.G. Bower in 4877, D.S. Johnson and I. Heald in 6990. Victory number 3 for future ace Meggitt, number 1 for Scandrett, and number 2 for Green. Presumed to be the only victory for the others.

Irish RFC ace Sidney Cowan, in DH.2 A2555, shoots down a Halberstadt D.II for victory number 7. Shortly after Cowan collides with another DH.2, and both pilots are killed. Cowan is posted as "missing", and is not listed as killed until his grave is discovered at Ablainzevelle the following April.

German pilot Walter Göttsch, in an Albartros D.II, shoots down a DH.2 for victory number 2.

German pilot Wilhelm Anton Seitz, in an unknown fighter, shoots down an FE.2d for victory number 1.



Irish Sea:
British coaster SS Mona, 207 tons, carrying a load of coal from Garston to Dublin, founders off Puffin Island.



Swansea Bay:
French schooner Saint Christophe, 203 tons, travelling from Blaye to Swansea with a load of pit props, is wrecked on the Mumbles.



Cornwall:
British schooner Helena Tregenza, 115 tons, bound from Newport, Wales for St Helier with a load of coal, is abandoned off Trevose Head.



English Channel:
Karl Neumann, commanding UB-40, stops French barque Saint Rogatien, 1,581 tons, travelling in ballast from Dieppe to Puerto Borghi, using his deck gun and a torpedo. His score is now 14 ships and 10,796 tons.

British freighter SS Monmouth, 4,078

tons, carrying a load of steel and oats from Newport News to Cherbourg and the Dunkerque, hits a mine laid off Cherbourg by Matthias von Schmettow in UC-26. The damaged ship manages to make port safely.

British freighter SS Canganian, 1,143 tons, en route from Methil to Scapa Flow, goes missing. Now credited to a mine laid by Ernst Rosenwow in UC-29. If so, this is his first sinking.



North Sea:
British freighter SS Mansuri, 3,137 tons, departs South Shields for St Nazaire with a load of coal and is not heard from again.

Spanish freighter SS Pelayo, 1,641 tons, departs Tyne for Barcelona with a load of coal and is not heard from again.

British freighter SS White Swan, 2,173 tons, carrying a load of coal from Hartlepool to London, drops her anchors off Yarmouth to ride out a storm. The anchors drag and White Swan is driven ashore. After thirteen hours of failed attempts the local Rocket Brigade manages to rescue the entire crew. the ship is totally destroyed by the gale.



Atlantic Ocean:
Franz Becker, in UC-20, sinks Portuguese barque Emilia, 1,159 tons, off the Canary Islands. His score is now 3 ships and 1,653 tons.

[Jimbuna]

18th November 1916

Western Front

British advance north and south of the Ancre, outskirts of Grandcourt reached.

The last actions of the Battle of Ancre phase at the Somme have ended. The Battle of the Somme is over.

Southern Front

Germans and Bulgars evacuate Monastir.

Naval and Overseas Operations

Defeat of Germans at Lupembe (G.E.A.) by British.

Political, etc.

At the Somme, Britain suffered around 420,000 casualties, France 200,000 casualties, and Germany 424,000-500,000 casualties.

Ship Losses:

Fulvia (Denmark) The schooner foundered in Dundrum Bay with the loss of one of her seven crew.
Kenneth C. (United Kingdom) The schooner was driven ashore at Clogerhead, County Louth and was wrecked. Her crew were rescued.
Marie Celine (United Kingdom) The sailing vessel was driven ashore at Clogerhead and was wrecked. Her crew were rescued.
Minde (Norway) The barque was driven ashore at Craster, Northumberland, United Kingdom and wrecked with the loss of seven of her thirteen crew.
Shelton Abbey (United Kingdom) The schooner was driven ashore at Rosslare Harbour, County Wexford. Her crew were rescued.
Taffy (United Kingdom) The collier foundered off Waterford Harbour, County Waterford. Her crew were rescued.

[Sailor Steve]

November 18, 1916

Air War:
Austrian observer Josef Pürer, riding in a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I with an unnamed pilot, shoots down a Voisin for victory number 1.



Ireland:
Canadian schooner Kenneth C., 475 tons, bound from Liverpool for Halifax, Nova Scotia, is wrecked at Clogherhead (Ceann Chlochair).

Irish coaster SS Taffy, 173 tons, carrying a load of coal from Cardiff to Cork, is abandoned off Dunmore.



North Sea:
Norwegian barque Minde, 849 tons, travelling from Kragerø to West Hartlepool with a load of pit props, is wrecked off Craster, Berwick. Seven crew lost.

