HMHS Glenart Castle

HMHS Glenart Castle, in her wartime service colours
History
Great Britain
Name:	Glenart Castle, formerly the Galician
Operator:	Union-Castle Line
Builder:	Harland and Wolff, Belfast
Launched:	20 September 1900
Completed:	6 December 1900
Identification:	6824
Fate:	Torpedoed by German U-boat UC-56, 26 February 1918. Wreck lies approximately 10 mi (16 km) west of Lundy Island in 240 ft (73 m) of water POS - 51:07N/05:03W.
General characteristics
Tonnage:	6,807 tons gross
Length:	400 ft (120 m)
Speed:	12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)

HMHS Glenart Castle (His Majesty's Hospital Ship) was a steamship originally built as Galician in 1900 for the Union-Castle Line. She was renamed Glenart Castle in 1914, but was requisitioned for use as a British hospital ship during the First World War. On 26 February 1918, she was hit and sunk by a torpedo fired from the German U-boat UC-56.

During the First World War, Glenart Castle suffered damaged when she struck a mine in the English Channel 8 nautical miles (15 km) northwest of the Owers Lightship on 1 March 1917. She was repaired and returned to service.

On 26 February 1918, Glenart Castle was leaving Newport, South Wales heading towards Brest, France. Fishermen in the [Bristol Channel] saw her clearly lit up as a hospital ship. John Hill — a fisherman on Swansea Castle — remembered "I saw the Hospital Ship with green lights all around her - around the saloon. She had her red side lights showing and mast-head light, and also another red light which I suppose was the Red Cross light." At 04:00, Glenart Castle was hit by a torpedo in the No. 3 hold. The blast destroyed most of the lifeboats, while the subsequent pitch of the vessel hindered attempts to launch the remaining boats. In the eight minutes the ship took to sink, only seven lifeboats were launched. Rough seas and inexperienced rowers swamped most of the boats.

Only 32 survivors were reported. A total of 162 people were killed, including the Captain — Bernard Burt, eight nurses of the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service, seven Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) medical officers and 47 medical orderlies. Of the hospital patients being treated on board, a total of 99 died. The matron of Glenart Castle, Miss Kate Beaufoy (1868-1918), was among those killed in the sinking. Beaufoy was a veteran of the South African War and the Gallipoli campaign. Her family kept her diary and her writings describe life on the ship.