SV Marion Lightbody while under sail.
History
Name	Marion Lightbody
Port of registry	Turku, Russian Empire
Builder	Henderson D. & W. & Co. Ltd.
Yard number	334
Launched	17 April 1888
Completed	1888
In service	1888
Out of service	8 July 1915
Identification	TGPQ
Fate	Torpedoed and sunk
General characteristics
Type	Full-rigged ship
Tonnage	2,242 GRT
Length	88 m (288 ft 9 in)
Beam	13 m (42 ft 8 in)
Depth	7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Propulsion	4 masts
Crew	25

SV Marion Lightbody was a Russian full-rigged ship that was torpedoed by the Imperial German submarine U-20 in the Atlantic Ocean near the Fastnet Rock on 8 July 1915 while she was travelling from Valparaíso, Chile to Queenstown, Ireland while carrying a cargo of barley.^[1]

Construction

Marion Lightbody was launched on 17 April 1888 and completed the same year at the Henderson D. & W. & Co. Ltd. shipyard in Meadowside, United Kingdom. The ship was 88 metres (288 ft 9 in) long, had a beam of 13 metres (42 ft 8 in) and had a depth of 7.3 metres (23 ft 11 in). She was assessed at 2,242 gross register tons (GRT) and had four masts.^[2]

Sinking

Marion Lightbody was travelling from Valparaíso, Chile to Queenstown, Ireland while carrying a cargo of barley when on 8 July 1915, she was torpedoed by the Imperial German submarine U-20 in the Atlantic Ocean near the Fastnet Rock, just over a month after the same submarine had infamously torpedoed and sunk the RMS Lusitania in the same vicinity. The 25 crewmen escaped the ship in a dinghy and were later picked up by a British patrol boat before being brought to Queenstown.^[3]

Wreck

The wreck of Marion Lightbody lies at (50°53′N 08°48′W / 50.883°N 8.800°W / 50.883; -8.800).^[4]

Gallery

• 
  SV Marion Lightbody in harbour.
• 
  SV Marion Lightbody at wharf.
• 
  SV Marion Lightbody in an unknown port.
• 
  A Painting of SV Marion Lightbody at sea by Thomas G. Purvis

References