Willowpool SS

WILLOWPOOL SS

Research ... Paul Hennessey

Acknowledgements ... Underwater photography courtesy of www.sambeanimages.com

Position ... 52 52 861 N / 01 51 167 E

Type ... Three Island Type (Poop, Bridge deck and Forecastle)

Poop deck 29ft, Bridge deck 221ft, Forecastle 42ft

Depth ... Highest 15mtrs, Seabed 20mtrs

Cause of loss ... Mined ( German U Boat, type 11B, U20)

Lost ... 10/12/39

Crew ... 36

Built ... 1925

Builder ... Ropner Shipbuilding and Repairers Co Ltd ( Yard no 549)

Engine builder ... Blair & Co Ltd ( Stockton - on - Tees) 1x triple expansion / 25.5, 40, 71 x 48 inch stroke

Boilers ... x3 Scotch type, x1 screw

Power ... 437 nhp

Max speed ... 9.5 knots

Dimensions ... 118.9 x 16.9 x 8mtrs

Tonnage ... 4815 gross

Owner ... Sir R. Ropner & Co Ltd (West Hartlepool, Sunderland)

Voyage ... Bona to Tees carrying 8000 tons of Iron ore

Loss of the Willowpool

Built in 1925, the Willowpool was to be the last ship built by Ropner shipbuilders.

At 4pm on the 10th of December 1939, whilst on route from Bona to Tees under the command of Norman Joseph Oliver, with a cargo of Iron ore, the Willowpool struck a mine layed by the type 11B U- boat U20. The captain and all 35 members of his crew were picked up by the Gorleston lifeboat.

UKHO surveys

At the time of her sinking, the UKHO have the Willowpool as sitting upright on the seabed with her masts showing some 40 feet above the waterline at low water along with much of her upper works awash. In 1950 she is listed as being only four feet clear, bouyed and her masts now collapsed. In 1951, the Willowpool was deemed to be of hazard to navigation and was therefore dispersed and swept clear to 10 feet and foul at 11 feet. Reported as dived in 1970, the Willowpool is said to have been almost entirely buried in the sand with pieces of wreckage protruding no more than a few feet above the seabed (no scour). In 1972, with the sands somewhat receded, the willowpool showed herself to be all but stripped of her superstructure and upperworks, much of this still being in evidence on the surrounding seabed (wreck believed to be sometimes completely covered in sand). In 1980, the Willowpool showed herself to be swept clear at 8.2mtrs and foul at 8.5mtrs in a general depth of 13mtrs (lies on eastern side of sandbank). In 1993, the Willowpool showed herself to be clear at 8.7mtrs in a general depth of 11 - 15mtrs, partially buried and with a scour depth of 17.8mtrs. As can be seen from the above UKHO surveys, shifting sands over the years have dictated as to how much of the Willowpool is exposed at any given time, this in turn either reducing or increasing the depth to the seabed. At the time of writing, 2019, the Willowpool shows herself to be well exposed and upto 5mtrs clear of the seabed in 20mtrs of water.

Below ... Anchors still in situe on the Willowpools bow. Courtesy of SamBeanImages

12 Pounder gun

The Willowpools stern was fitted with a 12 pounder QF (Quick fire) AA gun. This looks to be of the Mk1 design. The 12 pounder was designed in 1893 and came into service in 1894. The 12 pounder was so called as its projectile weight was 12 pounds.

The propellant would have been cordite with a black powder fuse. Gun weight without mounting 0.6 tons, barrel bore 3 inch, rate of fire 15 rounds per minute.

For the most part the 12 pounder found extensive service during WW1 on all manner of naval vessels. During WW11 the 12 pounder was to be found in most cases on DEMs (Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships), RFAs (Royal Fleet Auxilliary Ships) and small operational vessels.

Below ... 12 Pounder gun as it is today. Courtesy of SamBeanImages

Below ... Mk1 12 pounder set up for land use on a mobile platform

Below ... Footage of the Willowpool's gun. Clive Cartmel (2022)

Disadvantage of 3 island type design

The Willowpool was of the 3 Island type design, forecastle, bridge deck and poop deck, engines midships. Due to the engines being midships, all hold spaces aft of the engines are reduced in cargo carrying capacity. This is due to the fact that the prop shaft, in turn the shaft tunnel run along the bottom of the ships hull from engine to stern. This then reducing cargo space in the effected holds. One way of getting around this was to incorporate into the ships design a long raised quarter deck as described here. Advantage of long raised quarter deck with engines midships. Click on Corchester link below and scroll down.

Corchester

Below ... Midships penetration . Courtesy of SamBeanImages

Below ... Type 11B U-Boat

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 ... Kapitanleutnant Karl-Heinz Moehle

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

The Willowpool today

Today the Willowpool sits in 20mtrs of water on a sandy seabed with her highest point being some 5mtrs proud of the seabed. Despite the effects of the sea and dispersal, the Willowpool is remarkably intact and makes for one of the best dives along the Norfolk coastline.The bows of the Willowpool are still upright and intact with a slight list to port. Both her bow anchors are still in situe along with a spare that sits on the deck just aft of the bows. It is still possible to drop down in to her holds, though these are now very sanded. Traces of her cargo can still be found in small quantities (Iron Ore) One of the highlights of diving the Willowpool is her 12 pounder gun situated at the stern. With a max depth of 20mtrs, there is plenty of time to explore all that this magnificent wreck has to offer.

What you will see .....

Stern .... 12 pounder gun and ammunition boxes in situe, reports of live ammunition.

Deck ... Winches and machinery

Well decks ... Bulwarks and wash ports visible, sanded with ladders

Super structure ... Broken and laying on the surrounding seabed and upper hull.

Masts .. Lay in amongst the wreckage.

Hand rails

Donkey boiler

Anchors .. Bow

Stern ... Wooden decking

Multiple mooring bollards and cleats

Below ... Donkey Boiler (left) and Winch (right). Courtesy of SamBeanImages

Below .... Footage of the Willowpool 2018. Curtesy of Steve Smith and buddy Richard Sanders