RNLB Emma Constance (ON 693)

RNLB Emma Constance (ON 693) was a Barnett-class lifeboat[1] stationed at Aberdeen Lifeboat Station,[2] in the Scottish city of Aberdeen from 1927[3] until August 1951. The lifeboat was designed by James R. Barnett[4] who was a consulting naval architect to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

RNLB Emma Constance (ON 693)
History
Owner:	Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
Builder:	Saunders Roe
Official Number:	ON 693
Donor:	Legacy of John Mackie of York
Station	Aberdeen
Cost:	£16,000
Laid down:	1926
Christened:	19 September 1927 by Lady Maud Carnegie
Fate:	Sold out of fleet in 1951.
General characteristics
Class and type:	Barnett-class
Type:	Motor lifeboat
Displacement:	44.5 tons
Length:	61 ft (19 m) overall
Beam:	15 ft (4.6 m)
Installed power:	two RNLI DE6 petrol engines delivering 80Bhp
Propulsion:	Twin Screw
Speed:	9.5 kn (17.6 km/h)
Range:	150 miles at full power
Crew:	6

Description

The Emma Constance was a large lifeboat being 61 feet long and 15 feet wide, and was one of only three Barnett class Marks of this size. She had a draught of over 4 feet.[2] These lifeboats were the largest in the RNLI fleet at the time, and over the years have only been surpassed by the 70-foot Clyde-class lifeboats built in the 1960s. The Emma Constance was built in the yards of Saunders Roe of East Cowes on the Isle of Wight, and was laid down in 1926. She was driven through the water by means of twin screws with their power coming from twin RNLI DE6 petrol engines with each engine housed in its own separate watertight compartment.[2] These two compartments were two of a total of fourteen watertight compartments that made up the boat's hull. The lifeboat was able to carry a fuel load of 500 gallons which was distributed between three separate fuel tanks which were at the rear of the engine compartments. There was also an auxiliary petrol engine installed which powered a generator for the lighting the windlass at the front of the boat and a capstan to the back of the boat. Although the Emma Constance had the most up-to-date technology installed, the designers also covered all eventualities by providing a full set of sails[2] in case of motor power loss. Another feature of this 61 foot Barnett-class was a specially designed jumping net which was supported forward between the two side funnels and two stanchions aft. This net allowed potential rescuees to jump from their ship into the net and then be hauled on to the lifeboat.[2]

Christening

The christening of Emma Constance took place on 19 September 1927 in front of a gathered estimated crowd of 12,000 people. A small temporary jetty was erected for the ceremony and the Bandsman of the 4th Gordon Highlanders provided suitable music. The naming was performed by Lady Maude Carnegie. The proceedings ended with a short cruise for the V.I.P.s on the new lifeboat followed by a lifesaving demonstration.[5] The Emma Constance had in fact already been called out on her first service by the time of her christening when she was launched on 21 July to aid a trawler called Venetia which had run aground at Girdleness, although on arrival at the scene her assistance was not needed. On 6 September she also launched to the aid of the trawler Ben Torc.

Service and rescues

First rescue

The trawler Ben Torc was out of Aberdeen[6] and was returning to port when on 6 September 1927 she ran into a dense fog accompanied by heavy rain. A south-easterly wind then blew up, causing a heavy breaking sea. Just before 10 pm and only 1 mile from the harbour, the breaking seas turned the 188-ton Ben Torc almost 360°.[7] The skipper, George Ross got the trawler positioned pointing seaward, mustered his crew in the wheelhouse and sounded the siren to alert that his vessel was in distress. The seas were now breaking over the forward part of the trawler, but help was on the way. The coastguards, named Davis and Fenn, who were manning the Gregness station[8] had climbed down the Gregg Ness cliffs to the scene[9] and had managed to get a lifeline across to the trawler at great danger to themselves. The trawlermen were nevertheless not prepared to risk the lifeline and asked that the lifeboat should come to their aid. At 10:27 pm the Emma Constance was launched with Coxswain Tom Sinclair at the helm. When she arrived she used her searchlight to illuminate the scene of the casualty. The Ben Torc was now stricken on the rocky outcrop known as Gregness Point.[10] The area was full of half submerged rocky outcrops, and the lifeboat carefully picked its way to position itself alongside the Ben Torc. The trawler's five crew immediately jumped aboard the lifeboat but the skipper, George Ross, fell into the raging sea but was hauled aboard by line, his bowler hat still on his head much to the amusement of everyone. With all six crewmen safely aboard the lifeboat returned to the station arriving back at her moorings by midnight. This ended the lifeboat's second service but her first life saving rescue.

