| Summary : 1917 wreck of British hospital ship, properly a casualty clearing ship, which foundered 19 miles SE of the Dean Light Vessel after being torpedoed by UC 21, a German Type UC II minelaying submarine (1569775), while en route from Le Havre to Southampton, repatriating wounded British soldiers. A steam-driven vessel, she is seen in photographs to have been constructed of metal.
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More information : A passenger steamer converted to a hospital ship in the First World War, the DONEGAL was bringing slightly wounded men back from France, when on the evening of 17-APR-1917, she was torpedoed by a German submarine 19 miles south of the Dean light vessel. She foundered rapidly, with the loss of 29 wounded soldiers and 11 of her crew. (1)
Originally owned by the Midland Railway Company, Derby. Torpedoed and sunk...by the German submarine UC-21, whilst on a voyage from Le Havre to Southampton. 11 lost. (2)
Torpedoed by submarine 19 miles S 0.25 E from the Dean Light Vessel, en route from Le Havre to Southampton with British wounded. (3)
DONEGAL torpedoed 19 miles S of the Dean Light Vessel, without warning. 11 lost. (4)
Lost 1917 - torpedoed in English Channel whilst acting as a hospital ship. Postcard views of this ship posted on this site. (5)
Strictly speaking, this vessel was an armed transport vessel used as a casualty clearing ship, and had in fact been armed since the outbreak of war.
DONEGAL was under escort when the captain spotted a torpedo track some 400 yards or so away to port at 7.43pm, and gave the order "hard to starboard", but this was too late, and in the words of the captain: "...my ship was struck near the port propeller with the result that the stern was practically blown away and carried with it the 13-pounder gun, which had only been mounted the day before. One of the gunners who was standing by it is missing and must have been killed..."
The vessel began to sink rapidly but HMS JACKAL got alongside and took off some 500 troops, with other ships picking up some of the remainder. Three-quarters of an hour after the attack, DONEGAL lurched to starboard, throwing those left on board into the sea as she foundered, with the loss of 69 crew and 26 of the wounded soldiers.
The attacking U-Boat was UC-21, under Oberleutnant von Zerboni di Sposetti. (6)
Built: 1904 (1)(5)(6)
Builder: J Caird & Co. (1)(6)
Propulsion: triple-expansion engines (1); 2 screw-driven, triple-expansion engines (5)
HP: 386 (1)
Armament: 1 x 13pdr (6)
Commanding Officer: Captain John Jackson (6)
Crew Lost: 11 (1)(2)(3)(4); 69 (6)
Passengers: 644 - 639 casualties, a MO, and 4 stretcher bearers (6)
Passengers Lost: 26(6); 29 (1)
Owner: ex. Midland Railway Co. (1)(2)(5)(6); Admiralty [all sources]
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss |