Remembering the Arandora Star luxury cruise liner

"100 Dead Bodies Believed to be Floating in Sea off Inishkea" Western People August 1940

           🌟 Remembering the Arandora Star 🌟

As a tour guide, I often get asked about tragedy at sea off our Atlantic coast here in Co. Mayo. One of the most poignant and somber was that of the final voyage of the Blue Star Lines luxury flagship the 'Arandora Star'. With massive loss of civilian life, it was one of the greatest maritime tragedies of World War 2.

A wreath laying ceremony to honour the victims will take place tomorrow, 2nd July, 84 years after the event, at 10.30am in Termoncarragh cemetery, Belmullet, Co. Mayo.

They say one body from the wreck washed up for every kilometer of our vast and sprawling coastline. These men were subjected to death by drowning simply for being Italian. What were the circumstances that saw 805 innocent people lose their lives, and over 100 bodies to come ashore in the following months?

The Arandora Star, a 15,500 tonne luxurious cruise liner operated by the Blue Star Line and built in Birkenhead, England in 1927, was known for elegance and comfort. Carrying wealthy, first class passengers only, she was reserved for the rich and famous.

Built to cruise the high seas in style, boasting beautiful cabins, lavish dining areas, a tennis court, swimming pool and an opulent atmosphere, she catered to travelers seeking a high-end experience at sea. Her Captain E. W. Moulton (50) from Liverpool sailed her all over the world, wining and dining with royalty.

However, during World War II, the Arandora Star was commandeered and repurposed as a transport ship to carry prisoners of war, and civilian internees. 

Many civilian internees were of Italian/Scottish heritage, arrested and detained after Churchill demanded to 'Collar the lot' during an extremely xenophobic time in Britain.

 Many were hard working ice cream men and chip shop owners, well loved and integrated into British society. But Churchill had his racist way and they were rounded up and arrested.

Tragically, over 800 people lost their lives, turning the vessel of luxury into a scene of great loss and sorrow.

At 6.45 am on 2 July 1940, Arandora Star was torpedoed by German U-boat U47 about 75 miles west of County Donegal and sank within an hour.

Local man Pat 'Rua' Reilly, born on Inishkea South in 1907 and a survivor of the terrible Inishkea drowning tragedy that claimed two of his own brothers, bravely rowed his currach into a cave after reports of a body washed up at Erris Head. It was an unidentified man, aged about 25, and dressed in a formal pinstriped blue tweed suit and black shoes. In his pockets, a small crucifix, a pack of playing cards, and a three-penny piece. He was buried in Termoncarragh, one of the unfortunate Italian internees on the ill-fated ship.  

"When I heard the thump, I didn't know what it was. It was six o'clock in the morning and I was half-asleep," recalled Italian survivor Rando Bertoia. "Some of my friends, who were from more or less the same village as me, were more wakened up than me, and one of them came through the rails, grabbed me and got me into a lifeboat."

The few lifeboats available had been deliberately holed by the British shooting into them, rendering them useless for escape in a ship designed for 300 passengers.

The drifting, overcrowded lifeboats, spotted by a British Sunderland flying boat, were soon picked up by a Canadian destroyer and transported to Scotland.

According to Blue Star Line figures, 805 of the 1,673 people on board the Arandora star perished, including 470 Italians, 243 Germans, 37 of their guards, the ship's captain EW Moulton, and 12 officers. While a few of these "enemy aliens" would most likely have been hard-line fascist sympathisers, most had no such allegiances; some had family members fighting in the British forces, others had been active anti-fascists.

By the start of August 1940, the magnitude of the horror shocked coastal communities when bodies from S.S. Arandora Star, were regularly washed up on beaches along the west coast of Ireland.

The first bodies washed up near Carne, July 30, 1940. 

Tears were shed by onlookers when the body of Giovanni Marenghi (43) was brought ashore and his few worldly possessions, tokens of a simple life, were laid out on the strand. An obvious victim of Arandora Star, around his neck was a “Star” life-jacket. 

He was only one of 13 of over 446 Italian casualties who would ever be identified. Their graves can be found in seaside cemeteries in Counties Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.

It was Thursday evening, August 15, 1940, when the lifeless body of 19-year-old Fred Chick was retrieved by two local youths Willie Davitt and John Lavelle, along with James McAndrew of Annagh.Wearing a British soldier’s uniform, Fred was one of 93 British soldiers along with 77 officers who died on the Arandora Star.

Rev. Canon Jackson performed the burial rites at Belmullet cemetery. A large contingent of the Belmullet branch British Legion ex-servicemen and Belmullet residents were in attendance and floral wreaths were laid on the grave.

