JANUARY 1917

Mediterranean War at Sea

4th January - Russian cruiser "PERESVIET" (1901, 12,700t, 4-25.4cm). Two Allied warships are lost to the mines and torpedoes of German U-boats; a third is sunk by the Turks. Russian battleship "Peresviet" was sunk in the 1905 Russo-Japanese war, raised and re-commissioned into the Japanese Navy. Returned to the Russians in 1916 and re-rated a cruiser, she is on passage through the Mediterranean to serve with the Russian Arctic Flotilla. Off Port Said, "Peresviet" sinks on mines laid by German "UC-73".

9th January - British battleship "CORNWALLIS" (1904, 13,700t, 4-12in). Sailing from the Aegean back to Britain, the old battleship is torpedoed a number of times by "U-32" about 60 miles to the southeast of Malta. Some 15 men are lost, but the rest are taken off by the escorting destroyer.

Turkish Waters

11th January - British seaplane carrier "BEN-MY-CHREE" (1908, converted 1915, 3,900t, 2-4in, 4 seaplanes) arrived in the Mediterranean in 1915 for the Dardanelles campaign. She is sunk by shore batteries off the south coast of Turkey, near the island of Castellorizo.

FEBRUARY 1917

Mediterranean War at Sea

28th February - French minelayer "CASSINI" (1895, 970t, 100 mines). German U-boats also operate in the Western Mediterranean, and include amongst their successes the sinking of the old French torpedo cruiser "Cassini" now converted to a minelayer. First thought to have been sunk by torpedo, she is more likely lost on mines laid by "UC-35" in the Straits of Bonificio between Corsica and Sardinia. Some sources give the date as the 20th.

NEAR EAST

Mesopotamia - As the British advance on Baghdad, Kut-al-Amara is captured on the 24th. Royal Navy gunboats continue in support.

MARCH 1917

Macedonia - As the Spring campaign opens, fighting continues around Monastir.

Mediterranean War at Sea - The Allies have few successes against German and Austrian U-boats in 1917, and in turn, lose one of their own submarines in tragic circumstances in the month, and yet another Allied battleship.

10th March - Italian submarine "GUGLIELMOTTI" (1917, 710t, 5-45cm tt, 2-7.6cm). An Italian submarine is mistaken at night for a U-boat, and rammed and sunk. The submarine is the newly completed "Guglielmotti" on her maiden voyage. She crosses an Allied convoy route to the east of Corsica and is sunk by the British sloop "Cyclamen" on escort duty, northwest of Capraia Island.

19th March - French pre-dreadnought "DANTON" (1911, 18,300t, 4-30.5cm & 12-24cm). The French suffer their worst loss of the war at sea. The comparatively new "Danton" is returning to Corfu with destroyer escort from a refit at Toulon, when she is torpedoed and sunk with heavy loss of life by "U-64" off southwest Sardinia.

NEAR EAST

Palestine - The retreating Turks are located in the Gaza-Beersheba area. On the 26th, in the First Battle of Gaza, five British divisions under Gen Sir Archibald Murray attack three Turkish divisions, but fail to break through and are forced to withdraw.

Mesopotomia - After clearing the Turks from Kut al Imara, Gen Maude, with 50,000 men advances up the Tigris on Baghdad. The weak Turkish Sixth Army, commanded by Khalil Pasha, attempts to stop the British outside the city, but fails, and the long sought prize of Baghdad falls on the 11th. Khalil Pasha retreats to the north, and both sides spend the summer building up their forces.   

APRIL 1917

Mediterranean War at Sea

1st April - Austrian coastal submarine "U-30" (1917, 260t, 2-45cm tt, 1-7.5cm). Submarines of the Central Powers suffer one of their few losses of 1917 when coastal boat "U-30" disappears around this date. Sailing from Cattaro on the 31st March, she may have been mined in the Straits of Otranto.

JAPANESE NAVY - Following earlier British requests for assistance in the Mediterranean, two modern Japanese destroyer flotillas totalling eight ships, together with protected cruiser "Akashi" reach Malta in mid-month. Working with the Royal Navy, they play an important role in the Mediterranean, especially on escort duty.

NEAR EAST

Palestine - The Second Battle of Gaza is fought on the 17th. Gen Murray faces even stronger Turkish defences, and is repulsed with heavy casualties. He is replaced by Gen Sir Edmund Allenby, who spends the summer preparing his campaign.

to be continued