British coaster SS Watford, 284 tons, carrying a load of coal from Derwnthaugh to Dunkerque, is wrecked at Little Sunk Sand, Essex.



Bay of Biscay:
Uruguayan freighter SS Presidente Vera, 1,430 tons, en route from New York to Bordeaux with a general cargo, runs aground at Saint-Trojan-les-Bains, France.



Portugal:
Portuguese brigantine Gouveia, 286 tons, carrying a load of salt and coffee from Lisboa to Oporto, runs aground just south of Oporto.

[Jimbuna]

19th November 1916

Western Front

British troops announce they captured 6,982 German troops at the Somme in the last six days of battle.

Eastern Front

Retreat of Romanians in Jiu Valley where Germans reach Filiasa junction and Aluta Valley.

Southern Front

Capture of Monastir by French and Serbs, and advance east and north-east.

Germans and Bulgars retreat towards Prilep.

Asiatic and Egyptian Theatres

British raid and take Farafra Oasis (180 miles west of Assiut).

Political, etc.

French Admiral demands dismissal of Ministers of Central Powers and of their Allies from Allies.

German war minister says that fathers of several children, when possible, would not be sent to the frontlines.

Ship Losses:

Agnes (Denmark) The schooner was driven ashore at Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, United Kingdom. Her crew were rescued by rocket apparatus.
Bessheim (Norway) The passenger ship ran aground at the mouth of the River Tyne. All on board were rescued. She was refloated on 25 November.
Concezione (Italy) The cargo ship foundered in the Atlantic Ocean 12 nautical miles (22 km) off Fuertaventura, Canary Islands, Spain. Her 24 crew were rescued by a Spanish merchant vessel.
HMS Fame (Royal Navy) The Q-ship was lost on this date.
Finn (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel 40 nautical miles (74 km) west by south of Portland Bill, Dorset, United Kingdom (50°06′N 2°45′W) by SM UC-26 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Freya (Denmark) The sailing vessel was driven ashore at Burnmouth, Berwickshire, United Kingdom and was wrecked with the loss of one of her six crew.
Heistad (Norway) The schooner was driven ashore at Montrose, Fife, United Kingdom and was wrecked. Her crew were rescued.
Jarstein (Norway) The schooner was driven ashore at Kingsbarns, Fife and was wrecked. Her crew were rescued.
Jolani (Sweden) The barque was wrecked at Goswick, Northumberland. Her crew were rescued.
Manga Reva (United States) The barque foundered with the loss of all hands.
Maria di Pompei (Italy) The barquentine was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea off Sicily (37°05′N 14°25′E) by SM U-72 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived, they were rescued by Tchad ( France).
Muristan (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was driven ashore at Blyth, Northumberland and was wrecked with the loss of eighteen of her 32 crew.
Rurik (Imperial Russian Navy) The armoured cruiser struck a mine and sank in the Baltic Sea off Hochland, Germany. Her crew survived. The ship was later refloated, repaired and returned to service.
Spica (Norway) The cargo ship was driven ashore at Blyth. Her crew were rescued.
Waterford (United Kingdom) The cargo ship foundered in the North Sea off the coast of Essex. Her crew were rescued.

[Sailor Steve]

November 19, 1916

United States:
Ruth Bancroft Law sets a new distance record by flying 590 miles (950 km) from Chicago to New York State. The next day she will continue on to New York City.

Ruth Law in her Curtiss pusher. The plane has been converted to use Wright-type controls, as she learned to fly in a Wright Flyer.



Air War:
German pilot Rudolf von Eschwege, flying a Fokker E.III, shoots down Nieuport 12 3979 for victory number 1. Though there are three German reconnaissance groups operating there, von Eschwege is the only fighter pilot on the Macedonian front.



Irish Sea:
Danish schooner Fulvia, 149 tons, travelling from Liverpool to France, is wrecked at Dundrum Bay.



Celtic Sea:
Dutch freighter SS Tenbergen, 3,826 tons, carrying a load of maize from Rio de la Plata to Rotterdam, is wrecked near Île de Quemenes.



English Channel:
Matthias von Schmettow, commanding UC-26, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Finn, 3,806 tons, bound from Tyne for Genoa with a load of coal and coke. His score is now 55 ships and 80,954 tons.



North Sea:
Danish schooner Agnes, 112 tons, carrying a load of pit props from Tonsberg to Newcastle, runs aground near Berwick. The crew are saved.

Swedish barque Argus, 499 tons, travelling from Hamstad to to West Hartlepool, is wrecked at Peterhead Bay, Scotland.

Danish schooner Freya, 185 tons, en route from from Uddevalla to West Hartlepool with a load of deals, battens and boards, is wrecked at Burnouth, Berwickshire.

