Victims of Isolda sinking remembered at Ardmore
commemoration
IRISH LIGHTS crewmembers who lost their lives when the Lighthouse
Tender Isolda was attacked by a German aircraft on 19 December 1940
were remembered in prayers at an ecumenical service for those lost
in the sinking of ss Ardmore. The commemoration ceremony was held
on board the Kilmore Quay Lifeboat at the position of the wreck of
the Ardmore, 2.8 nautical miles south of the Saltee Islands.
The Ardmore was lost in the early hours of Tuesday 12 November 1940
on one of its routine trips from Cork to Fishguard. It was assumed
she struck a mine. The entire crew of 24 lost their lives but the
bodies of only three of them were found. Because of lack of
concrete evidence of the position of the Ardmore when she was lost,
the crew members who perished were listed as missing and could not
be officially registered as deceased. Research by Peter Mulvany,
with some assistance from the Inspector's Department at Irish
Lights Office, led to the discovery of the wreck by divers, and
registration of the crew as deceased earlier this year.
Five weeks after the loss of the Ardmore the Isolda was sunk close
by while carrying out the Barrels and Coningbeg Lightship
reliefs.
The Isolda crew members who lost their lives were--
| P. Dunne | Coxswain |
| P. Farrell | Seaman |
| W. Holland | Chief Steward |
| W. Rushby | Leading Fireman |
| J. J. Hayden | Fireman |