During the Second World War, many sailors from Northern Ireland took to the sea serving under the "Red Duster" or Red Ensign of the British Merchant Navy.
H.M.S. Attacker
H.M.S. Attacker was a convoy escort in the Atlantic before serving in the Mediterranean and Pacific and receiving many Second World War battle honours.
HMS Dunvegan Castle
HMT Laconia
M.V. Chama
The ships’ Master, 54 crew members, and 4 gunners died on 23rd March 1941 when M.V. Chama came under attack west-southwest of Fastnet off the Irish coast.
M.V. Empire Comet
Torpedoes struck M.V. Empire Comet at 2217hrs on 17th February 1942. The vessel was about 33 miles north of the islet of Rockall in the North Atlantic.
M.V. Eulima
On 23rd February 1943, M.V. Eulima went down north-west of the Azores. All 54 crew members and 9 gunners died on board following an attack from U-186.
M.V. Fort Richepanse
On 3rd September 1941, the unescorted M.V. Fort Richepanse went down with the loss of Master Charles Draper, 25 crew members, 5 gunners, and 5 passengers.
M.V. Richmond Castle
U-Boat U-176, under the command of Reiner Dierksen, sank M.V. Richmond Castle at 1558hrs on 4th August 1942 as it journeyed from South America to the U.K.
M.V. Wellington Star
During the Second World War from 1939-1945, the Harland and Wolff built M.V. Wellington Star sailed under the Red Ensign of the British Merchant Navy.
S.S. Agnete Maersk
All 28 crew members died at sea when S.S. Agnete Maersk went down on 24th March 1941 following a torpedo attack from an Italian Military Submarine.
S.S. Ceramic
At around midnight on 7th December 1942, U-515 struck passenger vessel S.S. Ceramic with 3 torpedoes around 420 miles west-north-west of The Azores.
S.S. Domingo de Larrinaga
On 31st July 1940 S.S. Domingo de Larrinaga came under attack from German Raider Pinguin while en route from Argentina to Belfast with a grain cargo.
S.S. Empire Frost
While returning from its maiden voyage, the cargo vessel S.S. Empire Frost came under attack from the Luftwaffe in St. George's Channel on 12th March 1941.
S.S. Fircrest
The British Cargo Steamer S.S. Fircrest went down north of the Hebrides, Scotland on 25th August 1940 following a torpedo attack from a German submarine.
S.S. Glendalough
The Belfast-built S.S. Glendalough came under attack on 9th August 1941 when a Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf dropped a bomb on the engine room of the vessel.
S.S. Housatonic
S.S. Housatonic was part of Convoy OB 287. The tanker came under attack from a Luftwaffe plane and went down in the Atlantic on 20th February 1941.
S.S. Jonathan Holt
Special Operations Executive Officers were among those killed on 24th February 1941 when U-97 sank merchant ship S.S. Jonathan Holt off the Faroe Islands.
S.S. Millisle
On 21st March 1941, S.S. Millisle came under attack from a Luftwaffe plane in the Bristol Channel. A total of 8 crew members from Northern Ireland died.
S.S. Orlock Head
On 28th July 1940, S.S. Orlock Head lagged behind a convoy when a Luftwaffe fighter plane attacked. The resulting fire caused the deaths of 6 crew members.
S.S. Stanleigh
On 13th-14th March 1941, a Luftwaffe Heinkel HE111 of Kampfgeschwader 27 bombed the cargo ship S.S. Stanleigh as it departed Liverpool into the Irish Sea.
S.S. Toronto City
On 2nd July 1941, the "weather ship" S.S. Toronto City went down in the North Atlantic, sinking in less than 3 minutes after a U-Boat torpedo attack.
S.S. Troutpool
On 20th July 1940, the merchant vessel S.S. Troutpool struck a mine laid by the Luftwaffe in Belfast Lough near the coastal town of Bangor, Co. Down.
S.S. Yoma
On 17th June 1943 troops ship S.S. Yoma went down off the coast of Derna, Libya, North Africa after coming under attack from torpedoes of U-81 at 0733hrs.