Norwegian schooner Heistad, carrying a load of pit props from Porsgrunn to Shields, is wrecked near Montrose.

Swedish barque Jolani, 798 tons, travelling from Gothenburg to Newcastle with a load of pit props, is wrecked at Goswick Bay.

British freighter SS Muristan, 2,886 tons, is wrecked just south of Blyth. Sixteen crew rescued by Tynemouth lifeboat Henry Vernon.

Italian freighter SS Val Salice, 3,810 tons, carrying a load of coal from Sunderland to Savona with a load of coal and coke, is wrecked at Goodwin Sands.



Gulf of Finland:
Russian armored cruiser Rurik, 15,544 tons, hits a mine laid off Gogland by Karl Vesper in UC-27. The damaged ship makes port and is repaired.



Mediterranean Sea:
Ernst Krafft, in U-72, sinks Italian barquentine Maria Di Pompei, 286 tons, raising his score to 6 ships and 4,607 tons. The crew are rescued the next day by French freighter SS Tchad.



Caribbean Sea:
Italian freighter SS Concezione, travelling from Genoa to Argentina, founders off Puerta Ventura, Panama.



Atlantic Ocean:
American barque Magna Reva, travelling in ballast from Rotterdam to Hampton Roads, goes missing. The ship departed Rotterdam on November 2nd, sent a distress call picked up by freighter Rockingham, saying she was adrift before the wind with no lifeboats.

Norwegian barque Sara, en route from Bay Verte, Canada to Great Britain, is abandoned in the North Atlantic.

[Jimbuna]

20th November 1916

Western Front

At the Somme, German troops use hand grenades to dislodge British soldiers from the western part of Grandcourt.

Southern Front

With the capture of Monastir, Allied forces in Macedonia advance four miles north towards Prilep, the largest city in Macedonia.

Political, etc.

Milk and flour regulations issued by British Board of Trade.

The Dutch government sends a message to Germany that the deportations of Belgian civilians has produced a “painful impression” of Germany.

Ship Losses:

Alma (Denmark) The schooner was driven ashore at Lunan, Forfarshire, United Kingdom and wrecked with the loss of one of her six crew.
Argus (Sweden) The barque was driven ashore at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom. Her ten crew were rescued.
H. C. Grube (United Kingdom) The schooner was driven ashore at Montrose. Her crew were rescued. She was refloated on 23 November.
Maria Libera (Italy) The brig was wrecked at Marseilles, Bouches-du-Rhône, France with the loss of all hands.
Rob Roy (United States) The four-masted schooner sprang a leak and foundered in the Atlantic Ocean 90 nautical miles (170 km) north east of Madeira, Portugal. Her crew survived.
Spetzai (Greece) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by U 73 (Gustav Sieß) and sank at Piraeus. She was later refloated, repaired and returned to service.
Talisman (Sweden) The barque was driven ashore at East Haven, Forfarshire and was wrecked. Her ten crew were rescued.
Vanguard (United Kingdom) The tug foundered in the River Clyde at Govan, Renfrewshire.

[Sailor Steve]

November 20, 1916

Air War:
0900 German pilot Stefan Kirmaier, flying an Albatros D.II, shoots down a BE.2c for victory number 11.

0940 German ace Manfred von Richthofen, in Albatros D.II 491/16, shoots down BE.2c 2767 for victory number 9. Lt Thomas Henry Clarke and 2nd Lt James Lees are both taken prisoner.

1410 1615 Manfred von Richthofen scores a second win for the day with FE.2b 4848. 2nd Lts Gilbert Sudbury Hall and George Doughty are both killed.



North Sea:
Danish schooner Messina, 245 tons, bound from Christiania for West Hartlepool with a load of wood, is wrecked near Boulmer.

Swedish barque Talisman, 397 tons, is wrecked near Easthaven.



Bay of Biscay:
Spanish coaster SS Marques de Amboage, 154 tons, carrying a load of coal from Aviles to Santander, is wrecked near Santander.



Saronikos Gulf:
Greek freighters SS Spetzai, 788 tons, and Sparti, 961 tons, carrying a load of tobacco from Volo to Piraeus, both hit mines laid by Gustav Seiß in U-73 near Athens. Sparti is only damaged. Spetzai is sunk but salvaged and returned to service.

[Jimbuna]

21st November 1916

Eastern Front

Germans occupy Craiova (capital of west Wallachia).

Naval and Overseas Operations

British hospital ship "Britannic" sunk by mine or torpedo in Aegean. After 55 minutes, the HMHS Britannic sinks, with 30 deaths and 1035 survivors. It is the largest ship sunk in the war.


