HESPERIAN 1915. The Allen Line S. S. HESPERIAN sailed from Liverpool to Canada on 3 September 1915. The following evening, at 8.20 p.m. she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 off the southern coast of Ireland An attempt was made to tow her to Queenstown but at 06.37 on Monday morning the 6th September she began to sink. 32 of the 653 passengers and crew lost their lives. This picture post card to Picton, Nova Scotia, has a fine strike of this uncommon cachet, of which less than 10 are believed known.