Strange catch carries an extraordinary history
THE German U-boat commander who landed Roger Casement on Banna Strand may well have fired the torpedo that sank the ship from which a Dingle trawler recovered a set of brass taps two weeks ago.
The taps which were netted by the Atlantic Fisher some 40 miles south south-east of the Fastnet Rock on January 5 were passed on by skipper John O’Connor to local marine expert Kevin Flannery after the trawler returned to port. Kevin then enlisted the help of National Parks and Wildlife Service underwater archaeologist Connie Kelleher who determined that the taps came from the wreck of the passenger liner Hesperian, which was sunk by the German submarine U-20 on September 4, 1915. The U-20 was the same submarine that sank the Lusitania, also off the coast of Cork, on May 7, 1915.
According to Kevin this coincidence produced a unique piece of history. On board the Hesperian was a casket containing the embalmed remains of wealthy Montreal woman Frances Stephens, who had been a victim of the sinking of the Lusitania. When the Hesperian went down it was the second time Frances Stephens had been torpedoed by the same U-boat.
The fate of Frances Stephens is just one of several extraordinary stories surrounding the Hersperian and her 350 passengers. Another account involves Private S G Chambers who one was 50 officers and soldiers “in various stages of convalescence” who sailed on the ship. Private Chambers had lost his sight in an explosion on the Western Front and is reported to have said as he left hospital: “All I want now is for the Germans to torpedo the ship and then I may get my sight back”.
Chambers got his wish. The Hesperian was indeed torpedoed and, bizarre though it might sound, a newspaper reported at the time that he regained his sight as a result of the blast.
Further research uncovers even more extraordinary coincidences surrounding the sinking of the Hesperian.
The watch officer on board the U-20 who prepared and fired the fatal torpedo that sank the Lusitania was Raimund Weisbach. The available military records do not state specifically that Weisbach was still serving as an officer on the U-20 when she sank the Hesperian, four months after sinking the Lusitania. However, it seems very likely that he was, because the records note that his next significant career move came in March 16, 1916 when he was given command of his own submarine the U-19–a vessel that was to earn a place in history for her role in the Easter Rising.
In his first mission on the U-19, Weisbach sailed out of Wilhelmshaven naval base in Germany on April 12, 1916 with Roger Casement, Robert Monteith and Sgt Daniel Baily on board, bound for the coast of Kerry.
After slipping quietly into Tralee Bay, Weisbach was eager to get Casement and his comrades off his submarine as quickly as possible and he put them ashore at 2.15am on April 21. There was the obvious risk to his vessel and crew if they were spotted by British forces, but there can be little doubt that the highly decorated Weisbach was also eager to press on with the job he did best: sinking Allied shipping.
At this job Weisbach was prodigously successful. On the same day that he landed Casement in Banna (Friday) he sank the 4,283 tonne British ship, Feliciana. On the Saturday he sank the Italian ship Jozef Agost Foherzeg and the British ship, Ross. On the Sunday he sank two more British ships – the Parisiana and the Ribston and on the Monday he sank the Norwegian ship, Carmanian. And here another coincidence of history arises: ironically, some of the surviving crew of the Carmanian later washed up on the cliffs near Feothanach Head and were dramatically rescued by locals.
Weisbach’s career as a U-boat commander came to an end on May 1, 1917 when his vessel was torpedoed by a British submarine. However, he survived the sinking and spent the rest of the war as a POW, having sunk 36 ships and damaged two others in his career.
As for the Hesperian herself – the steamship was commissioned by the Allen Line of Scotland, built in Glasgow by Alexander Stephen and Sons and launched in Glasgow in 1907.
The description of the boat that was issued at the time by the Allan Line describes a possible location for the bath taps which were recovered from the wreck by the Atlantic Fisher two weeks ago. “Located on the promenade deck forward is the Lounge and Music Room, adjoining the saloon companionway are rooms ensuite, with bath, while aft on this deck is the First- Class Smoking Room” .
The taps which were netted by the Atlantic Fisher were clearly labelled as manufactured by Shanks whose factory was also located in Glasgow.