{"id":4576,"date":"2018-05-26T15:02:35","date_gmt":"2018-05-26T14:02:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4576"},"modified":"2018-05-26T15:02:35","modified_gmt":"2018-05-26T14:02:35","slug":"ss-wenvoe-a-story-of-bravery-and-tragedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4576","title":{"rendered":"SS WENVOE \u2013 A STORY OF BRAVERY AND TRAGEDY"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSS WENVOE – A STORY OF BRAVERY AND TRAGEDY<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 2,979 tonnes merchant steamer the SS Wenvoe was built in 1894 by the Gray Company of Hartlepool and owned by a prominent Cardiff shipping family, the Morels. Ships like the SS Wenvoe, which were used to transport a variety of cargoes, helped Cardiff to become a port of worldwide importance in the years leading up to the First World War. These ships and their crews played a brave role in supplying the country during the conflict. The war however led to tragedy for the SS Wenvoe, albeit under a different name. Sold to French owners in 1916, the SS Wenvoe was renamed the Bayvoe, although due to wartime restrictions it had to remain under the British Flag.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"From the start of the Great War in 1914, Germany pursued a highly effective U-boat campaign against merchant shipping. At first, U-boats obeyed 'prize rules' which meant surfacing before attacks on merchant shipping. This allowed time for the crew and passengers time to get away. As the war progressed and allied detection improved, this policy was abandoned. U boat attacks intensified and in late 1917 and early 1918 several Cardiff based ships were hit.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tOn 9 January 1918, Bayvoe, on a voyage from Portland to Bordeaux with a cargo of wheat, was targeted and sunk off the coast of Brittany by a German U-boat. Tragically, four crewmen, all merchant seamen from civilian backgrounds, lost their lives.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tTheir origins give a strong indication of the cosmopolitan character of Cardiff at the time. The youngest, a mess room steward, was 19 and from Turkey. The fatalities also included an engineer from Riga, fireman and trimmer from Bombay and a cook from Greece.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe submarine which torpedoed and sunk the Bayvoe was under the command of 31 year old Walter Roehr. Roehr was a very successful U boat commander, with several military decorations, including the Iron Cross 1st Class. His U84 submarine was responsible for sinking 1 warship and 28 merchant ships.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAttacks on SS Birchgrove and SS Cardiff <\/strong><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tIn an indication of Cardiff’s contribution to the war effort, two more local ships suffered attacks around this time. Roehr had already been responsible for sinking the SS Birchgrove, carrying goods from Penarth to Bordeaux, the previous month. The very day after sinking the Bayvoe (9 January), Roehr attacked and severely damaged the SS Cardiff 20 miles off the French coast near Lorient. In spite of these successes, his story did not end well, as his submarine was itself sunk off Penmarch, France just 5 days later with the loss of all officers and crew. The SS Cardiff was later sold on to a German company, Schulte and Bruns. In a final twist of fate, the SS Cardiff, as the renamed Konsult Schulte, was sunk by the allies in a Norwegian fjord in 1941.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \n<\/p>\n

\n\t \n<\/p>\n

\n
\n

\n\t <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SS WENVOE – A STORY OF BRAVERY AND TRAGEDY   The 2,979 tonnes merchant steamer the SS Wenvoe was built in 1894 by the Gray Company of Hartlepool and owned by a prominent Cardiff shipping family, the Morels. Ships like the SS Wenvoe, which were used to transport a variety of cargoes, helped Cardiff to become a port of worldwide […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-1bO","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3888,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3888","url_meta":{"origin":4576,"position":0},"title":"FROM DUNKIRK TO WENVOE","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th October 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"FROM DUNKIRK TO WENVOE The film Dunkirk, currently on release in cinemas, tells the story of the Dunkirk evacuation between 26 May and 4 June 1940. This is the story of the miracle of Dunkirk - the evacuation of Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk in northern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Readers Articles of Interest"","block_context":{"text":"Readers Articles of Interest","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=228"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3406,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3406","url_meta":{"origin":4576,"position":1},"title":"WENVOE RAILWAY TUNNEL","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd July 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"WENVOE RAILWAY TUNNEL \u00a0 The Barry Railway Company was built to release the stranglehold of the Taff Vale Railway (from Merthyr Tydfil) and Cardiff Docks on the export of south Wales\u2019 coal. Work commenced in1885. Building with great efficiency Barry docks soon overtook Cardiff in exporting coal. This impressive achievement,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe History Group"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe History Group","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=40"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4314,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=4314","url_meta":{"origin":4576,"position":2},"title":"WENVOE CUBS SWIM SQUAD","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th February 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 CONGRATULATIONS TO 1ST WENVOE SWIM SQUAD \u00a0 Five beavers and cubs took part in the Cardiff & Vale of Glamorgan scout swimming gala in February. they all took part in this big event for the first time, overcame their nerves and swam brilliantly. Four of the team are through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe Scouts"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe Scouts","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=33"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":606,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=606","url_meta":{"origin":4576,"position":3},"title":"Wenvoe Castle","author":"Alan Williams","date":"10th August 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Wenvoe has a castle which is over 600 years old; it is not really a typical castle but rather a very grand house with some architectural features which gave it the appearance of a castle. It is an important and historic building and something of which we can be proud.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe History Group"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe History Group","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=40"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11871,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11871","url_meta":{"origin":4576,"position":4},"title":"Seventy Years Of Wenvoe In Transit","author":"Alan Williams","date":"7th July 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"FORWARD OR BACK?: SEVENTY YEARS OF WENVOE IN TRANSIT Recent weeks have seen the celebration of the Queen\u2019s platinum jubilee, including a great display of local memorabilia organised by Mike and Glenys Tucker, which together with the Barry Festival of Transport gave me food for thought on the changes in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Interest Articles"","block_context":{"text":"General Interest Articles","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=334"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Picture8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Picture8.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Picture8.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":594,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=594","url_meta":{"origin":4576,"position":5},"title":"BIG LOTTERY FUND","author":"Alan Williams","date":"10th August 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"We are delighted to inform you that Wenvoe Playgroup have been awarded \u00a32,500 from the Big Lottery Fund's Awards for All programme. 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