Ships hit during WWI

HMS Zulu

NameHMS Zulu
TypeDestroyer
GRT1,027 tons
Country  British
Built1909
BuilderHawthorn, Leslie & Co., Ltd., Newcastle
OperatorRoyal Navy
HistoryPresent at the Coronation Fleet Review for King George V as part of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet.

Deployment to Dover in July 1914 was delayed by a collision with a caisson in Portsmouth dockyard which resulted in four days in dry dock. Reached Dover on 4 August and captured the German full-rigged ship Perhns the next day. Zulu was in collision with Crusader at the end of August and again in late September. On October 31, 1914 went to the assistance of Hermes, which had been torpedoed by U27 off Calais. On June 1, 1915 took part in the unsuccessful hunt for UB 6 after it had sunk Saidieh.

Apart from the periods in dry dock that these entailed, Zulu’s life was continuous patrols of the Dover Straits interspersed with escorting troop transports across to France. Zulu paid off in September 1915 and recommissioned with a new crew in November. She continued the patrols and escorting, but now there was also escorting monitors to the Belgian coast for bombardment of German positions, there was now the added danger of attacks by German destroyers and air attacks especially when off the Belgian coast. There was a break from these activities in March 1916 when Zulu underwent a refit at Portsmouth and then it was back to the same routine again until 5 April when she hit the breakwater at Boulogne and this necessitated two weeks of repairs at Devonport.

On 8 November Zulu was on patrol off Calais when she struck a mine laid by UC 1 and the stern dropped off. After dry docking at Calais the wreck was towed to Chatham at the end of the month.

U-boat attacks on Destroyer Zulu


DateU-boatLoss typePositionLocationRouteCargoCasualties
18 Nov 1916UC 1 (Heinrich Küstner)SunkMined off Gravelines 51°03’40”N 02°00’40”E - partially destroyed
51° 04'N, 2° 01'E


3

Rebuilt with part of Nubian to become Zubian.

Position of attack on Zulu


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