THE IMPORTANT & EARLY
WORLD WAR ONE
ENEMY “U-BOAT-U12” RAMMING & SINKING.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL.

To: 165462. G. RODGERS. P.O. 1CL. H.M.S. ARIEL.
(A Royal Navy Destroyer)
A Famous Action off the Firth of Fourth, Scotland,
10th March 1915

D.S.M. (London Gazette, 9th April 1915)
“For services in connection with the sinking of U-12”











[THE MEDAL]
Distinguished Service Medal. GV.
“Officially Impressed”
165462 . G. RODGERS. P.O. 1CL. H.M.S. ARIEL.
Practically Mint State.

[BIOGRAPHY] 1875-

George Rodgers was born on 21st August 1875 at St Paul, Chichester. He enlisted into the Royal Navy as Boy 2nd Class on his 18th birthday 21st August 1893. In the early years of his service he’s seen in various training sites and ships. At the outbreak of WW1 he was serving aboard HMS ARIEL. He was awarded the DSM for his actions on the morning of 10th March 1915, when the Ariel rammed and sank the German Submarine U-12.

This action became very famous at the time and it received some huge press coverage. *Several copies of the contemporary newspaper articles are included with the research file.

[THE DESTRUCTION of GERMAN SUBMARINE “U-12”]
On the morning of 10th March 1915 the U-12 was sighted by the trawler May. This German submarine was lurking around the islands of Fife Ness and was on the lookout for shipping targets who dared to venture out of the Firth of Forth. Having failed to torpedo the ageing cruiser Levithian whilst en-route to Rosyth, the periscope of the U-12 was soon spotted by the lookout on HMS Ariel who alerted two other destroyed HMS Acheron, and HMS Attack.

The U-12 then attempted to escape and set course South-East following the craggy coastline of Dunbar, Cockburnspath and Coldingham, but was quickly followed by the three destroyers.

The submarine was found at 10:15am in a half submerged condition off the small Berwickshire fishing port of Eyemouth and was strafed with machine gun fire. The submarine lacked a deck gun as it was the world’s first sub’ fitted out to carry a seaplane on deck. Hence it was unable to retaliate and instead attempted to submerge.

As she slipped beneath the waves she was viciously rammed by HMS ARIEL which made effective use of her high speed. The resulting collision sliced the U-12’s periscope clean off the conning tower.

The enemy then stopped in the water and was then heavily shelled by H.M. destroyers Acheron & Attack.

Of the U-12’s compliment of 4 officers and 25 men, just 10 were able to escape through two deck hatches, but the other 19 crewmen including its Commander Hans Kratzsch (who was 31) went down with the vessel unable to exit through the jammed conning tower hatch which had been struck square-on by HMS ARIEL.

In a letter written home to his mother in Scotland, an Irving crewman from HMS Aerial said that the surviving German crewmen were very pleased to be made prisoners as they were of the opinion that Germany was already losing the war and were blaming the Kaiser for starting it.

The captured German crewmen also felt that their chances of survival were virtually nil and also related that when they had recently put into Keli for repairs on their previous submarine they were forced “at the muzzle of a revolver” to board U-12 before it sailed from port.

A very excellent & historically important SUBMARINE ACTION gallantry medal awarded to a man who took part in a very early & critical naval action which resulted in the total loss of an enemy submarine and 19 of its crewmen.





The Medal is in virtually “Mint State” condition with razor sharp and totally unmarked surfaces and is just as it left the dies at the Royal Mint. Clearly never worn with its associated 1914-1915 Trio which is probably out there somewhere ....DO YOU HAVE IT ?

£1795

With Quality Part -Exchanges Welcome.