Heron was a naval patrol boat that picked up sixteen people, thirteen men and three women, all from the water. Three of the men and two of the women were dead, while the last surviving woman, Julia O’Sullivan, was in a critical state of collapse. Heron brought 11 survivors and 5 bodies to Kinsale, the closest port, to rush Julia O’Sullivan to immediate medical attention. As the patrol boat entered Kinsale, Heron was flying a signal for help and her ensign was at half mast.
Heron arrived in Kinsale harbor at 8 p.m. on the evening of Friday, 7 May 1915, about 6-and-one-half hours after the Lusitania sinking. Large crowds of concerned people greeted the patrol boat. The dead bodies were immediately taken to the morgue attached to the barracks, while the survivors were immediately taken care of.
Italics indicate survivor. List has been researched to be complete.
Survivors aboard Heron
Name | Age | Class or Dept | Citizenship | Residence |
BOTTOMLEY, Mr. Fred | 26 | 3rd | British | New York, NY, USA |
CRITCHISON, Mr. Stanley Lascelles | 31 | 2nd | British (Canadian) | Hamilton, On., Canada |
DOYLE, Mr. Michael | 31 | 3rd | British (Irish) | Kenmore, Co. Kerry, Ireland |
HORRIGAN, Master Cornelius | 16 | Victualling | British | |
HOTCHKISS, Mr. Charles | Victualling | British | ||
LIVERMORE, Mr. Vernon | Victualling | British | Liverpool, Lancashire, England | |
PRESTON-SMITH, Mr. John | 28 | 2nd | British (English) | Southbanks, Yorkshire, England |
ROWBOTHAM, Mr. Harold E. | Victualling | British | ||
SULLIVAN (O’ SULLIVAN), Mrs. Florence (Julia O’Neill) | 25 | 2nd | British (Irish) | New York, NY, USA |
THOMPSON, Mr. Joseph | 40 | 3rd | British | Canton, OH, USA |
TONER (TOWER), Mr. Francis “Frank” | Engineering | British (Irish) | Liverpool, Lancashire, England |
Bodies aboard Heron
Name | Age | Class or Dept | Citizenship | Residence | Place of Internment | Body number |
CAMPBELL-JOHNSTON, Mrs. Conway Seymour Godfrey (Ida Amelia McBride) | 57 | Saloon | British | Pasadena, CA, USA | 2, Kinsale | |
CHAMBERLIN, Mr. Richard | Victualling | British | 5, Kinsale | |||
CRANSTON, Mr. George | Victualling | British | 4, Kinsale | |||
MATTHEWS, Lt. Robert | 34 | 2nd | British (Canadian) | Moose Jaw, Sk., Canada | Cork, Ireland | 1, Kinsale |
SHINEMAN, Mrs. James W. (Margaret McKenzie) | 2nd | USA | Oil City, WY, USA | St. Multose Church, Kinsale, Ireland | 3, Kinsale |
Contributors
Jim Kalafus, USA
Senan Molony, Ireland
Mike Poirier, USA
References
Cork Examiner. 10 May 1915, page 9.
Kalafus, Jim and Michael Poirier. (2005) “Lest We Forget Part 2 : As The Lusitania Went Down.” Gare Maritime (ref: #4701, accessed 25th April 2015 05:08:40 PM)
URL : http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/lusitania-lest-we-forget-2.html
Molony, Senan. Lusitania: An Irish Tragedy, page 103. Mercier Press, 2004.
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