Troops boarded the ROYAL EDWARD on 28th July 1915 at Avonmouth. At the time this port was used by liners which were too large to get any further up the River Avon to Bristol. Soldiers of a number of Regiments were due to sail in her to join troops at Gallipoli,Turkey.The ROYAL EDWARD (Cdr.P.M.Watton R.N.R.) was reported off the Lizard on 29th July. On the same day her sister ship the ROYAL GEORGE sailed with troops from Devenport for Gallipoli. Records show that the ROYAL GEORGE called at Malta on 5th August and arrived at Alexandria,Egypt on the 9th. The ROYAL EDWARD would have followed a day behind. The ROYAL GEORGE sailed from Mudras harbour, Lemnos on 11th arriving safely on 13th. The ROYAL EDWARD sailed from Alexandria on 12th August for Mudras. Apart from her crew of 220 she had on board 31 officers and 1335 men.
On the same day the recently arrived German submarine UB14 sailed from Bodrum for the known steamer route between Alexandria and the dardanelles. She was under the command of Lt.Commander Heino von Heimburg with a crew of 14. This small submarine of 127 tons was just over 90 feet long and less than ten feet wide. The UB14 had been completed at Bremen Dockyard earlier that year. She had then been transported in sections overland by train to Pola in Austria where she had been reassembled in June to operate against British and Allied shipping in the Mediterranean. On 6 July she torpedoed and sank the Italian Armoured Cruiser Amalfi while operating under the Austrian flag off Venice. The UB14 sailed for the Dardanelles on 16th July. This was at a time when the range of submarines was very limited, unlike today. To reach Bodrum she had to be towed a considerable part of the distance by an Austrian destroyer. Even so her engine broke down off Crete and her compass became defective. Despite these problems she arrived safely at Bodrum on 24th July. On arrival she recharged the batteries of the UC14 which had arraived four days earlier with engine problems. A maintenance team then had to travel from Constatinople to carry out necessary repairs to both submarines. At the time this journey was not easy being made partly by train and partly by camel.
After leaving Bodrum the UB14's first sighting was a fully lit hospital ship seen that evening which was not attacked. On 13th August 1915 she first sighted the P & O Liner Soudan in service as a hospital ship
She then sighted the ROYAL EDWARD sailing unescorted for Madras. The UB14 fired one torpedo from under a mile away which hit her stern. The ROYAL EDWARD sank quickly. The after deck was awash in three minutes and the ship had sunk with her bows in the air in six minutes.
Official reports at that time stated 132 men were lost, including her captain and that has been repeated in many publications up to the 1980's In fact the loss of life was far greater. The Dictionary of Disasters at Sea 1824-62 published by Lloyds Registerof Shipping states that"of the 1,586 on board less than 500 were rescued". Just before the attack the troops had carried out boat drill so when the torpedo struck many were below decks stowing their gear.
Those saved were picked up by the Soudan, two French destroyers and some trawlers which were near enough to the scene to help with the rescue operations.
The UB14 did not harass the rescue ships. Her compass had become defective again so she returned immediately to Bodrum for repairs, where she arrived on the morning of the 15th August.
The above information was From Ian Hook, Curator of the Essex Regimental Museum who has been constantly helpful to me and keeps me up with any new items regarding the Royal Edward.
On the same day the recently arrived German submarine UB14 sailed from Bodrum for the known steamer route between Alexandria and the dardanelles. She was under the command of Lt.Commander Heino von Heimburg with a crew of 14. This small submarine of 127 tons was just over 90 feet long and less than ten feet wide. The UB14 had been completed at Bremen Dockyard earlier that year. She had then been transported in sections overland by train to Pola in Austria where she had been reassembled in June to operate against British and Allied shipping in the Mediterranean. On 6 July she torpedoed and sank the Italian Armoured Cruiser Amalfi while operating under the Austrian flag off Venice. The UB14 sailed for the Dardanelles on 16th July. This was at a time when the range of submarines was very limited, unlike today. To reach Bodrum she had to be towed a considerable part of the distance by an Austrian destroyer. Even so her engine broke down off Crete and her compass became defective. Despite these problems she arrived safely at Bodrum on 24th July. On arrival she recharged the batteries of the UC14 which had arraived four days earlier with engine problems. A maintenance team then had to travel from Constatinople to carry out necessary repairs to both submarines. At the time this journey was not easy being made partly by train and partly by camel.
After leaving Bodrum the UB14's first sighting was a fully lit hospital ship seen that evening which was not attacked. On 13th August 1915 she first sighted the P & O Liner Soudan in service as a hospital ship
She then sighted the ROYAL EDWARD sailing unescorted for Madras. The UB14 fired one torpedo from under a mile away which hit her stern. The ROYAL EDWARD sank quickly. The after deck was awash in three minutes and the ship had sunk with her bows in the air in six minutes.
Official reports at that time stated 132 men were lost, including her captain and that has been repeated in many publications up to the 1980's In fact the loss of life was far greater. The Dictionary of Disasters at Sea 1824-62 published by Lloyds Registerof Shipping states that"of the 1,586 on board less than 500 were rescued". Just before the attack the troops had carried out boat drill so when the torpedo struck many were below decks stowing their gear.
Those saved were picked up by the Soudan, two French destroyers and some trawlers which were near enough to the scene to help with the rescue operations.
The UB14 did not harass the rescue ships. Her compass had become defective again so she returned immediately to Bodrum for repairs, where she arrived on the morning of the 15th August.
The above information was From Ian Hook, Curator of the Essex Regimental Museum who has been constantly helpful to me and keeps me up with any new items regarding the Royal Edward.
