Her Name Was "Lusitania"

[KG]

We were three hours on the raft and were being carried out to sea when the party was picked up by the tramp steamer Katrina.”

[KG]

www.lostliners.com/Liners/Cunard/Lusitania/gallery.html

[Administrator]

The tugs Warrior, Stormcock, and Julia, together with five trawlers and the local life boat in tow of a tug, were hurried out to sea. It was thought it would take most of them about two hours to reach the spot where the Lusitania was reported to be sinking.

[Administrator]

"the only two vessels immediately available were the Stormcock and Warrior, who got away out of harbour quickly, The rest moved off with all the speed practicable, both the trawlers BROCK and BRADFORD suddenly stopped coaling, raised steam and went, The Flying Fox, Golden Effort and three torpedo boats 050, 052, 055 sped to sea"

[Administrator]

Our most recent update of rescue vessels:

HMS Colleen, Land Base

HMT/RNPS Bradford

Brock

Cruiser HMS Juno

Isle of Man fishing boat, the Wanderer

Courtmacsherry lifeboat Keria Gwilt

Stormcock (Tug)

Julia (Tug)

Bluebell, a steamer

five local trawlers

and the local lifeboat under tow of a tug, It has been confirmed that HMT/RNPS Bradford towed the local lifeboat to the scene. The Bradfords prescence confirmed in local paper's at the time.

(The Bradfrord was an His Majesty's Trawler or Royal Navy Pretection Ship rather than a tug).

Heron

A mention of the Greek Collier Katerino has been found, this was also mentioned to be an admiralty ship in disguise ?

The Dublin motor boat” Elizabeth”

Indian Empire

"Golden Effort and three torpedo boats 050, 052, 055 sped to sea"

There are still many more to find and many heroes and acts of heroism to discover. If you can assist in anyway, please contact Keith at Tregenna: [e-mail]

Thanks.

[KG]

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR / SS. WAYFARER

To the Editor, “Evening Echo.”

SS Wayfarer, Queenstown,

Monday, 10th May, 1915

Sir – In the “Examiner” of yesterday appears a copy of a photograph purporting to picture survivors of the Lusitania’s firemen. I enclose said photo, and beg to point out to you that it is a mistake. The man described as Toner is certainly a fireman on this ship, named Ralph. On his right, with close buttoned jacket, is Longmore, also a fireman on this ship. These men have asked me to write you upon the matter, as they do not wish to be represented as survivors of the Lusitania, being quite well known by sight in the streets of this town, and will be pleased if you will rectify this mistake if possible – I am, yours faithfully,

H. L. Pritchard,
Chief Officer S.S. Wayfarer.

(We regret if in advertently we misdescribed the Wayfarer’s men, who were evidently in company with a number of the Lusitania’s crew – Editor, C.E.)

[Cork Examiner, May 12, 1915, p.3]

[Administrator]

The Lusitania, was torpedoed by a German submarine in 1915, an event America later used to justify its entry into the First World War. It was mainly fishermen from Kinsale, Cobh and Courtmacsherry who rescued survivors and carried out the grisly task of fishing the dead from the sea.

1916 On the 7-May the famous liner Lusitania is sunk off the Old Head of Kinsale with the loss of 1,198 souls - torpedoed by German submarine U-20. She sank in just 17 minutes. Courtmacsherry lifeboat Keria Gwilt was the first rowed boat to the scene.

For over seventy years Courtmacsherry has harboured a lifeboat station (formerly based at nearby Barry's Point) and its volunteer crews have performed many rescues. The most famous was in May 1915 when the lifeboat of the day (the Ketzia Gwilt) rescued survivors of the RMS Lusitania sinking.

Several famous lifeboatmen were involved on that fateful day. They were Tim Keohane (father of Antarctic explorer Patsy Keohane), John Murphy, and his son Jerry. The current Courtmacsherry lifeboat is the Frederick Storey Coburn.

"We were out here one year with the Merchant Navy Association from Barry Dock in Wales, all strong men who had seen and experienced a lot at sea themselves and lost companions and relations during the Second World War and they all had tears in their eyes, imagining what it must have been like for those aboard the Lusitania .

