THE SUNDERLAND SITE - PAGE 087
SHIPBUILDERS - PAGE 33

May I suggest that you navigate the site via the index on page 001.PRIOR PAGE / NEXT PAGE Copyright? Do you want to make a comment? A site guestbook is here. Corrections in any of the material which follows, however tiny, would be most welcome. And additions, of course! (100 2/3, always 101 - 1/3). Test. Miramar, Plimsoll, images, mariners-l.co.uk, MNL, eBay, Delcampe, To search for specific text on this page, just press 'CTRL + F' & then enter your search term. A general site search facility is here. JOSEPH L. THOMPSON & SONS LIMITED ROBERT THOMPSON (1837/1840) ROBERT THOMPSON & SONS (1840/1869) JOSEPH L. THOMPSON & SONS (1869/1894) JOSEPH L. THOMPSON & SONS LIMITED (1894/ ) (OF NORTH SANDS, SUNDERLAND) but beware ROBERT THOMPSON & SONS (another branch of the family) First a few images. Click to see them in a larger size. Hover your mouse over each thumbnail to read the subject matter. For ease of understanding, I will number the various Thompsons! The business seems to have really commenced with Robert Thompson #1, (1797/1860), who as early as 1819 built small ships below Lambton Drops, & in 1820, with seven others, built a vessel of 10 to 12 keels, at North Sands. He went into business in 1837, at Washington Stays, with his three sons Robert Thompson #2 (1819/1910), Joseph Lowes Thompson #1 (1824/1893) & John Thompson (1825/1891) under the name of 'Robert Thompson'. In 1840 the business name became Robert Thompson & Sons, but the business 'had a brief existence owing to depression'. The business recommenced also as 'Robert Thompson & Sons', in 1846 at North Sands, with the same three sons. There were soon to be major changes in the ownership of the enterprise. In 1854, Robert Thompson #2 left the partnership to form his own shipbuilding business. Robert #1 died in 1860 at the relatively young age of 63, & that same year John retired from the business, which then came under the control of Joseph Lowes Thompson #1, the one son left in the business. In 1869, I previously stated Feb. 1871, the business became 'Joseph L. Thompson & Sons', & his three sons, Robert Thompson #3 (1850/1908), Joseph Lowes Thompson #2 (1853/1903) & Charles Elliott Thompson (1855/1910), joined the business. At about 1893, Joseph Lowes Thompson #2 retired due to ill health, and his 3 sons continued the business under the leadership of Robert Thompson #3. It was incorporated on Jul. 12, 1894, as 'Joseph L. Thompson and Sons Ltd.'. Robert Thompson #3 retired from the business (when?), & Joseph Lowes Thompson #2 died in 1903. I have not read what happened to Charles Elliott Thompson. The later history, including the significant involvement of James Marr, later Sir James Marr, must come to these pages well 'later', when I understand the history better than I do at this moment. The principals of the business in its early years. Left to right are Robert Thompson (1797/1860), Joseph Lowes Thompson (1824/1893), Robert Thompson (1850/1908) & James Marr (1854/1932). The above data essentially comes from the 1946 booklet, next referred to. In 1946, a brochure entitled 'One Hundred Years of Joseph L. Thompson and Sons Ltd' was published. Of 26 data pages, & 28.1 x 22.2 cm. in size (11.05 x 8.75 in.) Published by the company itself. Now available on site here. At left is a 'JLT' uniform button, which, per 'southern1954' (thanks!), 'was based upon the house flag. Across the upright of the T is a circle containing what appears to be a bent arm with the hand holding a spear. There is also something hanging from the end of the spear.' The button is not very big (about 25 mm diameter) & the detail is small! I will add in such data as comes to my attention. In that regard I have read (a large 'pdf' file, page 14) that in 1946, 'J. L. THOMPSON & SONS' took over John Crown & Sons Ltd. That 'Crown' yard remained a separate facility until it was closed in 1958. I think that 'J. L. THOMPSON & SONS' should rather be 'Joseph L. Thompson & Sons Ltd.' I further understand that the 'Crown' yard (Strand Slipway) was a neighbouring yard, located to the immediate west of that of Joseph L. Thompson & Sons Ltd. Build lists? Firstly there is, on site, a 'Joseph L. Thompson' build list from its earliest days in 1838 & onwards. Here. Miramar lists (highest hull number on page). It used to be that you could click on the links that follow & get to the relevant Miramar page. But no longer! The new procedure must be to go to Miramar (here) & log in (you must be registered to view any page). And once you are logged in, return to this page & all the following links should work for you:- 133, 163, 193, 223, 253, 285, 313, 343, 373, 404, 434, 466, 493, 523, 555, 583, 613, 643, 673, 706, 717. Names of just a few of the vessels constructed by Thompson's of North Sands, Sunderland - added as I happen to spot references to them. In a table in build date sequence. And alphabetic within a year. There are more (later) vessels built by 'Joseph L. Thompson' on the 2nd 'Joseph Thompson' page available here. 1 Barnard Castle 170/145 later 133 tons Hull #? 15603 1838 A schooner which was launched in Jul. 1838. Barnard Castle? A town in the SE of County Durham, located 21 miles SE of Durham itself. Noted for (what else!) its castle which dates from the 11th or 12th century. Barnard Castle is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1867/68. It was owned thru 1850/51, per LR, by 'Stockton & Lon. Sh. Co' which means Stockton & London Shipping Company as per the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in May 1848 data. For service from Sunderland to London thru 1845/46 & thereafter as a Stockton coaster. With 'Fishwick' serving as the vessel's captain thru 1844/45 & then 'H. Hasteed'. LR of 1851/52 lists R. Beavis of Exeter, Devon, as the vessel's new owner. With 'J. Hore' serving as her captain thru 1854/55, 'R. Beavis' thru 1859/60 & 'G. Thompson' thru 1864/65. For service mainly as a Southampton, Hampshire, or as a Topsham, Devon, coaster, but from 1860/61 thru 1862/63, for service from Newport, Wales, to the Baltic. I learn that on Apl. 27, 1857 Barnard Castle, en route from Exeter to Newcastle with a cargo of lead, was driven ashore at Tynemouth - on the Sparrow Hawk (a rocky shoal & sandbank at the mouth of the Tyne). She was refloated on Apl. 29, 1857 & 'making little water' was taken into St. Anthony's (essentially Newcastle). She presumably was soon repaired & returned to service. The webmaster has not spotted the name of her captain nor the weather circumstances, but the seas were high at the time of such grounding. No owner name is LR stated during the period from 1862/63 thru 1864/65. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') records Barnard Castle as Exeter registered from 1857 thru 1865 & Guernsey, Channel Islands, registered from 1866 thru 1868. MNL of 1865 records her then owner as being Thomas Mitchell, of Exmouth, Devon. LR of 1865/66 lists the schooner, now of 133 tons, as owned by Ozanne & Co. of Guernsey, for service as a Guernsey coaster. MNL of 1866 records James O'Laune, of Guernsey as her then owner. While MNLs of 1867 & 1868 record James Ozanne, of Guernsey. 