Trawler George Stroud

A notable rescue performed by Emma Constance took place on 25 December 1935, but the rescue was only partly successful, with the loss of three crew men aboard the casualty. The Aberdeen trawler George Stroud[11] was returning to her berth in the harbour when disaster struck. The trawler was struck by an up-swell of sea which washed her starboard off her intended course and flung her against the wall of the North Pier. The trawler was then crashed and battered along the pier until she ran aground 200 yards from the seaward side of the pier. The master and crew all took refuge in the trawler's wheelhouse and waited for help. The North Pier Lifesaving Brigade was soon on the scene and lit up the area using the headlights from a motor car. The LSA soon got lifelines to the stricken vessel by means of rocket lines, but the crew of the trawler would not use the lines preferring to wait to be saved by the lifeboat. The Emma Constance was launched and made her way, in a strong south-easterly wind and heavy seas, to the scene of the incident. Coxswain Tom Sinclair[12] took the lifeboat between the pier and the trawler but the crew of the trawler did not respond to the lifeboatmen's calls to jump aboard. Eventually one man made a safe transfer to the lifeboat. Following this a heavy sea broke across the lifeboat throwing her against the piers foundation, damaging the lifeboat.[12] This swell also smashed away the wheelhouse of the trawler. Coxswain Sinclair then manoeuvred the lifeboat five more times into the narrow space between the pier wall and the wreck, despite the lifeboat's starboard propeller being fouled.[12] One crewman was spotted in the sea, and although the lifeboat managed to get a line to him he disappeared below and was drowned. The lifeboat continued searching for the remaining crewman of the trawler with floodlights. On the remains of the smashed wheelhouse another crewman was seen desperately holding on to the wreckage. He was saved by the efforts of the LSA[12] operating from the pier. Although the tragedy saw the loss of three of the crew Coxswain Thomas Sinclair was awarded an RNLI Bronze Medal[12] for his part in the rescue and his determination and skill in taking the Emma Constance five times into the narrow space between the pier wall and the wreck despite the damage sustained to the lifeboat.

SS Fairy

On Saturday 23 January 1937[13][14] the full force of a south-easterly gale was blasting the east coast of Scotland. Fighting its way through the storm was the 249-ton[14] collier Fairy of Kings Lynn bound for Aberdeen from Goole. In the late afternoon of the next day the steamer arrived at the harbour only to find that the raging sea was being driven sideways across the harbour entrance and as a consequence the port was declared shut. On Monday 25 January[14] the Fairy had made little progress and was thirty miles off-shore and the seas were filling the ship. The captain alerted the crew that he was turning back towards the coastline and that they should all start bailing. Nine miles from the coast the Fairy sent a distress signal to a nearby German trawler Hendrick, which immediately took the Fairy in to tow. By the evening the ships had made slow progress to a point just off Donmouth. Coastguards raised the alarm after flares were seen. Emma Constance was launched at 4:38 pm[13] with Coxswain Tom Sinclair at the wheel. When the lifeboat reached the two vessels, she hailed the Fairy and asked if all was well and did they needed further assistance. The captain of the Fairy, George Croxford, indicated that he would like to stay on his ship for as long as safely possible and so the lifeboat stood by. The Fairy and her towing ship made slow progress and some time later in the evening the towline parted. The Hendrick tried in vain to re-connect the towline but was unable to. At 10 pm the Fairy ran aground onto the sand[15] and the seas began to sweep over the ship. The Emma Constance made an approach toward the stricken ship, but the violent seas lifted the body of the lifeboat across the rails of the Fairy. A second large surge lifted her back off the ship and she then made another approach and this time successfully rescued the seven crewmen. During the rescue one of the crew fell into the sea between the ship and the lifeboat, and at great personal risk life-boatman John Masson[5] grabbed hold of the crewman and hauled him aboard the Emma Constance. With the crew now safe the lifeboat asked the nearby ship Montrose that they radio Aberdeen that the rescue had been a success and all were safe and the lifeboat was returning. At this time the Emma Constance was not equipped with radio equipment. Later back at the North Pier a look out was kept for the returning lifeboat. Conditions were as bad as ever and the waiting parties were very concerned as to its whereabouts. Coxswain Tom Sinclair had wisely ruled out risking a return to Aberdeen harbour with conditions as bad as they were. He headed for the calmer waters of the Moray Firth[5] but was unable to pass his intentions on to Aberdeen. Everyone at Aberdeen feared the worst for the Emma Constance and it was with great relief when word arrived of the safe arrival of the badly damaged lifeboat at Macduff in the Moray Firth on Wednesday 27 4:30 pm.[5] The lifeboat had been out for three days. For his part in the rescue Coxswain Sinclair received an RNLI Silver Medal.[14] Mechanic Alexander Weir and crew member John Masson were awarded Bronze medals[14] and The Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum[14] was accorded to Second Coxswain George A Flett, Second Assistant Mechanic James Cowper, Assistant Mechanic Robert J B Esson, John M Noble and Alexander S Masson, in recognition of their meritorious conduct during this rescue.