.. the sudden hitting of a torpedo, then passengers who had been at their lunch onboard, now fighting for their lives in the water out here. It's one of the biggest graveyards off the Irish coast. Imagine that where we are now, there were hundreds of people fighting for their lives. It's a place that could be creepy. It must have been an awful sight. When the bow hit the bottom, the stern was sticking up out of the water. Imagine that and the screams and cries of the people struggling to live, others dying...." Seascapes

[Administrator]

LUSITANIA HIT WITHOUT WARNING

There is no doubt that she was hit without warning: Liverpool shipping men have announced that Capt. TURNER would not think of stopping for any German submarine, but would rely on his speed the moment he saw a periscope. It could only be chance that a torpedo would strike home unless there were a number of the undersea boats in line, each of which would discharge a torpedo in her path. None could stop her, none could keep up with her. After the early morning report of the Lusitania nothing was heard officially at any of the wireless stations until shortly after 2 o'clock., when the wireless operator at Lands End, Ireland, caught this hurriedly: "Come at once. Big list. Position 10 miles south of Kinsale." That was all that ever came out of the ship, so far as can be learned. It would not have been sufficient to have blown up the boilers to stop this work, for the emergency batteries were there to work with. Something snapped the whole thing out. The word from Lands End was out to the world in another two minutes. Every port of the Irish Coast was horrified and passed the word along.

Men on the jump from Waterford clear down to Cape Clear rushed into small boats and large boats and dashed out to sea. Old Head of Kinsale was the next to send a little word. A marine observer there with powerful glasses made out the big ship 10 miles out, listed to one side almost on the point of turning over. There was only a brief flash of this and then came the word: "She has gone." As a matter of fact it is estimated that the Lusitania was hit around 2"15 o'clock and was under water by 2:45. Lloyds officially places the time as that. SMALL BOATS DOT WATER Then the observer made out the small boats on the spot left when the big ship vanished. There are twenty of them, he reported. A little later: "Other boats including a big Greek Steamship are around there. They are picking up the small boats!"

Then came a procession of bulletins from all points. The Admiralty received a bulletin from Galley Head: "Several boats apparently, survivors, southeast 9 miles from here, a Greek Steamer is proceeding to assist!" Other ports sent word of the 20 small boats which could carry perhaps 800 persons in a calm sea. But no one could tell how many were in them or how many had been picked by the rescuing ships. A great fleet was rushed out of Queenstown, but they had about 27 miles to go and must arrive too late to be of any use, except to facilitate the carrying of the wounded to the hospitals. "All are saved" was the message sent out early in the day and the announcement was greeted with cheers. Then came the later news. When shipping men heard. "Half hour" they shook their heads and whispered among themselves that the loss of life was inevitable. They could not see how human beings could be rescued or rescue themselves in the short space of time. It was not until 5 o'clock in the afternoon or later, three hours after the disaster, that London received definite word of what had occurred.

Then a responsible person at Kinsale, who had received direct word from the scene, telegraphed: The Lusitania was sunk by a submarine at 2:33 this afternoon, eight miles south by west of Old Head of Kinsale." This person had not received any of the details. ADMIRALTY'S GLOOMY BULLETIN Queenstown then sent a message: "Dispatch from Old Head begins: Large steamer just arrived in vicinity, separately rendering assistance. Tugs patrolling, etc. Now on the spot, taking boats in tow. Motor fishing boats with two of Lusitania's boats bearing probably for Kinsale harbor.

There were reports, then of rescue boats bearing to this and to that port, but nothing definite yet until the Cork Newspaper sent a message at 10 o'clock last night saying that 3/800 had been landed at Clonakitty, all passengers. The Admiralty thew the first note of foreboding so far as human life was concerned early last evening,. their official messages had precedence over all others. Their statement was" "There is hope that many have been saved." A little later the Cunard Company issued a statement of the same tenor and the great crowds in the street awaiting for the newspapers or for bulletins quieted. They knew then that war had taken another toll on the non-combatants. Thereupon the question uppermost was "Were any Americans lost and what will the United States say now?" The Lusitania was seen from, the signal station at Kinsale to be in difficulties at 2:12 P.M.. At 2:33 P.M. she had completely disappeared. This indicates that the liner was afloat 21 minutes after what evidently was the beginning of her trouble.

There were 188 American passengers in all aboard the Lusitania, according to a compilation made late today at the Cunard offices. The first to pick up the Lusitania's call was the wireless station at Land's End. The appeal was urgent: "We have a big list, rush, help." flashed through the air and immediately orders were sent to the nearest points to get every available craft to the rescue.

