HMS Bayano (1913)
HMS Bayano, built in 1913, was originally a banana boat for the Elders & Fyffes line. At the outbreak of World War I it was drafted into the Royal Navy on 21 November 1914 as an armed merchant auxiliary cruiser. On 11 March 1915, it was torpedoed by and sank within minutes killing around 200 of its crew. Twenty-six survivors were pulled from the water. Background Once in the Royal Navy she was part of the 10th Cruiser Squadron. The Admiralty had begun to use experimental indicator nets to counter German submarines. Indicator nets were made from strong thin wires, draped from the surface of the sea and kept buoyant with kapok, small buoys or glass globes. Sections of the net were held together with clips which (in theory) would part when the section was hit by a submerged submarine. The net would wrap around the vessel and indicate its presence via a buoy being pulled along the surface of the sea. The Admiralty established 21 net barrages, one of which was in the North Channel. Sinking In the North Channel, HMS Bayano had reduced speed to avoid passing the net line in the dark en route to Liverpool for