FIRST WORLD WAR LIVERPOOL
A COLLECTION OF RESEARCH PROJECTS BY AMANDA TAYLOR
The Sinking of the Burutu
The RMS Burutu sank on 3rd October 1918 in the Irish Sea after an accidental collision with the SS City of Calcutta. The ships were travelling in convoy at night with no lights due to the wartime regulations. The Burutu was badly damaged in the collision and sank very quickly with the loss of many lives.
It has been difficult to get an accurate count of how many lives were lost, contemporary accounts vary and official records do not match up with each other. In the tables below I have tried to gather all the names available.
The tables below present lists I have collated from different sources including the Elder Dempster Roll of Honour, newspaper accounts and the Deaths at Sea Register.
Below the tables you will find blog posts sharing information on the sinking, individual survivors and casualties.
The Burutu
The City of Calcutta
Burutu Crew Lost
The offical roll of honour printed by the Elder Dempster shipping company gives 77 names for crew lost on the Burutu, this does not tally with the Deaths at Sea register, the list below is a collation from both sources.
Burutu Passengers Lost
The details of passengers losses have been taken in the first instance from the register of deceased passengers, the entry for the Burutu was completed in January 1919, presumably to give some time for the recovery of bodies and confirmation of identities of survivors and casualties. This gave 80 names.
Using this as a base, I have corrected some names of passengers from newspaper reports and family notices that mention the Burutu.
Burutu Blog
