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Remembered Today:

S.S. Izaston


James A Pratt III

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Can anyone tell me about the loss of the merchant ship Izaston. It was carrying RNAS aircraft BE2es B3711, 3712, and B3722 to Mudros among its cargo. I have not been able to find any record of it being a combat loss.

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The IZASTON (1898), as the Swedish MILOS, was torpedoed and sunk when a convoy straggler in 1943.

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This is from my notes from "Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units 1911-1919" R. Sturtivant & G. Page. It has these 3 aircraft lost on this ship. Either they got the wrong ship or the aircraft were destroyed do to some sort of accident. You might find this book interesting Michael because it gives a condensed history of most RNAS aircraft including their attacks on U-boats.

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  • 2 weeks later...
This is from my notes from "Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units 1911-1919" R. Sturtivant & G. Page. It has these 3 aircraft lost on this ship. Either they got the wrong ship or the aircraft were destroyed do to some sort of accident. You might find this book interesting Michael because it gives a condensed history of most RNAS aircraft including their attacks on U-boats.

James,

don't know if you are more into the "aircraft stuff", but four you and all those interested here is an list of the aircraft I was able to "credit" to an U-boat-attack (using the above mentioned book), also I had found some steamers with aircraft on board, but don't know the numbers (mentioned at the NATIONAL ARCHIVES files on merchant vessels attacked):

26.11.15 - No. 1445 - sunk onboard S/S TRINGA (sunk by U 33), off Tunesia

30.12.15 - No. 920 and 921 - sunk onboard S/S PERSIA (sunk by U 38), south of Crete

21.05.17 - 2 Aeroplanes sunk onboard S/S AMPLEFORTH (sunk by U 65), near Malta

14.06.17 - 4 Aeroplanes sunk onboard S/S NEW ZEALAND TRANSPORT (sunk by UC 23), Aegean

20.11.17 - S/S CIVILIAN was sunk by UC 74 off Alexandria, cargo general including seaplanes

a box with one seaplane was recoverd by Sloop VERBENA !

10.12.17 - N.1486, N.1487, N.1976, N.1980, N.2084 and N.2085 - sunk onboard S/S PERSIER (sunk by U 35), south of Italy

03.01.18 - 5 Seaplanes - sunk onboard S/S STEELVILLE (sunk by UB 50), Tunesia

The other aircraft mentioned by Sturtivant/Page as being "lost on transit to Mudros" I was not able to trace, but might have been on one or another steamer mentioned above.

As for IZASTON, I also believe more in an technical write off (cargo become loose during storm or so).

Oliver

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello James,

on my last visit to TNA I found another steamer carrying Aeroplanes:

S.S. PROPHET, torpedoed by UC 74 on 14.11.1917 and sunk 15.11.1917, south of Anti-Kythera Island, North of Crete.

cargo = 4500 tons coal, 200 tons naval stores, deck cargo ots Aeroplane

voyage Barry Docks - Malta - Milo - Mudros !!!

Sturtivant/Page list N.5610, N.5620 and N.5621 as lost as per 15.11.1917 while on transit to Mudros !

Oliver

PS: re your original post: S.S. IZASTON also had seaplane N.1648 as "28.12.17 surveyed, 04.01.18 deleted"

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I think it is more likely that these aircraft were damaged in transit since they were all later surveyed and deleted. I doubt that the survey was done on the sea-bed by divers.

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I agree,

IZASTON's airplanes obviously "paid off" after damage as IZASTON was NOT damaged or sunk by U-Boat/Mine.

But PROPHET's airplanes are lost after vessel was sunk by UC 74, as are the other airplanes I have mentioned in an earlier post.

Oliver

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  • 10 years later...

According to Spindler on 17.1.1918 Izaston was fired on by UC-56 after leaving the Tyne.  The ship engaged the U-boat in an indecisive gunnery duel off Shields.

Edited by Hyacinth1326
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