+ + +
Called Jimmie, he was the eldest of 9 known children of John & Ellen (née Shiels) Mansfield of Skerries.
A sailor all his life, Jimmie rose to become a Master Mariner. In 1897, Capt. Mansfield married Thomasina McGarry at their Skerries parish, St. Patrick's. They had 5 children, raising them at their home at 86 Strand Street, which he named Altona House.
The Kangaroo
The Kangaroo was a schooner of 76 tons used for trading (as opposed to fishing). She was originally registered as 'Kangaroo' at the Port of Douglass on the Isle Of Man in 1868. It's believed she was a new vessel, built in 1967 in Douglass, when she was first registered there. It appears from her Registry Entries that she may have always sailed out of Skerries. She engaged in the usual Baltic trade and in winter she did a good business in the potato trade.
In 1905 Master Mariner James Mansfield of Skerries purchased shares in her, becoming co-owner. By 1915 Captain Mansfield owned all 64 shares, becoming her sole owner.
On June 18, 1917, Kangaroo was in port for repairs & overhauling. The Captain Jimmie Mansfield, Mate John Adams, Able Seaman Luke Carr & Able Seaman John Ryan, all 4 of Skerries, took her out - either to finish the work up the coast at Skerries Harbour or to check some aspect of her sea worthiness. She was in an advanced state of repair with different planks marked for replacement or repair as well as being in other states of disarray.
With The Great War raging throughout Europe, German submarines were a constant presence in the waters between Ireland and England, attacking British Naval ships and trading vessels. When Kangaroo was spotted by the the German submarine UC-51 20 miles of south of Tuskar, off the coast of Wexford and close to the Coningbeg Light Vessel, tragedy ensued.
Believing the Kangaroo to be a British decoy boat on patrol, the German sub pulled up along side, guns drawn, and ordered Jimmie Mansfield & his crew to abandon ship, as she was to be sunk for acting as an enemy decoy. Some type of arguing & yelling took place between Capt. Mansfield & the German Captain, Hans Glaster, as he implored him to spare the ship, that she was an Irish trading vessel, not a British decoy engaged in warfare. (Ireland, under occupation by a foreign power, was not at war with Germany).
At that point something went terribly wrong and the German crew let loose with a barrage of machine gun fire, slaughtering every man aboard Jimmie's ship. The Germans then continued firing into the hull until the Kangaroo began to go down. There were a number of other boats nearby that witnessed the attack.
✞ The Kangaroo and her crew rest off the coast of Wexford to this day.
✞ The Sea Pole Memorial
Skerries, Ireland
95 years after the Kangaroo tragedy, Ireland's largest memorial to her men lost at sea was dedicated in Capt. Mansfield's home villiage of Skerries. The Skerries Sea Pole Memorial remembers and honors 271 men and ships connected with the Skerries port who have no grave but the sea. The roll call of Skerries men, dedicated by Uachtarán na hÉireann Michael D. Higgins, includes Captain James Mansfield, Master of Kangaroo, age 51, along with the crew;
John Adams Mate age 68
Luke Carr Able Seaman age 22
John Ryan Able Seaman age 18
also:
✞ The Tower Hill Memorial
London, England
In 1928, Master James Mansfield & the other men of the Kangaroo's crew - Mate John Adams, Able Seaman Luke Carr & Able Seaman John Ryan, were remebered & honored when their names were inscribed on the Tower Hill Memorial to Merchant Seamen, located in London. The Tower Hill Memorial is dedicated to the men of the Fishing Fleets & the Merchant Seamen who died during WW I and have "No Grave But the Sea".
James Mansfield
John Adams
Luke Carr
John Ryan
Called Jimmie, he was the eldest of 9 known children of John & Ellen (née Shiels) Mansfield of Skerries.
A sailor all his life, Jimmie rose to become a Master Mariner. In 1897, Capt. Mansfield married Thomasina McGarry at their Skerries parish, St. Patrick's. They had 5 children, raising them at their home at 86 Strand Street, which he named Altona House.
The Kangaroo
The Kangaroo was a schooner of 76 tons used for trading (as opposed to fishing). She was originally registered as 'Kangaroo' at the Port of Douglass on the Isle Of Man in 1868. It's believed she was a new vessel, built in 1967 in Douglass, when she was first registered there. It appears from her Registry Entries that she may have always sailed out of Skerries. She engaged in the usual Baltic trade and in winter she did a good business in the potato trade.
In 1905 Master Mariner James Mansfield of Skerries purchased shares in her, becoming co-owner. By 1915 Captain Mansfield owned all 64 shares, becoming her sole owner.
On June 18, 1917, Kangaroo was in port for repairs & overhauling. The Captain Jimmie Mansfield, Mate John Adams, Able Seaman Luke Carr & Able Seaman John Ryan, all 4 of Skerries, took her out - either to finish the work up the coast at Skerries Harbour or to check some aspect of her sea worthiness. She was in an advanced state of repair with different planks marked for replacement or repair as well as being in other states of disarray.
