Cymric torpedoed in Atlantic
The White Star liner Cymric has been torpedoed in the Atlantic yesterday afternoon according to a Queenstown message, a Lloyd's message yesterday evening stated, " The White Star liner Cymric is reported to be sinking"
At the company's offices in Cockspur St, London last night it was stated that there was no passengers on board and she was homeward bound from America with a general cargo.
She was built by Messers HARLAND and WOLFF at Belfast in 1898 with a gross tonnage of 13,370, being 5 years older and 2,500 tons smaller than the White Star liner Arabic, which was torpedoed last year.
The crew of the Cymric numbered about 100 under the command of Captain BEADNELL. She left Liverpool about three weeks ago for the United States. The Cymric had been off the passenger service for a considerable time, but previously had been employed usually on the Atlantic mid-week sailings. Though mainly a cargo and cattle carrier, she was liked by passengers not in a hurry as a comfortable sea boat
May 10th 1916
The torpedoed Cymric
Five crew killed by explosion
The White Star liner CYMRIC, torpedoed in the Atlantic on Monday while bound from New York to Liverpool with cargo appears to have sunk at 3am yesterday. A Lloyd's Queenstown message says the CYMRIC was torpedoed at 4pm, while the company's officials still understood that the torpedoing took place at noon. The CYMRIC thus remained afloat 11 or 15 hours. Five of the crew were killed by the explosion of the torpedo, but the remainder of the crew of 112 are safe. Assistance was sent from Queenstown and the Dutch steamer GROTIUS seems to have rendered aid, for the master sent a wireless message to Valentia Island on Monday night that all hands were saved.
The White Star Line officials in Liverpool stated yesterday evening that 107 of the CYMRIC'S crew had landed at Bantry. Last night the White Star officials stated the names of the 5 men killed by the explosion are :-
J. K. WATTS, 3rd engineer, Ormskirk, H. MORTON, 6th engineer, Seaforth, J. KENNY, greaser, Liverpool, D. BERREGAN, fireman, Liverpool and J. B. MALCOLM, chief steward, Aintree.
A fireman named E. DUDLEY is in hospital with a broken leg. The survivors are expected to leave Cork this afternoon for Liverpool.
14 of a Liverpool crew missing
Brest, Monday, The British four-master GALGATE was sunk on Saturday night by a German submarine, 12 of the crew including 2 officers, were picked up by the trawler ALICORE and have been landed, there is no news of the vessel's boat with 14 of the crew on board.
May 12th 1916
Cymric crew's story
Waiting U.Boat far out in Atlantic
How wireless was worked
The officers and crew of the White Star liner Cymric arrived at Holyhead early this morning [Thursday] on their way to Liverpool While on a voyage from New York to Liverpool the ship was torpedoed without warning at 1.10pm on Monday. The vessel was then a distance much father than any submarine has previously been reported the captain had no idea and no warning that he was in the danger zone. The vessel was unarmed and carried no passengers but was bringing home 5 distressed seamen. There was no man of neutral nationality on board.
Though no submarine was seen the wake of the torpedo was seen from the liner. The torpedo struck her on the port side and made a hole in the forepart of the engine-room and 4 men were killed by the explosion. The engine-room was immediately flooded and the captain ordered the crew to take to their boats. The weather was rather fresh from the south-east with some swell on, and rainy.
There was a regrettable accident while the crew was taking to the boats, the chief steward K. B. MALCOLM, fell into the sea and was drowned.
The Cymric did not sink so rapidly as had been expected and the boats sheltered for a time under its lee. Then a return was made to the ship for additional clothing and at the same time distress signals were sent out. It was not possible to use the ordinary wireless apparatus in consequence of the machinery being put out of use, but there was an auxiliary dry battery equipment available with a range of about 100 miles. Officers found by this time that the water had risen over the cylinders in the engine-room.
The signals sent out were picked up by a patrol boat which arrived on the scene just over 7 hours after the liner was struck and took on board the survivors. A fireman named DUDLEY had his leg broken while the transference was taking place. The patrol boat stood by the Cymric until she sank at 3.25 am the following morning having kept afloat over 13 hours. The crew were taken to Bantry and there received every hospitality, and were furnished with much needed additional clothing.
One of the officers stated that it was an extremely fortunate thing that there was no passengers on board, considering all things including the weather. Had there been passengers he did not think that they would have escaped with such a small loss of life. He added that it was a curious comment on the last German Note to America that "before the ink was dry" his ship should have been sunk.
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Misc snippets 1916
May 9th 1916
Liverpool barque sunk
Lloyd's Agency states that the British sailing vessel GALGATE was sunk on Sunday. She was a steel four-masted barque of 2,356 tons gross, built at Whitehaven in 1888 and registered at Liverpool. 12 of the crew including two officers were picked up by the trawler ALICORE and have been landed. There is no news of the vessels boat with 14 of the crew on board.
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Liverpool Echo, June 8th, 1916
Ghost ship
Weird Story of sea fight
A remarkable story of a fugitive German destroyer was told by several men from a destroyer which has put into a north-east coast port. At dusk the crew descried in the distance a luminous warship which filled them with awe. It came at them with great speed. "As it grew nearer, " said one of the men, "we saw the boat was red hot. It was heading for us and it was only by a splendid feat of seamanship that the captain was able to avert disaster. We could not see a soul on board the fiery vessel." This was supported by his companion who observed that, "It seemed impossible for anyone to live in such a place. It was an extremely uncanny spectacle, one I shall never forget, even though I live to be a thousand. It shot past us, we watched it disappear into the distance, what came of it we do not know."
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Dec 18th, 1916
The great fog, Liverpool
During a dense fog which enveloped Liverpool last night two fatal and many minor accidents occurred. Alfred H. KERMODE aged 32, of Liverpool is supposed to have fallen into the Canada Dock and been drowned. Samuel HARRISON of the Manchester flat Captain, fell into another dock and was drowned. A Swedish seaman employed on a sailing vessel fell into a graving dock and was removed to hospital with serious injuries. River traffic was conducted with the utmost difficulty, tramcars proceeded at a mere crawl and instances of pedestrians losing their way were innumerable.
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