A tribute to Irish Coastwatch volunteers and RNLI lifeboat crew who rescued German submariners from a scuttled U-boat in March 1945 has been unveiled on West Cork’s Galley Head.
In March 1945, the men of Coastwatch Look-Out Post 27 at Galley Head responded to flares seen offshore. With the aid of Tilley lamps, they guided 11 German crew members ashore from the scuttled U-boat 260, and the rescued men indicated that other crew members were still at sea.
RNLI Courtmacsherry was contacted, and its crew put to sea. They successfully rescued the remaining 37 German crew off Glandore, Co Cork.
As the men were never fully recognised for saving the lives of an entire U-boat crew of 48, this has now been marked by signage narrating the events of that night. Sons of the late Klaus Becker, commander of the sunken U-boat 260, travelled to west Cork for the event, where they met relatives of the men who helped save the crew.
The new sign records the Galley Head U-260 rescue story
They were also offered a trip to the wreckage of the scuttled U-boat by Colin Barnes, who discovered it in 1975.
Galley Head attendant keeper Gerard Butler and joint organiser Mary Rose McCarthy, who is the granddaughter of Galley Head principal keeper Sam Glanville, welcomed up to 80 people, including Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan.
Mr O’Sullivan acknowledged the service of the men who preserved Ireland’s neutrality during the six years of the Second World War, and their heroic actions in saving the lives of 48 German submariners.
The German Ambassador to Ireland, David Gill, sent apologies and a special message, which was read on the occasion. He said that the incident commemorated here was a “prime example of humanity, compassion and maritime tradition and solidarity, even in the final phase of a war”.
“Without the bravery and honour of the men who served on Look-Out Post 27, many descendants of rescued men would not exist today,” he said. “The rescue is even more remarkable in the context in which this act of compassion took place. The rescue unfolded against the backdrop of a war, initiated by Nazi Germany, and fuelled by ideologies of hate and aggression,” he said.
Ambassador Gill said it was a war that brought unimaginable pain and loss to countless individuals and nations.
Remembering the circumstances that led to this conflict is crucial to ensuring that such tragedies are never repeated, he said. “The initiative to commemorate these events represents an important and fitting step. This effort helps to ensure that their contribution is properly acknowledged and preserved for future generations,” he said.
“It is a tribute to the men who stood their post, did their duty, and ensured that 48 men returned home to their families. We remember their vigilance, we honour their actions, and we carry their legacy forward,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Irish Coastguard, Tim Feen said that his organisation protects all life at sea, as did the men of Look-Out Post 27. Speaking for the RNLI, Jim Crowley recalled how the RNLI had come to the rescue of torpedoed ships, one day after another, at the outbreak of war.
Between those two rescues, they brought ashore about 75 people, and then rescued 37 German submariners at the end of the war, he noted.
left to right- Joachim Becker, son of U-Boat 260 commander Klaus Becker, Mary Rose McCarthy, granddaughter of Principal keeper Sam Glanville, Paul McCarthy, grandson of Sam Glanville, Hans Meyers ,friend of Joachim, Ruby McCarthy, great granddaughter of Sam Glanville, Alice McCarthy, great granddaughter of Sam Glanville
Joachim Becker expressed his gratitude on behalf of his family and reminded the audience that he and so many others wouldn’t be here today without the work of those brave men of Look-Out Post 27. Germany fell under the influence of a dictator, he recalled. “‘I was going to warn the Irish never to fall under the spell of a dictator, but then when I think of Irish history I realised that no one will ever tell the Irish what to do,” he said.
