Zebrina (ship)
Encyclopedia
Zebrina was a schooner
-rigged, 3-masted sailing barge
, of 189 tons, built in 1873 at Whitstable
, originally intended to trade in the River Plate
. She was discovered aground on the coast of France
in October 1917 with her crew missing.
The Zebrina sailed from Falmouth
in October 1917, commanded by Captain Martin, with a cargo of Swansea
coal for Saint-Brieuc
, France
. Two days later she was found ashore on Rozel Point, south of Cherbourg, without damage except for some disarrangement of her rigging, but without her crew.
At the time it was assumed that her crew had been taken off by a U-boat
preparatory to the submarine
sinking the vessel by gunfire. The U-boat presumably sighted, or was sighted by, an Allied vessel and departed the scene before she could sink the Zebrina, and was later sunk herself with the crew of the Zebrina aboard.
The case is often referenced in popular books about mysterious disappearances, when her destination is commonly misprinted as Saint Brieux, and it is claimed that she was found adrift.
The final resting place of Zebrina was Velder Creek (an inlet of Langstone Harbour) in Portsmouth.
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
-rigged, 3-masted sailing barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
, of 189 tons, built in 1873 at Whitstable
Whitstable
Whitstable is a seaside town in Northeast Kent, Southeast England. It is approximately north of the city of Canterbury and approximately west of the seaside town of Herne Bay. It is part of the City of Canterbury district and has a population of about 30,000.Whitstable is famous for its oysters,...
, originally intended to trade in the River Plate
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
. She was discovered aground on the coast of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in October 1917 with her crew missing.
The Zebrina sailed from Falmouth
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,635.Falmouth is the terminus of the A39, which begins some 200 miles away in Bath, Somerset....
in October 1917, commanded by Captain Martin, with a cargo of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
coal for Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-History:Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who evangelized the region in the 6th century and established an oratory there...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Two days later she was found ashore on Rozel Point, south of Cherbourg, without damage except for some disarrangement of her rigging, but without her crew.
At the time it was assumed that her crew had been taken off by a U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
preparatory to the submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
sinking the vessel by gunfire. The U-boat presumably sighted, or was sighted by, an Allied vessel and departed the scene before she could sink the Zebrina, and was later sunk herself with the crew of the Zebrina aboard.
The case is often referenced in popular books about mysterious disappearances, when her destination is commonly misprinted as Saint Brieux, and it is claimed that she was found adrift.
The final resting place of Zebrina was Velder Creek (an inlet of Langstone Harbour) in Portsmouth.