Assistant/Cook Robert Hannon
Mercantile Marine SS Hollington
Killed in Action during a submarine attack 2nd June 1917, aged 17
Lived at the Parkers Arms Burnley
Commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, UK
Burnley Express 27th June 1917 - 27th June 1917

Robert Hannon was drowned on 3rd June 1917 when serving as a cook on the SS Hollington, a defensively armed merchantman of 4221 tons, which was sunk without warning by the German submarine U-95 commanded by Athalwin Prinz, 14 miles south of the Faroe Islands. 30 persons were lost including the Master and there were 2 survivors. The ship was on a voyage from Liverpool to the White Sea with a cargo of tin and small arms and ammunition.
SS Hollington was the first ship sunk by the newly commissioned U-95 which in turn was sunk in June 1918 with the whole crew of 36 including Prinz when it was mined off Hardelot France. It was commissioned on 29th April 1917 and during 6 patrols had sunk 14 ships totaling 38,014 tons and damaged 3 ships totaling 5,862 tons.
The SS Hollington was the subject of a salvage operation between 1970 and 1972 when 680 tons of tin were salvaged from the ship which lay off the Faroes at a depth of 894 feet.
Robert who was the son of Mr Mrs R Hannon of the Parker’s Arms Burnley and was a survivor of the sinking of the SS Turino, 4241 tons, which was torpedoes without warning 4th February 1917 by U-43 commanded by Hellmuth Jorst, with 4 of the crew being drowned. SS Turino was sailing from Norfolk Virginia to Liverpool with a general cargo when she was sunk 174 miles off Fastnet in Southern Ireland.
This sinking was reported in the Burnley Express when Robert told of the sinking by U-43 of several other ships. The “Songelv” was a Norwegian-owned iron hulled ship rigged sailing ship of 2044 tons which was sunk, without casualties, carrying maize from Buenos Aires to Falmouth. SS Hollinside, 2682 tons, was a defensively armed merchant steamer, torpedoed without warning with 1 dead travelling from Sunderland to Marseilles with a cargo of coal. Robert mentions several incidents with which he was involved with U-43 but to date no confirmation of these are available. The U-43 was commissioned on 30th April 1915 and during 11 patrols sank 45 ships totaling 114323 tons with 2 ships totaling 356 being taken as prizes. U-43 surrendered on 20th November 1918 and was broken up at Swansea in 1922.