Marina Voyage History

This section will, in time, contain the stories of more than 450 merchant ships built or owned in the Hartlepools, and which were lost during the First World War. As an illustration of the truly global nature of shipbuilding, these ships were owned by companies from 22 different countries, including more than 30 sailing under the German flag at the outbreak of war.

Masters: 1902-09 D Taylor: 1911 W McKelvie: 1915-16 John H Brown.

On a voyage from Glasgow to Baltimore-USA-with a total complement of 104 the horse transport merchant freighter Marina was torpedoed by German submarine (U-55 Wilhelm Werner) & sank 30 miles W of Fastnet on 28 October 1916. There was little time to launch the boats & there were hardly any provisions loaded. One party only had a few biscuits & a little bully beef. This boat was picked up 30 hours later. On board there had been 51 Americans of whom six were drowned along with ten others. The master & chief engineer were the last to leave & they also drowned in jumping for a boat. 18 lives were lost in total.

Lives lost October 1916: Brown, Hector, sailor, 21, b. Tiree; Brown, John H, master; Brown, JRC, horseman, 43, b. USA; Brown, PD, horseman, 43, b. USA; Buie, W, horseman, 43, b. USA; Ducat, Peter, assistant cook, 49, Glasgow; Hutchings, Albert, leading seaman, 25, St Leonards, on, Sea, Sussex; McMenemy, A, fireman, 42, Glasgow; Richmond, David, wireless operator, 24, Glasgow; Robertson, Robert Taylor, 2^nd mate, 55, Glasgow; Sedberry, George F, horseman, 33, b. Fairville, USA; Shaw, Hugh, carpenter, 54, b. Portpatrick; Slater, George Petersson, 1^st mate, 27, b. Edinburgh; Sweeney, Edward, trimmer, 26, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal; Thomas, Daniel P, horseman, 34, b. Delaware, USA; Thomson, Alexander, 1^st officer, Isle of Arran; Thomson, Alexander, 3^rd mate, 28, b. Machrie.

Survivors October 1916:

Barbour, John; Clark, J, 4^th engineer, Glasgow; Devlin, SA, Norfolk, Virginia, USA; Edgar, W, chief steward, Carlisle

Hamlin, PS, Baltimore, USA; Hay, Robert, donkeyman/greaser; McDonald, A, chief engineer, Glasgow; McPhee, R, 2^nd engineer, Glasgow; Preston, Robert, donkeyman; Rogers, steward, Glasgow; Ryan, BM, USA; Sandison, J, 3^rd engineer, Glasgow; Wright, HM, 5^th engineer, Glasgow.

The Times 31 October 1916:

“A Lloyd's telegram states that the steamer Marina is believed to have been sunk. A steamer anchored at Crookhaven and signalled ‘Have shipwrecked crew of steamer Marina of Glasgow on board, crew now on board patrol.’ A Press Association message received early this morning states; 'The Donaldson liner Marina (Captain Browne, of Glasgow) was sunk at 3.45 on Saturday afternoon. The captain and about 50 of the crew were drowned. The survivors, numbering about 40, have been landed. Steward Rogers, of Glasgow, is among the saved. According to later messages only two survivors have been landed, and, in addition to the captain and 50 of the crew reported drowned, 35 men of American nationality perished. It is believed that the vessel was torpedoed. According to a telegram from Newport News (Virginia) there were 50 Americans on board the Marina, which is believed to have been sunk, when she sailed thence on September 21. They were all white men, and signed on as cattlemen. Oct. 30. The State Department has received advices to the effect that the Marina carried a mixed crew of British and Americans, and that the vessel was sunk by gunfire without any warning having been given. In sending this information the United States Consul at Queenstown adds that it is provisional. A further investigation will be made immediately as to the status of the Marina and the nature of the attack, in order to determine whether the pledges given by Germany to the United States have been violated. Advices received by the State Department refer to the Marina as a British transport. It is intimated that, if it is proved that the vessel was in the transport service of the British Government, the question arises whether the crew could have claimed immunity from attack without warning.”

The Times 3 November 1916:

Survivors of the Donaldson liner Marina confirm the statement already made that the vessel was torpedoed without warning. There were 104 persons on board, and of these 86 are reported to have been saved. Thirty, among who were 15 Americans, reached Cork from Crookhaven on Tuesday night and 28 others from Berchaven have arrived in Dublin. They agree generally that the vessel was torpedoed amidships on the starboard side about 3.40 on Saturday afternoon; that she remained above water about 20 minutes when another explosion occurred, due in all likelihood to a second torpedo which fired into the vessel on the port side. Other survivors state that there were two submarines, but that one only took part in the attack. Our Dublin Correspondent telegraphs that the story of the survivors of the Marina, who arrived in Dublin on Tuesday night from Berehaven on their way to Glasgow, indicates that the outrage was deliberate and that it violated every condition of Germany’s last undertaking to the United States Government. These 28 survivors are all Americans; some of them had been more than 30 hours in lifeboats in wild weather before they were picked up by a patrol boat. B.M. Ryan, a member of the crew, said that the Marina was torpedoed without warning in a heavy sea. The first torpedo was fired at a quarter to 4 on Saturday afternoon. It struck the Marina amidships on the starboard side. This torpedo was discharged while the submarine was still submerged. Ten minutes later the Marina was torpedoed on the port side and she sank within 18 minutes. After the first attack the captain told the crew of No. I lifeboat to stand by, as the ship probably would not go down for an hour. He did not expect the second shot. SA Devlin, of Norfolk, Virginia said that the Marina fired no shots at the submarine. It followed the boats for half an hour after the ship went down but did make any offer of assistance. PS Hamlin of Baltimore said that the Marina was torpedoed absolutely without notice. The second torpedo hit the boilers; there was a terrific explosion and the Marina broke in two amidships and went down almost at once. The submarine came to the surface and watched her sink. It was within 100 yards of his lifeboat but they did not do a single thing to save anybody. More than that, said Hamlin, they did not give us any warning. Nor did they warn us either when the submarine came round to fire on the port side while we were in the lifeboats and almost beside the sinking ship. I guess that’s not playing the game.”