Record of service and rescues

RNLB Emma Constance (ON 693)
Date	Casualty	Wind/weather	Lives lost	Lives saved	Details
1927
27 July	Venetia	Heavy seas, moderate gale			Stood down when vessel towed to port by tug
6 September	Ben Torc	Moderate south-easterly breeze, moderate seas		6	Casualty stranded off Gregness, took off six men
1928
26/27 February	Isle of White	Medium south-south-west breeze, moderate seas			Casualty stranded off Belhelvie Beach, rescued by Newburgh lifeboat
18 March	Agnes H Weatherly	South-south-west breeze			Casualty stranded 1 mile from Donmouth, no assistance required
6 June	Regain	Strong south-westerly breeze, rough seas		8	Casualty stranded 1 mile off Belhelvie CG station, towed to safety
25 October	HM Drifter Lunar Bow[16]	South westerly fresh breeze, moderate sea			Stood by, towed to safety by tug
25 October	HM Drifter Lunar Bow	South westerly fresh breeze, moderate sea		2	Rescued 1 injured naval rating and 1 midshipman
1929
10 January	Shetland	South-easterly breeze, rough seas			15 ft of water in vessel's hold, flooding taken under control
29 November	Wild Rose	South-easterly strong breeze, rough seas			Vessel stranded on rocks, nine rescued from beach
1930|-
22 January	John G Watson	South westerly strong breeze, rough seas			Stranded 6½ miles north of Aberdeen, stood by, rescue achieved by No. 2 lifeboat
1931
7 January	St Merryn	Westerly light breeze, smooth seas			Stranded and re-floated without the aid of lifeboat
9 April	Rightway	South westerly moderate breeze, moderate seas			Vessel stranded off Collieston CG station, crew rescued by LSA
2 June	Loyal Friend	Northerly moderate breeze, moderate seas			Lifeboat stood by following vessel's collision with North Pier
3 December	Nairn	South easterly whole gale, very heavy seas			Lifeboat recalled, not required
1932
14 August	Whitehills lifeboat	Smooth sea			Towed broken down lifeboat back to port
1933
1 January	Trawler Venetia	Southerly strong gale, very heavy seas	9		Vessel stranded 3 miles north of Stonehaven,[17][18] vessel total loss with all hands
18 January	Ben Screel	Variable light breeze, heavy seas			Vessel stranded off Girdleness, lifeboat stood by, crew rescued from shore
19 January	General Birdwood	Northerly moderate breeze, moderate seas			Escorted Vessel
4 April	Lifeboat launched to false alarm				Lifeboat recalled after launch
3 July	Cretan of Glasgow	Calm and smooth seas			Lifeboat not required, vessel towed by pilot tug
20/21 October	Fair Isle	South-easterly fresh breeze, rough seas			Vessel with broken rudder, towed by other vessel. lifeboat escorted vessel back to Aberdeen
23/24 October	Granero of Drammen	North-easterly moderate gale, rough seas		7	Vessel stranded at Cawton Ness, crew saved by lifeboat and the LSA
29 December	Strathleven of Aberdeen	South-easterly moderate breeze, very heavy seas			Damaged steering gear, towed in by lifeboat, stood by to other vessels
1934
1 January	Fishing vessels of Gourdon & Stonehaven				Lifeboat on stand-by
20 December	Unknown trawler	Variable light wind, smooth seas			Search for vessel, nothing found
1935
14 February	Local fishing boats	Northerly moderate gale			Search of vessels caught in gale, all safe
2 February	Eldorado	South-south-easterly gale, heavy seas			Stood by, LSA safely landed crew north of Donmouth
24 June	Balmoral Castle of Aberdeen	Northerly moderate (fog), moderate seas			Vessel stranded, refloated on high tide
9 September	Ebor Abbey of Aberdeen	West-south-westerly moderate breeze, moderate seas			Lifeboat recalled, rescue by others
5 November	fishing vessels Procure & Quest of Banff	South-south-easterly moderate breeze, heavy seas			Escorted back to port
