Barbara McDermott
Barbara Winifred Anderson McDermott | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 15, 1912 |
| Died | April 12, 2008 (aged 95) |
Barbara McDermott (June 15, 1912 – April 12, 2008[1]) was the last American survivor of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915, and one of the last two survivors.
Biography
Barbara McDermott was born Barbara Winifred Anderson in Connecticut on June 15, 1912, to Roland Anderson and Emily Pybus. Her father worked as a draftsman for an ammunitions factory in southwestern Connecticut.[2]
Barbara and her mother boarded the RMS Lusitania at Pier 54 in New York City, New York on May 1, 1915, en route to Queenstown, Ireland (now Cobh). Barbara's mother was five months pregnant as she boarded the ship. Barbara's father was unable to accompany his wife and daughter as World War I had created high demands for ammunition manufacturing at the factory where he worked.[2]
On May 7, the Lusitania was just eight miles away from Old Head of Kinsale, a headland near Kinsale County Cork, Ireland, when it was hit by a torpedo fired by U-20, a German submarine. Barbara recalled being in the ship's dining room eating dessert when the torpedo hit. She remembered holding onto her spoon as she saw fellow passengers running about the badly damaged ship. In the midst of chaos, Barbara was separated from her mother and loaded into Lifeboat No. 15. Barbara later found out that her mother had fallen into the ocean, but was rescued and placed into the same lifeboat as her daughter. Neither Barbara nor her mother was seriously injured. The Lusitania sank in just 18 minutes, taking with her 1,198 of the 1,959 people aboard.[2]
After their rescue, Barbara and her mother traveled to Darlington, England to live with Barbara's maternal grandmother. Barbara's mother gave birth there to a son, Frank Roland, on September 30, 1915. Frank Roland would live just five months before dying on March 16, 1916. Barbara's mother would live just one more year before she died on March 22, 1917 at the age of 28. Two years after her mother died, Barbara left England and traveled back to the United States aboard the Mauretania and arrived in New York City on December 26, 1919.[2]
Death
Barbara died on April 12, 2008 in Wallingford, Connecticut at the age of 95. Her death made Audrey Lawson-Johnston, 95, the last-living survivor of the RMS Lusitania disaster.[3]
References
- ^ Stannard, Ed (2008-04-15). "Wallingford woman, 95, often spoke of attack on Lusitania". New Haven Register. Retrieved 2008-04-16. [dead link]
- ^ a b c d Barbara Winifred Anderson McDermott: Visit on a Sunday Afternoon, July 21, 2002 Journeys in Time Web site
- ^ Barbara McDermott - Liverpool Daily Post.co.uk