Looking for some help please.

[Patricia OBrien]

Hi, I am trying to locate my great uncles merchant navy records. His name was Christopher Tyrrell, born in Dublin appox 1907. He was killed at sea on the ship SS Ocean Courage on 15/1/1943. Would be grateful for any help. Thank you.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Hello and welcome Patricia.

Just to start off:

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/fi...EPH%20TYRRELL/

Regards, Keith.

[Doc Vernon]

May assist, i am still searching the Deats at Sea Records but as yet no Luck ??
Cheers

Crewlist from Ocean Courage (British steam merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net


As he was of Irish Decent possibly Email them at the Irish Seamans Site and ask, or if not there his Records may well still be at Southampton Archives within the Original Collection.
Cheers

[Keith at Tregenna]

Patricia:

Could 1904 be a possibility ?

James Christopher Joseph Tyrrell
United Kingdom, Merchant Navy Seamen Records, 1835-1941

Name:
James Christopher Joseph Tyrrell
Event Type:
Military Service
Event Year Range:
1921-1941
Event Place:
United Kingdom
Birthplace:
Dublin
Birth Year:
1904

[DeepSea]

Commemorated Tower Hill Memorial. Panel 75.

TYRRELL, Fireman and Trimmer, CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH, S.S. Ocean Courage (Liverpool). Merchant Navy. 15th January 1943. Age 36, of Rathmines, Dublin.

Cargo ship Ocean Courage, 7,173grt, (MOWT, Hain SS Co.) loaded with a cargo of iron ore, bags of mail and two DEMS gunners on passage from Pepel bound for the UK via Freetown and Trinidad, sailed independently from Freetown on the 12th January 1943. On the 15th January about 240 nautical miles South of the Cape Verde Islands the ship was intercepted by U-182. The track of one torpedo was seen from the bridge, but unable to avoid it, the torpedo detonated in number two hold and the ship sank rapidly by the bow in just ninety seconds in position 10’ 52N 23’ 28W. With no time to launch the lifeboats men were forced to jump in the sea, but the majority were pulled under by the suction and drowned. Those still lucky to be alive clung desperately to wreckage and two of life rafts which had come to the surface. The following morning the raft in charge of by the ships Second Officer holding six survivors sighted a second raft with two men standing on it and two other survivors clinging to one of the ships hatch boards, Unable to reach each other, these four men were never seen again. An unoccupied raft was also sighted and the six survivors after a strenuous effort managed to paddle to this raft and three men were transferred over caught in the natural current drifted slowly towards the West coast of Africa. On the sixth day adrift a ship was sighted on the horizon and after setting off a smoke float, attracted the attention of the British Merchant ship Silverwalnut bound for Norfolk, Virginia and picked up a short time later. A total of forty-eight men had perished.

[DeepSea]

Plenty of Irish Republic Seamen on the British register, so possible check Fifth Register at Kew in BT 382/1839 covering surnames "Tyrrell A D A to Ufot E M"

[Doc Vernon]

I am still at a loss as to why the Deaths at Sea dont have a Record of his Death at Sea, as normally most others i have found quite easily?
Hope that you can get more info by contacting the places i have indicated in my previous posts.
Good Luck
Cheers


Just adding a Link Billy to assist the Lady
Cheers

https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ls/r/C10990064


Tower Hill:|Lost on vessels O.A.Knudsen to Ocean Honour (benjidog.co.uk)

[Keith at Tregenna]

So, CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH TYRRELL of Rathmines, Dublin.

Will look further ASAP.

K.

[DeepSea]

Yes according to the Deaths at Sea Register, he was born in Dublin and his last place of abode was "Rathmines"

[Keith at Tregenna]

Seems to be the birth:

Christopher Joseph Tyrrell
Ireland Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958

Name:
Christopher Joseph Tyrrell
Event Type:
Birth
Event Date:
Jan - Mar 1907
Event Place:
Dublin South, Ireland
Registration Quarter and Year:
Jan - Mar 1907
Registration District:
Dublin South