WW11 torpedoed and sunk off coast of Ireland

[Robert Kirkman]

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.

[Keith at Tregenna]

CAN YOU PLEASE ADD A LITTLE DETAIL:

We may be able to help in tribute.

Regards Keith.

[Doc Vernon]

A bit more info please Like his Full name Rank etc
Cheers

[Doc Vernon]

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.

[Robert Kirkman]

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.

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

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Thanks for your reply. Robert

[Doc Vernon]

Was he from Manchester at all? Born 1928

Could the Ship have been the BERENGARIA ???

The Raranga
Raranga 1916

[Keith at Tregenna]

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

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A bit more info please Like his Full name Rank etc
Cheers

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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

[Robert Kirkman]

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

[Robert Kirkman]

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

[Keith at Tregenna]

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.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Imperator