Centenary of sinking of the RMS Leinster, which resulted in the single-largest loss of life on the Irish Sea

Commemorations were held today in both Ireland and Wales to mark the centenary of the sinking of the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company ship RMS Leinster. It resulted in the deaths of 564 people in the single-largest loss of life on the Irish Sea. The RMS Leinster had just set sail on 10th October 2018 from Dún Laoghaire in Ireland and was bound for Holyhead (Caergybi) in Wales, when it was sunk by a German U-boat in the closing weeks of World War I. 

The ship was able to turn back towards Dun Laoghaire and deploy her lifeboats after the first of two torpedoes struck, however, the second strike on her starboard side sunk her in 12 to 15 minutes. The ship also acted as an Irish mail boat and 21 postal staff were working in the ship's mail room when it was struck by the first torpedo. More than 9,000 An Post staff, the state-owned provider of postal services in Ireland, held a nationwide minute's silence at 9.50am today to mark the event. 

This morning the day of commemorations began with a wreath-laying ceremony near the Kish Bank just outside Dublin Bay, where the wreck lies on the seabed at a depth of 28 metres. The official State centenary event for Ireland's worst maritime disaster took place at Moran Park in Dún Laoghaire, which was also attended by a group who had travelled from Wales. A minute silence was also held at the cenotaph in Holyhead. Eight days after the sinking of the Leinster, the submarine that had fired the torpedoes, UB-123, struck a mine in the North Sea while returning to Germany and all 35 crew were killed.