2 1918 WW I Photographs GERMAN U-BOAT U-117 Sinks US Schooner DOROTHY BARRETT
1918. Very Good. Item #900124
Two outstanding framed WW I-era silver gelatin photographs of the 'DOROTHY BARRETT', a US five-masted schooner directly involved in the war-supply effort.
The Dorothy Barrett, heavily laden with coal, was on a run from Brazil to New England when she was sunk by German submarine U-117 off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey.
U-117 was one of the most successful German U-boats, with 24 'kills' to her credit, preying on U.S. shipping off the Atlantic Coast after the U.S. entered the war.
"After the United States entered the Great War, it became risky for U.S. sailing vessels to engage in long-range trade, but the BARRETT carried war-risk insurance in addition to her usual liability coverage. On August 13, 1918, en route from Santos, Brazil, she was waylaid off Anglesea, NJ, by the U-117, a late-model German submarine that had been preying on coastwise shipping along the eastern U.S. coast.
"She received one warning shot from the U-boat. Everyone aboard understood the signal and took to the BARRETT's yawl boat. The schooner was then set afire, presumably by an incendiary round from the U-117's 5.9-inch deck gun, and she sank in about 100 feet of water. A US Navy patrol boat arrived on the scene before the BARRETT went down but was unable to track the elusive U-117. Capt. Merritt and his crew, which included his two sons as mates, landed at Cape May, NJ without hardship. Merritt was later captain of Deering's big 5-master, CARROLL A. DEERING, launched in 1919. Under a subsequent skipper, the DEERING was found aground on Diamond Shoal, NC, in January 1921, with sails set but with no crew aboard. The mystery of the DEERING's grounding and the crew's disappearance has never been solved." - Newspapers
The first photograph shows the Dorothy Barrett presumably shortly after launching in Maine, 1904. The second shows the schooner, partially submerged after being shelled by U-117.
The earlier image of the Barrett which is 13.5" X 10.5" and framed measures 22 3/4" X 19.5". The image of the sinking measures 13" X 9.5" and framed 20 3/4" X 17.5"
Each photo features exceptional clarity for the day, and together tell the complete gripping story of the Dorothy Barrett.
Local pickup only.
Price: $750.00