| Rosabelle |
 |
| Rig Class. | Steam Yacht |
| Year built: | 1901 |
| General characteristics |
| Ton: | 614 tons |
| Beam: | |
Rosabelle was taken up for war service in March 1915 and was armed with one 3 inch and two 6-pounders. She served until March 1919 and spent until August 1916 with the Auxiliary Patrol in the Falmouth area and the rest of the war in the Orkney Islands area. In both places she engaged the enemy and was unlucky not to be able to claim the destruction of at least one U Boat.
Her first sightin of the enemy was in March 1915. Soon after she had sailed from Portsmouth she spotted a U Boat and tried to ram it, but the submarine escaped by crash diving.
On 10 April 1916 she 'sighted merchant ship on starboard quarter which suddenly gave out large volumes of smoke and steam, then took a heavy list, and disappeared under water, head foremost, torpedoed by enemy submarine'. She steamed at top speed towards the scene and managed to pick up two of the crew before making for Penzance.
In January 1917, while on patrol from Kirkwall, she saw an enemy submarine and opened fire with her after gun, but the U Boat submerged, apparently undamaged.
In May 1917 she saw another enemy submarine which was attacking two steamers with its gun. Rosabelle immediately opened fire with her 3-inch gun, but the U Boat crash dived. However, shortly afterwards its periscope was sighted and Rosabelle again opened fire with both her fore and after guns. Despite this the submarine pressed home its attack on the two steamers and an hour late it torpedoed both while only about 500 yards from Rosabelle. The yacht dropped her depth charges, but without any visible effect.
Finally, on 24 July 1917, Rosabelle saw yet another U Boat on the surface, this time off Stromness. She gave chase but the submarine dived before she could reach it.
Owners