Page 1 of 6 1 2 3 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 51

Thread: WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coast of Ireland

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Leighton Buzzard
    Posts
    15
    Thanks (Given)
    23
    Thanks (Received)
    30
    Likes (Given)
    1
    Likes (Received)
    30

    Default WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coast of Ireland

    Hi, my father who died over 25 years ago was in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. One of the ships he served on was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of Ireland. I always understood the ship was called Barrenger but I cannot trace a second world war merchant ship with this name or similar. The rescue ship was also sunk but he survived. I know one ship he served on was called Raranga which was a Shaw Savill ship which was Furness, Withy & Co. and this ship survived the war. Any help and advice how to trace the name of his sunken ship would be greatly appreciated. Did merchant sailors stay with the same company for the duration of the war or did they switch companies.
    Last edited by Mike Hall; 13th August 2017 at 08:36 AM. Reason: sorry error in typing

  2. Thanks Captain Kong, Doc Vernon thanked for this post
  3. #2
    Keith at Tregenna's Avatar
    Keith at Tregenna Guest

    Default Re: WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coat of Irealdn

    CAN YOU PLEASE ADD A LITTLE DETAIL:

    We may be able to help in tribute.

    Regards Keith.

  4. Thanks Robert Kirkman thanked for this post
  5. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Blue Mountains NSW
    Posts
    24,237
    Thanks (Given)
    45047
    Thanks (Received)
    13126
    Likes (Given)
    52440
    Likes (Received)
    39395

    Default Re: WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coat of Irealdn

    A bit more info please Like his Full name Rank etc
    Cheers
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

    R697530

  6. Thanks N/A thanked for this post
    Likes N/A liked this post
  7. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Blue Mountains NSW
    Posts
    24,237
    Thanks (Given)
    45047
    Thanks (Received)
    13126
    Likes (Given)
    52440
    Likes (Received)
    39395

    Default Re: WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coat of Irealdn

    Just a guess here at this time ??
    Any Joy!

    The SS Delphic was built in 1897 by Messrs. Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Ireland, for the White Star Line. She was jointly owned by the White Star and Shaw, Savill & Albion lines. During the Boer war she carried troops and horses from England to South Africa. On August 1917, she was torpedoed 135 miles off Bishop Rock, and went down with the loss of five lives.
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

    R697530

  8. Thanks Robert Kirkman thanked for this post
  9. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Leighton Buzzard
    Posts
    15
    Thanks (Given)
    23
    Thanks (Received)
    30
    Likes (Given)
    1
    Likes (Received)
    30

    Default Re: WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coat of Irealdn

    Sorry about this I am just learning to navigate the site. My father's name was Henry Edward Kirkman and he was a stoker. I believe he usually sailed from Liverpool. I have his New York pass stamped Furness, Withy & Co.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Many thanks for your thoughts but his was Second World War and SS Delphic First World War. Thanks anyway.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Thanks for your reply. Robert

  10. Thanks Captain Kong thanked for this post
    Likes Doc Vernon liked this post
  11. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Blue Mountains NSW
    Posts
    24,237
    Thanks (Given)
    45047
    Thanks (Received)
    13126
    Likes (Given)
    52440
    Likes (Received)
    39395

    Default Re: WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coat of Irealdn

    Was he from Manchester at all? Born 1928

    Could the Ship have been the BERENGARIA ???

    The Raranga
    Raranga 1916
    Last edited by Doc Vernon; 10th August 2017 at 09:46 PM.
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

    R697530

  12. Thanks Robert Kirkman thanked for this post
    Likes Des Taff Jenkins liked this post
  13. #7
    Keith at Tregenna's Avatar
    Keith at Tregenna Guest

    Default Re: WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coat of Irealdn

    Can you confirm please:

    Henry Edward Kirkman, served in the Merchant Navy convoys going to Australasia, America, Africa and Europe. His son, Robert, recalls that "Harry" once had a string of service medals.