25 December	George Stroud of Aberdeen	South-easterly strong breeze, heavy seas	3	1	Grounded against North Pier, 1 taken off vessel by lifeboat, 1 taken off by LSA
31 December	Strathairlie of Aberdeen	Light variable winds, slight swell			Vessel with broken rudder, lifeboat stood by
1936
17 January	WM Porter Aberdeen pilot cutter	East-north-easterly fresh breeze, rough seas		3	Pilots fouled rudder on the wreck of George Stroud. Three taken off by lifeboat
21 January	Local fishing boats	East-south-easterly moderate gale, rough seas			Stood by until vessels safely in port
6 February	Pretoria of Aberdeen	South-westerly moderate gale, rough seas			vessel involved in collision, lifeboat assistance not required
23 February	Ocean Gift of Banff	East-south-easterly strong gale, very heavy seas			Adrift in harbour, lifeboat crew mustered but no launch
16 December	Margaret & Frances of Cockenzie	South-south-westerly strong gale, very heavy seas	2		Vessel stranded off Belhelvie CG station, vessel found but a total loss
1937
21/22 January	Strathebrie of Aberdeen	South-easterly strong gale, very heavy seas			Vessel taken into tow
23 January	Utility of Aberdeen	South-easterly strong gale, strong flood			vessel hung on stern moorings, vessel towed to fishmarket
26 January	Fairy of Kings Lynn	South-easterly gale, very heavy seas		7	See description Service and rescues section
16 April	Paul Rykens of Aberdeen	Calm, dense fog			Vessel stranded, re-floated under own power
RNLB J & W (ON 722), Relief (Watson-class)
30 December	Calvinia of Aberdeen	North-north-westerly moderate breeze			vessel lost prop, search aborted after vessel was towed into Aberdeen by others
1938
25 August	Carry On	Variable fog banks, slight swell			Vessel aground, towed off by lifeboat
4 December	Branch of Montrose	Southerly moderate gale, rough seas			Reported in difficulties, search carried out, vessel towed to port by others
1939
22 January	Unknown vessel reported capsized	East-south-easterly slight breeze, slight seas			Search carried out but nothing found
World War II
15 September	Vessel reported torpedoed	North easterly moderate breeze			Launched to scene, recalled, not required
10 October	Solstad of Oslo	South-easterly storm. heavy seas			Search carried out, vessel towed to port by others
31 October	Cairnmona[19] of Newcastle upon Tyne	Easterly light to moderate breeze, rough seas			Vessel torpedoed off Rattray Head by U-13,[20] survivors landed by others
12 December	Cimbria of Copenhagen				Crew mustered only, no launch
18 December	Trinity NB[21] of Aberdeen	West-south-westerly, moderate seas	3		Vessel reported bombed, search carried out, no trace found, survivors picked up by Danish schooner Start
1940
9 January	Gowrie[22] of Dundee				vessel sunk by enemy aircraft four miles east of Stonehaven, crew rescued by others, search carried out for wreckage but nothing found
9 January	Feddy[23] of Copenhagen	South-south-westerly fresh breeze		2	Vessel bombed and on fire, crew members taken off, escorted vessel.
9 January	Ivan Kondrup[23] of Copenhagen	South-south-westerly fresh breeze	1		Vessel bombed. reached port under own steam, one crewman missing
10 January	Feddy[23] of Copenhagen	South-south-westerly light breeze			vessel towed into Aberdeen
9 February	Lily of Aberdeen	South-westerly wind, moderate swell		3	Vessel disabled, found by lifeboat and taken into tow
3 March	Unknown bombed vessel reported	North-westerly moderate breeze, slight seas			Search carried out but nothing found
18 July	Shipping convoys attacked off Aberdeen on 17 July[24]				Lifeboat and crew on standby at the station