With The Great War raging throughout Europe, German submarines were a constant presence in the waters between Ireland and England, attacking British Naval ships and trading vessels. When Kangaroo was spotted by the the German submarine UC-51 20 miles of south of Tuskar, off the coast of Wexford and close to the Coningbeg Light Vessel, tragedy ensued.
Believing the Kangaroo to be a British decoy boat on patrol, the German sub pulled up along side, guns drawn, and ordered Jimmie Mansfield & his crew to abandon ship, as she was to be sunk for acting as an enemy decoy. Some type of arguing & yelling took place between Capt. Mansfield & the German Captain, Hans Glaster, as he implored him to spare the ship, that she was an Irish trading vessel, not a British decoy engaged in warfare. (Ireland, under occupation by a foreign power, was not at war with Germany).
At that point something went terribly wrong and the German crew let loose with a barrage of machine gun fire, slaughtering every man aboard Jimmie's ship. The Germans then continued firing into the hull until the Kangaroo began to go down. There were a number of other boats nearby that witnessed the attack.
✞ The Kangaroo and her crew rest off the coast of Wexford to this day.
✞ The Sea Pole Memorial
Skerries, Ireland
95 years after the Kangaroo tragedy, Ireland's largest memorial to her men lost at sea was dedicated in Capt. Mansfield's home villiage of Skerries. The Skerries Sea Pole Memorial remembers and honors 271 men and ships connected with the Skerries port who have no grave but the sea. The roll call of Skerries men, dedicated by Uachtarán na hÉireann Michael D. Higgins, includes Captain James Mansfield, Master of Kangaroo, age 51, along with the crew;
John Adams Mate age 68
Luke Carr Able Seaman age 22
John Ryan Able Seaman age 18
also:
✞ The Tower Hill Memorial
London, England
In 1928, Master James Mansfield & the other men of the Kangaroo's crew - Mate John Adams, Able Seaman Luke Carr & Able Seaman John Ryan, were remebered & honored when their names were inscribed on the Tower Hill Memorial to Merchant Seamen, located in London. The Tower Hill Memorial is dedicated to the men of the Fishing Fleets & the Merchant Seamen who died during WW I and have "No Grave But the Sea".
James Mansfield
John Adams
Luke Carr
John Ryan
+ + +
Called Jimmie, he was the eldest of 9 known children of John & Ellen (née Shiels) Mansfield of Skerries.
A sailor all his life, Jimmie rose to become a Master Mariner. In 1897, Capt. Mansfield married Thomasina McGarry at their Skerries parish, St. Patrick's. They had 5 children, raising them at their home at 86 Strand Street, which he named Altona House.
The Kangaroo
The Kangaroo was a schooner of 76 tons used for trading (as opposed to fishing). She was originally registered as 'Kangaroo' at the Port of Douglass on the Isle Of Man in 1868. It's believed she was a new vessel, built in 1967 in Douglass, when she was first registered there. It appears from her Registry Entries that she may have always sailed out of Skerries. She engaged in the usual Baltic trade and in winter she did a good business in the potato trade.
In 1905 Master Mariner James Mansfield of Skerries purchased shares in her, becoming co-owner. By 1915 Captain Mansfield owned all 64 shares, becoming her sole owner.
On June 18, 1917, Kangaroo was in port for repairs & overhauling. The Captain Jimmie Mansfield, Mate John Adams, Able Seaman Luke Carr & Able Seaman John Ryan, all 4 of Skerries, took her out - either to finish the work up the coast at Skerries Harbour or to check some aspect of her sea worthiness. She was in an advanced state of repair with different planks marked for replacement or repair as well as being in other states of disarray.
With The Great War raging throughout Europe, German submarines were a constant presence in the waters between Ireland and England, attacking British Naval ships and trading vessels. When Kangaroo was spotted by the the German submarine UC-51 20 miles of south of Tuskar, off the coast of Wexford and close to the Coningbeg Light Vessel, tragedy ensued.
Believing the Kangaroo to be a British decoy boat on patrol, the German sub pulled up along side, guns drawn, and ordered Jimmie Mansfield & his crew to abandon ship, as she was to be sunk for acting as an enemy decoy. Some type of arguing & yelling took place between Capt. Mansfield & the German Captain, Hans Glaster, as he implored him to spare the ship, that she was an Irish trading vessel, not a British decoy engaged in warfare. (Ireland, under occupation by a foreign power, was not at war with Germany).
At that point something went terribly wrong and the German crew let loose with a barrage of machine gun fire, slaughtering every man aboard Jimmie's ship. The Germans then continued firing into the hull until the Kangaroo began to go down. There were a number of other boats nearby that witnessed the attack.
✞ The Kangaroo and her crew rest off the coast of Wexford to this day.
