Portal:Ireland/Selected article archive/40



SS Irish Oak was a steamship chartered by Irish Shipping Limited in 1941, to transport wheat and fertilizer from North America to Ireland at a time when the country had few ships of her own. Sailing as a clearly marked neutral vessel, not in-convoy, she was torpedoed and sunk by GS U-607 on 15 May 1943 midway between North America and Ireland. The crew were rescued from their lifeboats by the Irish Plane about eight hours later.

At the time there were conflicting reports that she had not and allegations that she had warned a nearby convoy of the presence of a U-boat. The British nationality of her captain became an issue in the Irish general election of June 1943, there were diplomatic exchanges between the United States and the Irish Republic, and questions raised in the British House of Commons. The U-boat's captain received a mild reprimand. Read more...