Political, etc.

Robert P Houston, Member of Parliament, offers £2000 for any merchant ship that sinks a German submarine.

Gottlieb von Jagow resigns as German Foreign Minister due to poor health. Alfred Zimmermann is set to succeed him.

Death of Emperor Francis Joseph, aged 86; succeeded by Archduke Charles, born 17 August 1887.


Ship Losses:

Alameda (United Kingdom) The schooner was wrecked at El Puerto de Santa María, Cadíz, Spain.
Alice (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel 23 nautical miles (43 km) north west of Saint-Valery-en-Caux, Seine-Maritime (50°20′N 0°38′E) by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
HMHS Britannic (United Kingdom) The hospital ship, a converted Olympic-class ocean liner, struck a mine laid by U 73 (Gustav Sieß) in the Kea Channel 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) off Kea, Greece (37°42′05″N 24°17′02″E) and sank with the loss of 30 of the 1,066 people on board. Survivors were rescued by HMS Foresight, HMS Foxhound, HMS Heroic, HMS Scourge (all Royal Navy); the tug Goliath ( France) and a Greek caïque. It is the largest ship sunk in the war.
Cap Lihou (France) The schooner was sunk in the English Channel 20 nautical miles (37 km) north west of Sept Îles, Finistère by SM UC-26 ( Kaiserliche Marine).
Faunus (Sweden) The coaster struck a mine laid by UC 17 (Ralph Wenninger) and sank in the North Sea 14 nautical miles (26 km) south by east of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Six of her crew perished.
Florence E. Melanson (United Kingdom) The schooner was driven ashore on Briar Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her crew were rescued.
Helena (Netherlands) The cargo ship struck a mine laid by UC 11 (Max Schmitz) and sank in the North Sea 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) south east of the Cross Sand Lightship ( United Kingdom) (52°34′N 2°00′E).

[Sailor Steve]

November 21, 1916

Air War:
In France The Breguet 14 makes its first flight. It will go on to be one of the Allies' premier reconnaissance and bombing aircraft.



North Atlantic:
Danish schooner Dannebrog, 150 tons, travelling from Reykjavik to Liverpool, is abandoned in a storm.



English Channel:
Karl Neumann, commanding UB-40, sinks French freighter SS Alice, 822 tons, bound fro South Shields for Rouen. His score is now 15 ships and 11,618 tons.

Matthias von Schmettow, in UC-26, stops and sinks French schooner Cap Lihou, 252 tons. from Swansea for Granville with a load of coal. His score is now 56 ships and 81,206 tons.



North Sea:
Friedrich Karl Sichart von Sichartshofen, in UB-41, takes Norwegian auxiliary motor schooner Thyholmen, carrying a load of pit props from Holmestrand to West Hartlepool. This is his first and only success.

Danish schooner Maria, 100 tons, en route from Tyne to Holbek, is abandoned during a storm.

Dutch freighte SS Helena, 1,798 tons, travelling in ballast from Rotterdam to New York, hits a mine laid by Max Schmitz in UC-11. His score is now 33 ships and 5,633 tons.

Swedish freighter SS Faunus, 749 tons, carrying a load of timber from Donsjö to London, hits a mine laid off Flamborough Head by Ralph Wenninger in UC-17. His score is now 24 ships and 12,162 tons.



Aegean Sea:
His Majesty's Hospital Ship Britannic, 48,158 tons, hits a mine laid by Gustav Seiß in U-73 in the Kea (Zea, Tzia) Channel, between the islands of Kea and Kithros. Seiß's score is now 12 ships and 86,859 tons. Britannic is the largest ship sunk during the war.

One of the survivors, Violet Constance Jessup, aged 29, also survived the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912. On top of that, Jessup was aboard the third sister, RMS Olympic, when that ship collided with HMS Hawke in 1911.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Jessop



Canada:
Canadian schooner Ronald G. Smith, bound from Santa Pola for Newfoundland with a load of salt, is abandoned off Nova Scotia.

[Jimbuna]

22nd November 1916

Eastern Front

Fighting near Orsova on the Cherna front.

Southern Front

Fierce fighting north Monastir.

Aviation

First flight of the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5.


Political, etc.

British government cancels a $60 million munitions contract with a U.S. company as Britain becomes more self-sufficient.

French Cabinet decides that consumption of meat by Parisians should be prohibited two days a week in order to maintain food supplies.

Protest of Belgium to Neutral Powers re: deportations and forced labour.

