SS Falaba

Falaba was a 5,000 ton British passenger-cargo ship.  It was sunk on 28 March 1915 by the German submarine U-28, which was commanded by Baron Forstner.

Falaba was off the southern Irish coast when U-28 surfaced and stopped the British ship.  Forstner had allowed for evacuation before sinking the ship, but when Falaba started sending wireless messages and distress rockets for help, Forstner cut short the time to evacuate the ship.  The Germans claimed that they allowed 23 minutes for evacuation; the British claimed that they were only given 7.

U-28 fired a single torpedo into Falaba, resulting in 100 deaths, including that of one US citizen, Leon Thresher, a mining engineer headed towards the Gold Coast in Africa (now the country of Ghana).  The Germans also claimed that Falaba’s cargo contained rifle cartridges that exploded, hastening the sinking.

The American press denounced the sinking as a “massacre” and an act of piracy, but the US Wilson Administration took no action on the matter.

Leon Thresher’s body was recovered with the Lusitania victims, number 248.

Contributors:
Jim Kalafus

References:
List of Recovered Victims.  Cunard Confidentiality Report.

Preston, Diana.  Lusitania:  An Epic Tragedy.  Berkley Books, 2002.

15 thoughts on “SS Falaba”

  1. As far as I am aware there is no definite list of those victims recovered after the loss of the Falaba. The official list of dead does not indicate if a victim’s body was recovered. I do know that the following bodies were recovered.

    First class
    Lieutenant Blakeney
    Mr Brooks
    Captain Goulden
    Lieutenant-Commander Henderson
    Mr Hesse
    Lieutenant Nicholas
    Mr Thomas

    Second class
    Mr Dawson
    Mr Thresher
    Corporal Wallace
    Mr Whittaker

    Crew
    Frederick Davis – captain
    John Myers – trimmer
    Louisa Gearle – stewardess
    Frank Ellison – steward
    Thomas Evans – steward

    Many bodies were recovered along the North Cornish coast, while Mr Dawson and Corporal Wallace were recovered from the sea by ships rescuing survivors. Two bodies were recovered off Ireland – Mr Thresher and Captain Goulden.

  2. My Grandfather Staff Sergeant John Westlake, Royal Army Ordinance Corps, died aboard this ship. I would dearly like to find out more details, especially whether there is a memorial with regard to this tradgedy. He left a young widow and newly born daughter, my Mother, and I am keen to find out more, particularly as my young 8 year old daughter is very interested in our family history.

  3. I’m just in a church yard in Northwich, Cheshire & have seen a head stone for a gentleman by the name of Robert John Roust who was killed on this ship aged 41

  4. Lost on the SS Falaba was my great, great uncle Lewis Robert Mann (Master Marina) who was taking passage to Sierra Leone to become Elder Dempster’s Marine Superintendent there. I believe he is buried in St Agnes churchyard in Cornwall. As a child I visited his grave with my parents.

    • Hi John, My names Stuart son of Adrienne you have spoken to ref Lewis Mann. I am stood in Stile Fields Cemetery in St Agnes and have located his gravestone. I will as mum to forward pictures on to you.

      • Hi Stuart
        I have shared a lot information on our shared ancestry with your cousin (?) Wayne. Perhaps you would be interested in contacting me. If so please leave your e-mail address. Best regards John

  5. Is there a.list of crew.members? My grandfather, Wallace Rudge, was a steward on board a vessel that was sunk in the Irish Sea under these exact circumstances. He lived on fruit floating in the sea, was picked up by an Irish trawler, taken to Wales where he later died of frostbite. Can anyone help?

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