BORN ABERDEEN 19/03/1878. SON OF JAMES JOSEPH RYAN (1851-1934) & WILLIAMENA COUTTS (1859- ), OF 40, BACHELOR STREET, HULL. HIS FATHER WAS A HM CUSTOM OFFICER.
A RAILWAY PORTER. HE HAD JOINED THE ROYAL NAVY, ON 20/12/1897 AND WAS DUE TO RETIRE IN TWO YEARS TIME. HIS NAVAL RECORDS DESCRIBE HIM AS 5 FOOT, 9 INCHES TALL, AUBURN HAIR, BLUE EYES, FAIR COMPLEXION.
HUSBAND OF ELIZA GRIMBLEBY (1879-1954), AT 33, PEMBERTON STREET, HULL AND 1, KINGSTON PLACE, WITHAM, HULL (NAVAL ADDRESS). HE LEFT A WIDOW AND ONE CHILD.
HE SERVED AS PETTY OFFICER MECHANIC, ALEXANDER COPELAND RYAN. SERVED ON HMS “DEFENCE”. KILLED AT JUTLAND BATTLE, ON 31/05/1916, AGED 38.
ALEXANDER COPELAND RYAN IS COMMEMORATED ON THE CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL, KENT, UK.
HIS DEATH WAS REPORTED IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL, ON 08/06/1916. *
HMS Defence and HMS Warrior During the battle of Jutland, HMS Warrior and HMS Defence, attracted by the drifting hull of the crippled SMS Wiesbaden, closed in for the kill, only to blunder right into the gun sights of Hipper´s and Scheer´s oncoming capital ships. Defence was deluged by heavy-calibre gunfire from many German battleships, which detonated her magazines in a spectacular explosion viewed by most of the deploying Grand Fleet; she sank with all hands (903 officers and men). Warrior was also hit badly, but was spared destruction by a mishap to the nearby super-dreadnought Warspite. Warspite had her steering gear overheat and jam and she was steaming at top speed in wide circles. So she appeared as a juicy target to the German dreadnoughts and took thirteen hits, inadvertently drawing fire from the hapless Warrior. Warspite was brought back under control and survived the onslaught, but was badly damaged and was ordered back to port by Evan-Thomas. Warrior was abandoned and sank the next day after her crew was taken off at 08:25 1 June by Engadine, which towed the sinking armoured cruiser 100 miles (160 km) during the night. Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?10785
