CRATHORNE

The Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula was widely used by Allied merchant ships during World War 1 as a transit route given the Spanish neutrality during the war. Therefore, the commanders of the German submarines included it as one of the main hunting points. Specifically, in the waters near the Alicante coastal city of Villajoyosa, the German submarine U64 attacked and sank 6 merchantmen. The "Crathorne", a cargo steamer under the Norwegian flag, was torpedoed by the U64 on December 10, 1917 in waters near Villajoyosa. She was sailing on the Baltimore-Genova route, in the same convoy in which she was also attacked and sunk by U64, the American ship “Owasco”. 3 crew members of the Crathorne were killed.

Various sources