View source for HM Armed Smack Inverlyon

{{Short description|British's fishing boat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin|display title=HM Armed Smack ''Inverlyon''}}
<!-- {{Infobox Ship Image
|Ship image= [[File:Smack-brightlingsea.jpg]]
|Ship caption=A fishing smack similar to the "Inverlyon"
}} -->
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=''Inverlyon''
|Ship owner=
|Ship builder=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship in service=2 August 1915<ref name=Colledge>Colledge, p. 176.</ref>
|Ship out of service=1916
|Ship struck=
|Ship homeport=[[Lowestoft]]
|Ship honours=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Sunk, 1 February 1917<ref name=inverlyon />
}}
{{infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|is_multi=yes
|partof=
|commanders=[[Warrant Officer#History: origins in the Royal Navy|Gunner]] [[Ernest Martin Jehan]]
|victories=German submarine {{SMU|UB-4||2}}
|awards=[[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] submarine bounty (cash award to crew)
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Ship type=[[smack (ship)|Smack]]
|Ship tons burthen=59<ref name=Colledge />
|Ship length=
|Ship beam=
|Ship height=
|Ship draught=
|Ship propulsion=None
|Ship sail plan=Two [[mast (ship)|masts]], [[fore-and-aft rig]]ged<ref name=gunner />
|Ship complement=7
|Ship armament=1 × 3-pounder (47 mm) or 6-pounder (57 mm) gun<ref name=gunsize group=Note>Hugh Perkins and J. David Perkins, whose works are substantially the same, identify ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s weapon as a 3-pounder (47 mm), while [[J. J. Colledge]], in volume 2 of ''[[Ships of the Royal Navy]]'', identifies it as a 6-pounder (57 mm) gun.</ref>
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''His Majesty's''' or '''HM Armed Smack ''Inverlyon''''' was a fishing [[smack (ship)|smack]] that was converted to a [[Q-ship]] during the First World War. Q-ships served as decoys to lure German submarines near enough so that concealed weapons could be brought to bear and sink the submarines. On 15 August 1915, ''Inverlyon'' succeeded in luring German submarine {{SMU|UB-4||2}} within range and sinking her with nine shots from her gun. The [[Royal Navy]] [[Warrant Officer#History: origins in the Royal Navy|Gunner]] in command of the vessel, [[Ernest Martin Jehan]], received the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Service Cross]] and members of ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s crew shared the bounty offered for German submarines. After ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s Q-ship career ended, she returned to fishing, but was sunk by {{SMU|U-55||2}} on 1 February 1917.

==Career==
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Action of 15 August 1915
|partof=World War I<br />[[Atlantic U-boat Campaign (World War I)|Atlantic U-boat Campaign]]
|image=
|caption=
|date=15 August 1915
|place=Off the coast of [[Great Yarmouth]], England
|coordinates=
|result=British victory
|combatant1={{navy|German Empire}}
|combatant2={{navy|United Kingdom}}
|commander1=Karl Gross{{KIA}}
|commander2=[[Ernest Martin Jehan]]
|strength1= {{SMU|UB-4||2}}, 14 crewmembers
|strength2= ''Inverlyon'', unknown number of crew
|casualties1=14 KIA, ''UB-4'' sunk
|casualties2=none
}}
{{Campaignbox North Sea 1914-1918}}
{{Campaignbox Atlantic U-boat Campaign WWI}}
''Inverlyon'' was a fishing [[smack (ship)|smack]] of 59 [[Builder's Old Measurement|tons burthen]] that was a part of the fishing fleet at [[Lowestoft]] on the [[Suffolk]] coast.<!-- tonnage --><ref name=Colledge /><ref name=gunner /><!-- all others --> The wooden boat had a flush deck, two [[mast (ship)|masts]], and no engine.<ref name=gunner /> ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s sails were [[fore-and-aft rig]]ged and may have been [[red ochre]] in colour, the traditional sail colour for British smacks.<!-- rigging --><ref name= gunner /><ref name=Pen>{{cite web | author = Penwith District Council | author-link = Penwith District Council | title = Boat Types | url = http://www.penwith.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=23907 | publisher = Penwith District Council | location = [[Penzance]] | year = 2009 | access-date = 6 March 2009 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20070527105624/http://www.penwith.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=23907 | archive-date = 27 May 2007 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }}</ref><!-- red ochre sails -->

