Davara
Davara was a British steam fishing trawler. Launched in 1912, it was requisitioned in 1914 by the Royal Navy for service in World War I and fitted out as a minesweeper. She was returned to her owners after the war and began service as a trawler once more.
The steam trawler Davara. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | |
| Name | Davara |
| Owner | Mount Steam Fishing Co. Ltd, Fleetwood |
| Port of registry | Fleetwood, England |
| Builder | Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby |
| Yard number | 517 |
| Launched | 6 January 1912 |
| Completed | March 1912 |
| In service | 1912–1939 |
| Identification | FD 152 |
| Fate | Sunk by U-27 northwest of Tory Island, 13 September 1939. |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 291 GRT |
| Length | 130 ft (40 m) |
| Draught | 12.5 ft (3.8 m) |
| Propulsion | T.3-cylinder by Charles D. Holmes & Co. Ltd, Hull |
| Crew | 12 |
On 13 September 1939, twelve days after the outbreak of World War II, U-27 intercepted the Davara on a normal fishing trip. The submarine began to shell the trawler with its deck gun. The hands managed to escape the trawler in a lifeboat, and the Davara sank at 14:55 from the damage inflicted by U-27's deck gun. Her crew remained in the water "baling and rowing" for five hours before they were picked up by the steamer Willowpool and safely made landfall. Davara was the first British trawler to be sunk by enemy action in World War II.