Shields Gazette Saturday 30/01/1915

HMS Viknor (Ex Viking)

Headstone for 3 HMS Viknor unknown crew

Viknor Naval Crew

Bartholomew was born in South Shields in September 1880, and was the husband of Margaret Logan (nee Bolam). They were married at South Shields on the 17th November 1900.

He was the father of 5 children.

Bartholomew was one of the crew members of the HMS Viknor, part of the (10th Cruiser) Squadron, which sunk with all of its crew on the 13th January 1915 by a mine which had been laid by the vessel Berlin.

His body was never recovered or identified like many of his fellow crew members.

Also on board the Viknor were eight Germans who had been taken prisoner when SS Bergensfjord was captured on January 11th 1915. These included Graf Hans Adam Wedell and Dr. Rasmus Bjornstad. Wedell was a high level German spy traveling from New York to Germany. It is unclear who Bjornstad was or if this was even his real name. The other (unnamed) six Germans were stowaways and suspected to be traveling to Germany to join the war effort.

Source: Maritime Quest with thanks.

His wife Margaret outlived him by over 50 years and her husband's name is on her headstone at Harton Cemetery.

In 2006 the survey ship Celtic Explorer located the wreck of HMS Viknor, according to Dr Ian Lawler, the wreck is located on the outer edge of a minefield laid by SMS Berlin which lends some credibility to the theory that she could have hit a mine, but at this time there is still no definitive answer as to the cause of the loss.

Bartholomew Logan is remembered in South Shields on S86.039 and S86.049 and on our List of Ships crews.

Official History of Naval Operations Vol II (NEW)
HMS Viknor Roll of Honour
Complement list of HMS Viknor crew
The Merchant History of the Navy in WW1
The CWGC entry for Chief Stoker Logan