75.0 ft. long, signal letters LTBF, crew lists for the vessel are available via this page. LR of 1867/68 notes that the vessel had gone 'Missing'. It would seem that it may rather have foundered. On Dec. 02, 1867, per line 37 here, Barnard Castle, en route from Guernsey to London with a cargo of granite, foundered 'off the North Foreland'. With the loss of its entire crew of 6. North Foreland is a chalk cliff at the mouth of the river Thames estuary at the eastern end of the Isle of Thanet, Kent. Near the Goodwin Sands. The site of a noted lighthouse since as early as 1636, it would appear. The webmaster has tried to locate a contemporary news report which confirms Barnard Castle's loss in late 1867. Which surely would have been recorded in the press in view of the major loss of life. So far such search has been without success. Which makes the webmaster wonder if the above data is in some way in error. That said, it seems likely that the vessel's captain, in late 1867 was 'Gibbs'. The last reference to the vessel that the webmaster was able to find was that on Nov. 29, 1867 the vessel left St. Sampson's, NE Guernsey, for London with 'Gibbs' in command. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? Your contribution would be most welcome. #2761 2   Captain 265 later 239 tons Hull 25 27086 1849 Captain, a snow which was launched on May 05, 1849 (but such date is suspect, see below), is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1850/51 thru 1869/70, owned thru 1860/61 by 'Graydons' of Sunderland. For service initially from Sunderland to Archangel, Russia, thru 1851/52. Just ex Sunderland for 4 years. Then Sunderland to London in 1856/57 & 1857/58. With J. Melvin her captain thru 1855/56 & then M. Johnson thru 1860/61. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854 data, lists Martin W. & Thos. Graydon, both of Sunderland, as Captain's then owners with John W. Melvin her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1856 states the vessel's then owners to be M. W. & T. Graydon, of Sunderland. TR of 1855 also has J. W. Melvin as the vessel's then captain. This 'Sunderland Echo' Jun. 1981 article by 'Blue Peter' references (in columns 4 & 5), Edward Graydon & Martin W. Graydon as each being 50% owners of the vessel. LRs of 1858/59 thru 1860/61 list Graydons as the owner but provide limited other detail. I suspect that the vessel must have been sold. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists her then owners as being Geo. Hastie & Eleanor Menham, of Sunderland. But from 1860/61 thru 1869/70, LR rather lists Walker & Co., of Sunderland, as Captain's owners for service as a Sunderland coaster. In view of the data which next follows, it seems likely that 'Walker', 'Menham' & 'Hastie' were all shareholders in the vessel. While 'Walker' owned, 'Lamb' is, per LR, listed as the vessel's captain from 1861/62 thru 1869/70. What does the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') say? It lists Captain, always registered at Sunderland, from 1857 thru 1871. From 1865 thru 1870, MNL lists Jane Patience Hastie, of Sunderland as her owner or managing owner. While MNL of 1871 rather lists Miss Annie Hastie of North Shields.  The webmaster has not researched the operational history of the vessel. But a few details he did note. i) Captain's first voyage left Sunderland on Mar. 14, 1850, with 'Melvin' in command, said to be bound for Aden. It made its way to Almeria, Spain, & then to nearby Adra & then sailed to Quebec, Canada, returning to Sunderland on Aug. 17, 1850. ii) On Apl. 24, 1851, the vessel left Newcastle for Carthagena, Spain, went on to Alexandria, Egypt, returning via Malta to Falmouth, Cornwall. The vessel clearly had encountered bad weather on that last leg.  92.5 ft. long, signal letters PNTQ, of 239 tons from LR of 1861/62, many crew lists are available via this page. What finally happend to Captain? On Mar. 20, 1871, per line 1291 here, the 239 ton snow was stranded near Norderney (one of the East Frisian Islands off the North Sea coast of Germany), while en route from Sunderland to Hamburg, Germany, with a cargo of coal. Crew of 7 - none lost. Then said to be owned by Miss Annie Hastie. I learn that the vessel had left Sunderland on Mar. 14, 1871 with a cargo of 409 tons of coal, a crew of 6 all told (it would appear), with Geo. Hollingshead in command. At 3 a.m. on Mar. 18, 1871 Captain struck ground - water poured into the vessel & the crew had to abandon ship taking to a ship's longboat. To be rescued from that boat by a pilot boat & landed at Bremerhaven, Germany. Her captain was, it is said, about to cast the lead when the vessel struck. On Apl. 21, 1871, a Board of Trade Inquiry into her loss was held at Sunderland. The court concluded that Captain was lost due to the captain's neglect of the use of the lead. His certificate was suspended for a 3 month period. Some contemporary newspaper reports - 1 & 2. Can anybody tell us more? #2833 3 Cromwell 234 tons Hull 23 1849 A 2 masted, snow rigged sailing ship. The webmaster has a number of 'Lloyd's Registers' available to him ex Google books (see left). 85.0 ft. long, a man's bust as a figurehead, intended it would seem for service to the Baltic. The vessel was initially owned, as to 32 of 64 shares each, by John Cockerill & Burton Brown, both of Sunderland. While the data at left indicates that John Hall was the vessel's sole Master thru 1853/54, I understand that Geo. Charlton & Anthony Cockerill Jr. (son of Anthony Cockerill, ship owner & shoemaker) were also Masters. The vessel is of especial interest to the webmaster, since John & Anthony Cockerill are ancestors of Sunderland author & site contributor Keith Cockerill, whose slide shows are featured on site (1 & 2). Keith advises that Burton Brown, became the owner of all 64 shares on Nov. 20, 1850, & that William Holburn, of South Shields, became its sole owner on Dec. 30, 1851. I cannot tell you today what later happened to the ship, but note that it was not recorded, as Cromwell at least, in the 1854/55 or 1855/56 editions of Lloyd's Register. It is possible that the vessel was lost but it also could have been renamed. If you can add to the record, your contribution would be most welcome. #1765 4   Horatio 266 tons Hull 22 1849 A snow, which had a very short life. Horatio was launched on Jul. 5, 1849, as per this launch announcement. Launched for Henry Taylor, a grocer, of Sunderland. Notably, the vessel featured 'a beautiful figure-head of Lord Nelson'. Lloyd's Register ('LR') of 1850/51 advises that Taylor & Co., of Sunderland were the vessel's owners for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean, with C. Craig serving as the vessel's captain. The vessel is not listed in LR of 1851/52. A site visitor advises (thanks!) that he has read elsewhere that the Horatio was wrecked on Jan. 30, 1850, but could provide no detail as to what happened & where. I now have read, at line 32 here, that the 266 ton square was stranded at Kilmore, County Wexford, Ireland, on Jan. 31, 1850, while en route from Alexandria, Egypt, to the Clyde. The vessel's cargo is not there identified. Crew of 10 - none lost. Vessel then owned by Henry Taylor. This page tells us (thanks!) that the vessel was carrying wheat & was lost off Forlorn Point, County Wexford, while en route from Alexandria to Dublin, Ireland rather than to the Clyde. As further is confirmed by this page. The detail circumstances of the vessel's loss are not yet to hand, but I have read that the vessel was lost on the night of Jan. 31, 1850. A tiny discrepancy - Lloyd's List advised that on Feb. 1, 1850 the vessel left Queenstown for Dublin. I see, however, that Charlton Craig, Horatio's captain at the time of her loss, filed a 'deposition' - presumably an account of the circumstances of the vessel's loss. It would be good to be able to access such 'deposition'. Can you tell us more? #2435 5   Achilles 350/407 tons Hull 29 1850 A barque, which would seem to have had a very short life. Launched on May 29, 1850, it is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1854/55 only, owned by Watson & Co. of Sunderland, for initial service from Sunderland to Quebec, Canada, which service was replaced in 1851/52 with service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean. Per LR, J. Lewis served as the vessel's initial captain with E. Warden so serving from later in 1851/52 & in 1852/53. