MV Kerlogue
1943
Background
Survivor Recollections
The Kerlogue commemorative exhibition was opened by the then President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, in 1994. A cadet rescued by the Kerlogue, W. D. Klueber, wrote a summary document for the occasion entitled ‘The Story of the German Navy Personnel interned in Ireland 1944-1945’. This is an audio transcript of that document.
1943
The Kerlogue, the historical context
Wolf Dieter Klüber, a 20 something Cadet at the time of the Kerlogue rescue in 1943, wrote a summary of the operational background for the Kriegsmarine presence in the Gulf of Biscay on the occasion of the 50th anniversary event in The Maritime Museum
The Captain of the Kerlogue explains
A statement written by the Captain of the Kerlogue for his employer, the Wexford Steamship Company, after the rescue and sets out the timeline and explains his actions
A Brief History of the Kerlogue
This video (2:40) gives a brief history of the Kerlogue with some fascinating images and graphics to enhance the story
1944
The Rescue of 168 Sailors
This video (9:54) details the incredible true story of how 11 Irish merchant seamen aboard the tiny cargo ship, The Kerlogue, saved the lives of 168 enemy sailors from certain death.
The Lonely Sea and Sky
The story of a ballad which was inspired by the Irish Mercantile Marine during the second world war and in particular the small coaster MV Kerlogue. The Irish Mercantile Marine during World War II continued essential overseas trade in the conflict, a period referred to as The Long Watch by Irish mariners. Much of the information and images for this song and video were gathered from the book 'The Long Watch' by Frank Forde.
The Long Watch Men
Author Dermot Bolger reads an extract from his book “The Lonely Sea and Sky”. His novel, based on a real life rescue in 1943, when the crew of the Wexford ship Kerlogue risked their lives to save 168 German sailors. Forced to choose who to save and who to leave behind, the Kerlogue grows so dangerously overloaded that no one knows if it will survive amid the massive Biscay waves.