In the following days, six more bodies were recovered. Local health officer Martin Barrett spent all night at sea leading the operation.

“100 Dead Bodies Believed To Be Floating in Sea off Inishkea”, declared the headline in the Western People on August 10, 1940. The report went on to say that the sea was so rough it was not possible to recover any of the bodies.

At Annagh Head another internee was recovered from a sea cave; a man, aged about 50 years, wearing blue siege trousers, a blue pullover and black shoes. Two shillings and 3 pence in English money were found in his pocket. He was buried in Termoncarragh.

The remains of Scottish man John Connolly (21) from Oban, dressed in full war kilt, were recovered on August 5, 1940. 

On Tuesday, August 6, 1940, at Annagh, an army pay book found by Garda William Cullen, Belmullet, identified a victim; 21 year old Welsh soldier and military guard.

A body washed up at Cross Beach, a middle-aged man wearing grey flannel pants and a grey overcoat or dressing gown, was never identified. Another soldier with no identification marks or papers.

The body of Frank Sidney Carter (27) was recovered at Annagh Head on August 7, 1940, dressed in full uniform and life jacket. Papers on his body revealed his home address in Kilburn London. He was buried in Kilcommon, Erris, in the Church of Ireland Graveyard.

Stanley Darnell, a 25-year-old Private, washed ashore on August 9, 1940, identified by papers and two insurance policies found on his remains. A resident of Surrey, he was picked up near the Inishkea Islands and buried in Fallmore cemetery overlooking the cold grey North Atlantic.

Further evidence of the bravery displayed by local people was shown by a youth named Willie Nallon, Binghamstown, who heroically recovered the body of a British soldier from the raging surf at Cross. Identified as William Goodwin (22), he was buried in Kilcommon Church of Ireland Graveyard.

Luigi Tapparo (42), Italian internee on Arandora Star, washed up at Drumrea. A cook in the Royal British Hotel, Edinburgh, Luigi had the foresight to fasten a cord around his neck with a disc, on which was printed his name and address. He was buried in Termoncarragh cemetery. After the war, his body was exhumed and taken to a final resting place in Italy.

By now the bodies had been in the water for over a month. Identification in most cases was impossible. The Gardai took great care to record the smallest detail that might someday make it possible to identify the remains. To the body of a soldier from Wales washed ashore at Fallmore, was attached a medal bearing the inscription:

“Catholic in case of accident send for priest.”

On another body, a gold watch and ring, a wallet and some documents. He was a native of London and belonged to the Royal Army Service Corps.

Two unknown bodies washed up at Portacloy and one at Rossport, both buried in Kilgalligan graveyard, Carrowteigue. Another unknown body washed ashore at Fallmore on August 10, now buried in Fallmore graveyard.

A lifeboat washed up at Blacksod on Thursday evening of August 22, containing only oars and a British soldier’s helmet. 

On August 26, a lifeboat capable of holding 50 persons with the letters ER, belonging to the Arandora Star, was washed into a cave at Annagh Head.

The last body that could be identified was recovered from the shore near Ballycastle. It was that of Edward George Lane (21), a guard on Arandora Star.

Locals who found his remains noticed the watch on his left wrist had stopped at four minutes past 8 o’clock, less than one hour after Arandora Star plunged beneath the waves. 

In the midst of tragedy, stories of survival emerged, like that of James Hunt from Tubbercurry, Co.Sligo, a steward who lived to share his harrowing experience. His account sheds light on the resilience and strength found in the face of disaster.

Günther Prien, the captain of the U-boat that sank the Arandora Star, was at the centre of one of the most audacious actions of World War II. In October 1939, just a month into the conflict, he sneaked into Scapa Flow harbour, the Scottish anchorage of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet, and torpedoed the massive battleship, HMS Royal Oak. 835 men died in that attack. Prien got away unscathed and was decorated by Hitler personally for his actions. Priens luck ran out in March 1941. His U-47 was detected in the Atlantic and sunk with all hands by two British destroyers using depth charges.

The only positive to come from the Arandora Star catastrophe, subsequent cover-up and public outcry was the decision by the British Government to change its policy toward Italian emigrants. There were two more deportation voyages to Canada before the majority of internees were gradually released from British internment camps.

The tragic story of the Arandora Star is no more awful or unjust than many other stories of the time. It should cause us to reflect on the absurdity of judging any individual on the grounds of their nationality and of how humanitarian instincts are swept away in the frenzy of war. 

Let us remember the lives lost, the survivors’ tales, and the lessons learned from this heartbreaking chapter in World history. 

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha 🇮🇪

Non vi scorderemo mai - we will never forget. 🇮🇹