The Rosehill (Wreck)

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AT FIVE PAST SIX IN THE EVENING OF 23 SEPTEMBER, 1917, Captain Phillip Jones of the steamer Rosehill was in the chartroom studying his ship's position.
The Rosehill, built in 1911 as the Minster, was making good time on her voyage from Cardiff to Devonport, carrying 3980 tons of Welsh coal. Captain Jones was therefore about to make a slight change of course earlier than expected, but at periscope depth away to port the German submarine UB40 was about to render that alteration unnecessary.
The first thing Captain Jones knew about that was when he heard the Mate shout from the bridge: "Torpedo coming!" By the time the Captain reached the bridge, the Mate had put the helm hard over and had rung the engine-room for full astern. Rosehill started to swing, but too slowly.
Captain Jones saw the torpedo clearly enough to distinguish its red-painted nose. All the torpedoes UB40 fired on its many Channel missions bore the same red paint. This one smashed into the 311ft Rosehill just behind the engine-room in No 3 hold.
The explosion sent the Rosehill's stern 3m under. Believing that she would be gone in seconds, the captain ordered to the boats the 24 crew and the two Army gunners who manned the old Japanese 12-pounder on the stern. But despite the weight of coal in her holds, the steamer remained afloat.
An hour later, Captain Jones led a volunteer crew back aboard to see if they could save their ship. The Mate, Second Mate, Chief Engineer, four seamen and two firemen were with him.
Two privately-owned tugboats soon arrived and started to tow Rosehill towards Fowey. Then two Admiralty tugs arrived and changed the direction of the tow to Plymouth, but she didn't make it.
By 1.50am the Rosehill was showing signs of foundering. Everyone got off just in time as she broke in two and went down in Whitsand Bay in deep water. Her grave was marked by buoys from the patrol vessels.
That wasn't quite the end. The Admiralty complained about the use of private tugs and their decision to tow Rosehill at first to Fowey.
Had she been towed from the first to Plymouth, it claimed, she would probably have been saved. The charges that had to be paid to the private tugs had, of course, nothing to do with it.