Lord Kitchener

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia

The Lord Kitchener, a steam fishing trawler, 158 GRT, 32 L x 6 B metres, built 1899, registered in Hartlepool, Cleveland, England. This vessel was captured by a German submarine and sunk with explosives on April 6th 1917.

The location of her capture and/or sinking is disputed. The Grimsby Loss List gives a position of approx 60 08 30N, 002 10 00W, which is stated as being 45 miles N by E of North Ronaldsay, Orkney, but would also be a few miles generally SW of Foula. The World War I Loss List gives a position of 45 miles N by W of Kinnaird Head, Scotland which is SE of Orkney.

A Naval Hydrographic survey conducted on August 12th 1983 located a broken up wreck at approx position 60 07 35N, 002 21 58W, which they suggested may be this vessel, however it's dimensions of approx 50 metres long have been cited as reason to dispute the possibility, and to date the available records contain no conclusive proof of the identity of the wreck SW of Foula, or the location of the wreck of the Lord Kitchener.