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of Mar. 1854 lists Wm. H. and George Watson, of Sunderland as the vessel's then owners with John Smith her then captain. LRs of 1853/54 & 1854/55 do not provide a captain's name which suggests that the vessel may by then have been lost. Now Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that a barque of the name, surely this vessel, was driven ashore at Waterford (SE Ireland, located W. of Wexford), on Jun. 25, 1852, while en route from Sunderland to New Ross, Wexford, Ireland. In a storm or gale perhaps? Her crew were rescued. Further the vessel was re-floated on Jul. 5, 1852 & towed into Waterford. Per, I read, 'The Times' of London of Jun. 29, 1852 & the 'Newcastle Courant' of Jul. 2 & 16, 1852 (it would be good to be able to see those articles). It seems likely, however, that the vessel was on its return journey to Sunderland - I say that since a brief reference on this site (search for Achilles) states the vessel was in ballast & had left New Ross. It seems likely that the vessel had been damaged beyond repair & did not return to service. Can you add anything additional? #2231 6   Boadicea 385/415 tons Hull 43 2132 1852 Boadicea? Or Boudica? Queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led an uprising against the Romans in AD 60 or 61. A British national heroine - who may well have died by suicide. Boadicea, a barque which was launched on Jul. 30, 1852, was first registered, at Shields, on Aug. 18, 1852. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1853/54 thru 1857/58 only, always owned by Pow & Co. of North Shields, with 'Weatherley' always, per LR, her captain. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in 1854 data, lists R. (Robert) Pow, Margt. & John Fawcus and Geo. Dawson, all of North Shields, as the vessel's then owners with John Todd her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of both 1855 & 1856 confirm much of such data but record G. Davison rather that G. Dawson as a part owner. TR of 1855 also has John Todd as the vessel's captain. Some early Boadicea 'best-efforts' operational history, with Charles Wm. Weatherly her captain. On Aug. 28, 1852 the vessel left Shields for Venice, Italy, where it arrived on Oct. 02, 1852. About 6 weeks later, on Nov. 11, 1852, the vessel left Venice for Odessa (Black Sea, Ukraine), where it loaded a cargo of wheat. Arriving at Falmouth, Cornwall, on Mar. 08, 1853, the vessel was directed to deliver its cargo to Limerick, Ireland, where it arrived on Apl. 04, 1853. The vessel was advertised (a sample advert) for a voyage ex Limerick to Quebec, Canada, & on May 05, 1853 left Limerick (with some passengers on board). So far as I can see, the vessel left Quebec on its return journey on Jul. 15, 1853, bound for Shields with a cargo of timber, deals & staves. I have not yet spotted when the vessel arrived back at Shields. But in mid Sep. 1853, Boadicea was en route from Shields to Trieste (then Hapsburg Monarchy now Italy) with a cargo of coal. A major storm was encountered in the Pentland Firth (east/west passage across the top of Scotland) on Sep. 19, 1853. As a result of which the vessel suffered major damage - lost rudder, boats, bulwarks, jib-boom. And part of the cabin was carried away. The vessel was nearly thrown on her beam ends & had 8 ft. of water in her holds. It was not only the vessel which was damaged - two seamen were hurt & Captain Weatherly, thrown against the side of the cabin, suffered a dislocated shoulder & significant bruising. On Sep. 20, 1853, the damaged vessel arrived at Sinclair's Bay (NE Scotland), where about 40 men (likely from nearby Wick), came aboard to pump out the water & right the cargo. The vessel then intended to return to Shields to effect repairs. It seems certain that it did so, though it was first forced northwards again to Longhope (Orkney Islands) by adverse winds, leaving Longhope on Sep. 24, 1853. This lengthy report from Wick relates. The above was not the end of Captain Weatherly's woes. In early Oct. 1853, presumably now repaired, the vessel (Weatherly), left Shields for the Mediterranean. It must have encounterd bad weather after leaving port - it tried to return to Shields but was driven by the winds across the North Sea to Hamburg, Germany arriving there on Oct. 13, 1853. En route, J. Clark, the vessel's 2nd mate, had a lucky experience indeed. He was first washed overboard but was then was swept right back on board by the next sea! At Hamburg, the vessel's cargo of coal was sold & temporary repairs to the vessel were effected - on Nov. 02, 1853, Boadicea left Hamburg for Shields to again be loaded for the Mediterranean. I note that on Nov. 17, 1853, the vessel was entered out of Shields for Trieste, now under the command of 'Todd'. 115.2 ft. long, What finally happpened to Boadicea? Very early in 1857, the vessel, 'Todd' in command, was en route from Alexandria, Egypt, to Antwerp, Belgium with a cargo of cotton seed and nuttron (can anybody tell us what nuttron is?). Boadicea had left Alexandria on Nov. 09, 1856, with a crew of 15 all told. For whatever reason, the vessel, seeing a light at midnight on Jan. 04, 1857, thought it was the Seven Stones or Scilly Light, when in fact it was Les Caskets (a cluster of rocks located 8 miles NW of Alderney, Channel Islands). At about 4 a.m. on Jan. 05, 1857, during a NE gale, Boadicea struck upon Totnez Rock, in the Little Roussel, NE of the islet of Herm, east of the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Her masts were cut away at 5 a.m. & the vessel started to break up at about daybreak. As the hours passed by, one by one many of her crew members were swept overboard & drowned. Soon after daybreak, the wreck was perceived by Diolinda a brig arriving from Poole, Dorset, but help was rather slow to be provided. At 11.00 a.m. or 12 noon, both HM Revenue Cutter Eagle & Watt a steam-tug, headed to the scene, to find Blonde, a Channel Islands Cutter, already there. It had apparently just rescued one Boadicea crewman who had been clinging to a spar. High seas & winds at the time & much debris in the water. Ship's boats from the Eagle & Blonde went to the wreck & took off two & three survivors respectively. Two survivors were seen to be still aboard the wreck. A rope was thrown aboard the wreck, and caught by the captain, but he never made it - apparently expiring on the deck. The other man on deck was not seen again. One crew member died aboard Eagle. It would seem that in the final analysis nine Boadicea crew members were lost incuding 'Todd' her captain, & that the Chief