In February 1915, Germany began its first submarine offensive of the First World War. During this campaign, enemy vessels in the German-defined war zone ({{langx|de|Kriegsgebiet}}), which encompassed all waters around the United Kingdom, were to be sunk,<ref name =Tarrant-14>Tarrant, p. 14.</ref> and the British fishing fleet was not exempt.<ref name=FVWWI>{{cite web | last =  | first =  | title = British fishing vessels lost at sea due to enemy action: 1914, 1915, 1916 in date order | url = http://www.naval-history.net/WW1LossesBrFV1914-16.htm | work = World War 1 at Sea | publisher =  | date = 9 January 2009 | access-date = 6 March 2009 }} The information on the website is extracted from {{cite book | title = British Vessels Lost at Sea: 1914–1918 | publisher = [[His Majesty's Stationery Office]] | year = 1919 }}</ref> In mid-June, for example, the German submarine {{SMU|UB-2||2}} had sunk six smacks off Lowestoft in a two-day period.<!-- type of vessel --><ref name=FVWWI /><ref name=Helg-6fv>{{cite Uboat.net
|id=6705
|name=Britannia
|type=1ship
|access-date=6 March 2009
}},
{{cite Uboat.net
|id=1819
|name=Edward
|type=1ship
|access-date=6 March 2009
}},
{{cite Uboat.net
|id=3520
|name=Laurestina
|type=1ship
|access-date=6 March 2009
}},
{{cite Uboat.net
|id=4990
|name=Quivive
|type=1ship
|access-date=6 March 2009
}},
{{cite Uboat.net
|id=6485
|name=Welfare
|type=1ship
|access-date=6 March 2009
}},
{{cite Uboat.net
|id=3031
|name=Intrepid
|type=1ship
|access-date=6 March 2009
}}</ref><!-- UB-2 details -->

One method devised to deal with U-boat attacks was the decoy or Q-ship, designed to lure submarines that were targeting merchant shipping close enough that concealed guns or other weapons could sink them.<ref name=gunner /> ''Inverlyon'' was selected to become a Q-ship, was outfitted with either a 3-pounder (47&nbsp;mm) or a 6-pounder (57&nbsp;mm) gun,<ref name=gunsize group= Note /> and entered the service of the [[Royal Navy]] on 2 August 1915.<!-- in-service date --><ref name=Colledge /><ref name=gunner /><!-- all others --> ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s fishing crew and skipper were all temporarily inducted into the Trawler section of the [[Royal Naval Reserve]]. Regular Royal Navy [[Warrant Officer#History: origins in the Royal Navy|Gunner]] [[Ernest Martin Jehan]] and three other gunners from {{HMS|Dryad|1893|6}}—a former [[torpedo boat]] operating as a [[minesweeper (ship)|minesweeper]] from Lowestoft—were assigned to ''Inverlyon'', with Jehan in command.<ref name=gunner />

On 14 August, the 59-ton smack ''Bona Fide'' was stopped by a U-boat, boarded, and sunk with explosives {{convert|35|nmi|mi+km}} [[east-northeast]] from Lowestoft.<ref name=FVWWI /> This attack was probably by ''UB-4'', because she was operating in that area on her fourteenth patrol.<ref name=bona>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Bona Fide
|id=853
|type=1ship
|access-date=5 March 2009
}}</ref> Regardless of the identity of ''Bona Fide''{{'}}s attacker, ''UB-4'' did approach a group of smacks in the vicinity the next day. Unknown to ''UB-4''{{'}}s commander, ''[[Oberleutnant zur See]]'' Karl Gross,<ref group=Note name=Grossnote>Karl Gross' name is also spelled as ''Karl Groß'' in some sources.</ref> one of the fishing vessels was the disguised ''Inverlyon''.<ref name=gunner>{{cite journal | last = Perkins | first = Hugh | title = The gunner and the U-boat | journal = Sea Classics |date=September 2008 | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4442/is_200809/ai_n28081405?tag=content;col1 | location = Canoga Park, California | publisher = Challenge Publications | oclc = 60621086 | access-date = 5 March 2009 }} {{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref group=Note>Both of the Perkins works report the date of the encounter as Sunday, 16 August 1915, but 16 August 1915 was actually a Monday.  Messimer (p. 129), Gibson and Prendergast (pp. 50–51), and Uboat.net ({{cite Uboat.net
|id=UB+4
|name=UB 4
|type=1sub
}}) all report the date of the encounter as 15 August 1915.</ref>

Around 20:20, ''UB-4'' surfaced near ''Inverlyon'', and Gross, on the [[conning tower]] of ''UB-4'', began shouting out commands to ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s crew in German. Jehan, after waiting until ''UB-4'' closed to within {{convert|30|yards|m}} of ''Inverlyon'', ordered the [[White Ensign]] raised and gave the command to open fire. A burst of three rounds from the ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s weapon scored hits on the conning tower, the second shot destroying part of the bridge and sending Gross into the water. ''UB-4'', with no one at the helm, drifted behind ''Inverlyon'', and when clear, ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s gunner unleashed another six shots into the hull of ''UB-4'' at [[point-blank range]]. All the while, small arms fire from ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s crew peppered the submarine.  The U-boat began going down by the bow, becoming nearly vertical before disappearing below the surface. ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s fishing skipper, a man named Phillips, dived in to attempt the rescue of a crewman from ''UB-4''.  Phillips was unable to reach him before the crewman went under and met same fate as Gross and ''UB-4''{{'}}s twelve other crewmen.<ref name=gunner />

