On 18 August 1917 the new naval trawler Benjamin Stevenson fought German submarine U-55 about 40 miles east of Fetlar. Outgunned and badly damaged, she sank while being towed towards land. The checked short records do not establish a dependable death count.
Read the whole record
On 18 August 1917 the new naval trawler Benjamin Stevenson fought German submarine U-55 about 40 miles east of Fetlar. Outgunned and badly damaged, she sank while being towed towards land. The checked short records do not establish a dependable death count.
The vessel and voyage
Benjamin Stevenson was a 255-ton Castle-class Admiralty trawler built by Smith's Dock and completed only in July 1917. Unlike a fishing boat merely hired for war work, she was a naval trawler built to the standard Castle design. She was serving from the Lerwick area, protecting the busy route between Shetland and Norway.
How it was lost
On 18 August 1917, about 40 miles east of Fetlar, Benjamin Stevenson met German submarine U-55. A gun fight lasted around half an hour, but the submarine could stay outside the effective range of the trawler's smaller weapon. The damaged trawler was taken in tow by Elise, then sank while they headed towards Bard Head.
Deaths and survival
The public sources checked for this fast pass do not agree clearly enough to state a death or survivor total. The towing account proves that at least some people and another vessel remained to help after the action. A firm human count should wait for the naval casualty list rather than be guessed from the loss of the ship.
What remains
The Scottish point lies east of Shetland in the broad area of the recorded action. The wreck is a deep offshore site and the available material does not describe a fully identified, intact hull survey. The map position is therefore best read as the recorded wreck area.
Why it mattered
Benjamin Stevenson shows the unequal surface battles fought by armed trawlers against submarines. The trawler resisted rather than being surprised by a mine or torpedo, but U-55 could use greater gun range to control the fight. The loss also came only weeks after the newly built vessel entered service.
Sources for this account
Sources checked 15 August 2026.
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