Mate Walter Matthews & four other crew members were saved. A list of names is available. All per this extensive report from Guernsey. The Royal National Life-boat Institution later awarded silver medals to W. (William) Pillar, W. (William) Cockrum, G. Hughes, & an unnamed pilot, all of whom served aboard Eagle. And awarded money to the crews of Eagle's ship's boat which effected the rescues. A number of people aboard other vessels involved in the rescue were also honoured. Can you tell us anything additional? #2822 7   Charlotte of Derby 387/421 tons Hull 41 680 1852 The vessel may well have been named for Charlotte Stanley, Countess of Derby (1599/1664). You can read about her here. Charlotte of Derby, a barque, which was launched on Apl. 21, 1852 & first registered, at Hull, Yorkshire, on May 19, 1852, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1852/53 thru 1869/70. It is also listed in the Lloyd's Universal Register of 1887/88, ex Norske Veritas, & maybe in other such registers. Per LR, the vessel was owned, thru 1860/61, by T. Ward of Hull. This newspaper report (in red) tells of the launch of the vessel for Thomas Ward, shipowner & merchant of Hull, intended for the Baltic & American trades, with Thomas Marshall her captain. LR records T. Marshal as being her captain in 1853/54, G. Davey from 1854/55 thru 1856/57 & W. Brooks from 1858/59 thru 1860/61. While 'Ward' owned, the vessel, per LR, served from Sunderland to St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1852/53 & 1853/54, from London to the Mediterranean from 1854/55 thru 1856/57 & ex London thereafter thru 1860/61. A Lloyd's Survey document, respecting a change in the vessel's owners, was dated Jan. 07, 1861. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') records Charlotte of Derby as Hull registered thru 1861, registered at Lyme (i.e. Lyme Regis, Dorset) from 1862 thru 1867 & London registered from 1868 thru 1870. MNL notes that a certificate respecting her sale to non British owners was dated Mar. 29, 1870. LRs from 1861/62 thru 1869/70 all record the vessel as owned by F. Hinton, of Lyme, for service from London to the Mediterranean, with W. Champion always her captain. Such LR data looks to be inaccurate. MNLs of 1865 thru 1867 do record Fred. Hinton, of Lyme Regis, as her owner. But MNLs of 1868 thru 1870, rather record Michael Spartali, of London, as her owner. We thank both www.sjohistorie.no & kulturnav.org for advising us of the vessel's later Norwegian ownership history. And for telling us (sjohistorie) that in May 1870, the vessel became owned by Petter Juel Bie of Grimstad, S. coast of Norway. With A. Bie her captain. A significant event in the history of the vessel occurred in Aug. 1882. I learn that on Aug. 21, 1882, Charlotte of Derby left Hull for Grimstad, in ballast, with Captain Bie in command & a crew of nine all told. They must have encountered some very bad weather because on the very next day, i.e. Aug. 22, 1882, they abandoned the vessel in the North Sea 'in a leaky & perilous position'. And presumably took to a ship's boat or boats. Esbern Snare (a Danish gunboat/torpedo ship built at Blackwall, London, in 1862), ex Newcastle with 'Warrer' in command, fell in with the derelict at 55N/4E, said to be 45 miles off the coast & safely arrived at Esbjerg (W. coast of Denmark) on Aug. 23, 1882 with Charlotte of Derby in tow. Captain Bie & his crew? They were picked up by Fredericke, a German brig, Captain 'Stremvits' in command, & landed at Suttonbridge, Lincolnshire, on Aug. 29, 1882. Some contemporary related news reports - 1 & 2. The abandoned vessel must have been later repaired & returned to service because in Mar. 1883 the vessel became owned by Peter Juel Bie's Bo (can any site visitor explain such name) also of Grimstad. And later, in May 1883, the vessel was acquired by O. C. Ørbek (maybe Ørbeck) of Kristiansand (S. coast of Norway), bought at the cost of 8,000 kr. With Øven Thoresen her captain. The vessel was offered for quick sale on Jan. 18, 1884 after Ørbek or Ørbeck had died. At an unknown date in 1884, P. A. Pettersen of Farsund acquired the vessel, it would seem its final owner. C. P. Lundegaard, served as the vessel's captain from 1884 to 1888. F. Grønneberg of Lillesand, Norway, may have been the vessel's owner in 1883-84. 116.5 ft. long, later (certainly in 1887/88) stated to be of 117.8 ft. (have also read 111.0 ft. which looks to be incorrect), signal letters HDTJ, many crew lists are available via this page. What finally happened to Charlotte of Derby? I learn that on Jan. 19, 1888, the vessel left Kristiansand for Cardiff, Wales, with a cargo of mining timber & pit props, a portion of which cargo was stored on the vessel's deck. Under the command of Constantin P. Lundegaard, with a crew of 11 all told. The vessel met bad weather & had to put into Farsund, leaving there only on Feb. 13, 1888. At 4.30 a.m. on Feb. 16, 1888, in squally & snowy conditions, the vessel grounded on Leman & Ower Sands, near Cromer, Norfolk, was driven across three shoals & lost its mizen mast, main rigging & part of its cargo. With a list to port, more of the cargo was jettisoned & the main mast had to be cut away. The vessel, now waterlogged & helpless was at the mercy of the elements. On the morning of Feb. 12, 1888, two Yarmouth fishing smacks fortunately appeared on the scene - the Iona or Ionia & W. A. C., owned respectively by 'Knights' & 'Curtis'. They took the entire crew aboard their vessels & landed them safely at Yarmouth. Charlotte of Derby was towed to Yarmouth by Yare, a steam tug - which was unable to get her into the harbour & had to beach her S. of the Wellington Pier at Yarmouth. It would seem, she broke up there. Some related contemporary news reports - 1, 2 & 3. Can you add anything additional? #2813 8   Euphrosyne 398/446, later 387 & 367 tons Hull 47 23141 1853 A ship, later a barque. Euphrosyne is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1853/54 thru 1879/80. Owned, thru 1864/65, per LR, by Coxon & Co. of North Shields ('NS'). With 'Middleton' (thru 1856/57), Hackney (1857/58 thru 1861/62) & W. Lambert (1862/63 thru 1864/65) her captains. This launch announcement advises that the vessel was launched on Mar. 24, 1853 for Thomas Coxon of NS & E. N. Grace of Newcastle, who intended to use the vessel on the Mediterranean & Indian trade. The 'Coxon' ownership is well documented. The North of England Maritime Directory, of 1854/55, records the vessel, in 1854, as registered at Shields & owned by Thos. Coxon of NS & Edward Nathaniel Grace of Byker Hill (E. end of Newcastle), with John F. Middleton then her captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855 records Thos. Coxon & Ed. N. Grace as the owners of the vessel, strangely listed as built at 'NEdnb.N.B.' of meaning unclear to the webmaster - with J. F. Middleton as the vessel's captain. TR of 1856 records J. Coxon of NS & E. N. Grace of Byker Hill as her then owners. That reference to J. Coxon is probably in error since Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 advises that her then owners were Thomas Coxon & E. N. Grace. LR records the vessel's 'Coxon' service as being thru 1855/56 for service to the Mediterranean ex Sunderland, from Shields to the Black Sea in 1856/57, from Shields to Aden in the period of 1857/58 thru 1860/61 & thereafter from Belfast, Ireland, to the Mediterranean. In 1864/65, Euphrosyne, now per LR a barque, became owned by T. Knox of North Shields thru 1867/68 for service from Shields to the Mediterranean. With W. Creigh serving as the vessel's captain. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1867 all record the vessel as registered at Shields with Thomas Knox of NS as her then owner. On Mar. 14, 1867, Euphrosyne arrived at Falmouth, Cornwall, from Odessa (Black Sea, Ukraine), with a cargo of wheat, a crew of 13 all told, & two passengers - the captain's wife & one of their young children. A day or so later, on Mar. 17, 1867, the vessel was involved in a collision & foundered with the loss of 12 lives. As per this U.K. Government Report & these contemporary news reports (1 (in red) & 2). I am advised that the vessel was at the time captained by William G. (Grainger) Creigh (the father of apprentice Joseph Henry Creigh referred to here). The area was hit by a terrible storm, a storm from the east which hit with great fury from the mouth of the Thames & all along the channel to Cornwall. Euphrosyne's crew & passengers were ordered into a ship's longboat which alas overturned while trying to reach the shore. Margaret, William Creigh’s wife, & their small son were drowned, along with ten others. An extensive article about the tragedy was, I am informed, published in the Spring 2000 newsletter of the Northumberland and Durham Family History Society. The vessel clearly was not lost at Falmouth. The vessel was offered for sale, at a public auction held at Shields, on Sep. 9, 1867. Presumably it was sold then or later. In 1867/68, per LR, Hodgson & Co. of Blyth (of NS from 1876/77) became the vessel's owner for, also per LR, the balance of the vessel's lifetime. MNLs of 1868 thru 1879 (1870) record Euphrosyne as registered at Shields & from 1872 at NS, with Joseph Hodgson of Blyth as her owner. For service from Blyth to Aden in 1867/68 & 1868/69, from Holland to Singapore from 1869/70 thru 1872/73. And for service in 1873/74 from Blyth to the Baltic becoming Blyth to Ascension Island. LR records many captains while the vessel was 'Hodgson' owned. A. Christie thru 1869/70, J. Broker from 1869/70 thru 1872/73, J. Bellamy  briefly, T. Knight or J. L. Knight from 1873/74 thru 1876/77, R. Hall from 1876/77 thru 1878/79 & 'Donaldson' from 1878/79. 118.0 ft. long, signal letters NQJR. The vessel became of 387 tons in 1856/57 & of 367 tons in 1872/73. Many crew lists are available here. LR of 1879/80 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that on Dec. 17, 1878, a vessel named Euphrosyne, likely this vessel, was driven ashore at Adra, Spain, & wrecked. Amongst Wikipedia's three references is an article in the 'Manchester Times' of Jan. 11, 1879, entitled 'Arrival of a Shipwrecked Crew'. It would be wonderful if some kindly site visitor could provide such article to the webmaster for inclusion here. Can you add anything additional? #2503 9 Edmund Graham 887/927 tons Hull 54 25330 1855 A ship, perhaps later a barque. Per 1 (ref. to Edmund Graham of Newcastle, above the Vencedora image), 2 (oil painting of Edmund Graham by artist Richard Archibald Ray), 3 (damaged at Bombay in 1865), 4 (insurance claim related to the 1868 loss of Edmund Graham at Mauritius - many similar references), 5 & 6 (1868 hurricane at Mauritius). The image at top left is a page from the booklet 'One Hundred Years of Joseph L. Thompson and Sons Ltd.' but see other links re such artwork. Built by Robert Thompson (1797-1860) for & named after, I presume, Edmund Graham, ship owner, of Gateshead per Turnbull's Register of 1856 & of Newcastle, per Christie's Shipping Register of 1858. At night on Aug. 05, 1865, when at Bombay (now Mumbai), India, the vessel, loaded with cotton & ready for sea, was damaged by Innisfallen (built in 1864 at West Hartlepool by Pile Spence & Co.) which broke her moorings in high winds & hit Edmund Graham amidships, causing considerable damage. In 1862/63, A. Sword of Greenock, River Clyde, W. of Glasgow, Scotland, became the vessel's owner for service to Australia. On Jan. 10, 1868, the vessel left Calcutta, India, with a cargo of rice for Port Louis, Mauritius. On Mar. 11, 1868, while still at Port Louis unloading her cargo, a violent hurricane hit the area, as a result of which the vessel 'parted from her anchors', was driven ashore & became 'utterly wrecked'. What a hurricane! Do read the clippings above. The wreck was later apparently auctioned off. The ship would seem to have been then owned by 'Foley', though I have not spotted a reference to that name in Lloyd's Register. It would seem that W. H. Davies was her master at the time. Need help & additional data! 10   Sisters 83 tons Hull 61 19092 1857 A schooner. Sisters, which was launched in May 1867, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1858/59 thru 1865/66 & not thereafter. It was owned thru such period, per LR, by J. Hall (James I understand) & registered at Inverness, Scotland. See Halls for more a little more data about the Hall family. For service as a Sunderland coaster with 'Days' LR noted to have been the vessel's captain. 81.0 ft. long, signal letters MQLS, crew lists, thru to 1893, are available via this page. No Lloyd's surveys seem to be available re this vessel. In the absence of LR data, the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') comes to our rescue. It records Sisters as Inverness registered from 1858 thru 1893, owned by J. Hall of Belleport, Ross-shire thru 1867, by George Hall, also of Belleport, from 1868 thru 1885 (1870 & 1880). And from 1887 thru 1893 (1890), George R. Hall also of Belleport. An early experience in the life of the vessel. MNL notes here (scroll to #19092) that the vessel had been abandoned - as per a certificate dated Oct. 22, 1860. A report from Elsinore, Denmark, on Oct. 09, 1860 advised that Sisters, 'Deas' in command, en route from Sunderland to Inverness with a cargo of coal, had been abandoned in the North Sea. Also on Oct. 09, 1860 it was reported that the vessel with no boats or papers & with 2 ft. of water in her hold, had been brought into Christiansand, Norway, in a derelict condition. A report from Inverness on Oct. 11, 1860, tells us that the vessel had been wrecked in the late storm & that her dismantled hull had been towed by a steamer into a port on the coast of Norway. Further that it was feared that all hands had perished. Her captain was noted in such report to have been 'Deas'. On Oct. 18, 1860 it was reported that a number of the crew (no names indicated) of Sisters had been repatriated. A couple of contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. It would appear that the abandoned vessel must have been repairable. And that, presumably repaired, it continued in service, owned by the same family, for the next 30 or so years. How remarkable! It seems clear that in the 1882/84 period 'Ross' was the vessel's captain. Th earliest reference I spotted to such captain stated that on Feb. 15, 1882, the vessel, 'Ross' in command, left Peterhead for Sunderland with a cargo of pitprops. The last reference I noted was on Oct. 09, 1884, when the vessel, again under the command of 'Ross', left Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, for Leven, Fife, in ballast. Ross was I now learn was correctly Roderick Ross, who died, under circumstances unknown to the webmaster, on Jan. 26, 1885.  