ST Leukos information

	Painting by Kenneth King from the National Maritime Museum
History
Ireland
Name	ST Leukos
Namesake	Greek Λεῦκος, "white"
Owner	1915: National Steam Fishing Co., Aberdeen.; 1920: Tucker, Tippet & Co., Aberdeen.; 1929: Dublin Trawlers, Ice and Cold Storage Co., 8 Cardiff Lane, Dublin.;
Port of registry	Dublin, Ireland
Builder	John Duthie Torry Shipbuilding Co. Ltd
Yard number	405
Fate	Sunk by gunfire from U-38
Notes	June 1915: Requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted to a boom defence vessel. 1919: Returned to owners. 10 March 1940: Lost by unknown cause NW of Tory Island.
General characteristics
Class and type	Steel side trawler
Tonnage	216 grt 83 net
Length	166 feet
Beam	21 feet
Depth	11 feet
Installed power	Coal fired, Steam. T.3-Cyl., 55 rhp.; by Charles D. Holmes, Hull.
Propulsion	single screw
Sail plan	Ketch rigged
Crew	11

The ST Leukos was an Irish commercial trawler that was sunk off the north coast of Ireland by a German U-boat on 9 March 1940. The vessel, which had been fishing in the company of British trawlers, was attacked by the German submarine U-38 off Tory Island. The submarine surfaced opening fire with its deck gun. All 11 crew members were lost.

The reason for the attack has never been proved. As a neutral country, all Irish ships, including the Leukos, were unarmed and clearly marked. Several theories exist. First the Leukos had positioned herself between the fleeing British trawlers in the hope that the U-boat would respect Irish Neutrality. Second that she tried to ram the U-boat. This is the view taken by the Irish Seamen's Relatives Association which holds that the Leukos attempted to ram the U-38 as it threatened the British fishing fleet. They maintain that this selfless bravery should be acknowledged by the British government.^[1] Death certificates for the lost crew were not issued until 1986.

^ "Steam Trawler Leukos (Sunk 1940)". Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016. Irrespective of the many unanswered questions that surround the sinking of the Leukos and despite some of the simplistic analysis presented by various British sources which lack credible causation for her loss, the Irish Seamen's Relatives Association [1939-46] now believe from research, information received from former fishery protection personnel, family history and on the balance of probabilities that, on Saturday night 9 March 1940, James Potter Thomason from Fleetwood, Lancashire, the British born skipper of the Irish Steam Trawler Leukos, while in a position off Tory Island, directed the Leukos to intercept the German Submarine U38 which he had detected as posing a clear and imminent threat to other British trawlers in the area. We believe his actions were prompted by the danger to his British shipmates posed by the presence of U38. It is our belief that such action and courage should attract the beneficial interest of his own Government

[1] "Steam Trawler Leukos (Sunk 1940)". Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016. Irrespective of the many unanswered questions that surround the sinking of the Leukos and despite some of the simplistic analysis presented by various British sources which lack credible causation for her loss, the Irish Seamen's Relatives Association [1939-46] now believe from research, information received from former fishery protection personnel, family history and on the balance of probabilities that, on Saturday night 9 March 1940, James Potter Thomason from Fleetwood, Lancashire, the British born skipper of the Irish Steam Trawler Leukos, while in a position off Tory Island, directed the Leukos to intercept the German Submarine U38 which he had detected as posing a clear and imminent threat to other British trawlers in the area. We believe his actions were prompted by the danger to his British shipmates posed by the presence of U38. It is our belief that such action and courage should attract the beneficial interest of his own Government

ST Leukos information

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