Person:Thomas Ensor (1)

187 Sylvan
Ensor, Thomas A., owns home with mortgage, 40, married, immigrated 1898, naturalized 1916, b. England, both parents b. England, Captain, Steam Ship
, Almena M., wife, 33, immigrated unknown, naturalized, b. Bermuda, both parents b. Bermuda

Thomas Ensor
Birth: unknown
Death: Nov. 25, 1939
Burial: Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma, San Mateo County, California, USA

Note: Ref: Cemetery Records

registered between Jul and Sep 1878 in Whitehaven, Cumberland

Harry Enser, age 40, born in Birmingham, Warwickshire
Violet Ann Enser, age 30, born in Hensingham, Cumberland
Tom Ainslie Enser, age 12, born in St Bees, Cumberland
as well as other children (ages 1 month to 13)

born 5 June 1879 - the year is consistent with census records, but must be incorrect, assuming this is the same person as the Tom Ainslie Ensor whose birth was registered in 1878.

born about 1878, died 25 Nov 1939 in Santa Clara

born 5 Jun 1878
died Nov 1939
last payment made to California

We Remember - 3 February 1917 SS "Housatonic" (formerly SS Georgia) a USA grain ship, sunk by submarine U-53.

Carrying a cargo of 144,200 bushels of wheat, and after calling at Newport News, Virginia, she sailed for Liverpool on 16 January. According to a statement by Captain Thomas Ensor, at 10.30 a.m on 3 February 1917 Housatonic was stopped by the German submarine U-53, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose, when about twenty miles south-west of Bishop Rock off the Isles of Scilly.
An officer and two seamen from U-53 boarded the ship, and sent Ensor over to the submarine, where he was questioned by Rose, who spoke fluent English. After examining the Housatonic's papers Rose told Ensor to return and order the crew to abandon ship. Rose explained that he was sorry, but the ship was "carrying food supplies to the enemy of my country". The crew launched two lifeboats while the Germans helped themselves to the ship's supply of soap (apparently in short supply in Germany) before opening the seacocks. The U-53 then delivered the a single torpedo, and the Housatonic sank.

Interestingly, Rose was one of the most respected and courageous U-boat commanders, famous for his humanity and fairness in battle. Sometimes after torpedoeding a ship he would wait until all the lifeboats were filled, he would then throw a tow line, give the victims food, keeping all the survivors together until a rescuing destroyer appeared on the horizon when he would let go and submerge. There exist many other accounts of him caring for survivors even when putting his own life at risk.

Rose decided to take the lifeboats in tow toward the English coast. After two hours a vessel was sighted. Ensor was not convinced that they had been seen, so Rose fired his deck gun to attract her attention, then slipped away. The vessel turned out to be the trawler Salvator which took the crew of Housatonic to Penzance. Captain Ensor returned to the United States aboard the SS Orduna, with his crew following aboard the SS Philadelphia.
Consequences of the sinking
The sinking of Housatonic came at a particularly difficult time for U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who had been narrowly re-elected the previous year on the platform of keeping the United States out of the war. Germany's announcement of unrestricted submarine warfare commencing on 1 February led to the breaking off of diplomatic relations between Germany and the United States on the same day that the Housatonic was sunk, and this was swiftly followed by the publication of the Zimmerman Telegram. The sinking of the ship was another step towards to the eventual declaration of war by the United States in April 1917.

SS Housatonic, built by Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Glasgow in 1891 and owned at the time of her loss by E. F. Geer, New York, was an American steamer of 3143 tons.

On February 3rd, 1917, Housatonic (Thomas A. Ensor), on a voyage from Galveston to Liverpool with a cargo of grain and flour, was sunk by the German submarine U-53 (Hans Rose), 20 miles south of Bishop Rock.

Rose allowed the crew in the boats, then sank the Housatonic with charges. Upon Ensor's request, Rose then towed the boats for 1 1/2 hour direction coast until the trawler Salvator was seen at the horizon.

Salvator not reacting, Rose said to Ensor, "That fellow is asleep, but I will wake him up for you". Rose then had a shot fired from his deck gun, which "woke up" the crew of the Salvator and they made all speed to the area, by then U-53 had submerged and escaped.

Housatonic sailed from Galveston, Texas, on 6 January 1917 carrying a cargo of 144,200 bushels of wheat, and after calling at Newport News, Virginia, she sailed for Liverpool on 16 January. According to a statement by Captain Thomas A. Ensor, at 10.30 a.m on 3 February 1917 Housatonic was stopped by the German submarine U-53, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose, when about twenty miles south-west of Bishop Rock off the Isles of Scilly.

An officer and two seamen from U-53 boarded the ship, and sent Ensor over to the submarine, where he was questioned by Rose, who spoke fluent English. After examining the Housatonic's papers Rose told Ensor to return and order the crew to abandon ship. Rose explained that he was sorry, but the ship was "carrying food supplies to the enemy of my country". The crew launched two lifeboats while the Germans helped themselves to the ship's supply of soap (apparently in short supply in Germany) before opening the seacocks. The U-53 then delivered the coup de grace with a single torpedo, and the Housatonic sank.

Ensor persuaded Rose to take the lifeboats in tow toward the English coast. After two hours a vessel was sighted. Ensor was not convinced that they had been seen, so Rose fired his deck gun to attract her attention, then slipped away. The vessel turned out to be the trawler Salvator which took the crew of Housatonic to Penzance. Captain Ensor returned to the United States aboard the SS Orduna, with his crew following aboard the SS Philadelphia.

The sinking of Housatonic came at a particularly difficult time for U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who had been narrowly re-elected the previous year on the platform of keeping the United States out of the war. Germany's announcement of unrestricted submarine warfare commencing on 1 February led to the breaking off of diplomatic relations between Germany and the United States on the same day that the Housatonic was sunk, and this was swiftly followed by the publication of the Zimmermann Telegram. The sinking of the ship provided further ammunition to the pro-war party, and was another step towards to the eventual declaration of war by the United States in April 1917.