    He was awarded:
    The Pacific Star, for Australia and New Zealand, a medal which is now very collectable.
    The Atlantic Star for the USA - New York and California
    The Africa Star for North Africa, Algeria etc.
    The Europe Star
    The 1939-1945 War Medal given to all services.

    The convoys suffered huge losses from the attacks of the German U-boats and few survived the repeated long hauls in slow coal fired merchant ships.

    Harry’s ship was torpedoed and sunk and fortunately he survived. He had been always reluctant to say much about his experiences. He had seen too many of the horrors of war particularly the terrible sight of his shipmates suffering in the burning oil in the sea.

    A recollection of Harry's brother, my father, Sydney, was that Harry's ship was struck off the coast of Ireland by a torpedo. When rescued Harry went on shore leave for nine days and came to visit Syd, who was then living in Fortnam Road, looking for some long deserved and relative peace. However, during an air raid a flying bomb dropped on a local police station and wrecked a number of adjacent houses, including Harry's own house.

    Harry’s guardian angel must have been working overtime for him to not only have survived the sinking of his ship but also the having the good fortune of not being at home when it was blown apart.

    BBC - WW2 People's War - At Sea and at Home - Part One

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Doc Vernon View Post
    A bit more info please Like his Full name Rank etc
    Cheers


    ?

    Henry "Harry" Edward Kirkman, is a very lucky World War II merchant seaman who sailed to both coasts of the United States, Australia, New Zealand and North Africa for which he was awarded four medals. On one of his voyages, Harry’s ship was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat and his rescue ship also was torpedoed. He was rescued a second time. Harry also just missed getting zapped by a German V-2 rocket which destroyed his home in London.

    Kirkman Generals - The Kirkman Family Over 600 Years of History ....The Facts & Legends

  14. Likes Doc Vernon liked this post
  15. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Leighton Buzzard
    Posts
    15
    Thanks (Given)
    23
    Thanks (Received)
    30
    Likes (Given)
    1
    Likes (Received)
    30

    Default Re: WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coat of Irealdn

    Dear Keith, thanks for your reply. Absolutely, this was my father and it is my cousin Stephen who has given this information. He has been trying to help me solve this mystery.
    Robert

  16. Thanks Doc Vernon, N/A, Des Taff Jenkins thanked for this post
    Likes N/A liked this post
  17. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Leighton Buzzard
    Posts
    15
    Thanks (Given)
    23
    Thanks (Received)
    30
    Likes (Given)
    1
    Likes (Received)
    30

    Default Re: WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coat of Irealdn

    Very many thanks for your reply. My dad was born in London in 1908. At the beginning of the Second World War he was in a reserved occupation working on spotlight emplacements for enemy bombers but decided to join the Merchant Navy. I think he was greatly influenced by his hero uncle who was at the Battle of Jutland in the First World War under Admiral Jellicoe. Now the name Berengaria is very interesting but at the moment I no nothing about the ship. Was it torpedoed. I was once told that Shaw Savill was originally New Zealand ownership and the names of most if not all their ships ended with a letter "a". If my dad stayed with Shaw Savill (Furness Withy & Co) ships then Berengaria is a possible for what I thought was Barrenger. Robert

  18. Thanks Doc Vernon thanked for this post
  19. #10
    Keith at Tregenna's Avatar
    Keith at Tregenna Guest

    Default Re: WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coat of Irealdn

    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Kirkman View Post
    Very many thanks for your reply. ships then Berengaria is a possible for what I thought was Barrenger. Robert


    The ship was renamed after the English queen Berengaria of Navarre. Many Cunard ships had been named for parts of the Roman Empire and had names that ended in "ia". RMS Berengaria, like many, but not all, Cunard ships, kept the "ia" ending to her name but, like several Cunard ships before and after, was not named after a province of the ancient world.

    ?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Imperator
    Last edited by Doc Vernon; 12th August 2017 at 05:59 AM.

  20. Thanks Robert Kirkman thanked for this post
Page 1 of 6 1 2 3 ... LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •