Davara
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 The steam trawler Davara. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Davara |
| Owner | Mount Steam Fishing Co. Ltd, Fleetwood[1] |
| Port of registry | Fleetwood, England[1] |
| Builder | Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby[1] |
| Yard number | 517[2] |
| Launched | 6 January 1912[2] |
| Completed | March 1912[1][2] |
| In service | 1912–1939[1][2] |
| Identification | FD 152[1] |
| Fate | Sunk northwest of Tory Island, 13 September 1939.[1][2] |
| General characteristics [1][2] | |
| 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 |
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.
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.
Davara (Official Number 132409)[3] was constructed in Selby by the shipbuilder Cochrane & Sons Ltd. On 6 January 1912, the trawler was launched from yard number 517. Christened the Davara by her owners, Mount Steam Fishing Co. Ltd, she was registered in the port of Fleetwood on 6 March 1912 and completed sometime later that same month.[1] She had a net register tonnage of 116 and a gross register tonnage of 291.[2][4] The trawler was 130 feet (40 m) from bow to stern, with a draught of 12.5 feet (3.8 m) and a breadth of 23.5 feet (7.2 m). Her engine consisted of a T.3-cylinder from C. D. Holmes & Co. Ltd.[1][2]
