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January 13, 1915: The armed merchant cruiser HMS Viknor disappeared off Tory Island, Ireland. Built by Robert Napier in 1888 as the Atrato for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. she was 421' long with a 50' beam With the outbreak of World War 1 most passenger liners were requisitioned by the Admiralty for war service and so was The Viking. In 1914 she was converted into an armed merchant cruiser and renamed HMS Viknor. The Viknor was assigned to the 10th cruiser squadron and was used to patrol the waters between Scotland and Iceland. It was while on this duty that the Viknor came to grief. For unknown reasons the ship, which had been in wireless contact with shore, sank without ever sending a distress signal. It is known that the German's had recently mined the area in which Viknor was operating and there was also a violent storm at the time. Whether it was the storm a mine or a combination of both is not known. What is known is that not one of the almost
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© 2006 Michael W. Pocock MaritimeQuest.com |
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SS Atrato |
MaritimeQuest received this message on Sept. 11, 2007 |
| My grandfather, Alfred Fisher, was one of the RNVR officers killed on HMS Viknor. His body was washed ashore on the Scottish island of Oransay, where there is a RN grave. His body was identified by a signet ring, which I still wear. Myself and my son visited the grave in 1989. Dr. John Fisher |
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I have recently started tracing the family history of my maternal Grandfather Thomas William Fisher. His brother, Alfred Fisher was in the RNVR during WW1 and was lost with HMS Viknor. I have just read Dr. John Fisher's message dated Sept 11, 2007 re this vessel. My Mother, now deceased, would have been Dr Fisher's first cousin. I have in my possession a postcard sent to my Aunt, (my Mother's eldest sister) from Alfred Fisher in 1909. As I had no knowledge of Dr. Fisher's existence, I would dearly like to get in touch with him. Please could you forward this e-mail to him. |