Lecture: The sinking of the Waterford steamers Coningbeg and Formby and the Great War off the Irish coast.

The sinking of the Waterford steamers Coningbeg and Formby and the Great War off the Irish coast.

A lecture by Edward J. Bourke to the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society

November 24^th, 2017

The Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society lecture season for 2017 and 2018 continues on Friday 24th November with a lecture at 8 pm in St Patrick’s Gateway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford by Edward J. Bourke titled ‘The sinking of the Waterford steamers Coningbeg and Formby and the Great War off the Irish coast’.

The Great War impacted Ireland in several ways. While large numbers of men went to the front as soldiers and many Irishmen served in the Royal Navy, on the Home Front farmers and agricultural workers enjoyed something of an economic boom and there was employment to be had in a small number of munitions works. In port cities such as Waterford there was a long tradition in many families of serving as merchant seamen. In peacetime the work was hard but provided a reliable income which sustained many families, however, in time of war merchant seaman and the ships they sailed in ran great risks as the people of Waterford learnt 100 years ago.

Between 1914 and 1918 the merchant navy was critical to the war effort, transporting people and goods between Ireland and Britain and allied countries. However, merchant shipping suffered terribly in the submarine war waged by the German Navy. In the initial stages of the war at sea U-boat commanders sank merchant ships after issuing a warning, this gave crews time to abandon ship. However, that practice ceased in 1915 when British government armed merchant ships in contravention of the established ‘cruiser rules’. This heralded the beginning of unrestricted submarine warfare, the best known shipping casualty being the RMS Lusitania which was sunk in May 1915. The Irish Sea and the waters off the south coast of Ireland were amongst the most active theatres of this unforgiving war. In December 1917 the two Waterford steam ships Coningbeg and Formby were torpedoed and sank with the loss of all hands while sailing between Liverpool and Waterford. Their crews and passengers and their surviving families were sad casualties of this less well known aspect of the war that cost 22 million lives.

Edward J. Bourke is a highly regarded maritime historian and author with a special interest in Irish shipwrecks. He has published three volumes on the history of shipwrecks along the Irish coast. He wrote ‘Bound for Australia’ the definitive account of the wrecking of the emigrant ship The Tayleur in 1854 which led to the loss of almost 400 souls in 1854. He is also author of ‘The Guinness Story – the family, the business and the black stuff’.  He has a special interest in the Great War off the Irish coast.

This lecture has been organised by Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society as part of the commemorative events to mark the centenary of these tragic sinkings in 1918. It will be of interest to anyone interested in the Waterford’s rich maritime history particularly during World War 1.

Admission to the lecture is €5 (students €2.50), but is free for members of the Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society.