My Grandfarthers ship sunk by enemy action

Recently my mother gave me here farthers discarge books from when he was at sea (being from Liverpool most men whent to sea) he was born 1896 and at sea for most of his lift serving in the merchant navy as a fire man
I dont remember him as he died when I was very young, but I do remember my farther telling me a story of when my Grandfarther was lost at sea in a life boat for around a week before being rescued after being torpedoed.
When reading through these books I came across a log several enterys dated bettween 1939 to 1941
and thats where the investigation work started SS Davisian "engagment 8 June 1940 sailed from liverpool Destination "Term" Discaharge 10, 7, 40 vessal sunk by enemy action





Well I did some homework on the internet and asked some questions

I found this war cadinet report

I t is reported that on the 13th July the S.S. ​

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King John (5,825 tons) was
sunk ahout 400 miles north of Barbados by an armed German ship of roughly
9,000 tons and the S.S. Davisian (6,433 tons) was sunk about 400 miles north-west
of Barbados.

The german ship was a merchant raider the KMS Widder captined by Von Ruckestschell, later inprisoned for war crimes one against the SS Davisian
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War Crimes trial

Ruckteschell was the subject of one of the first war crimes investigations undertaken by the British Admiralty. It was alleged that on several occasions the warships commanded by Ruckteschell had continued firing on merchant vessels after they had surrendered. Since such behavior contravened the laws of naval warfare, the Admiralty requested that Ruckteschell and his crewmembers be detained for interrogation.
At the end of World War II Ruckteschell was on the staff of the German naval attaché in Japan and he was eventually located in an internment camp near Kobe from where he was brought back to Germany for trial.
According to the British charges submitted to the United Nations War Crimes Commission, the evidence revealed "at least one clear case of mass murder and several equally clear cases of the sinking of vessels whose crew were on the vessels when they were fired on, and were not picked up subsequently when on boats, rafts and in the water."[
Charges

• 1. Regarding SS Davisian, which was attacked on 10 July 1940 by Widder.

The charge was that he continued to fire after the radio was knocked out and the signal to surrender acknowledged. It was claimed that the Widder's gunners continued to fire for eight minutes after a signal was sent indicating that the Davisian's crew were abandoning ship.
The defence maintained no signal had been seen or received and that three seamen on board the Davisian were seen heading towards her gun.
The British military court convicted Ruckteschell on three of the five charges - Charges 1, 2, and 3 were upheld, while Charge 4 was rejected - and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment. Three years were later remitted from his sentence on 30 August 1947.

He died in the Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel prison on 24 June 1948, shortly after hearing that he was to be released due to his deteriorating heart condition

So when finding all this out I asked my mother so more questions
He was at sea for 5 days in a life boat befoer bing picked up and a freind that lived a few houes`s away was killed in this action
My mother said he had been torpedoed at first I thought this could not have been the case as the Widder was a ship but on investigaton I found that her armamants when two torpedos as well as guns
The Widder was also a merchant vessal which had deck guns hidden from veiw she would come close to her pray and then reveal her wepons and open fire
So all in all he was a very lucky man

This is what happened to the KMS Widder

She was the only German auxiliary cruiser to survive the war, after one 1940 cruise in which she sank ten vessels to a total of almost sixty thousand tons. ​

Her captain, Kapitan zur See Helmuth von Ruckteschell, was one of only two German naval commanders convicted of war crimes at the end of the war.​

Originally the liner Neumark of the Hamburg-America Line, she was rechristened this after her cruises, and was used as a repair ship in Norway. After the war she was taken into British service as Ulysses, then sold back to Germany as Fechenheim in 1950 before being wrecked off Bergen in 1955. ​

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The Tower Hill Merchant Navy Memorial in London

This is a place I used to walk thru every day for 2 years on route to office from Tower Hill tube. If you have never been here Neil, its well worth a visit. Across the road from the Tower itself and a small pavement slab marks the gallows spot where many a famous hanging took place, with just across the road also the famous pub hung drawn and quartered.

The memoril to Merchant Navy is one of the most impressive memorials of warfare I have ever come across.

Like you my family hail from Liverpool. And agree..at one time if you were from that area you sailed. My own father and his brother serving many years in RN followed by Merchant Navy and even the Liverpool Tugs.

Good post.

 

side note to you post above the Widder was not the only Aux cruiser to survive the conflict.

 

This is what I have on the incident:
10 Jul 40 Davisian captured and sunk by Widder 18N 54-30W (1 dead, 10 captured, 38 survivors)
I have some stats on the ship itself if you want them.

 

This thread is getting quite interesting
So if I'm correct Pegasus' grandad was one of the 38 survivors

 

I feel for you! Lately I myself have been trying to find out information on my families maritime service (Canadian) and I found out I had a great uncle who was serving with the RN as an exchange officer (as was common for 1939 - 1945). He was a sub - Lieutenant and served onboard HMS Arbutus (K86). She was Topedoed and sunk on 5th of February by U - 136 (according to RN. Records) west of Erris Head.

 

Hi Tiornu, yes please if you can post the stats I would appreciate it

 

Hi, here is a photograph of my grandfarther from this continuous record of discharge

 

Neil do you want info on the Widder or the CO of the schiff or both ? I have a store house on Hilfkreuzers from ove rth eyars it's all buried but can easily be accessed if need be.

 

Hi Erich, info on just the Widder please, and thank you for your assistace

 

Davisian belonged to the Charente Steamship Co, run by the Harrison Line.
Completed 1922 by D & W Henderson & Co Ltd (Glasgow).
6433 gross register tons
9480 deadweight tons
413-6 x 52-6 x 29-2 feet-inches
12 knots
Looks like she was sistership to Dakarian, Darian, and Daytonian.

 

Hi Tiornu, thanks for the information, on the first picture the first two entry logs are for the Darian a sister ship which he sailed on in 1939