20 October	Conakrain[25] of Freetown	East-south-easterly breeze, rough seas			Torpedo damaged in air attack of Girdleness,[26] taken into tow by tug, escorted by lifeboat
21 October	Conakrain[25] of Freetown			2	Two taken off vessel in Aberdeen bay in heavy weather
23 October	Conakrain[25] of Freetown	Easterly moderate gale, moderate seas		23	Crewmen taken off vessel at request of the Royal Navy
1941
3 April	Cairnie	East-south-easterly force 7 to 8, very heavy seas		7	Vessel bombed and in distress, Aberdeen harbour entrance, steering damaged and grounded[27]
24 July	Unknown vessel	Calm, smooth seas			search carried out, nothing found
8 August	Unknown vessel				lifeboat on stand-by only
2 October	RAF aircraft	Westerly force 4, moderate seas			ditched pilot rescued by others, lifeboat recalled
1942
13 March	Unknown vessel	South-south-westerly force 6, heavy seas			No record kept of launch
3 March	HMS Hyderabad and the tug Bruno	Southerly force 3 to 4, smooth seas			Both vessels grounded, lifeboat towed of tug, corvette refloated herself
4 April	Bon Accord of Aberdeen				No record kept of the launch
1943
2 April	Unknown vessel				No record kept of the launch
7 April	Schooner Else of Thisted, Denmark	North force 6 to 9, very rough seas			Vessel towed into port with lifeboat escorting
29 November	Trevorian of St Ives	Smooth seas			No record kept of the launch
1944
23 October	Keilehaven of Rotterdam	South-easterly breeze force 3 to 4, growing swells		40	Crew abandoned ship to US ship, but some returned to vessel by lifeboat
1945
10/11 April	Albert Victor of Vága	Easterly breeze force 3 to 4, breaking surf		9	run aground, lifeboat took off crew and pilot
13 April	Maria of IJmuiden	Light easterly breeze			Lifeboat stood by
RNLB John Russel (ON 699) Relief (Watson-class)
30 July	May Lily of Peterhead	Slight seas			Vessel with engine failure, lifeboat made search, vessel made port under own power
19 October	HM Motor Fishing Vessel 1172	South-south-easterly breeze force 3 to 5, moderate to rough seas		5	Vessel disabled, towed into Aberdeen by lifeboat
19 December	T L Devlin of Granton	Southerly breeze force 5 to 7			Escorted vessel to port
21 December	Sparkling Star of Peterhead	Light southerly wind, smooth seas			Fouled prop, self-cleared, lifeboat stood down
1946
20 January	Spurs of Grimsby				vessel aground in navigation channel, lifeboat damaged whilst standing by
7 August	Harmonious II of Aberdeen	South-westerly breeze force 2 to 3, light to moderate seas		6	Broken down vessel, towed into port
1947
20 October	Harvest Gleaner of Buckie	South-south-westerly breeze force 5, moderate seas			Towed into port by others, lifeboat stood down
1948
5 February	Northman of Aberdeen	Southerly breeze force 4 to 6			Both vessel and lifeboat grounded, pulled off by tug
1949
13 January	Welbeckof Grimsby	South-westerly breeze force 2, smooth to slight seas			Lifeboat then tug towed vessel off
23 September	Alirmay of Aberdeen	South-easterly breeze force 3 to 4			Lifeboat recalled, not required
24 September	Brightside	Easterly breeze force 1 to 2, slight seas			Stranded vessel, crew landed by others, lifeboat recalled
1950
19 September	Saga of Aberdeen	South-south-easterly force 8 to 9, very high seas			Vessel with engine failure, Aberdeen lifeboat recalled
19 September	Saga of Aberdeen	South-south-easterly force 8 to 9, very high seas			Second launch to vessel towed by Peterhead lifeboat, Aberdeen lifeboat escorted
26 September	Lyndburn of Aberdeen	North-easterly force 4, rough seas		1	Vessel grounded, lifeboat takes off 1
1951
14 February	Yawl Glen of Aberdeen	South-easterly force 3 to 4, slight seas		2	Vessel broken down, towed into port by lifeboat

