Albert Charles Dunn, 30, was Intermediate Sixth Engineer aboard Lusitania. He was rescued from the sinking when the ship was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 on 7 May 1915. While in the water, he found Assistant Cook George Wynne unconscious in the water and tied the boy to some wreckage to keep afloat. As Wynne was rescued by the Indian Empire, Dunn was presumably rescued by the Indian Empire as well. Like Francis Toner, Dunn was allegedly a triple survivor of the Lusitania, Empress of Ireland, and Titanic. He also has the dubious distinction of being sunk by the same submarine twice, the U-20, aboard the Florazan and Lusitania.
“Jonah”
According to the London Times of 3 February 1916, Dunn had previously served aboard the Empress of Ireland and Titanic and survived those sinkings as well. The crew list for the last voyage of the Empress of Ireland shows a trimmer by the name of “John Dunn” whereas no one named Dunn served aboard Titanic.
Also previous to Lusitania, Dunn served aboard the Florazan, which was also torpedoed and sunk by the German u-boat, U-20 in March 1915. This was the same u-boat that would later sink the Lusitania.
Dunn failed to join an Admiralty transport in early 1916, as the sailors on his transport deemed him to be a “Jonah” and threatened to throw him overboard for fear of being sunk themselves. He left the ship and joined the Royal Naval Reserve, where he was found unfit for further service.
Dunn was charged for not joining the transport, but the Magistrate, understanding his past experiences, let Dunn go on good behavior.
Reunion
Dunn eventually became Chief Engineer of the Bantria. On the 20th anniversary of the Lusitania disaster, Dunn attended a reunion for Cunard employees who survived the sinking. He was joined by former Senior Third Officer John Idwal Lewis, since then promoted to assistant marine superintendent of the Cunard-White Star Line; Richard Wylie, since then promoted to assistant marine engineer of Cunard-White Star; William Ewart Gladstone Jones, since then promoted to chief electrical engineer of the Scythia; and Alexander Duncan, since then promoted to the chief officer of the Berengaria. The reunion was held in Lewis’ office in New York City, and they drank a silent toast to their shipmates who were lost in the Lusitania sinking.
See also
Francis Toner, Fireman – another alleged triple survivor of the Titanic, Empress of Ireland, and Lusitania.
Frances Stephens – who was also torpedoed and sunk twice by the U-20.
Rose Ellen Murray – Lusitania survivor who later claimed to have also survived the Titanic sinking
Contributors
Jim Kalafus, USA
Senan Molony, Ireland
Michael Poirier, USA
References
Kalafus, Jim & Michael Poirier ( 2005 ) “Lest We Forget Part 2 : As The Lusitania Went Down” Gare Maritime. Online. (ref: #4701, accessed 5 September 2012) <http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/lusitania-lest-we-forget-2.html>.
Molony, Senan. Lusitania: An Irish Tragedy, page 92-93. Mercier Press, 2004.
This may sound odd I realize that but my last name is Collins and I’ve noticed every time a ship sank one of my family members was a bored. Is that weird?