RMS LEINSTER

3D Model

The RMS Leinster was Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire’s mail boat during the First World War. The RMS Leinster belonged to the City of Dublin Steam Packet Compan. It carried passengers and mail between Ireland and Wales. The Leinster was attacked by the German submarine UB-123 on 10 Oct. 1918 off the Kish Bank. It was carrying 771 passengers, about 400 of these would have been soldiers bound for England and the Continent. The ship was torpedoed twice, three minutes apart. The first torpedo struck the post office quarters, killing all but one of the post office staff. In total there were only 256 people rescued, most of the survivors being taken to hospital in Dun Laoghaire. This represents one of Dun Laoghaire’s greatest tragedies. The Leinster lies about 22 km west of Dun Laoghaire with her bow pointing south. The bow stands proud of the seabed, a little apart from the rest of the wreck, which is largely collapsed and settling into the sands.