LIFEBOATS WERE READY

The fishing fleet from Kinsale was early on the scene and immediately began the work of taking on board the passengers from the big liner. It is understood that the Lusitania's own boats were used to care for her passengers. On all her recent trips these boats have been swung over-side and have covers removed ready for any eventuality and it is possible that to this precaution may lie due the salvation of the passengers.

[Administrator]

Queenstown wires: "Storm Cock landing about 100 passengers and crew. It is reported by the Admiralty that trawlers Dock and Indian Empire have about 200. Tug Flying Fish about 100. Three torpedo boats 45 and four dead.

Peel 12 was a fishing boat that had come out to pick up survivors.

[Administrator]

HMS Ariadneand : More research required.

We had originally planned to research the rescue vessels at Dunkirk as well as those of the Lusitania. Thankfully, the Dunkirk little ships have now been well documented by others and will add a link here ASAP to the sites. It seems odd that only a few snippets amongst much text is available on the web regarding the names of the vessels and those that went to rescue etc of the Lusitania's passengers. We require all assistance in finding more info K.

[e-mail]

[KG]

THE EVENING TELEGRAM, TORONTO - SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1939.

DISCHARGE RECALLS LUSITANIA TRAGEDY.

Across the "continuous certificate of discharge" of A. W. Norman, once a fireman in the Atlantic crossing, now a Torontonian resident at 57 Laing avenue, is the citation: "Re-newal Book, original lost through sinking of ship by the enemy".

An entry inside gives the explanation. The name of the ship is "Lusitania, 124082, L’pool, 6593”. The entries are name of ship, official number, port of registry and horse¬power. Mr. Norman was engaged at New York on April 29th, 1915.

His rating was fireman and trimmer. Then the story is told: “Vessel sunk off Kinsale, 7 May 1915;

[KG]

Report from 1939;

Cries Of Lusitania Victims Ring In Ears Of Survivor Though 24 Years Gone By

Toronto Man Slid Down Log-line to Chilly Ocean and Saw Giant Liner Take final Plunge — Helped Terrified Passengers With Lifebelts Until Last Minute

By ERNEST H. BAKTLETT
Telegram Staff Reporter.

It is nearly a quarter of a century ago now, but A. W, Norman, in his home at 57 Laing avenue, will re¬member again to-morrow the shrieks of women, the pitiful cries of children and the hoarse shouts of men as they went to their deaths in the Atlantic.

It is doubtful if he will ever forget those tragic sounds, for he is one of the comparatively few survivors of that fateful misty May 7th, of 1915, when a German submarine spelled death to the Cunard liner Lusitania.

Mr. Norman escaped — thanks to the trailing log-line down which he made a hand-burning slide, and capsized life-raft which supported him and six others after he had been swimming in the Atlantic for what seemed to be hours. Not until the last minutes of his ship's life did he stop to think of his own. He gauged the racing seconds so fine that he was but a hundred yards away from the giant liner when she made her final plunge, her four gargantuan propellers rising high above the water as her bows knifed to the ocean' bottom.

Mr. Norman was one of her crew, a fireman replacing at the last moment a deserter who had refused to take the hazardous voyage. He had been ferrying horses and food and munitions across the Atlanic before, and when an appeal was made for men to fill the firemen's berths vacated by 17 deserters, he was one to answer. He joined the Lusitania on the 29th of April, and on May 1 she sailed with a passenger and crew list of almost 3,000.

MISTY OCEAN

All was well during the early days of the voyage. There was tension, naturally, for the German warnings that Lusitania was doomed had been well circulated. But, not until the morning of May 7 did the tension really materialise into fear. The coast of Ireland was ahead; the extent of the voyage yet to be finished could be measured in hours; but —the danger area had been reached. Even the weather was against the ship, for mist started to set in and her speed was checked by a quarter.

Mr. Norman, waiting to start the morning watch in the stokehold (from four to eight a.m.), turned to one of his mess-mates as he heard the liner's siren booming her fog warning above.

"This doesn't sound so good," he remarked, "we're in a bad spot here, I hope we get through this watch safe."

They did. They got through the forenoon, too, and the afternoon. His off-duty watch in the forenoon had been spent playing with some children on deck, their laughing faces doing little to ease the worry in the back of his mind. At 10 o'clock that night he turned in, his bunk three decks below, to get some sleep ere his turn of duty came again.

He missed his sleep—and his turn of duty never came. Just as he was in his bunk there was a terrific ex¬plosion, and he knew a torpedo had struck home.

