Maritime record LWT 819 - Wreck of the Knitsley

1942 wreck of English cargo vessel which foundered 1.5 miles north of the No.4 Buoy off Lowestoft after being torpedoed en route from London to the River Tyne in ballast. Constructed of steel, she was a steam-driven vessel. A wreck site at TG 70 SE 2 has been attributed either to the remains of the ATLE, or to one of the several vessels lost in this torpedo attack, including the KNITSLEY; another site possibly identified as the KNITSLEY is that at TG 70 SE 3, while TG 70 SE 9 may represent part of her remains. The KNITSLEY was attacked in the same area on the same day as several other vessels, for which the wreck events are recorded respectively as: LINDISFARNE, TG 70 NW 64; AVONWOOD, TM 59 SE 326; GLEN TILT, TM 59 SE 327; and MARIANNE, TM 59 SE 329.
Status: Casualty

Ex. THORNHOPE, 1937.

Torpedoed and sunk by a German E-Boat with the loss of 12 crewmen and one DEMS gunner. (1)

Attacked by E-Boat 1.5 miles N of No.4 Buoy, Lowestoft. (2)(3)

Torpedoed and sunk off Lowestoft, with the loss of 11 crew and a gunner. (4)

E-Boats attacked a northbound convoy, sinking the AVONWOOD...GLEN TILT...LINDISFARNE...and the KNITSLEY (Consett Iron Co.) (5)

Built: 1924 (1)(4)
Builder: Wood, Skinner & Co. Ltd. (1)(4)
Where Built: Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1)
Propulsion: Screw driven, 3 cylinder triple expansion engine (1)(4)
HP: 239 (1)(4)
Boilers: 2 (1)
Machinery: NE Marine Engineering Co. Ltd., Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1)
Construction: 1 deck; 5 bulkheads; rear quarter-deck 165ft; quarter-deck 56ft; forecastle 33ft (1)
Lloyd's Classification: 100 A1 (1)
Crew: 20 (1)(2)
Crew Lost: 11 (4); 12 (1)(2)
Passengers: 6 [gunners] (1)(2)
Passengers Lost: 1 (1)(2)(4)
Owner: Consett Iron Co. Ltd. (1)(4)(5)

Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss

Additional sources cited in Shipwreck Index of the British Isles:
LR.1941-2 No.26778(K)