SS Norseman (1897)

Norseman set sail from Plymouth, United Kingdom bound for Thessaloniki, Greece via Marseille, France. The ship's cargo consisted of vehicles, clothing, munitions, barbed wire, about 1,100 mules and oats. She was also transporting 150 men of the 26th Infantry Division. In the early morning of 22 January 1916, Norseman reached the Thermaic Gulf alongside a convoy of six other ships including a destroyer and two warships. Norseman was spotted by the German submarine U-39 at 4:25 am and was first attacked at 5:10 am by a torpedo fired from U-39. However, the torpedo missed the ship and a second attack at 5:36 am also resulted in the torpedo failing to find its target. The attacks were not noticed by any of the ships, so the submarine was able to gain another opportunity in striking the ship.

Norseman was ultimately struck by a torpedo on U-39 her third attempt. The attack left the ship heavily damaged and to save her, she was towed by a torpedo boat, a fishing vessel and two French tugboats to the harbour of Moudros. The towing effort was commanded by Captain Alexander Campbell once his ship, HMS Prince George, arrived to offer their assistance. Captain Campbell ordered Norseman to be abandoned while the ship's stern began to sink before she was beached near Moudros. The stern ultimately sank in 14 metres (45 ft 11 in) of water, drowning many of the mules; however, many others that were stored in the intermediate decks were rescued. No humans lives were lost in the incident.^[4]

The wreck of Norseman was subjected to many recovery attempts by the British before they abandoned their efforts in 1919. Thereafter the wreck changed hands multiple times, being dismantled and scrapped bit by bit each time until the mid-1950s. She was officially scrapped in situ in 1920, but the large pieces of sheet metal that still lie at the wreck site to this day at a depth of 14 metres (45 ft 11 in), speak of a long and tiresome salvage operation.^[5]