Akaroa (barque)

Akaroa was a Norwegian sailing ship that was torpedoed by the German submarine SMU U-19 (Germany) in the English Channel, 70 miles west off the Casquets, Guernsey while she was travelling from Philadelphia, United States to Rouen, France with a cargo of oil.

Construction
Akaroa was constructed in 1881 with yard no. 53 at the Osbourne, Graham & Co. Ltd. shipyard in Sunderland, United Kingdom. She was completed in October 1881.

The ship was 67.4 m long, with a beam of 11.1 m. She had a depth of 6.92 m. The ship was assessed at. She had 3 masts and sailed the seas for almost 36 years.

Sinking
On 1 September 1917, Akaroa was on a voyage from Philadelphia, United States, to Rouen, France. When she was suddenly struck by the torpedoes from the German submarine SMU U-19 (Germany) 70 miles west of the Casquets, Guernsey. While passing underneath the sinking Akaroa, the submarine damaged its periscope. The crew all made it safely to the ship's two lifeboats and sailed and rowed to the French coast which they eventually reached 36 hours later. At the time of her sinking Akaroa was carrying a cargo of oil.

The ship sank to a depth of over 85 m, along with her cargo. There were no casualties reported.