SS Glitra

SS Glitra was a steam cargo ship that was launched in 1881 as Saxon Prince. In 1896 she was renamed Glitra. In 1914 she became the first British merchant vessel to be sunk by a U-boat in the First World War.

History
United Kingdom
Name	1881: Saxon Prince 1896: Glitra
Owner	1881: James Knott 1895: Johan T Salvesen
Operator	1881: James Knott 1895: Christian Salvesen
Port of registry	1881: North Shields 1895: Leith
Builder	CS Swan & Hunter, Wallsend
Yard number	51
Launched	3 March 1881
Completed	April 1881
Identification	UK official number 137431 Code letters VLQW
Fate	Captured and scuttled, 20 October 1914
General characteristics
Tonnage	866 GRT, 527 NRT
Length	215 ft (66 m)
Beam	30.7 ft (9.4 m)
Depth	13.8 ft (4.2 m)
Installed power	99 NHP
Propulsion	Compound steam engine
Speed	9 knots (17 km/h)

Building and ownership

Saxon Prince was the first steamship to be built for James Knott, a successful owner of collier brigs. She was also the first ship to which Knott gave a name ending in "Prince", which became a characteristic of his future Prince Line.^[1]

CS Swan & Hunter built Saxon Prince at Wallsend, launching her on 3 March 1881 and completing her that April. She had an iron hull and a two-cylinder compound steam engine.^[2] Her UK official number was 79247, her code letters were VLQW and Knott registered her in North Shields.^[3]

In 1895 Knott restructured his business as Prince Line (1895) Ltd and sold Saxon Prince to Christian Salvesen. In 1896 Salvesen renamed her Glitra and registered her in Leith.^[2][4][5]

Capture and sinking

Kapitänleutnant Johannes Feldkirchener

On 20 October 1914 Glitra was en route from Grangemouth to Stavanger in Norway laden with coal, iron plate and oil when U-17, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Johannes Feldkirchener, stopped and searched her 14 nautical miles (26 km) west-southwest of Skudenes, Rogaland, Norway, in accordance with prize law. Her crew was ordered into the lifeboat(s),^[6] and once all were safely off the ship a German boarding party scuttled Glitra by opening her seacocks.^[7][8]

One source states that U-17 towed the lifeboat(s) toward the Norwegian coast.^[8] Another states that the Royal Norwegian Navy 1. class torpedo boat HNoMS Hai, which was on neutrality protection duty, observed the incident but did not intervene as it was in international waters, and that after U-17 left, Hai towed the lifeboat(s) to the port of Skudeneshavn.^[9]