Post by Administrator on Oct 13, 2020 22:24:42 GMT
In September 1939 there was a mass movement of people in the UK and Ireland, some trying to get back home to Ireland from Britain that had just declared war on Germany. Others still were trying to reach the other side of the Atlantic. The passengers of ATHENIA became the first casualties of the shipping war in The Atlantic, many were Canadian and US citizens. In response to this danger and seeking to ensure all its citizens were safely repatriated home the US sent their own passenger ships to Europe, as neutral vessels they could make the safe passage across The Atlantic. Passengers waiting for the voyage back to the US swelled the city of Galway. The SS PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT anchored off Galway for the last days of May 1940 as passengers were ferried out from the city harbour, departing on 02 June 1940. Two more US liners would call in June and July picking up more than 2000 passengers.
The link from RTE archives of an audio recording describing the passengers boarding the ship and interviews with some of the passengers. LINK
The link from RTE archives of an audio recording describing the passengers boarding the ship and interviews with some of the passengers. LINK