He raced for the open deck and made his way to the stern. The ship, rolling heavily, had come to a stop. He just missed being swept over-board by a pile of luggage which slithered across the deck as the ship staggered. Women arid children, panic-stricken and shrieking, caught his attention. With a pile of life¬belts secured in a frantic dash be¬low deck, once more, he came to their service. For hasty minutes he worked, fastening on the belts and trying to ease their fears, Through it all he knew his work was to little avail, that the death toll must be heavy.

The rolling of the ship grew worse. Launching of lifeboats was almost impossible. At times the roll was so heavy that it seemed the stricken vessel must capsize. The angle of the side was such that many of the passengers, their faith in their life¬belts, ran down it and plunged into the sea.

FUNNEL CRASHED

Steadily the Lusitania sank lower by the head. One of her funnels crashed to the deck. There was nothing Fireman Norman could do, and, when the bridge was nearly sub¬merged, he knew it was time to seek safety for himself. Gripping the trailing log-line he slid down it, burning his hands and legs with the speed of his slide, and started to swim away from the dangerous suc¬tion of the final plunge.

He saw her go and heard the dying shouts of those who went with her.

In 20 minutes from the time of the explosion it was all over.

He clung to an upturned raft-boat until, from Ireland whose coast could be seen in the distance, destroyers and trawlers came to rescue the survivors.

The next day he took his merchant marine discharge.

In a few days he was in the Royal Navy, in which he served for the duration of the war. One brother was a naval man, too. Four others fought in the land forces.

He doesn't speak much about his war service. Nor of what he did to try and save the women and children. He wishes, he says, he could forget the shrieks and the cries and the shouts which signalled the deaths of more than 1.200 men, women and children on that day whose 24th anniversary it is tomorrow.

FROM A RARE HISTORICAL ACCOUNT:

[KG]

Full text of "The tragedy of the Lusitania ; embracing authentic ...

www.archive.org/stream/cu31924006692796/cu31924006692796_djvu.txt

Along the coast and inland flew the message. Queenstown
the Admiralty port, thirteen miles from Kinsale heard the news
and Admiral Cocks, the naval ofiicer in charge ordered all avail-
able vessels to the scene of the disaster. Half a dozen tugs
steamed forth, followed by torpedo boats and a fleet of trawlers,
to render assistance and pick up struggling humanity from the
water.

"Later, when the smoke cleared away he saw the liner's
boats on the scene laden with passengers, but the ship had dis-
appeared. A fishing boat was the first to reach the scene and
took some boats in tow. An eastbound cargo boat next arrived.

This boat saved a great many. Later other vessels arrived
to assist in the rescue work, and when darkness closed over the
scene a number of destroyers were in the vicinity. One des-
troyer, which arrived early, lowered boats and picked up a num-
ber from a raft.

Still seeking a list of the names of the rescue vessels:

Included in the above link are:

The trawler Daniel O'Connell
The Admiralty tug Stormcock
The Indian Empire (the trawler Indian Empire)
The Flying Fish (Cunard tender Flying Fish)
The trawler Bluebell
The steamship Heron and two trawlers

three torpedo boats
armed trawlers
steamers, fishermen, motor boats and tugs accounted for the others

K.

[A READER]

KINSALE NOTES

www.southernstar.ie/localnotes.php

‘LUSITANIA’ REMEMBERED

The sinking of the Lusitania on May 7th, 1915, was remembered in Kinsale on Friday last when members of the Kinsale History Society gathered at the victims’ graves at Saint Multose Churchyard. After a short illustrated talk by Dermot Ryan, the members and visitors from the US paused for a minute’s silence at the exact moment of the disaster 95 years ago before a wreath was laid by members of the Harrington family, Noel, Colette and Maureen. An interesting fact to emerge is that there is just one survivor alive now, Audrey Lawson-Johnston. She was born Audrey Warren Pearl in New York City, and was just three-months-old when she boarded the Lusitania in New York with her parents, three siblings and two nurses. Her 18-year-old English nursemaid Alice M. Lines saved her life and that of her five-year-old brother Stuart by jumping off the boat deck and being pulled into a lifeboat. Her parents survived but her sisters Amy and Susan were lost. Her saviour, Alice Lines, with whom Lawson-Johnston was close through all her life, died in 1997 at the age of 100. She married Hugh Lawson-Johnston and currently resides in Melchbourne, Bedfordshire England, and is now history’s last surviving witness to one of the most significant events of the 20th century.