Vessels sunk by EnemyAction

Ailsa Craig: steamship, sunk by torpedo in Lyme Bay. 15.4.1918.
Albert C Field: 1,764 ton ammunition ship, sunk off Anvil Point. 18.6.1944.
Alex Van Opstal: 5,900 ton Belgian liner, mined and sunk on the east side of Portland Bill. 15.9.1939.
Algarve: steamship, torpedoed and sunk 15 miles w.s.w. of Portland Bill with the loss of 21 lives. 20.10.1917.
Aparima: 5,704 tons, torpedoed 6 miles off Anvil Point with the loss of 56 lives. 19.11.1917.
Avanti: steamship, torpedoed 4 miles off Anvil Point with the loss of 22 lives. 2.2.1918.
Bamse: torpedoed 15 miles off Portland Bill. 17.4.1918.
Baron Garioch: torpedoed 5 miles off Anvil Point. 28.10.1917.
Baygitano: 3,073 ton steamship, torpedoed 1½ miles off Lyme Regis with the loss of 3 lives. 18.3.1918.
Binnendijk: Dutch freighter, mined near the Shambles Lightship. 7.10.1939.
Black Hawk: American steamship, torpedoed off Worbarrow, where it later beached on the reef. 29.12.1944.
Blackwood: 1,150 ton frigate, torpedoed off Portland. 15.6.1944.
Boadicea: destroyer, sunk off Portland by aerial torpedo. 13.6.1944.
Borga: steamship, torpedoed 9 miles off Beer Head with the loss of 9 lives. 1.3.1918.
British Inventor: steam tanker, mined 5 miles off St Alban's Head and sank whilst in tow. 13.6.1940.
Broomhill: 1,392 ton collier, sunk by submarine gunfire 9 miles south-west of Portland Bill. 10.5.1917.
L.H. Carl: 1,916 ton steamer, torpedoed in Lyme Bay with the loss of 2 lives. 20.7.1917.
Clan Macvey: 5,815 tons, sunk by torpedo off Anvil Point with the loss of 7 lives. 8.8.1918
Crane: Norwegian steamship, torpedoed off Portland Bill. 9.3.1918.
HMS Delight: 1,375 ton destroyer, bombed and sank off Portland. 26.7.1940.
Elena. R: 5,900 ton Greek steamship, mined off the Shambles. 22.11.1939.
Elmcrest: 4,343 ton steamer, sunk by E-boat 13 miles south of the Bill. 4.7.1940.
Ermenilda: captured by submarine and destroyed 24 miles s.s.w. of Portland. 4.8.1916.
HMS Formidable: 15,000 ton battleship, sunk by torpedo in Lyme Bay with the loss of 551 lives. 1.1.1915.

Photo: Courtesy of Lyme Regis Philpot Museum

Fortuna: steam vessel, captured by submarine and destroyed 15 miles s.s.w. of Portland Bill. 3 .8.1916.
Foylebank: 5,582 ton anti-aircraft ship, bombed and sunk in Portland Harbour. 4.7.1940. The Victoria Cross was posthumously awarded to Leading Seaman J.Mantle for remaining at the starboard 'pom-pom' and firing back even though mortally wounded. It was the first V.C. awarded to a rating in the war. The Foylebank's bows were raised in 1948, the remainder was salvaged in 1952.

Part of a painting by John Hamilton showing Stukas dive-bombing the Foylebank, in Portland Harbour on July 4th 1940.

Gibel-Hamam: steamship, torpedoed off Abbotsbury with the loss of 14 lives. 14.9.1918.
Hartburn: torpedoed 10 miles south of Anvil Point with the loss of 3 lives. 15.10.1917.
Hartlepool: steamship, sunk by gunfire in the entrance to Weymouth Harbour. 5.7.1940.
Hazlewood: 3,120 tons, torpedoed 8 miles south-east of Anvil Point with the loss of 32 lives. 18.10.1917.
Hickory. motor vessel, mined off Portland Bill. 22.10.1940.
Himalaya: 4,690 ton coal hulk, sunk by bombing in Portland Harbour. 12.6.1940. When launched in 1853 the 3-masted steamer was the world's largest ship; it served as a troopship in the Crimean War.
Iolanthe: torpedoed 10 miles off Portland Bill. 4.1.1918.
Jessie: sunk by submarine gunfire 7 miles off the Bill. 27.4.1917.
Kingston Cairngorm: naval trawler, mined off Portland Bill. 17.10.1940.
Kyarra: 4,500 ton steamer, torpedoed off Durlston Head. 26.5.1918.
Lord Stamp: 448 ton naval trawler, mined in Lyme Bay. 14.10.1940.
The Macbain: steamship, torpedoed 20 miles s.s.w. of Portland Bill. 4.3.1917.
Marguerite: French steamship, torpedoed off Lyme Regis. 28.6.1917.
Martha: steamship, torpedoed off Portland Bill. 7.3.1918.
Meknes: French liner, torpedoed off Portland. 19.7.1940.
Memnon: 3,203 ton steamer, torpedoed 20 miles south-west of Portland Bill with the loss of 6 lives. 12.3. 1917.
Mermaid: sunk by bombs 18 miles s.s.w. of Anvil Point. 29.4.1917.
Motor Torpedo Boats' 90 and 92: destroyed by fire in Portland Harbour. 16.7.1941.
Moidart: torpedoed with the loss of 15 lives 7 miles south-east of Lyme. 9.6.1918. A rare 20 cwt gun has since been salvaged from the wreck.
Orne: French steamship, torpedoed off Portland Bill. 21.12.1917.
Perriton: sunk by submarine gunfire in Lyme Bay. 29.1.1918.
Polkerris: French steamship, torpedoed off Portland. 4.3.1918.
Pomeranian: torpedoed 9 miles off Portland Bill with the loss of 55 lives. 14.4.1918.
Radaas: Danish steamer, torpedoed in Lyme Bay. 21.9.1917.
Recoil: naval trawler, mined in Lyme Bay. 28.9.1940.
Remindo: naval trawler, lost off Portland, cause unknown. 2.2.1918.
Romsdalen: torpedoed off Portland Bill. 17.2.1917.Salsette: 5,842 ton steamer, torpedoed 15 miles south of the Bill with the loss of 15 lives. 20.7.1917. The Salsette had once been the fastest steamer in the P&0 fleet.

Samson: The 32 gun Samson was one of an unknown number of ships that sank during the Battle of Portland, February l8th-20th, 1653: the captain and most of the crew went down with their ship. The Battle was waged against the Dutch, and began when the 80 strong English fleet under Blake and Monck intercepted a Dutch convoy of 200 merchantmen and about 70 warships under Van Tromp. At least 30 Dutch merchantmen and 4 warships were sunk during the engagement, which began 3 miles off Portland and ended near the Isle of Wight.

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