Irish vessel sunk by Nazi U-Boat in 1940 found near Tory Island

An Irish vessel sunk by a Nazi German submarine in 1940, has been located close to the coast of Donegal, near Tory Island.

John Kearney, a former Naval Service diver, found the location of the steam trawler, Leukos, which went missing with 11 fishermen on board. He is now hoping to contact the victim’s relatives and lay a plaque on the wreck.

The reason why Leukos was attacked by the German submarine U-38 (Heinrich Liebe) has never been officially confirmed. 

It was attacked without warning about 48km off the coast of Tory Island at 9.13 pm on March 9, 19140. The boat was reported missing on March 12, when it had failed to return to Dublin.

On board Leukos, a 216-pound steam trawler, were the skipper, James Potter Thomasson, William Donnelly, Patricio McCarthy, Alexander McLeod, Thomas Mulligan, Anthony Pill, PJ Scanlon, and Bernard Smith. Several teenagers were also on board, including James Hawkins, Michael Cullen, and Robert Sumler, who was only 16 years old. 

A landscape painting of the Leukos by Kenneth King is kept at the National Maritime Museum and helps to commemorate the role of Irish seafarers during the years of World War II.  

Mr Kearney deployed the Atlantic Submersible 2 to find Leukos, which can take three people to a depth of 300 metres for 18 hours.

READ NEXT: Jane Austen linked property for sale in Donegal

He told the Irish Independent: “I had obtained the drawings of the Leukos, and knew the reported position where it was sunk 12 nautical miles northwest of Tory, so I would say that without a doubt this is it. 

“I picked a really calm day last week and began diving at 4 am. I could see the rudder, the propeller, the engine space, but the wheelhouse had gone.

“A pod of dolphins met up with us and accompanied us on the dive and to the wreck and halfway back into Lough Swilly.”