Ernest James HOLROYD

Abt 1869 - 1918  (~ 48 years)

• Name	Ernest James HOLROYD
  Born	Abt Jul 1869	Nottinghamshire, England   [1, 2, 3]
  	England and Wales, Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008
  Gender	Male
  Health	Died in a fiery collision between two ships during World War I; the S.S. War Knight (Ernest’s ship) and the OB Jennings.
  History	Parents were Elijah Holroyd and Sarah Thompson, married in 1855 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England according to the England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index, 1837-1915. He is listed in the Seattle, Washington city directory in 1913, living with his wife, Gertrude L. Holroyd, with the occupation of a Master Mariner. The S.S. War Knight was in a convoy of sixteen merchant ships and an escort of seven destroyers, en route from New York to London bringing vital supplies to a nation gripped in a war that was meant to end all wars. Just after midnight on 24 March 1918, as the convoy approached the Isle of Wight, signals were missed with calamitous consequences –some ships had heard the order to alter course, some had not. In the confusion and darkness, the War Knight turned and her bows carved into side of the fuel tanker, OB Jennings. Both ships were carrying lethal cargoes. The War Knight with a thousand tons of fuel oil, bales of rubber, and drums of chemicals, ruptured the side of the Jennings sending a torrent of Naphtha, a highly volatile fuel, from the tanker across her own decks. Within seconds, the two ships exploded into a sea of flame, engulfing the crews. Few survived this deadly inferno. But, against all odds, the fires on the Jennings were extinguished and she was saved. The War Knight was not so lucky and was being towed to Watcombe Bay, when she had further misfortune and struck a mine. Finally the allies sunk her by gunfire to quench the fires which raged in her cargo During both World Wars, the busy shipping lanes leading to the Ports of Southampton and Portsmouth attracted many German ‘U’ Boat Commanders. Torpedoes, mines and gunfire all took their toll, but the real tragedy of this disaster is that it was not due to enemy action, but to a misheard order.
  Immigration	Abt 1881
  Occupation	Master Mariner
  Died	24 Mar 1918	Isle of Wight, England
  Person ID	I56111	Reid Family | David's side of the family
  Last Modified	17 Dec 2014

  
  

  Family	Lucy Gertrude COX,   b. Abt Aug 1870, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England ,   d. 14 May 1922, Brooklyn, Kings, New York  (Age ~ 51 years)
  Married	27 Nov 1904	Panama
  Children	+ 1. Frederick Ernest HOLROYD,   b. 22 Apr 1900, Houghton, King, Washington ,   d. Abt Mar 1973, New York, New York, New York  (Age 72 years) + 2. Warren William HOLROYD,   b. 28 Dec 1901, Kirkland, King, Washington ,   d. Abt May 1967, Deer Park, Suffolk, New York  (Age 65 years)
  Last Modified	14 Dec 2013
  Family ID	F37784	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Died - 24 Mar 1918 - Isle of Wight, England  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Ships

  S.S. War Knight

  
  

• Sources

  [S238] United States Federal Census, Seattle, King, Washington; Enumeration District #196, Pg. 5B. [S364] England Census, 1871, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England; Pg. 21. [S365] England Census, 1881, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England; Pg. 39.