Archaeological remains associated with this vessel are not confirmed as present at this location, but may be in the vicinity.
Event and Historical Information:
The JOHN G WALTER was a wooden schooner built by D A Huntley, Parrsborough, Nova Scotia, in 1903. Technical and configuration specifications are given as 258gt, 209nt; 114ft 5in length x 31ft 3in breadth x 10ft 2in depth; official number 116325. The schooner was owned by Amherset Navigation Company Ltd, Bridgetown, Barbados, and was under the command of its namesake J G Walter at time of loss. The schooner had gone onto Sarn Badrig's Causeway to be refloated on 9 March 1918. Fifteen days later, on 24 March 1918, the schooner was captured by a German submarine U 101 under the command of Kaptlt Carl-Siegfried Ritter von Georg. The crew were forced to abandon ship, after which the submarine attempted to sink the vessel with explosive charges and by gunfire. However, the schooner stayed afloat and was eventually abandoned as a derelict some 20 miles southwest of the Smalls.
Sources include:
Appropriation Books, Official Numbers 116301 - 116350 (116325)
Goddard, T, 1993, Pembrokeshire Shipwrecks, p.110
HMSO, 1988, British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-18 and 1939-45, p.85
John G. Walter, uboat.net
Larn and Larn Shipwreck Database 2002
Lloyd's Register Casualty Returns, 1 January - 31 March 1918, p.15 (i)
Lloyd's Register of Brigit and Foreign Shipping 1 July 1914-30 June 1915, number 189 in J
Mercantile Navy List 1910, p.743
Mercantile Navy List, 1915, p.832
SV John G. Walter, Wreck Site EU
U 101, uboat.net
U-Boat Project: Commemorating the War at Sea
Maritime Officer, RCAHMW, August 2019.
This record was enhanced in 2020 with funding from Lloyd's Register Foundation as part of the project ‘Making the Link: Lloyd's Register and the National Monuments Record of Wales’. Visit Lloyd’s Register Foundation Heritage and Education Centre for more resources.