A British fishing trawler has been attacked and sunk by the German Kriegsmarine today.
The unarmed trawler, the Davara, left its port of Fleetwood in eastern England yesterday for a routine fishing trip off the coast of Ireland. Whilst fishing off the Irish coast, the Davara was spotter by U-27 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Johannes Franz. U-27 surfaced in full view of the British trawler. The u-boat fired on the trawler with its deck gun, hitting the fishing vessel on the sixth attempt. The captain of the Davara, William Boyles, ordered the lowering of his ship’s lifeboat, and the crew escaped the damaged trawler. U-27 continued firing as the Davara’s crew watched from their lifeboat. The British fishermen counted 35 shots fired by the u-boat at their ship before the Davara finally sunk. U-27 immediately submerged, making no attempt to rescue the stranded fishermen.
The crew of the Davara endured five hours at sea aboard their lifeboat before being rescued by the British steamer Willowpool.
