SS IONIAN

Above... The Ionian. Photograph reference used www.uboat.net

www.uboat.net

Written and researched by Paul Hennessey

SS IONIAN

Type ... Cargo. Cruiser stern, Raked bow, x5 holds (x3 forward and x2 aft of engine room), machinery midships

Official number ... 166236

Position ... 52 51 675N / 001 55 187E

Built 1938

Construction... Steel

Builder ... William Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool, Sunderland

Engine builder ... Central Marine Engineering Works Ltd, West Hartlepool, Sunderland

Dimensions ... 345.7 x 50.1 x 20.7 feet

Tonnage ... 3114 grt

Engine ... Three cylinder triple expansion. Cylinder sizes, Hp 23, Ip 38, Lp 65 x 48 inch stroke. Direct acting with Bauer-Wach exhaust turbine

Boilers ... X3 multi tubular single ended cylindrical coal fired. X3 Deighton corrugated furnaces per boiler. Boiler construction, steel, boiler dimensions, diameter 15 feet, length 12.6 feet, forced draft, working pressure 225lb

Double bottom ... Yes

Refrigeration ... Refrigerating machinery fitted for cargo purposes

Owner at time of loss ... Ellerman Lines Ltd / Managers Ellerman & Papayanni Lines Ltd, Liverpool

Date of loss ... 29th November 1939

Cause ... Mine

Depth ... 25mtrs

William Gray & Co Ltd, builders of the Ionian.

After several failed partnerships, William Gray eventually set up his own sole ownership company in 1874, with his first ship the Sexta being launched in August 1874. In 1877 Grays eldest son Mathew became a junior partner. In 1878 the company launched 18 ships, this on average being more than one a month in a twelve month period! Their achievements in 1878 led them to receive the "Blue Ribbon", this being an award given to the shipyard that built the most ships in a given year. The companies successes led them to receive the award again in 1882, 1888, 1895,1898 and again in 1900. With the 19th century drawing close to its final decade, the ever increasing demand for larger ships led the company to open another yard in 1887. On the 1st January 1889, the company became a limited company. William Gray remained as chairman and his sons William and Mathew along with his son-in-law George Baines being directors. Mathew Gray died in 1896, within two years of which, both William Gray senior and Thomas Mudd also died, this in turn leaving William Gray junior as the chairman of the company.

A brief plotted history forward ... 1898 Purchased Milton Forge and Engineering Company.. 1898 purchased Malleable Iron Co Ltd ... 1900 two more building berths added, 11 berths now in total, employed 3000 men... 1916 part of company set up for the production of shell cases and explosives... 1929 launched their 1000th ship, the City of Dieppe ... 1930's economic depression gets worse. River Wear yard closes down in 1930. No ships built during 1931 and 1933 ... 1939 WW11 - built new ships, plus repairs and overhauls ... 1960's with business in decline, the company went into liquidation in December 1962.

Central Marine Engineering Works Ltd, builders of the Ionian' engine. In 1883, William Gray as above and pictured to the left set up Central Marine Engineering, this in turn allowing him to be in the position of being able to build engines for his own ships and not having to contract the work out to other engineering companies. Gray recruited the services of Thomas Mudd, Mudd being a former employee of another local engineering company called Richardsons. The Company built their first engine in 1885, this being for the steamer Enfield. Thomas Mudd, due to many of his own design innovations led the company from strength to strength. In 1894, Mudd become a director of the company, by this time they were building engines for shipyards all around the world.

Left ... A triple expansion engine fitted with a Brauer-Wach turbine as would have been fitted in the Ionian. Designed by Professor Gustav Brauer and Doctor Hans Wach.

The Bauer-Wach turbine was designed for use with a Triple or Quadrupal expansion steam engine, in turn utilising the low pressure exhaust steam to drive the turbine. From here via reduction gear and a fluid (hydraulic) coupling the effects of the turbine are directly engaged to the prop shaft. This in turn giving more power to the given vessel. Once the low pressure steam has been utilised by the turbine it then passes to a surface condensor where it is returned to its formative state, ie water and from there is fed back in to the boilers for reuse

Multi tubular single ended cylindrical boiler, ie Scotch type. The Ionian was fitted with three boilers, each with three corrugated furnaces per boiler.

Corrugated furnace

Designed by Samual Fox in the mid 1870's. Patent ref GB1097 of 1877. Prior to the introduction of the corrugated furnace, furnaces fitted in Scotch type boilers were what were known as plain furnaces, ie not corrugated. Due to the high pressures required to run the newly introduced experimental triple expansion engines of the time the crushing effect of the pressure within the boiler upon a plain furnace could prove catastophic and could very well result in boiler explosions. The result of Fox's work in to solving this problem was the invention of the corrugated furnace. Due to its corrugated design it offered much greater strength against the crushing pressures of the boiler and in turn the corrugation increased the heating surface of the furnace.

