Part of the
Acorn Archive
Hearts of Oak
ATTACK ON
SEVEN NEUTRAL
DUTCH MERCHANT
VESSELS
following the
attack on the NORMANNA
A story of drama
and of treachery against Neutral Merchant Ships.
The NORMANNA was sunk by U21 off the Isles of Scilly.
Some survivors were picked up by a Sloop from the Isles
of Scilly.
NORMANNA was a ship owned by Haldor
Virik,
a member of the group that eventually
formed the ANCO line of ships.
On 22nd February 1917 a small convoy of seven
Dutch merchant ships, EEMLAND, JACATRA, NOORDERDIJK, ZAANDIJK, MENADO, BANDOENG
and GAASTERLAND, left Falmouth Harbour, some bound for the Netherlands. They
had been sheltering in Falmouth.
It was planned to leave Falmouth as a Convoy, and to
reach the 20W safety zone before dispersing to their respective ports.
After
negotiations,
the German Government had guaranteed their
safety.
The left in convoy at 10 am; and at 15.30 hours
they spotted two boats, on which were survivors of the
NORMANNA.
The convoy approached to pick up the survivors.
U-21 surfaced and demanded that
all the ships of the convoy had to be abandoned.
International
Law required that a warning be given and
an examination
of papers had to be undertaken before any action was taken.
One of the
captains rowed towards the submarine,
to show his papers;
before he had reached the submarine,
torpedoes had
been fired.
The rest of the ships had bombs placed.
The survivors headed towards Isles of Scilly in their
boats and were seen by the Bishop Rock Lighthouse keepers, who at once
signalled for the lifeboats. The St. Agnes lifeboat CHARLES DEERE JAMES went
out and found two boats full of men. A lifeboatman was put in each to pilot
them to safety, and she then searched farther afield,
finding one more boat.
More boats saved by trawlers from Scilly,
and others by the St Mary’s Lifeboat.
The MENADO was towed back to Falmouth by a trawler.
THE EIGHT SHIPS
One Norwegian and seven Dutch
Bandoeng
BANDOENG
February
1917 A cargo of East Indian products for Rotterdam
Steam Freighter
Built
1910 Bonn & Mees, Rotterdam
3,769
grt; 5,857 nrt; 9,200 dwt
Triple
expansion Engines.
Eemland
EEMLAND [ Captain L.
Maars ]
February
1917 In ballast for New-York
Steam
Freighter
Built
1905; Yard Nr 399; Builders Macmillan & Sons, Dumbarton
2,328 grt; 3,771
nrt; 4,188 dwt; 365 ft x 52 ft x 23 ft; 10 knots
Engines
Rankin & Blackmore, Greenock; Triple Expansion; 3 cyl
Owners :
Holland Lloyd, Amsterdam
Gaasterland
GAASTERLAND [ Captain L.Stuut
]
February
1917 In ballast for Sandy Hook
Steam freighter
( 26 passengers )
Built
1903 Sir James Lang & Sons, Sunderland
Launched
as the LANGDALE
2,447 grt; 3,917
nrt; 6,275 dwt; 379 ft x 46 ft x 17.5 ft
Engines
George Clarke Ltd Sunderland; Triple Exp 3 cyl; 10 knots
1903
James Lang
1909
LANGDALE Furness Withy
1911
BEEKBERGEN Furness Scheepvaart, Rotterdam
1915
GAASTERLAND Holland Lloyd, Amsterdam
Jacatra 1912
JACATRA [ Captain J.W.Flach ]
February
1917 Cargo of grain from Batavia for
Nederlandsche Regeering, Rotterdam
Steam
Freighter; Signal Letters PCQB
Built 1912
Wm Hamilton & Co Port Glasgow Yard Nr 232
For N.V.
Rotterdamsche Lloyd (Wm. Ruys & Zonen), Rotterdam.
Laid
down as the SAINT THEODORE, but launched as JACATRA.
5,373
grt; 9,200 dwt; 420 ft x 53 ft x 26.7 ft
Engines
: 3 cyl Triple Expansion; David Rowan & Co
3,500
ihp; 12 knots
Not to be confused with the SAINT
THEODORE ON.135461
4,992 g.t., 405.1ft x 52.0ft
Built 1913 by Wm. Hamilton & Co, Glasgow (Yard No.288)
For Rankin, Gilmour & Co, Liverpool.
12th Dec.1916 captured by SMS Moewe in 39.30N 17.30W
on voyage Norfolk - Savona with coal. Used as a collier.
28th Dec.1916 armed as GEIER.
14th Feb.1917 scuttled in 21.02S 31.45W.
Menado
MENADO [ Captain
H.C.M.van Houten ]
February
1917 A cargo of East Indian products for Rotterdam
Survived
the attack, despite a large hole in her side,
there
was little damage, and she was repaired.
Steam Freighter;
3,814 grt; 5,877 nrt
Built 1907 Bonn &
Mees, Rotterdam; Yard Nr 188
For N.V.
Rotterdamsche LLoyd [W. Ruys & Zonen], Rotterdam
22nd
October 1931 Sold for scrap while laid up at Rotterdam.
Broken up at
Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht by Frank Rijsdijk.
Normanna
NORMANNA; 2,831grt; 310ft 6ins x 39ft; Built 1885
1911 Rebuilt as
a whaling factory [ Norwegian ]
1917 Torpedoed by Uboat U-21, off the Isles of Scilly.
Full Details on
the Haldor Virik Ships Page ( ANCO
)
Nooderdijk
NOORDERDIJK [ Captain J.de
Koning ]
February
1917 Cargo of grain for Nederlandsche Regeering, Rotterdam
Steam
Freighter
Built
1913 Gray & Co, West Hartlepool
4,546 grt; 7,166
nrt
Holland
America Line
Zaandijk before her stem was cut straight
ZAANDIJK
February
1917 In ballast for Philadelphia
Steam
Freighter
Built
1899 Bartram & Sons, Sunderland; as OHIO; Neptune SNCo
2,609 grt; 4,189
tons
1909
Sold Holland America Line, Rotterdam; Renamed ZAANDIJK
Thanks to Ted Finch for details of the JACATRA
Thanks to the Joe McMillan for information on the MENADO
and for pictures
of the Dutch ships from the Joe McMillan Collection
Raymond Forward