A CLERGYMAN on his way to Barrow spent 10 hours in a water-filled lifeboat with no lights and people dying from exposure beside him as his ship was sunk by a German submarine a century ago.

The Reverend Dunstan Sargent had been sent to Furness to take up the role of an army chaplain after four years of missionary work in the West Indies.

His experiences on the Laconia were reported in newspapers around the world – including the Barrow News on March 3 in 1917.

He told reporters: “We were torpedoed just about 10pm and were not picked up until eight o’clock the following morning, so that we were 10 hours in the open boats.

“In our boat there were four women, including Mrs Hoy and her daughter, both of whom were American citizens.

“They both died from exposure and had to be thrown overboard in order to lighten the weight in the boat.

“It was very sad and hurt us terribly but there was nothing else to do if those in the boat were to be saved.

“Our trouble began when we selected the boat we did.

“We had been told by the officers that if the ship listed we were to go in the boats on the side towards which the list was.

“We did not notice any list in the Laconia and when we were being sent down we found the side of our boat was injured on the vessel’s side and was broken in along the side.

“I shouted out to those on deck but they did not hear me.

“Not that there was any confusion on board but the noise was deafening and it was impossible to hear anything.

“When we were about 6ft from the water the men at the ropes stopped heaving us down and we shouted up to them to lower away.

“Then the man at the fore davit suddenly let go, so that our boat was plunged into the water by the head – and with our stern 6ft in the air.

“We were all nearly thrown into the water.

“We again called out to the man at the other davit to lower away and he did do.

“The oars were tied up and I freed some of them by cutting the ropes with my penknife.

“We then found that it was impossible to use them as we were full up with water to the gunwale of the boat.”

They pushed away from the Laconia and soon found themselves alone.

He said: “Then we became separated from the other boats.

“To add to our difficulty the man with the electric torch was swept overboard during the night, so we were left without a light.”

Seven people died in his boat and the others suffered from the effects of exposure – the clergyman having swollen hands and feet.

The 18,000-ton Cunard liner Laconia was launched in July 1911 and was converted into an armed merchant cruiser in 1914.

Laconia was returned to Cunard in 1917 and on February 25 was hit by two torpedoes fired by SM U-50 about 160 miles off the Irish coast.

The liner was on its way from the United States to England with 75 passengers and a crew of 217.

Six passengers and six crew members died.

The deaths of neutral American citizens Mary Hoy and her daughter Elizabeth stirred up US feeling against Germany.