February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
While a monument stands at the Spokane Walk, Bishop’s Quay, in remembrance of all the estuary seamen who were lost, it is not specific to wartime casualties and no names are inscribed there.
In August 1940, the Kerry Head, which was owned by city ship brokers and stevedores Mullock and Sons, was the first Irish-registered ship to be attacked by the Germans.
Though the coal boat survived this assault, it was not so fortunate in October when it was bombed by aircraft off the Cork coast, with the loss of all 12 crew.
Five of the men on board came from Limerick city, including brothers George and James Naughton, from Hogan’s Terrace in the Windmill off Henry Street.
Their niece Barbara McNaughton, who now lives in Brighton, can’t recall much about the incident, as she “was only a toddler” when the Kerry Head went down.
“But I remember my Gran telling me of how devastating it was,” she said. “She had four sons, two of whom were lost. You have to remember that it was a poor part of Limerick and my two uncles were important contributors at home.
“Both of the boys wanted to go on the Kerry Head, but only one of them got a place. It was only when another sailor was forced to pull out that my other uncle got the call,” she said.
The family tragedy was compounded by the fact that the Naughtons’ sister Josie, had been due to marry the chief engineer on the Kerry Head, William Davidson from Carrickfergus, who also died. Naughton family received just five shillings for their loss.
Supporting the call is Fr. Joe Young, whose uncle was on the Irish Pine in November 1942 when it was sunk by a U-boat. A total of 33 merchant seamen were lost, including Hector Young and seven others from Limerick.
“One thing that struck me was the fact that my grandmother never had a place to go. There was no grave to go and pay the respects,” Young said.
Said historian Patrick J. McNamara: “It is worth recording that all these men were volunteers and the service in which they served was a civilian service.
“These were the men who manned the ships and supplied the country with food and fuel in those dark days. There was, however, a price to pay and 113 brave men in the mercantile marine and fishing fleet paid it,” he said.