John Anderson, 67, was an able-bodied seaman in the Deck Department aboard Lusitania. He was lost in the Lusitania sinking. This biography is made possible by a collaboration with Peter Kelly and the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool.
Anderson was born in Norway in 1848. He was married to Teresa Anderson and they lived at 25 Gray Street, Bootle, Lancashire, England.
He was a professional mercantile marine seaman and on 12 April 1915 he engaged as an able seaman aboard Lusitania, at a monthly rate of pay of £5-10s-0d (£5.50). He reported for duty on board the liner at 7am on 17 April before she left the River Mersey for the very last time. He had also served aboard Lusitania on a previous voyage.
On the return to Liverpool from New York, Anderson was killed on the afternoon of 7 May 1915, when Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20 within sight of the southern coast of Ireland and only hours away from her home port.
As Anderson’s body was not recovered and identified, he has no known grave. Thus, he is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial to the Missing of The Mercantile Marine, in London.
In August 1915 he was officially discharged from the Lusitania’s final voyage, and his family received the balance of pay owing to him in respect of his sea service from 17 April 1915 until 8 May, 24 hours after the liner had been sunk.
Links of interest
John Anderson at the Merseyside Maritime Museum
Contributors
Peter Kelly, Ireland
Ellie Moffat, UK
References
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Cunard Records
PRO BT 100/345, PRO BT 334.
I am trying to locate information regarding an 3rd great uncle that I have always heard about when I was young. Unfortunately, the technology was not available for me to conduct any real research. Today, the technology exists, but all of those relatives that had the family stories are no longer available. I have just received more information in the moments it took for me to read through your webpage than over the past 20 years. I am now retired (US Navy Hospital Corpsman) after 22 years and have wanted to renew my search. My largest problem is that the name John Anderson is such a common name. My grandfather was named after my 3rd great uncle and I was named after my grandfather.
Is there any additional information (documents, citations, photographs, death certificates, employment records, etc) available? Is there any information regarding the family of Mr. John Anderson, Able-Bodied Seaman.
I thank you in advance for any help you might be able to provide.
Very Respectfully,
John Anderson
HM1/USN/FMF – Retired