✞ The Sea Pole Memorial
Skerries, Ireland
95 years after the Kangaroo tragedy, Ireland's largest memorial to her men lost at sea was dedicated in Capt. Mansfield's home villiage of Skerries. The Skerries Sea Pole Memorial remembers and honors 271 men and ships connected with the Skerries port who have no grave but the sea. The roll call of Skerries men, dedicated by Uachtarán na hÉireann Michael D. Higgins, includes Captain James Mansfield, Master of Kangaroo, age 51, along with the crew;
John Adams Mate age 68
Luke Carr Able Seaman age 22
John Ryan Able Seaman age 18
also:
✞ The Tower Hill Memorial
London, England
In 1928, Master James Mansfield & the other men of the Kangaroo's crew - Mate John Adams, Able Seaman Luke Carr & Able Seaman John Ryan, were remebered & honored when their names were inscribed on the Tower Hill Memorial to Merchant Seamen, located in London. The Tower Hill Memorial is dedicated to the men of the Fishing Fleets & the Merchant Seamen who died during WW I and have "No Grave But the Sea".
James Mansfield
John Adams
Luke Carr
John Ryan
Called Jimmie, he was the eldest of 9 known children of John & Ellen (née Shiels) Mansfield of Skerries.
A sailor all his life, Jimmie rose to become a Master Mariner. In 1897, Capt. Mansfield married Thomasina McGarry at their Skerries parish, St. Patrick's. They had 5 children, raising them at their home at 86 Strand Street, which he named Altona House.
The Kangaroo
The Kangaroo was a schooner of 76 tons used for trading (as opposed to fishing). She was originally registered as 'Kangaroo' at the Port of Douglass on the Isle Of Man in 1868. It's believed she was a new vessel, built in 1967 in Douglass, when she was first registered there. It appears from her Registry Entries that she may have always sailed out of Skerries. She engaged in the usual Baltic trade and in winter she did a good business in the potato trade.
In 1905 Master Mariner James Mansfield of Skerries purchased shares in her, becoming co-owner. By 1915 Captain Mansfield owned all 64 shares, becoming her sole owner.
On June 18, 1917, Kangaroo was in port for repairs & overhauling. The Captain Jimmie Mansfield, Mate John Adams, Able Seaman Luke Carr & Able Seaman John Ryan, all 4 of Skerries, took her out - either to finish the work up the coast at Skerries Harbour or to check some aspect of her sea worthiness. She was in an advanced state of repair with different planks marked for replacement or repair as well as being in other states of disarray.
With The Great War raging throughout Europe, German submarines were a constant presence in the waters between Ireland and England, attacking British Naval ships and trading vessels. When Kangaroo was spotted by the the German submarine UC-51 20 miles of south of Tuskar, off the coast of Wexford and close to the Coningbeg Light Vessel, tragedy ensued.
Believing the Kangaroo to be a British decoy boat on patrol, the German sub pulled up along side, guns drawn, and ordered Jimmie Mansfield & his crew to abandon ship, as she was to be sunk for acting as an enemy decoy. Some type of arguing & yelling took place between Capt. Mansfield & the German Captain, Hans Glaster, as he implored him to spare the ship, that she was an Irish trading vessel, not a British decoy engaged in warfare. (Ireland, under occupation by a foreign power, was not at war with Germany).
At that point something went terribly wrong and the German crew let loose with a barrage of machine gun fire, slaughtering every man aboard Jimmie's ship. The Germans then continued firing into the hull until the Kangaroo began to go down. There were a number of other boats nearby that witnessed the attack.
✞ The Kangaroo and her crew rest off the coast of Wexford to this day.
✞ The Sea Pole Memorial
Skerries, Ireland
95 years after the Kangaroo tragedy, Ireland's largest memorial to her men lost at sea was dedicated in Capt. Mansfield's home villiage of Skerries. The Skerries Sea Pole Memorial remembers and honors 271 men and ships connected with the Skerries port who have no grave but the sea. The roll call of Skerries men, dedicated by Uachtarán na hÉireann Michael D. Higgins, includes Captain James Mansfield, Master of Kangaroo, age 51, along with the crew;
John Adams Mate age 68
Luke Carr Able Seaman age 22
John Ryan Able Seaman age 18
also:
✞ The Tower Hill Memorial
London, England
In 1928, Master James Mansfield & the other men of the Kangaroo's crew - Mate John Adams, Able Seaman Luke Carr & Able Seaman John Ryan, were remebered & honored when their names were inscribed on the Tower Hill Memorial to Merchant Seamen, located in London. The Tower Hill Memorial is dedicated to the men of the Fishing Fleets & the Merchant Seamen who died during WW I and have "No Grave But the Sea".
James Mansfield
John Adams
Luke Carr
John Ryan
Inscription
the main inscription on the
Sea Pole Memorial reads:
I gCuimhne ar na daoine go léir
a cailleach san Fharraige idir
na Sceirí agus Loch Sionnsigh
the inscription on the individual plate:
CAPTAIN JAMES MANSFIELD - 51 yrs
of Skerries
18th Jun. 1918
On the Kangaroo of Douglas sunk off Skerries
by submarine - 76 ton vessel
(nota bene: incorrect location inscribed on the plate. She was sunk off Wexford, not Skerries)
Gravesite Details
LOST AT SEA: Off Wexford on the south east coast of Ireland, near the Coningbeg Light Vessel.
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