While in Limerick, Ireland I went to pay my respect to wife's uncle Frank, he was a Merchant Seaman Like myself. He was only 24 years old when his ship got Torpedoed in 1942. Please Read On..............At 00.14 hours on 16 Nov 1942, U-608 fired one torpedo from a distance of 800 meters at the unescorted and neutral Irish Pine (Master Matthew O’Neill) and observed a hit in the stern after 80 seconds. The U-boat had chased the ship for about eight hours, apparently not noticing the neutrality markings because of bad visibility in stormy weather with rain and snow squalls in which the contact was frequently lost and regained. The very rough seas also caused a first torpedo to miss at 23.39 hours on 15 November. The ship immediately began to settle by the stern after the hit until she sank vertically at 00.17 hours. The crew was seen to abandon ship in a lifeboat with a very bright light by the Germans, but they did not approach it and the survivors were never found.
What a sad story! My mother's uncle was also a seaman on a merchant vessel. Two ships he served on were sunk during the war but he managed to survive both swimming among the debris and flames. You did well to visit this memorial.
Well remembered Tony, these guys where nearly the forgotten hero of that war. This was stamped on some coins that were minted in memory of these men.
Unrecognized, you put us in your debt
Unthanked you enter, or escape, the grave
Whether your land remember or forgot
You saved the land or died to try to save.
These were minted from silver recovered from the SS Gairsoppa torpedoed on 16/02/ 1941 by U-101 with over $40 million of silver from India for the payment to US for arms and materials, and sank SW of Ireland in 4700mtr with 85 fatalities only the 2nd mate survived.
She was found in 2011 and the silver recovered July 2013.
Unrecognized, you put us in your debt
Unthanked you enter, or escape, the grave
Whether your land remember or forgot
You saved the land or died to try to save.
These were minted from silver recovered from the SS Gairsoppa torpedoed on 16/02/ 1941 by U-101 with over $40 million of silver from India for the payment to US for arms and materials, and sank SW of Ireland in 4700mtr with 85 fatalities only the 2nd mate survived.
She was found in 2011 and the silver recovered July 2013.