The steel steamship Ardle was launched from the Campberdown yard of Gourlay Brothers, Dundee (Yard no 134) on 17th October 1888 for the North Sea Shipping Co Ltd of Dundee. She measured 245.5′ x 34.2′ x 16.1′ and her tonnage was 1294 gross tons, 794 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by Gourlay Brothers delivering 150 nominal horse power. In 1895 ownership transferred to the Ardle Shipping Company and then to the Angus Shipping Company in 1904. This ownership was to be short lived as she was purchased by Rederi A/B Astrea of Helsingborg in 1906 who renamed her Stella. Her final owners Rederi A/B Nordstjernan (A A Johnson) of Stockholm purchased the ship in 1917 and renamed her Jonkoping II. Her career under these new owners was to be a short one.
Steamship Stella dockside
On 24th January 1918 Jonkoping was en route from Gothenburg to Hull as part of convoy HZ2 under the command of Captain C Holmberg with a cargo of wood and paper pulp when she was attacked by UC-49 under the command of Oberleutnant Hans Kukenthal near Bell Rock. Kukenthal, who had sunk another ship from the same convoy, the Fylgia, only hours earlier, had been in the process of laying mines when one of the mines stuck in the shaft. He surfaced but could see a number of minesweeping trawlers heading for him in a search pattern. He also spotted a large steamship which he estimated to be 2500 tons. He turned and faced the oncoming steamship and fired a single torpedo from a distance of eight hundred metres and dived immediately to escape the pursuing British ships. A short while later a large explosion was heard. He had hit Jonkoping sinking her almost immediately. Ten of her crew were lost in the attack.
UC-49 attack log
The wreck of the Jonkoping lies in position 56° 25.072’N, 02° 14.347’W oriented 080/260 degrees in 56 metres with a least depth over the wreck of 45 metres. The wreck was identified in 2009 when a bell inscribed Ardle was recovered by divers. They describe the wreck as fairly in tact with severe damage midships causing the forward section to face slightly to starboard from the general layout of the rest of the wreckage. The holds filled with a general cargo including machine parts, cement and rolls of paper are clearly visible. The anchors still cling to the bow of the ship and a spare propeller and anchor resting on the aft deck.
J & J Johnson crockery recovered from wreck site
