Magazine Article on Johannes Lohs

I've just received a reply from a chap called John Grogan who wrote a magazine article called "Johann Lohs - The Channel Hunter" about our elusive U-boat Kapitan. He's kindly offered to send me a copy of the article, and given me some pointers of where to go next for material.

So, watch this space...

Gun Details

I think it's a fabulous idea, but it's really going to need a bit of planning... mind you, if the BSAC could lift that U-Boat deck gun that's sitting outside Paradise Park then it's got to be do-able (also I seem to remember the "Mary Something" in a shed in Portsmouth?

A cautionary note though:

Gun Weight: 0.6 tons (510 kg)
Gun Length oa 123.6 in (3.139 m)

I'm in....

Survey Planning

Hi to all

Having Dived the Thompson a few weeks ago I have come to realise how difficult it is going to be to carry out the survey dives, we are really going to need to be spot on. Project dives will need perfect planning if we are going to achieve proper useful results. I am at present working on dive planning sheets for this.
I feel we should for the time being concentrate any survey /photo work on the stern section.

We dived the stern area of the ship and noticed that the gun is still connected to the mounting pintel and that someone seems to have tried to lift it. This has given me an idea. With the development of Newhaven marina, would it be a good idea to develop some sort of partnership with Newhaven Council and developers to see if we could lift the gun get it restored and create some sort of memorial in Newhaven to the crew of the thompson and all other merchant seaman lost of our part of the coast.

Lifting the gun would be a mammoth task and we would need permission, but it could be done next season with the right planning. How do other project members feel about this? any thoughts or ideas would be welcome.

Tad

Mr Evan NICHOLAS ~ First Mate

Some additional information on the First Mate of the TRT:-

NICHOLAS Evan
Place of Birth : St.Davids , Pembrokeshire
Born : 1849
Certificate of competency or certificate of service number : 95597
2nd Mate Certificate issued 1872
Only Captain certificate 1875
Kew Reference : 122/66&85

Appointments:-
Mate / 66870/ Lilian / 1877-8, Bombay.
Mate / 35237/ Beau Monde / 1878-9, Bombay.
Mate &Captain / 66966 / Prince Rudolph / 1879-81, WI, US.
First Mate / 8617 / Mylomene / 1883-7, Aust, EI.
Captain / 70168? / Grampian / 1888, EI.
First Mate /106417 / T.R.Thompson, vessel sunk by enemy off Beachy Head on 29 March 1918. Killed or drowned whilst serving.

Source : www.welshmariners.org.uk/search.php

Chris-P

A start point for researching the survivors...

I've been through the blog, and can't find any reference other than "there were three survivors"... so, today I found out from "Lloyds Shipwreck Index Of The British Isles Vol 2 - Hampshire, IOW, Sussex & Kent" that the survivors (three) were taken to Dover by another vessel.

I'm also trying to track down a copy of a BSAC book which might have some further info.

It's nice to know that some of our info is spot on though... as "British Vessels Lost At Sea 1914-1918" (HMSO pub 1919 - reprint 1988) confirms the date and the loss of life as "33 including master"

So, off we go in search of red herrings, wild geese and other curious creatures such as "footnotes"....