'Miss Unsinkable' on Three Ships That, Well, You Know-- Part 1: Miss Violet Jessup

All of these recent posts have been from History Channel's "6 famous coincidences."

"Miss Unsinkable" Violet Jessop was on board three giant  sister ships (Titanic, Olympic and Britannic) when disaster struck them... and lived to tell about it.

Born in Argentina to Irish immigrants, Jessop left  convent school back in Britain after her mother, a stewardess  on the Royal Mail Line, became ill.  To provide for her family, the 21-year-old became a ship stewardess as well, working for the Royal Mail Line as well before moving on to the White Star Line

Locked in a huge competition with the Cunard Line,  the White Star launched  a trio of gigantic luxury liners, the Olympic, Titanic and Britannic

In September 1911, Violet Jessop was serving aboard the Olympic on its fifth commercial voyage when the ship collided with the HMS Hawke near the Isle of Wight in Southern England.  (It was later determined that the suction from the Olympic had pulled the Hawke into the liner.)

But, That's Not All.  --Cooter

Irish First World War Sailors Sought-- Part 2

Three hundred and fifty Irish sailors were killed at the Battle of Jutland, 91 at the Battle of Coronel and 62 on the HMS Hawke.

Others lost their lives when the MFA Whitehead, a steamship, was torpedoed in 1917, the submarine HMS K-17 which sank in an accidental collision in 1918 and the HMS Bayono, a converted merchant ship, torpedoed off Ireland which caused bodies to wash up on the Ard Peninsula.

At least 14 Irishmen lost their lives on the first warship lost to enemy action in the war, the HMS Amphion in 1914.

Overall, some 1,500 Irish sailors were killed in action during the war.

--Cooter