Johannes Lohs - Oberleutnant zur See (Crew 4/09) Born - 24 Jun 1889 Einsiedel Sachsen Dead - 14 Aug 1918 off the Belgian coast Johannes Lohs was born on 24 June, 1889 at Einsiedel, Sachsen. Son of plant owner Oswald Lohs. He first went to school in his home village and later a grammar school in Chemnitz. He entered the Kaiserliche Marine on 1 April, 1909. Had several commands as Fahnrich zur See and served from 1 October 1912 on the cruiser Strasburg on which he saw half of the world. Saw action for the very first time on 28 August 1914 and was promoted Lt.z.S. in the autumn of 1915. Moved to the U-Bootschule and got his first U-Boat command on UC 75 of the Flandern Flottille on 17 March 1917. He took that boat on 9 patrols off the British coast. On 2 January 1918 he became CO of the UB 57, taking over the command from another legendary U-Boat commander; Otto Steinbrinck. Lohs had also some very good ideas on U-boat warfare and new tactics and in April 1918 he received the Pour le Mérite. On 3 August he sailed from Zeebrugge for the last time. The last contact he made with base was on the evening of the 14th, as UB 57 was homeward bound roughly in the area of the Sandiette Bank, east of the Straits of Dover. Nothing more was heard. UB 57 is believed to have hit a mine. Ships sunk on this last patrol were the Clan Mac Vey (5815 BRT), Glenlee (4915 BRT) and City of Brisbane (7094 BRT). In total, Lohs sank approximately 165.000 tons of shipping. Lohs' body washed up on shore a week later. He is buried in the military cemetery at Vlissingen. On 4 October 1937 the III Unterseebootflottille was named after him at Kiel. Successes 76 ships sunk for a total of 147.075 GRT 1 warship sunk for a total of 1.200 tons 15 ships damaged for a total of 85.420 GRT Ranks 19 Sep 1912 Leutnant zur See 2 May 1915 Oberleutnant zur See Decorations 23 Dec 1917 - Iron Cross 2nd class Hausorden von Hohenzollern Iron Cross 1st Class 24 Apr 1918 - Pour le Mérite U-boat Commands UC 75 - 17 Mar 1917 - 30 Jan 1918 UB 57 - 2 Jan, 1918 - 14 Aug, 1918 (+) http://www.uboat.net/wwi/men/commanders/182.html
Apparently ...... some further enquiry shows that Vlissingen was NOT his final resting place. http://www.flickr.com/photos/faceme/tags/ysselsteyn/ The military cemetery can be found in Ysselsteyn, Netherlands, in the Province of Limburg close to the German border. The cemetery is the only German military cemetery in the whole Netherlands. 85 killed soldiers from the First World War and almost 32.000 from the Second World War are buried here on a territory of 28 hectares. For each killed soldier one cross has been placed. The data (name, grave location, dates of birth and death, rank - if known) have been written on the crosses with white colour. http://www.volksbund.de/graebersuch...c_id=E8EB1FAF377B063C19C3F7E1A0011EC9F779EE2F
The Eleanor was one of the ships sunk by UB 57 ! MFA ELEANOR Eleanor Steamship Co.; 1888; H. S. Edwards & Sons; 1,980 tons; 270x36-5x19-7; 186n.h.p.; 8-5 knots; triple-expansion engines. The steamship Eleanor was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UB57 nine miles W. by S.+S. of St. Catherine's Point whilst on a journey from Immingham to Falmouth with a cargo of goverment stores on Febuary 12th 1918. The captain and 34 others were killed. The ELEANOR (Lieutenant Arthur Thomas Brain RNR) Loaded with a cargo of 1,434 mines and 200 depth charges, she was proceeding from Immingham to Falmouth. At 04.40 when twelve miles east-south-east of Anvil Point, Dorset, in position 50.30N 01.30W, she was torpedoed by the submerged UB.57 (Lohs) and sank immediately, her attacker surfacing afterwards to confirm her identity. Thirty four members of the crew were lost, with one survivor, Second Officer Barton Hunter being picked up by the drifter Parisienne. National Archives file - ADM.137/691 Employed during WW 1 as a requisitioned MFA-mine carrier, this vessel was torpedoed at 4 a.m. by the Kaiserliche Marine U-boat SM UB 57 without warning. Only the 2nd Mate escaped alive out of a crew of thirty-five. This officer was asleep in his cabin when he was woken by a huge explosion, and on going on deck found all the boats blown away and the vessel sinking. He made his way to a deserted bridge, from where a second explosion blew him into the sea and the vessel sank. Managing to get hold of a liferaft, he clambered on top where he was spotted by the submarine responsible for the sinking. This surfaced and pulled alongside him, where he was questioned as to his ship's name and cargo. At 6.30 a.m. he was picked up by a passing steamship, transferred to a British patrol drifter and landed at Poole. Survivor Barton Hunter was picked up by a drifter named "La Parisienne". According to "World War One Channel Wrecks" by Neil Maw (based on TNA-files), Barton Hunter was picked up by S.S. CARRONMORE and was taken into Poole by an patrol drifter although he states that Barton Hunter was one of 2 survivors from the crew of 36 http://www.uboat.net/forums/read.php?23,70627,76105#msg-76105 In Memory of Lieutenant ARTHUR THOMAS BRAIN M.F.A. "Eleanor.", Royal Naval Reserve who died on 12 February 1918 Remembered with honour PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL
