Novington

The Novington, a vessel laden with a cargo of sawn timber, 3442 GRT, 110.4 L x 15.2 B x 6.6 D metres, 327 hp, built 1906 Richardson, Duck & Co., Ltd., Stockton, England, owner Southdown SS. Co., Ltd. (Bell, Symondson & Co.), London, England.

This vessel in passage from Archangel, Russia, via Lerwick to the Tyne, England, or Nantes, France (the available records are in dispute), was attacked and damaged by the German submarine UC 40, Captain Hermann Menzel, at a position approx 25 miles E of the Bard of Bressay, on October 24th 1917.

The information available for subsequent events affecting this vessel is extremely vague, it would appear that she was then taken in tow, but broke adrfit. By means unspecified she was then purposely beached at Cullingsburgh, Bressay. Next she was brought around to Lerwick, but for reason(s) not recorded she sank at an unspecified position off Scarfa Skerry, on the NE side of the Ness of Sound, on an unrecorded date before the end of 1917.

All of the crew are believed to have been saved.

The same submarine had torpedoed and sunk the Slavonic five days earlier on the 19th, and torpedoed and sunk the Flynderborg three days earlier on the 21st. Also on the 21st the Anglo Dane struck a mine laid by her and sank, All three in a general area just off the south coast of Bressay. She also on the 24th torpedoed and sank the Woron an equal distance offshore to the Novington, but a few miles further to the N.