What finally happened to Sisters? The webmaster cannot tell you with absolute certainty what happened to her. He learns, however, that early in Mar. 1893, an Inverness registered schooner of the name, of 92 tons, Captain Woodford in command, left Sunderland for Invergordon, Scotland, with a cargo of lime. Due to stress of weather the vessel had to enter the harbour at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire - in the tow of a tug, on the evening of Mar. 15, 1893. Sister's anchor was hanging over the side of the vessel. That anchor unfortunately struck the pier & swinging back 'rent the vessel's side below the waterline'. To cut a long story short, water rushed into the vessel, the lime caught fire & the burning vessel had to be moved to a safe location. At about midnight that day the vessel fell on its side. The vessel was essentially destroyed. On the following Saturday, the remains of Sisters were sold by public auction & realised £26, £7 10s of which was for the vessel's hull. Efforts were soon made to remove the wreckage from the harbour & when that proved to be impossible, permission was granted to blast the wreckage - which I presume means blow it up. Was it 'our' Sisters? While it seems likely that it was, the webmaster has not spotted, in the many news reports, the name of her then owner. The MNLs of the time record 'our' Sisters at a slightly different tonnage - 83 rather than 92 tons. I point out, however, that the mainstay of the 'Halls' family business was to ship pit props to Sunderland & return with cargoes of lime. Two contemporary news reports - 3 & 4. Can you provide an owner name for the vessel which was so lost? And if it was not 'our' Sisters, tell us what did happen to her & when. #2772 11   Saint Dunstan 441 tons Hull 65 20749 1858 A 3-masted wooden barque. Per 1 (data), 2 (data). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1858/59 thru 1870/71, owned thru 1864/65 by Burnett & Co. of Newcastle, later, from 1863/64, of London. Initially for service from Sunderland to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), later ex London to Australia. 128.5 ft. long, signal letters NCLG. On Sep. 16, 1861, the vessel left London for Adelaide, South Australia, arriving on Jan. 17, 1862. She later, on Mar. 27, 1862, left Guichen Bay (SSE of Adelaide), for London, with 1900 bales of wool, the last wool ship of the season. She arrived in London on Aug. 6, 1862 after a voyage of 129 days. She returned to Adelaide in early 1863 & traded many times between New Zealand (Port Chalmers/Dunedin) & Australia (often Newcastle, New South Wales). LR of 1864/65 lists Devitt & Co. of London as her new owner, continuing to serve Australia & later Japan, both ex London. Do check Trove, Australia, re her service in the Australia & New Zealand area thru Feb. 9, 1867 when she left Brisbane for London for what would seem to have been the last time - with 1,000 bales of wool. I read that she was rather small for Devitt's Australian trade so she was sold, in 1868/69, to Low & Co. of Greenock - for service from the Clyde to Quebec. The Mercantile Navy List of 1870 records John Low of Greenock as the then owner of the 422 ton barque, now registered at Glasgow. LR of 1870/71 notes 'wrecked'. On Sep. 13, 1869 she left Glasgow for Japan. On Mar. 31, 1870, per line 142 here, the 441 ton barque was stranded at Meta Reef, Yeddo, Japan, (near Cape King) while en route from Glasgow to Yokohama, Japan, with a general cargo. 'Stranded' is a kind word to describe what in fact happened. She broke in two & her cargo was drifting ashore when the surviving crew left in ship's boats for Yokohama. Crew of 14 - 4 lost. Then owned by J. Law. This page also reports the loss at line 18, reporting the loss at Yeddo Bay as being rather on Apl. 01, 1870 & the voyage of having commenced at Greenock. Can you provide additional data? #1918 12   Eden 293 later 312 & 301 tons Hull 69 27895 1859 A wooden barque. Eden, which was launched on Sep. 28, 1859, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1860/61 thru 1881/82. The vessel's initial owner, per LR, was 'Graham jun.' of Newcastle for service ex Sunderland in 1860/61, & from Newcastle to the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, from 1861/62 thru 1863/64. With T. London serving as the vessel's captain from 1861/62 thru 1864/65. A Sunderland shipping website, which website requests no links or recognition, tells us that Eden's initial owners were Edmund Graham Jnr., John Snowdon & James Brown, all of Gateshead. Such site also provides detail owner names at a number of dates thru Jul. 15, 1867 (incl. Thomas Weymouth, Robert Unwin, Thomas Dove & Isabella Unwin), which data makes it clear that 'Carr' & 'Snowdon' - read on - were all early shareholders in Eden & presumably were managing owners rather than outright owners. Do drop by that Sunderland website for details - I am requested not to provide you with a link to it. I note that LR of 1860/61 does not provide the name of the vessel's then captain. On Mar. 16, 1861, a barque of the name, surely 'this' Eden, en route from Hartlepool to Hamburg with a cargo of coal, got on shore off Eitzensloch - River Elbe, approaches to Hamburg, I believe. A tug went to her assistance - likely a tug named Assecuradeur. And a portion of her cargo had to be thrown overboard. She was got off, anchored, & soon continued her journey, arriving at Altona (i.e. Hamburg) on Mar. 18, 1861. I read that 'Harland' was the vessel's captain at the time. On Oct. 25, 1861, 'London' now in command, the vessel arrived at Colombo (Ceylon now Sri Lanka). In 1864/65 per LR, the vessel became owned by J. Carr of Newcastle, thru 1870/71 for service from Newcastle to the Mediterranean in 1864/65 & from Newcastle to the Black Sea thereafter. With, again per LR, R. Meadawn, likely R. Meadows her captain thru 1870/71, indeed thru 1872/73. In 1870/71, again per LR, Eden became owned by Snowdon & Co. of Newcastle for service from Newcastle to the Mediterranean in 1870/71 & thereafter from Newcastle to the West Indies, with 'Meadows' still her captain. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') tells us that from 1865 thru 1872, the vessel's owner or managing owner was John Snowdon of Newcastle. In 1872/73, the vessel became Liverpool registered (from Aug. 1872, I read) owned by R. Brown - per MNLs of 1873 thru 1875 Robert Brown of Leven, Fifeshire, Scotland. With G. Meikle her new captain. For continued service from Newcastle to the West Indies. Again, the Sunderland shipping website referred to above reports Eden ownership detail on Aug. 03, 1872. At that date the vessel's owners were Walter Smart & Dysart & Robert Brown, all of Leven. I presume that Robert Brown was the vessel's then managing owner. The webmaster has not researched the operational history of Eden, but did spot a number of voyages into the Black Sea (Sulina, Taganrog etc.), voyages to Cronstadt (St. Petersburg, Russia) & to the West Indies - all with 'Meadows' in command. On Mar. 04, 1872 the vessel (Meadows) arrived at Madeira (a Portuguese island off the NW coast of Africa) ex Cardiff, Wales, short of water & left on the next day for Guadaloupe (southerm Caribbean). On Jul. 12, 1874 (Meadows) the vessel arrived at Falmouth with 'sprung jibboom and topgallant-mast'. 