Arisaig event marks sinking of hospital ship Glenart Castle
AN OPERA concert is being held in St Mary’s Church, Arisaig, this weekend to commemorate the sinking of HM Hospital Ship Glenart Castle, which claimed the life of a nurse from the village.
The event, on Sunday February 25 at 4pm, will see singers, a violinist, cellist, harpist and an organist from Scottish Opera perform Faure’s Requiem to commemorate all those who died in the First World War, choosing this date to remember particularly Mary MacKinnon, from Arisaig, who died on the Glenart Castle when it was sunk on February 26 1918.
In a moving letter to the War Office, Mary’s father, John MacKinnon, wrote: ‘My wife and I are broken hearted since we got the sad news of our brave and beloved daughter. I don’t know how to get over our sorrow and don’t know what to do without her.’
In the early hours of that morning, the Glenart Castle had left Newport in South Wales en route to France to pick up wounded service personnel, so she was sailing with only her crew and hospital staff, numbering 182.
At about 4am, two torpedoes hit the Glenart Castle on her starboard side and almost immediately all power was lost and all lights went out. Reports vary, but it is believed the ship sunk in about seven minutes.
One lifeboat had been destroyed by the explosions and others had much difficulty getting into the water. However, seven boats were launched away, though only one was found. Most of the people on the ship were inside, probably sleeping, and had little chance of getting off after the lights went out. Being aboard a dark and rolling ship, sinking fast and listing hard would have made moving about almost impossible. The sad fact is only those who were awake, alert and on deck or close to an exit would have had any chance. She sank stern first, taking a number of her charges into the depths with her and leaving many others in the cold and churning waters. Heavy seas were running, rollers about 20ft high were reported and this made searching for others almost impossible.
Several hours after the sinking, the first survivors, 22 in total, were found by the French schooner Faon. The ship remained in the area for two hours, but was unable to locate any other survivors.
At about 1pm that afternoon, the USS Parker DD-48 picked up another nine survivors. Another seven survivors were later rescued and were taken to Pembroke. In total, 144 aboard perished.
The Glenart Castle was sunk by U-boat UC-56, whose captain, Kapitänleutnant D R Wilhelm Kiesewetter, later claimed there were few lights on the ship and that he thought she was an armed merchantman.
The U-boat was later interned in Spain. Kiesewetter was arrested at Falmouth on May 6 1919 and imprisoned. He was later released and then disappeared until the Second World War when he became the oldest U-boat commander at the age of 62.
Commenting on the Arisaig commemoration, Royal Navy Captain Chris McGinley, who plans to lay a wreath, said: ‘The commemorations for the First World War have been an incredibly diverse range of events, from the extremely high profile to the very poignant local ones, but they are all extremely important.
‘Ensuring that the memory of those who gave their lives is preserved and their efforts recognised is the key purpose of these events and it is all the more heartfelt when they involve relatives and descendants of those who did not return.
‘The Royal Navy has supported a number of commemorations since 2014, recognising the bravery and sacrifice of the maritime community in the war. The loss of HM Hospital Ship Glenart Castle was every bit as significant as the losses elsewhere, be they at the Battle of Jutland or off the coast of Gallipoli, and I am very happy we have been invited to attend the commemoration at Arisaig in memory of those who served and lost their lives.’
The concert is free but donations will be welcome and used to support St Mary’s Church and the elderly of Arisaig.
One of the organisers, Fiona MacDonald, said: ‘We are asking local people to get in touch with items, letters and press cuttings that might contribute to an exhibition and further concert later in the year. I can be contacted at fiona@glenart. co.uk.’