[[File:Smack-brightlingsea.jpg|thumb|left|A smack similar to ''Inverlyon''.]]
As ''UB-4'' went down she fouled ''Inverlyon''{{'}}s nets—which had been deployed to keep up the appearance of a real fishing boat—essentially anchoring ''Inverlyon'' in place. The Q-ship's crew, not having a [[radio|wireless set]] on board, sent word of the encounter with another smack.  This was followed up by releasing [[messenger pigeon]]s the following morning, requesting instructions on what to do with ''UB-4''. The thought of salvaging the snagged U-boat was rejected, so the nets were cut, freeing ''UB-4'' to sink to the bottom.<ref name= gunner /> ''UB-4''{{'}}s wreck lies at position {{Coord|52|43|N|2|18|E|display=inline}}.<ref name=Mess-129>Messimer, p. 129</ref> On 19 November 1915 Jehan was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Service Cross]] (DSC) for the sinking of ''UB-4'',<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29374|supp=y|page=11558|date=19 November 1915}}</ref> and the crewmen of ''Inverlyon'' split the submarine bounty paid by the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]].<ref name=gunner /><ref group=Note>There is no mention of the amount of the bounty for sinking ''UB-4'', but the Admiralty bounties were typically £5 per crewman on the submarine, which would have been £70 in the case of ''UB-4''. See: Messimer, pp. 158, 170, 222, for examples of the £5 per capita bounty.</ref>

About three weeks after she sank ''UB-4'', ''Inverlyon'' had the opportunity to sink another U-boat, but was unsuccessful.<ref name=gunner_old>{{cite web | last = Perkins | first = J. David | title = The gunner and the U-boat | url = http://www.gwpda.org/naval/ub4.htm | work = The World War I Document archive: The War at Sea | publisher = Great War Primary Documents Archive | year = 1999 | access-date = 6 March 2009 }} See additional note no. 2.</ref>  The U-boat encountered may have been either {{SMU|UB-2||2}} or {{SMU|UB-16||2}}, which both sank fishing vessels in the area on 7 and 8 September.<ref>{{cite Uboat.net
|id=ub2
|name=UB 2
|type=1boat
}}, {{cite Uboat.net
|id=ub16
|name=UB 16
|type=1sub
|access-date=6 March 2009
}}</ref> By 1916,<ref name=Colledge /> ''Inverlyon'' had ended her short-lived Q-ship career and returned to being a fishing boat.<ref name=gunner_old /> Jehan, in addition to his DSC, was subsequently specially promoted to [[lieutenant#Lieutenant|lieutenant]] on 4 January 1916 for his war service;<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29431|page=340|date=7 January 1916}}</ref> he retired from the Royal Navy on 29 October 1920.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=32114|page=10754|date=5 November 1920}}</ref>

On 1 February 1917, the German submarine {{SMU|U-55||2}} shelled and sank ''Inverlyon'' {{convert|15|nmi|km}} from [[Trevose Head]] at position {{Coord|50|47|N|5|5|W|display=inline}}; there were no reported casualties.<!-- U-boat, date, position, lack of casualties --><ref name=inverlyon>{{cite Uboat.net
|name=Inverlyon
|id=3039
|type=1ship
|access-date=12 March 2009
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last =  | first =  | title = British fishing vessels lost at sea due to enemy action: Years 1917, 1918 in date order | url = http://www.naval-history.net/WW1LossesBrFV1917-18.htm | work = World War 1 at Sea | publisher =  | date = 9 January 2009 | access-date = 12 March 2009 }} The information on the website is extracted from {{cite book | title = British Vessels Lost at Sea: 1914–1918 | publisher = [[His Majesty's Stationery Office]] | year = 1919 }}</ref><!-- position, manner of sinking, lack of casualties -->

==See also==
* {{SMS|Seeadler|1915|6}}, a sail-rigged vessel that served with distinction during World War I.
* {{USS|Irene Forsyte|IX-93|6}}, a sail rigged Q-ship used by the US Navy during World War II
* {{USCGC|Eagle|WIX-327|6}}, one of the last sail-rigged vessels to see combat in World War II.
* {{HMS|Prize|Q ship|6}}, a topsail schooner in which Lieutenant [[William Edward Sanders|William Sanders]] earned the [[Victoria Cross]] for an action with {{SMU|U-93||2}} during World War I

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*  {{cite book | last = Colledge | first = J. J. | author-link = J. J. Colledge | title = [[Ships of the Royal Navy]]: An Historical Index, Volume 2: Navy-built Trawlers, Drifters, Tugs and Requisitioned Ships | location = Newton Abbot | publisher = David & Charles | year = 1970 | isbn = 978-0-7153-4396-8 | oclc = 60073522}}
* {{Gibson}}
* {{cite book | last = Messimer | first = Dwight R. | title = Verschollen: World War I U-boat losses | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-1-55750-475-3 | oclc = 231973419 }}
* {{cite book | last = Tarrant | first = V. E. | title = The U-Boat Offensive: 1914–1945 | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 1989 | isbn = 978-0-87021-764-7 | oclc = 20338385 }}
{{Refend}}

{{February 1917 shipwrecks}}
{{Good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inverlyon}}
[[Category:Fishing vessels of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Q-ships of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:World War I patrol vessels of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1917]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War I]]
[[Category:World War I shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]