German sailors owed their lives to my grandfather and the heroic crew of the MV Kerlogue

After hearing that her grandfather, who she never knew, had taken part in the perilous rescue of 168 German sailors during World War II, Alison O'Reilly decided to research his life. Here she tells how she ended up meeting his family who hadn't known anything of his whereabouts for 60 years

(Left to right) Wiebke Hochhaus the granddaughter of one of the German survivors of the rescue with her daughters Luise and Charlotte. Photo Supplied by Alison O'Reilly

When my grandfather came across an explosion in the sea in the dead of night, it must have felt like a scene from the apocalypse.

It was December 29, 1943, and he was on his way back from Lisbon with nine other crewmen carrying a cargo of oranges bound for the Irish market.