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Remembered Today:

furter to lusitania story


calvin

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hello all, does anyone know the names of all the rescue ships that went to pick up survivors from the lusitania including the auxillary trawlers stationed in queenstown which where attached to the royal navy. thanks john baxter

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again sorry but i am just getting use to all this thanks john

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John,

From ‘The Auxiliary Patrol’ E Keeble Chatterton.

But May 7 will always be remembered as the day when Lieutenant- Commander Schwieger in U 20 sank the Lusitania. According to Gayer, Schwieger had left Borkum Roads in the morning of April 30. Up till this incident enemy submarines had been sighted so very rarely in Irish waters that the patrols were weak. But the Auxiliary Patrol craft certainly were the means of saving many lives after the disaster. At the time of the incident several patrol trawlers and an armed yacht were in port coaling or making good defects. It was in the early afternoon that the news of Lusitania's distress reached Queenstown, and the trawlers Brock, Bradford, Bluebell, Sarba, Indian Empire, and the drifter Golden Effort, all of the Auxiliary Patrol, were sent out and reached the scene between the Old Head of Kinsale and Gaily Head. Indian Empire actually brought in most of two hundred survivors. Auxiliary Patrol vessels based on Berehaven and operating off the south-west corner of Ireland were that day searching for a reported submarine in their area. And between Mizen Head and Carnsore Point there were less than a dozen trawlers spread out along the south coast.

But, as one who has reason to know intimately all these ships and that coast in war-time, it is only fair to remark how utterly helpless we were in those days against submarines. Even a hundred patrol craft along that area at that period would have found it impossible to guarantee immunity to Lusitania, for the patrol craft could do nothing but keep a smart look-out and fire at anything resembling a submarine. For this reason porpoises, small whales, and other inhabitants of the Atlantic, were constantly being reported as U-boats, especially in calm weather. One of these creatures off Daunt's Rock Lightship once puzzled me for a long time, and, his fin just showing above the water, for all the world resembled the top of a conning tower. It was not until hydrophones and hunting flotillas were introduced that the Auxiliary Patrol had a fair chance of locating the ubiquitous and submersible enemy, who could disappear from sight as soon as you saw him.

I really am a caring sharing type, honest.

Regards Charles

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that is great information and i thank you, sorry for any mix up on my part and hope we can share info. in future. thanks again regards john

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