HMS Prize was a steel-hulled, three-masted schooner built in Groningen, the Netherlands, in 1901 by E. V. Smit & Zoon. Originally named Else, she displaced approximately 277 tons, measured 122 feet 6 inches (37.3 meters) in length, with a beam of 24 feet (7.3 meters) and a draught of 10 feet 5 inches (3.2 meters). Her home port was Leer, near Emden, and she was primarily used for commercial purposes before her wartime conversion. Captured by the Royal Navy in August 1914 after being intercepted in the English Channel while carrying cargo, Else was taken as a prize and subsequently sold to William Garthwaite's Marine and Navigation Company. Renamed First Prize, she was intended for coastal trading. In late 1916, the Admiralty identified her as suitable for conversion into a Q ship—a deceptive vessel designed to lure and engage German U-boats. She underwent a refit at Ponsharden, near Falmouth, where she was equipped with two 12-pounder guns (one screened within a collapsible deckhouse at the bow and another mounted at the stern), two Lewis guns, a machine gun, and twin 50-horsepower Kelvin diesel motors for propulsion. Additionally, a radio transmitter and receiver were installed, a notable feature for vessels of her time. Commissioned into the Royal Navy on 25 April 1917 under the command of Lieutenant William Sanders, a New Zealander serving in the Royal Naval Reserve, HMS Prize embarked on her first patrol the following day. Her service was marked by a daring engagement with the German U-boat U-93 near the Scillies, during which she was heavily shelled but managed to damage the submarine, believed to have been sunk. Despite severe damage, she returned to port for repairs, and her name was changed to HMS Prize. Throughout her brief service, she conducted several patrols, engaging U-boats such as UC-35, and earning notable awards for her crew, including Sanders’ Victoria Cross. Her final patrol in August 1917 involved operating under a Swedish flag with the support of HMS D6. On 13 August 1917, she was torpedoed and destroyed by the German U-boat UB-48, with all crew lost. HMS Prize's wartime career exemplified the innovative tactics of Q ships and her role in the Royal Navy’s anti-submarine efforts during World War I.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.