RMS Leinster Tragic Sinking at Sea

The RMS Leinster was a British-owned but Irish-operated passenger liner that met a tragic end on October 10, 1918. The ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat.

The Leinster was traveling from Dublin to Holyhead, Wales, when it was attacked. This was a critical route for transporting people and goods during World War I.

The U-boat that struck the Leinster was U-138, commanded by Captain Max Valentiner. The ship sank quickly, resulting in the loss of 548 lives.

The tragedy of the RMS Leinster's sinking is a devastating reminder of the loss of life during wartime. Over 500 people lost their lives.

The attack took place in broad daylight, with the first torpedo striking the post office quarters and the second, just three minutes later, hitting the engine room. This caused a deafening explosion that blew the ship's two prominent funnels high into the air.

The ship went under rapidly, with its head submerging beneath the water line. Fortunately, the Leinster managed to transmit a wireless message to the harbour in Kingstown before sinking.

All available vessels were dispatched to the scene, reaching the site within an hour and a half. The first of the fortunate survivors were brought into the harbour in Kingstown at 1.30pm aboard a destroyer.

109 survivors were on that first ship, and more came ashore on subsequent ships, which also carried the bodies of the dead. One destroyer carried the bodies of 15 dead passengers of the Leinster.

The loss of life was staggering, with only one of the 22 members of the Post Office Sorting staff surviving. Many more were injured, and some were taken away by ambulance, while others made their way to the Marine Hotel for hot drinks and refreshments.

The RMS Leinster was a mailboat that sailed out of Dún Laoghaire on October 10, 1918, with 685 people on board.

The majority of the passengers were soldiers returning to the battlefields of World War I.

The ship was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-132 just 12 miles out from Dún Laoghaire Harbour.

This tragedy resulted in the loss of 501 lives, making it the greatest loss of Irish life at sea.

The survivors were rescued by the British destroyers RMS Mallard and RMS Lively, and taken ashore in Dún Laoghaire.

In 1996, a memorial was unveiled in Dún Laoghaire Harbour to commemorate the lives lost on the RMS Leinster.

Local divers, including Noel Brien, Brian Whelan, Billy Owens, and Fred Hick, had been exploring the sunken wreck of the Leinster in the years leading up to 1996.

They recovered the anchor of the vessel, which was unveiled by Minister Eamon Gilmore as a memorial to those who lost their lives.