Retirement

On 14 January 1951 Emma Constance performed her last launch. She went to assist the yawl Glen of Aberdeen which had broken down 1 nautical mile east-north-east of Gregness. The lifeboat took the vessel into tow and returned to Aberdeen. In August 1951 the Emma Constance was retired from Aberdeen. Her replacement was a 52 ft Barnett-class lifeboat called RNLB Hilton Briggs (ON 889). Following her retirement the Emma Constance was sold out of the RNLI fleet and was renamed several times becoming first the Southern Cross followed by Achilleus and then Griselda.

References

1. Ships for All, by Bowen, Frank C, published by Ward, Lock & Co., Ltd, London and Melbourne: Second Edition
2. Title: The Lifeline – The History of the Aberdeen Lifeboat Station 1925 - 1985. Author: Trewren, Norman. Publisher: 1985 N. Trewren. Work: Chapter 2, RNLB Emma Constance, pages 9–15. ISBN 0 9510738 0 X
3. Heroes All!, the story of the RNLI, by Beilby, Alec: published by Patrick Stephens Ltd (1992): Work: Chapter 5, 100 Years On, page 44. ISBN 1-85260-419-0
4. Rescue at Sea: By Evans, Clayton: Published by Conway (2003): ISBN 0-85177-934-4
5. Title: The Lifeline – The History of the Aberdeen Lifeboat Station 1925 - 1985. Author: Trewren, Norman. Publisher: 1985 N. Trewren. Work: Chapter 2, RNLB Emma Constance Naming, pages 10–15. ISBN 0 9510738 0 X
6. "Aberdeen Ships". Aberdeen Built Ships – Ben Torc. www.aberdeenships.com. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
7. Shipwrecks of the North of Scotland. Author: Baird, R N. Publisher: Birlinn Ltd; Ill edition (13 Oct 2003). Work: The Wreck of the Ben Torc, page 11. ISBN 978-1841582337
8. "Canmore – Gregness Coastguard Station". Details and Information of the CG station at Gregness. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
9. Shipwreck Index of the British Isles: Vol 4 Scotland. Author: Larn, Richard. Larn, Bridget. Publisher: Lloyds Register of Shipping (31 Dec 1998). Work:The Wreck of the Ben Torc – Location. ISBN 978 1900839013
10. "Ben Torc – Greg ness North Sea". Details and Information of the wreck site of the Ben Torc at Gregness. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
11. "Aberdeen Ship – George Stroud". Ship Details of the George Stroud. www.aberdeenships.com. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
12. Lifeboat Gallantry – RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher:Spink & Son Ltd and the RNLI. Work: Page 268, SINCLAIR, Thomas Marshall. ISBN 0 907605 89 3
13. Title: The Lifeline – The History of the Aberdeen Lifeboat Station 1925 - 1985. Author: Trewren, Norman. Publisher: 1985 N. Trewren. Work: Chapter 2, The Thirties, Page 32 – 15. ISBN 0 9510738 0 X
14. Lifeboat Gallantry – RNLI Medals and how they were won. Author: Cox, Barry. Publisher: Spink & Son Ltd and the RNLI. Work: Page 270, SINCLAIR, Thomas Marshall, WEIR Alexander, MASSON, John. ISBN 0 907605 89 3
15. "SS Fairy – Balmedie Aberdeen". Details and Information of the wreck site of the Kings Lynn Collier Fairy. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
16. "The Glasgow Herald – Scottish news". Newspaper report of the HM Drifter Lunar Bow. Glasgow Herald – google.com/Newspapers. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
17. "FV Venetia (A560) (+1932)". Details of the fishing vessel Venetia and its wreck location. www.wrecksite. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
18. "Venetia – Holehead - North Sea". Details and Information of the wreck site of the Trawler Venetia. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
19. "Cairnmona – British steamship". Description and details of the ship and its loss. uboat.net. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
20. "Ships hit by U13". WWII U-boat Successes - Ships hit by U-13. uboat.net. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
21. "Trinity NB (1914 - 1939)". Details of the fishing vessel Trinity NB and its wreck location. www.wrecksite. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
22. "Gowrie Cargo ship (1909 - 1940)". Details of the cargo ship Gowrie and its wreck location. www.wrecksite. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
23. "German attacks on Danish ships". Newspaper report on attacks to Danish shipping in 1940. Trove – Digitalized Newspapers. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
24. "Battle of Britain – Timeline". Reference to the Convoy attack of 17 July 1940. The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, Douglas Bader House, Horcott Hill, Fairford, Gloucestershire, GL7 4RB, UK. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
25. "Ships Histories – Conakrian". Description and details of the SS Conakrian. SEAtheShips – Ship Histories. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
26. "British and Other Navies in World War 2 Day-by-Day – Naval Events, October 1940 (Part 2 of 2) Tuesday 15th - Thursday 31st". Section detailing Sunday 20 October – reference to SS Conakrian. Naval-History.Net. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
27. "Cairnie Cargo Ship (1891 – 1940)". Details of the cargo ship Cairnie and its wreck location. www.wrecksite. Retrieved 21 October 2013.