On the 18 Sept 1939 just after the start of WW2 the Alvis although Hull owned and registered was fishing out of Fleetwood, at about 1.20pm in the afternoon a shot was heared and a large spout of water erupted close to the Alvis. The skipper and crew then noticed a German submarine. The Skipper Albert Thomason was then signalled from the U Boat to abandon the vessel, a small lifeboat was launched and the crew left the Alvis.The lifeboat was ordered to pull alongside the submarine and the commander asked for the Captain, Skipper Thomason went aboard the submarine and on the conning tower the commander extended his hand in welcome. The U boat commander then said " I am sorry I will have to sink your ship" the commander then asked Skipper Thomason if there were anymore crew aboard the Alvis and if the lifeboat was the only one they had. The crew and commander speaking very good english handed cigarrettes to the Alvis crew, they then ordered the crew back to their vessel, and sent a working party over under command of a lieutenat who on arrival threw the wireless overboard the work part then chopped away the fishing gear and smashed the dynamo in the engine room. The Lieutenant asked skipper Thomason if he could take a lifebelt as a souvenir, of which he did. The commander of the U Boat gave skipper Thomason a bottle of gin with his compliment. No provisions or the fish caught were taken from the Alvis by the Germans..the reason the U Boat commander did not sink the Alvis was that in his opinion the 13 man crew would never make it back to shore in the lifeboat as it was unsafe. The Alvis returned to Fleetwood, but that same day the U Boat commander found 3 other Fleetwood vessels the Arlita the Lord Minto and the Nacy Hague, after removing the crews from the Arlita and Lord Minto onto the Nancy Hague the U boat commander sunk the Arlita and Lord Minto. The three crews returning to Fleetwood aboard the Nancy Hague. The Alvis was subsuquently requisisioned in 1940 by the Admiralty, Werner Lott the Commander of u-35 was taken prisoner of war aboard HMS Kingston when his U boat was sunk.

Name and size of the vessel: "St. Alvis", 271 Br T

Name of owner: unknown

Port of registry: Hull

Port of departure : Fleetwood

Destination port: Fleetwood

Flag visible: none

The steamer is of enemy origin (Art.6 P.O.). He should be destroyed, because confiscation is not possible. His operation area was far away from the coast and because of that he could not be considered a "coastal fishery vessel". The fish catching equipment and the radio were thrown overboard. The crew of 13 which had already embarked into the rescue boat was advised to get back onto the ship, beacause the freeboard of it was already very narrow and was not considered seaworthy. The steamer was dismissed. There were no attempts to escape or other resistance