SUNK IN COLLISION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXV, Issue 21, 25 January 1913, Page 19

SUNK IN COLLISION

SOLUTION OF A CHANNEL MYSTERY. j A damaged boat, with/ the dead body of a scantily-clothed sailor lying under the thwarts, came ashore at Brook, an isolated spot on the south ■ sidfe of the Isle of Wight on 12th December. The incident, mysterious in itself, was destined to solve a greater mystery—for a mark on tho boat not only gave a. clue to the man's identity, but indicated the name of the hitherto unknown ship which went down in the Channel two nights previously, after collision with the Dreadnought Centurion. The tiny craft bore the name of ''S.S., Derna, of (Jenoa," and & reference to Lloyd's showed that an Italian vessel of this iia?ie, bound from Memel to Port Talbot, passed Dungeness on Monday, 9th, and presumably would be in the vicinity of the scene of the collision on the following day. Confirmation of this was forthcoming from Germany later in the day.. After the collision a ship's lamp, still burhihg, was picked up on. the warship's deck. This bore the makers' name, of Peters and Beg, Hamburg, and the number 1668. The firm ascertained that they supplied the lamp in 1903 to the German steamer Eirgenti, a vessel sihee sold to the We2zano Shipping Company, of Genoa", and renamed tho Dernai She was an iron ship of 3400 tolls, and carried a crew of thirty-six men, all of whom have perished. )t is curious that the warship saw no trace of the boat which came ashore. Tho official report stated that after tho collißsion the steamer was seen astern, but was lost sight of in tlfe funnel smoke. She was not sighted again, although search was made for about two hours after daylight, and searchlights were used.