108.0 ft. long, signal letters PTFM, crew lists thru 1874 are available via this page, of 312 tons from LR of 1862/63 & of 301 tons from MNL of 1872. MNL tells us that Eden was Newcastle registered from 1860 thru 1872. And became Liverpool registered in 1873. The fact that LR listed the vessel right thru to 1881/82 is a puzzle. I say that because the MNL reports, here, that on Sep. 28, 1874, Eden was both condemned & sold. Can you tell us anything additional? #2936 13   Halls 98 tons Hull 71 27290 1860 A schooner. Halls, which was launched on Aug. 17, 1860, was first registered, at Inverness, Scotland, on Oct. 15, 1860 (scroll to #27290). It is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1861/62 thru 1881/82 & not thereafter. It seems likely that it was not listed after that date because of its tonnage, being of less than 100 tons. Registered at Inverness thru 1895 & at Sunderland thereafter, Halls was initially owned, per LR, by M. Halls, but from 1876/77, G. Hall. Its initial owner was surely Captain James Hall. Alan Cairnie has kindly provided the webmaster with a copy of the agreement, dated Apl. 27, 1860, whereby James Hall of Belleport, Ross-shire, ordered the vessel to be built by Robert Thompson & Sons for the price of £1,150. The agreement refers to Sisters built in 1857 & also owned by James Hall. Fine data about James Hall is on this page, where it states that the mainstay of his business was supplying pit-props for the Durham coal mines, returning with cargoes of coal & lime. In 1861/62 the vessel is stated to be a Shields coaster. After such edition, the vessel is said to have served as a Sunderland coaster thru 1871/72 & ex Sunderland thereafter to 1873/74. LR's recording of her captains is interesting. In 1861/62, T. Beard is stated to have been her captain, soon corrected, or so it looked, to T. Baird from 1862/63 to 1868/69. In which year (1868/69) the name reverts to T. Beard thru 1872/73 or 1873/74. Thereafter, to 1881/82, 'Junner' or 'J. Junner' is LR listed as her captain. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') provide extensive details as to the ownership of Halls thru 1899. MNLs of 1865 & 1867 lists James Hall, of Belleport, as her then owner. From 1868 to 1876 MNLs list George Hall, also of Belleport (MNL of 1870), becoming George R. Hall from 1878 thru 1895. (MNLs of 1880 & 1890). In 1896, MNL lists the vessel as now registered at Sunderland & owned by Cuthbert Wilkinson of Argyle St., Monkwearmouth, Sunderland. And MNLs of 1897, 1898 & 1899 name Alexander Ralph, of Nairn (17 miles E. of Inverness) as the then owner of the Sunderland registered vessel. Back to James Hall. Alan Cairnie further advises that James Hall had ten children & George R. Hall was both James's youngest son & the one that carried on the shipping business - George became a Justice of the Peace & died in 1888. 73.0 ft. long, signal letters PQRG, many crew lists, thru 1899, are available here.The registry of the vessel closed in 1899. Can you advise what finally happened to Halls? Ian Whittaker has kindly advised that the vessel 'Left Sunderland for Balintore on 16/8/1899. Not heard since. Capt. Ralph'. As is confirmed by this brief newspaper article which states that the vessel had gone missing while en route from Sunderland (left Aug. 16, 1899) to Balintore, Moray Firth, with a cargo of coal. #2116 14 Vencedora 466 tons Hull 70 28441 1860 A barque. The vessel, which was launched on Mar. 8, 1860, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1860/61 thru 1876/77, always registered at Sunderland & owned thru such entire period by Nicholson & Co. of Sunderland. A copper-ore trader I have read. For service from Sunderland to Caldera (northern Chile, the port from which silver & copper, extracted from mines at nearby Copiapó, Chile, were exported) in 1860/61 & 1861/62, & thereafter for service from Swansea, Wales, to South America. Maybe carrying coal outbound from the U.K. & returning with metallic ores. With, per LR, just 4 captains, i.e. J. Scott thru 1866/67, Forbes thru 1869/70, Davies thru 1873/74 & J. Stephen thereafter. 'Forbes' I read means George Alexander Forbes (1852/?) as per this page. But is my data in error in some way? If George A. Forbes was born in 1852, he would have only been about 15 years old in 1866/67 when per LR a 'Forbes' became Vencedora's captain. That does not sound right. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1865 thru 1876 all list the vessel as owned by Wm. Nicholson & Son of Sunderland. The 'son' would seem to have been John Nicholson - Turnbull's Register of 1874 lists the vessel's then owners as being Wm. Nicholson & John Nicholson, each with 32 shares. 130.0 ft. long, signal letters FWLB. On Oct. 4, 1876, per item 595 on this page, the vessel was lost while en route from Porthcawl (near Cardiff, Wales) to Valparaiso, Chile, with about 500 tons of 'best Aber' coal. Abandoned due to the spontaneous combustion of the cargo. At 55.25S/72W in the South Pacific ocean near Cape Horn. A crew of 15, no lives lost. Then stated to be owned by W. Nicholson & Son of Sunderland. It would seem that the vessel also carried some passengers. They & the crew were landed at Valparaiso. Many crew lists are available here. Can anybody tell us more? Or correct the above? #2032 15   Golondrina 475 tons Hull 78 44489 1862 A barque which was launched on Jul. 12, 1862 & first registered, at Sunderland, on Aug. 13, 1862 (scroll to #44489). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1862/63 thru 1868/69, owned for such entire if short period by 'Nichlsn&S' of Sunderland, which I read means Wm. Nicholson & Sons. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1867 all list Wm. Nicholson and Sons, of Sunderland, as her then owners. While MNLs of 1868 & 1869 just list 'Wm. Nicholson'. Per LR, 'Mugford' served as the vessel's captain thru 1864/65, 'Townsend' thru 1867/68 & 'Haynes' from 1867/68. I read that 'Harries' was the vessel's captain in Apl. 1867. Golondrina? The Spanish word for a swallow (bird). For service initially from Sunderland to South America, but from 1864/65 for service from Swansea, Wales, to South America. The vessel was engaged, it would seem, in the carriage of mineral ores from mines in Chile. An unusual event prior to Jan. 22, 1867, which seems to be the date of the related court case. Golondrina was en route from Chanaval (about 300 miles N. of Santiago), Chile, to Swansea, with a cargo of copper regulus (the result of the smelting of copper ore). Apparently her 1st & 2nd mates had deserted the vessel prior to her leaving Chanaval, & the captain had jumped overboard in a deranged state of mind due to drinking. Grenada, 684 tons, a ship built in 1864 at Dumbarton, River Clyde, Scotland, then en route from Singapore to Liverpool, came upon Golondrina which was 4 days out of Chile. In the circumstances they put their 2nd mate aboard Golondrina & he, with difficulty, sailed the vessel safely to Swansea. The vessel & its cargo was valued at £26,000. A total of £1,800 was awarded as salvage to the parties concerned. There are many WWW sources, of identical text, of the above account. Here is one such page. None of them give detail about Grenada, nor the names of the individuals involved including the name of Golondrina's unfortunate captain. 