PRUNELLE (G.B.)

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D. v. Nieuwenhuijzen
Posts: 871
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 7:46 pm

PRUNELLE (G.B.)

Post by D. v. Nieuwenhuijzen » Mon Feb 22, 2021 7:24 pm

Built in 1874 by Bergsund Mekaniske Verksted, Stockholm, #114, as GOTA for Oxelösunds Rederi Aktiebolaget Percy Tham, Stockholm.
Cargo ship, Gt:579, L:47.52m. B:7.90m. D:4.30m. 2 cyl. compound engine:250 ihp. 8 kn. complement:16.
Sold in 1878 to Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab D/S, Bergen (Nw.) renamed SATURNUS.
In 1911 sold to H. W. & C. M. Ezard, (Yorkshire Coal & Steam Shipping Co.) Goole, renamed
PRUNELLE, in WW I managed by TSC (The Ship Controller in Londen)
During a trip from London to Dundee with a load of jute, on 22-08-'18 sunk by the German submarine UB-112, 2 nm. southeast of Blyth, 12 people lost their lives, including the captain.
(South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands 2020, 80p. StG.?)
Internet.
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aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: PRUNELLE (G.B.)

Post by aukepalmhof » Sat Apr 17, 2021 3:52 am

Alfred Cheetham 1866 – 1918 and SS PRUNELLE

Cheetham was already an Antarctic veteran by the time he was serving as the third officer on the ENDURANCE having previously served as part of the Discovery and Terra Nova Expeditions. Worsley referred to him as “a pirate to his fingertips” and his cheerful disposition made him an invaluable boost to morale for the men left on Elephant Island.
On return to England, Cheetham learned that one of his sons had died serving on RMS ADRIATIC. Despite this personal tragedy, Cheetham enlisted in the Mercantile Marine and served aboard SS PRUNELLE. Just 2 miles from the safety of a port, the vessel was targeted by a German submarine SM UB-112. The ensuing explosion sank the ship, killing 12 of the 16 crew, including Cheetham.

https://www.gov.gs/duty-and-sacrifice-s ... ng-heroes/
Sinking

PRUNELLE left London and set sail for Dundee on 22 August 1917 with a crew of 16 and a cargo of jute on board. One of the crew members, second officer Alfred Cheetham had served on four Antarctic expeditions: Captain Robert Scott's Discovery Expedition and Terra Nova expedition and on Ernest Shackleton's Nimrod and Imperial Trans-Antarctic expeditions.
At 1.40 pm on the same day as it had left London, PRUNELLE was targeted by the German submarine SM UB-112 when the ship was 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) southeast of Blyth, Northumberland. The U-boat fired a torpedo at the ship without warning and the torpedo hit the ship on the port side near the engine room. The following explosion and rapid sinking of the ship killed 12 of the 16 crewmen on board including Captain Storm and second officer Cheetham. The four survivors were rescued shortly after, having clung themselves to the wreckage of the ship, and were brought ashore at Blyth.

Wreck
The wreck of PRUNELLE lies at a depth of 24 meters (78 ft 9 in), but the current condition of the wreck is unknown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_PRUNELLE _(1874)

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