Ship Losses:

Brierton (United Kingdom) The cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk in Atlantic Ocean 32 nautical miles (59 km) south west of Ouessant, Finistère, France (48°00′N 5°32′W) by SM UC-26 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
City of Mexico (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel 32 nautical miles (59 km) off Beachy Head, East Sussex, United Kingdom by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Fugas (Imperial Russian Navy) The minesweeper struck a mine laid by UC 27 (Karl Vesper) and sank off the coast of Finland with the loss of eight of her crew.
Grenada (United Kingdom) The four-masted barque was shelled and sunk in the English Channel 32 nautical miles (59 km) south west by west of Beachy Head (50°24′N 0°07′W) by SM UB-40 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Houlgate (France) The cargo ship was sunk in the English Channel 23 nautical miles (43 km) south east of the Owers Lightship ( United Kingdom) by SM UB-19 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.
Sara (Norway) The barque was abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean (46°51′N 23°29′W).
Trym (Norway) The cargo ship was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean 9 nautical miles (17 km) west north west of Ar Men, Finistère by SM UC-26 ( Kaiserliche Marine). Her crew survived.

[Sailor Steve]

November 22, 1916

Air War:
The prototype Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5 makes its first test flight.

1310 English pilots John Andrews, in DH.2 5998, and Kelvin Crawford, in DH.2 5925, team up to bring down an Albatros D.II. Victory number 7 for Andrews, number 2 for Crawford. Gernam 11-bictory ace Stefan Kirmaier is killed.

1330 English observer Frank Johnson, riding in FE.2b 7706 with pilot 2nd Lt N.H. Tolhurst, shoots down an Albatros D.I for victory number 3.

1400 India-born RFC ace Horace Davey, flying FE.2b 7694 with observer Lt H.A. Harrow-Bunn, shoots down an LVG two-seater for victory number 6. This is Davey's last victory, though he will survive the war and live until 1972.

1410 German ace Erwin Böhme, in an Albatros D.II, shoots down Morane-Saulnier 'P' A248 for victory number 7. Lt Elmer Peter Roberts, though wounded, manages to come down on his own side of the lines. Cpt Graham Lauder Watson is also wounded. Both men survive, but German ground observers verify the plane crash-landed and Böhme is awarded the victory.

1415 German ace Hans von Keudell, in a Halberstadt D.III, shoots down DH.2 A2607 for victory number 10.

1435 English pilot Eric Pashley, in DH.2 A2553, shoots down a German biplane fighter for victory number 4.

1445 French ace Georges Guynemer, in a SPAD VII, shoots down a Halberstadt two-seater for victory number 22

1510 Guynemer brings down a second Halberstadt for number 23.

1650 German pilot Erich König, in an Albatros D.II, shoots down a DH.2 for victory number 2.

Canadian RFC pilot William Matheson, flying an FE.2b with an unknown observer, is credited with an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 2.



Celtic Sea:
Matthias von Schmettow, commanding UC-26, sinks two ships off Ushant:
British freighter SS Brierton, 3,255 tons, bound from Karachi for Manchester with a load of grain.
Norwegian freighter SS Trym, 1,801 tons, carrying a load of coal from Partington to La Rochelle.
Von Schmettow's score is now 58 ships and 86,262 tons.



English Channel:
British freighter SS Ernaston, 3,020 tons, travelling in ballast from Rouen to Tyne, is damaged by a mine laid by an unknown ship off Dungeness.

Erich Noodt, in UB-19, sinks French freighter SS Houlgate, 1,550 tons, carrying a load of coal from Montreal to Le Havre, off the Owers lightship. This is Noodt's first sinking.

Karl Neumann, in UB-40, sinks two Allied ships near Beachy Head:
Norwegian freighter SS City of Mexico, 1,511 tons, travelling from Blyth to La Rochelle with a load of coal.
British barque Grenada, 2,268 tons, travelling in ballast from Le Havre to New York.
Neumann's score is now 17 ships and 15,397 tons.



North Sea:
Curt Beitzen, in U-75, takes Swedish frieghter SS Reserv, 1,700 tons, as a prize. The ship is later released by a prize court.

Norwegian barque Oryx, 281 tons, departs the Tyne River for Larvik with a load of coal and is not heard from again.



Gulf of Finland:
Russian minesweeper Fugas, 150 tons, hits a mine laid by Karl Vesper in UC-27. Vesper's score is now 4 ships and 7,625 tons.



Baltic Sea:
German collier SS Fritz Hugo Stinnes (Kohlenschiff 5), carrying a load of iron ore from Lulea to Hamburg, founders of Sandhammaren, Sweden.



Atlantic Ocean:
Norwegian freighter SS Borgli, 2,263 tons, departs Philadelphia with a load of grain for Sunerland, and is not heard from again.