135.0 ft. long, signal letters TVHS. LR of 1868/69 states that the vessel was 'BURNT'. On Feb. 10, 1869, a California newspaper reported that Golondrina had burned while off the Horn when its cargo of coal caught fire. Dorothy Thompson took the crew off the burning ship & landed them at Valparaiso, Chile. The date of the loss is not referenced. Dorothy Thompson, an iron barque, was also built at Sunderland - by 'Doxford' in 1866. Can you tell us anything additional? Crew lists are available here. #2189 < 16   Florence Richards 1051 (or 1056) tons Hull 115 62034 1874 A cargo ship. Per 1 (wreck), 2 ('pdf' p.51 - same vessel I trust), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 221.5 ft. long. I understand that the vessel was built for S. Richards, of Maryport. It would seem that the vessel was later (1876?) purchased by 'Holme Line', of Maryport, UK, (Cumbria coast & Solway Firth - Wilfred & Alfred Hine), and was, indeed, the first steamship in the Holme Line fleet. On Mar. 10, 1890, the vessel foundered 8 miles off Cape Roca, Portugal, while en route from Arzew, Algeria, to Rouen, France, with a cargo of salt. Then owned by 'R. Nicholson & Sons', of London, it would seem, but they may, instead, be the managers. Need your help & your data! 17   Romulus 922/1442 tons Hull 117 68908 1874 A steamship. Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). Romulus, which was launched on Jun. 15, 1874, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1874/75 thru 1889/90, owned, per LR, in 1874/75 & 1875/76 by J. H. W. Culliford & from 1877/78 by Culliford & Clark, both of Sunderland. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') consistently record Jas. Hy. Wood Culliford, of Sunderland, as being the vessel's sole or managing owner as per this 1880 MNL edition. LR advises that her captain thru 1876/77 was 'Haig' & from 1876/77 thru 1878/79 was 'G. Haigh' - possibly the same person? LR further advises that 'Trail' served as the vessel's captain from 1878/79 thru 1881/82, R. Thompson from 1882/83 thru 1886/87, & A. Peterson from 1887/78 thru 1889/90. 248.8 ft. long, signal letters NCKV or NGKV, 160 HP engines by George Clark Ltd. of Sunderland. Many crew lists are available here. On Jan. 17, 1889, while en route from Sunderland to Leghorn (Livorno, Italy) 'with a cargo of fuel', Romulus was sunk at 1 o'clock in the morning in a collision off South Foreland (chalk cliffs, near Dover, Kent), in calm & clear conditions. Near the Goodwin Sands I read. At a point 3 miles SSE of the Dover Pier Light. Her cargo, per Miramar, was of coal, coke, & bricks. She was hit, almost midships, by Belgrano, a 'Le Havre' based French steamship, & sank within 10 minutes of the collision. A Romulus crew member named Anderson unfortunately lost his life in the event - all of the others were landed at Dunkirk, France, by Belgrano. Whose captain refused to allow a Dover galley, which was on the collision scene, from landing them all at nearby Dover. Except at high tide, Romolus's topmasts were visible above water - steps had to be taken to remove such masts & cordon off the wreck site which was in a well-used shipping area. Belgrano, suffered bow damage in the collision & was full of water forward. As per these (1, 2, 3) reports. Is there anything you can add to the above, and/or correct? #2392 18 Brier Holme 921 (or 894) tons Hull 127 76136 1876 A 3 masted iron barque. A wool clipper. Per 1 (data), 2 (image), 3 (possibly the Brier Holme), 4 (other museum data including a painting of wreck), 5 ('pdf' file ref. p.14), 6 (data & image), 7 (image of Oscar Larsen & of rescuer Edward Noye. View it in a large size. Larsen is at left.), 8 (extensive page), 9 (Mar. 6, 1905 extensive article), 10 (1905 newspaper reports, many items in 2nd column), 11 (Brisbane 1934 newspaper article), 12 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 62.8 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 206.1 ft. long. Built for Holme Line (Hine Brothers), of Maryport, Solway Firth, Cumbria & registered at Maryport. The vessel travelled to ports in Australia & New Zealand for her entire life, engaged in the wool & wheat trade. Carried passengers also. To San Francisco in 1877 & probably carried troops to the Boer War. 'It was not uncommon for the ship to reach Tasmania in 80 days, and taking only ten days longer to complete the return voyage.' On Jul. 21, 1904, Captain J. H. Rich in command, the vessel departed London for Hobart, Tasmania, but failed to arrive at her destination. On Nov. 5, 1904, she ran aground in severe weather on a reef off Elliott Cove, SW coast of Tasmania, N. of Port Davey. Main & mizzen masts were lost. The vessel then exploded, killing most of the crew - probably caused by dynamite (gelignite) which was part of the general cargo she carried. She also (re Tasmania, 80% down page) carried '₤40,000 in silver plate and jewellery.' Only one crew member, a Danish (have also read Norwegian) deckhand (Oscar Larsen - he is at left. Edward Noye, captain of Britannia, a fishing boat that rescued Larsen, is at right), made it to land, & was rescued over 3 months later on Feb. 13 or Feb. 19, 1905. Seabird, a steamer, had passed the area earlier trying to find the wreck, but saw nothing. 18 lives were lost. It would seem that one other seaman, named Muller, nearly made it to shore. But there was no 'Muller' aboard. Maybe W. Miller? There was an inquiry, it would seem. But perhaps not of the diligence of a 'Board of Trade' inquiry. A model of the ship is available. Can you add anything? 19 Deronda 1688 tons Hull 130 68958 Trapani 1877 An iron steamer. Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 79.4 metres long. Built for 'Culliford & Clark', of Sunderland. On Feb. 29, 1884, an Inquiry was held, (#2099 see left), into damage that the vessel sustained in a hurricane, when en route from 'Dantzig' (Gdańsk, Poland), to Boston, U.S.A., with a cargo of sugar. A life, or lives, were lost - the Master was held to be free from blame. The date of the damage was not indicated but probably was in very early 1884. Then said to have been owned by 'J. H. Culliford and others'. The vessel was sold, in 1893, to Robert M. Sloman & Co., of Hamburg, & renamed Trapani. On Feb. 13, 1901, (or 16th) the vessel broke its moorings at Mazzarelle (or Mazzarelli), Sicily, & was stranded. Salvaged but later scrapped. I think that is what was said. I need your help & your data! 20   Naworth Castle 1750 (or maybe 1713)  tons Hull 137 68970 1878 An iron steamer. Per 1 (Jan. 26, 1907), 2 (1907 sinking), 3 (Archer), 4 (NY Times archive re Bristol), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 79.4 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 260 ft., triple expansion engines. Built, I understand, for John H. Watson, of Sunderland (however Lloyd's Register & Miramar indicate G. Watson). It would seem that the vessel rescued & landed at Sunderland Captain Harris & the crew of Archer, a clipper which foundered on Feb. 12, 1880, while en route from New York to Le Havre, France. Also in 1880, Naworth Castle towed Bristol, a cargo ship, to Fire Island, a barrier island S. of Long Island, New York. Bristol had had her propeller disabled on Nov. 8, 1880, & limped westward for 11 days under sail power. Naworth Castle, en route from New Orleans to Revel with a cargo of cotton, towed her to safety under adverse weather conditions. Nico Vleggeert answered my earlier question (thanks Nico!) by advising us that Revel is Tallinn, Estonia, Revel being the Russian form of the German name for that city. The vessel was owned, 1893 thru 1896 at least, by J. H. