The balance of the boats destroyed in December, 1916, was made up of
vessels of less than 2,000 tons, among which there were Russian,
Swedish, and Portuguese boats as well as ships belonging to the
nations already mentioned. One American-owned was also included, the
_John Lambert_, of 1,550 tons, owned by the Great Britain & St.
Lawrence Transportation Company.

On December 4, 1916, a German submarine sank in the Mediterranean the
former Anchor liner _Caledonia_, a steamer of 9,223 tons. The German
version of this occurrence was as follows:

"On December 4, 1916, in the Mediterranean, the British liner
_Caledonia_ attempted to ram one of our submarines without having
previously been attacked by the latter.

"Just before the submarine was struck by the steamer's bows it
succeeded in firing a torpedo, which hit and sank the _Caledonia_. The
submarine was only slightly damaged.

"The captain of the steamer, James Blaikie, was taken prisoner by the
submarine."

In January, 1917, the toll exacted by mines and submarines was
especially large. The New York "Journal of Commerce" gave on February
6, 1917, the following figures: 154 vessels of 336,997 tons. Of these
87, of 229,366 tons, belonged to Great Britain and her allies, and 67,
of 107,631 tons, to neutrals. No American boats were included.

On January 1, 1917, a German submarine sank the British transport
_Ivernia_ in the Mediterranean while carrying troops. Four officers
and 146 men as well as 33 members of the crew were reported missing.

The British battleship _Cornwallis_ was sunk on January 9, 1917,
likewise in the Mediterranean. Thirteen members of the crew were
reported missing. The _Cornwallis_, which was launched at Blackwell in
1901 and completed in 1904, had a displacement of 14,000 tons, length
of 405 feet, beam of 75-1/2 feet, and draft of 26-1/2 feet. Her
indicated horsepower was 18,238, developing a speed of 18.9 knots. She
carried four 12-inch, twelve 6-inch, ten 12-pounder, and two 3-pounder
guns, as well as four torpedo tubes. The complement of the
_Cornwallis_ was about 750.

Two days later, January 11, 1917, the British seaplane carrier
_Ben-Machree_ was sunk by gunfire in Kasteloxizo Harbor (Asia Minor).
There were no casualties.

Among the larger boats (above 2,000 tons) sunk during January, 1917,
were the following:

British: _Apsleyhall_, 3,882 tons; _Holly Branch_, 3,568 tons;
_Baycraig_, 3,761 tons; _Lesbian_, 2,555 tons; _Andoni_