Neutral Shores, Ireland and the Battle of the Atlantic

[Mark McShane]

From September 1939 until the last days of the war in 1945 Ireland was host to a constant flow of casualties from the Battle of the Atlantic. Ireland's unique location situated near the vital shipping lanes of the Western Approaches placed the country in the immediate conflict zone once the war at sea began.

Neutral Shores, Ireland and the Battle of the Atlantic, tells the largely untold story of how many merchant navy ships during the war were attacked and sunk, and their surviving crews left adrift on the hostile Atlantic Ocean in a desperate struggle for survival. For the fortunate ones sanctuary was found along Ireland's rugged Atlantic shores, where the local people took these men from the sea into their homes and cared for them without any consideration of their nationality or allegiances to any of the belligerent nations.

Beginning with an introductory chapter explaining Ireland’s neutral position from the outset of the war and how the important role of voluntary agencies, such as the Red Cross and The Shipwrecked Mariners Society assisted the survivors once safety had been reached. The book continues chronologically from the sinking of the passenger liner Athenia in September 1939, when 449 survivors landed in Galway and the city mobilised to aid the first casualties of the war at sea, through to April 1945 when the sole survivor from the coaster Monmouth Coast was rescued and taken ashore on Arranmore Island. There were also two occasions when large contingents of naval personnel found refuge in Ireland. Both events involved German sailors, including the crew of U-260 that had managed to survive the Battle of the Atlantic for two years, only to succumb to a British minefield off the Cork coast in March 1945. Other merchant seamen survivors were less fortunate and found themselves closer to Newfoundland in open lifeboats when their ordeal began and were obliged to make the long voyage east.

For the Irish reader there is an additional interest with the sinking of the CIL lighthouse tender Isolda and the Irish shipping steamer Irish Oak. Two other notable Irish shipping involvements were the rescue by Irish Willow of the survivors from the British steamer Empire Breeze in August 1942 and the heroic rescue by Kerlogue of the German sailors from The Battle of Biscay in December 1943.

Each chapter describes in graphic detail the events leading up to and the subsequent loss of the ships involved. Using archival material from Irish, British and German sources, the accounts are thoroughly researched with many new revelations told for the first time, including the revised fates of several u-boat successes against merchant ships during the bitter convoy battles on the Gibraltar and Atlantic routes.


Published by Mercier Press
Available from 01 June 2012 in paperback and ebook.

[Mark McShane]

The latest review written by Irish author Ryle Dwyer, for Neutral Shores, http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2 ... 06832.html

[henryk]

Other merchant seamen survivors were less fortunate and found themselves closer to Newfoundland in open lifeboats when their ordeal began and were obliged to make the long voyage east.

Why "obliged" to travel a greater distance to land?

[Mark McShane]

Why "obliged" to travel a greater distance to land?

Given the prevailing winds and currents of the North Atlantic, it was easier and faster to sail east.

[tmmurray]

Looking for information pertaining to Thomas William Murray, Wireless officer, who is mentioned on page 100 of Neutral Shores. I am his grandson and researching his career was a wireless officer for the British Merchant Marine

[Sid Guttridge]

An interesting looking, off-beat, book, so I have bought it for £3, including postage, on Amazon as a result of this thread.

Sid.

[Andy H]

An interesting looking, off-beat, book, so I have bought it for £3, including postage, on Amazon as a result of this thread.

Sid.

Hi Sid

I read and reviwed the book many years ago and it was an interesting read, covering an aspect of the BOA often overlooked.

Regards

Andy H

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Andy H,

Having now read your review, I am confident it was £3 well spent.

Sid.

[Sid Guttridge]

Yup, it was.

Sid.