Assistant/Cook Robert Hannan.
Mercantile Marine SS Hollington.
Killed in Action during a submarine attack 2nd June 1917, aged 17.
From the Burnley Express dated 27th June 1917: BURNLEY SURVIVOR OF A U-BOAT OUTRAGE.
In last Friday's official lists of ships sunk by German u-boats, in addition to the Anchor Liner California, on which two Burnley people were lost, were:- Torino, steamer owned by Gulf Line (Furness Withy and Co) 4241 tons: Hollinside, steamer, of Newcastle, 2682 tonnes; and, Songely Norwegian iron sailing ship, 2063 tonnes.
There is in Burnley now at his father's home at the Parkers Arms, Croft Street, a gentleman who is able to tell something about these ships. He is Chief steward Robert Hannan, the eldest son of Mr Hannan, the secretary of the Burnley and District Beer and Wine Trade Association, and he has had a fairly rough experience, from which he escaped with only a cold and a touch of rheumatism. Mr Hannan had worked for Mr Jonadab Turner at the Crown Hotel, Colne, and also in Manchester before going to sea in 1914.
Mr Hannan told an Express representative yesterday that he was on the Torino, which was sunk without warning when coming from America for England. About 2:30 on February 4th members of the crew noticed about a 8 inches of a periscope projecting above the water, but it was too late to do anything, for the torpedo was well on its way, and crashed into the vessel on the port side, killing the chief engineer and 3 stokers, and smashing the boats on that side.
I was on the starboard side stated Mr Hannan and as I had been on duty at night I was asleep, when I was rudely awakened by the explosion. I had just time to put on my trousers and ceased an oil skin and rush to the boats. There were 167 of a crew and only 160 got into the boats. Four as stated were killed and 3 were drowned, these in sliding down rope, missing the Boats and dropping into the water and not being seen again. The water was very rough and it was snowing. We were in the boats until 4:30, and then we were called alongside the submarine and the Germans plied with all kinds of questions for about half an hour. Then in very good English they said,"come on board you English pigs." they kept us down below in the submarine, it appeared at least 200 foot long and as if it would hold between 400 and 500 persons, until 11:30 p.m., when they transferred us to an Italian ship which they had captured. This they evidently used as a supply depot and prison ship, as a upon it were 35 members of the crew of the Norwegian ship Songley. The Germans sank the Hollinside 17 minutes after us, and left the men in the boat, and took Captain Smales captive. I have not heard of the crew since.
The Germans kept as on that ship, added Mr Hannan, until 4:30 on the following Tuesday, and then they stopped the Penmount, going to England. They put the Norwegians, Captain Smales, and 37 of our crew on board, and told them that if the ship proceeded with all lights on they would not sink it. I was very lucky and I was very glad to get away. The Germans kept the rest of our crew on the prison ship. When we were on that ship our daily food supply was a hard biscuit and half a pint of water, and this was our breakfast dinner and tea. We were allowed to have exercise, but nowhere decent to sleep. The ship was armed with a gun and the submarine kept in the vicinity of the vessel.
Mr Hannan said the Turino's wireless was blown away and they could not get a message away. " we got to------ " added Mr Hannan, "on the Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., 2 hours before the survivors of the California came along. They looked after us very well at -----. I don't think it was the same submarine which sank the Torino and the California."
Mr Hammond said he narrowly missed being on another boat, the Eagle Point, which was torpedoed in 1915 failing to reach it by half an hour before it sailed.
Son of Robert Hannan, of Parker's Arms, Burnley, Lancs. Born at Rawtenstall.
Lived at the Parkers Arms Burnley.
Robert is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, UK:
Robert Hannon was drowned on 3rd June 1917 when serving as a cook on the SS Hollington, a defensively armed merchantman of 4221 tons, which was sunk without warning by the German submarine U-95 commanded by Athalwin Prinz, 14 miles south of the Faroe Islands. 30 persons were lost including the Master and there were 2 survivors. The ship was on a voyage from Liverpool to the White Sea with a cargo of tin and small arms and ammunition.
SS Hollington was the first ship sunk by the newly commissioned U-95 which in turn was sunk in June 1918 with the whole crew of 36 including Prinz when it was mined off Hardelot France. It was commissioned on 29th April 1917 and during 6 patrols had sunk 14 ships totaling 38,014 tons and damaged 3 ships totaling 5,862 tons.
The SS Hollington was the subject of a salvage operation between 1970 and 1972 when 680 tons of tin were salvaged from the ship which lay off the Faroes at a depth of 894 feet.
Robert who was the son of Mr Mrs R Hannon of the Parker’s Arms Burnley and was a survivor of the sinking of the SS Turino, 4241 tons, which was torpedoes without warning 4th February 1917 by U-43 commanded by Hellmuth Jorst, with 4 of the crew being drowned. SS Turino was sailing from Norfolk Virginia to Liverpool with a general cargo when she was sunk 174 miles off Fastnet in Southern Ireland.
This sinking was reported in the Burnley Express when Robert told of the sinking by U-43 of several other ships. The “Songelv” was a Norwegian-owned iron hulled ship rigged sailing ship of 2044 tons which was sunk, without casualties, carrying maize from Buenos Aires to Falmouth. SS Hollinside, 2682 tons, was a defensively armed merchant steamer, torpedoed without warning with 1 dead travelling from Sunderland to Marseilles with a cargo of coal. Robert mentions several incidents with which he was involved with U-43 but to date no confirmation of these are available. The U-43 was commissioned on 30th April 1915 and during 11 patrols sank 45 ships totaling 114323 tons with 2 ships totaling 356 being taken as prizes. U-43 surrendered on 20th November 1918 and was broken up at Swansea in 1922.