Below, Double bottom cross section as incorporated in the Ionian .... A double bottom is a method of construction where the bottom of the ship has two separate layers of watertight hull floor. The outer layer forms the outer hull and the inner layer, ie the floor forms a watertight barrier should the outer hull be breached. Up until 2007, double bottomed vessels were allowed to utilise their DB's for fuel storage. In addition the DB can also be used for the storage of ballast water.

Below ... A short piece of film from youtube featuring the Ionian a few months prior to her loss

Circumstances of loss

In the early hours on the 29th November 1939 whilst attached to the North bound convoy FN 43 (London to Hull) with a general mixed cargo the Ionian struck a mine midships that had been laid on the 21st November by the German U-Boat U-20. The captain of the Ionian, William Smith and all 36 crew members survived the incident and were picked up by the Hastings class Sloop HMS Hastings (L27) and in turn landed at South Shields. HMS Hastings survived the war and in 1946 was sold off. On the 10th April of the same year she arrived at the breakers in Scotland to be broken up.

Below ... Kapitanleutnant Karl-Heinz Moehle, commander of the U-20

Kapitanleutnant Karl-Heinz Moehle/ Ranks ... 1st April 1930, Offizieranwarter/ 9th October 1930, Seekadett/ 1st January 1932, Fahnrich Zur See/ 1st October 1934, Leutnant Zur See/ 1st June 1936, Orberleutnant Zur See/ 1st April 1939, Kapitanleutnant/ 1st March 1943, Korvettenkapitan.

Decorations

23rd September 1939 / Iron Cross 2nd Class

17th October 1939 / U-Boat War Badge

24th October 1940 / Iron Cross 1st Class

26th February 1941 / Knights Cross

1st May 1945 / German Cross in silver

Moehle commanded U20 from the 1st of October 1937 until the 17th of January 1940. During this time he went out on 5 patrols. During Moehle's commands, including that of U123, he sank 21 ships with a total GRT of 92,086. Of note ... Mines laid by U-20 were also responsible for the sinking of the SS Willowpool on the 10th December 1939, this being 12 days after the loss of the Ionian.

U-20 ... Commanded by Karl - Heinz Moehle. U20 was a type 11B U Boat. She was laid down and built in 1935 by F. Krump Germaniawerft AG of Kiel. U20's armament consisted of 5 torpedoes and 12 mines (no deck gun).

Technical data

Displacement ... Surfaced = 279 tons / Submerged = 328 tons

Length ... Overall = 42.7mtrs / Pressure hull = 28.2mtrs

Beam ... Overall = 4.08mtrs / Pressure hull = 4.00mtrs

Draught ... 3.9mtrs

Height ... 8.6mtrs

Speed ... Surfaced = 13 knots / Submerged = 7 knots

Crew ... 22 - 24 men

Max depth ... 150mtrs

Below ... Type 11B U Boat

The Ionian today (2023)

Resting on a sandy seabed with a max depth of 25mtrs the Ionian makes for a great dive. For those that have dived the English Trader the Ionian has a feel about it not dissimilar to the Trader, be it minus the evidence of a general cargo she was reported to have been carrying when lost as is found in abundance on the Trader. Navigation of the site is a straightforward affair as the centre line of the vessel is pretty much in evidence throughout the site. The propshaft is still in situ and in turn allows for direct navigation from the engine to the stern or vice versa. As with the rest of the site the stern is no more than a jumble of broken plates and ribs. There is no sign of the prop or the rudder, this no doubt now being buried in the sand, however the steering quadrant can still to be seen along with some of its workings. The engine room area sadly is looking somewhat worse for wear. The three cylinder triple expansion engine now lies over on its starboard side with much of it now being covered in collapsed wreckage. The Ionian was fitted with three single ended Scotch type boilers. From these only one can be seen, this sadly as with the engine is somewhat worse for wear. A large section of the outer shell has come away, this in turn exposing the fire tubes and one of the Deighton corrugated furnaces. From the engine room forward to the bow, once again as with the engine to the stern this is a mass of broken plates and ribs. Throughout the site can be seen various pieces of ships machinery such as winches and associated steam pipes. To the port side of the centre line of the site around the midships area can be found the spare prop sitting on the sandy seabed. At the bows can be seen anchor chain plus one of the ships anchors. Amongst the site are some large sections of wreckage standing several meters high, for the most part the remainder of the site is a couple of meters in height at the most. Eight years ago when dived by a fellow diver the site was reported to have been all but sanded in with only a small amount of the Ionian showing through the sand. As can be seen during the past eight years there has been a great shift in the sand, this in turn now exposing the wreck in all its glory.

Below ... A selection of photographs courtesy of Rob Wade (Anglian Divers BSAC EAB 11 ) 2023

Propshaft

Anchor shank plus ring and stock protruding through the sand

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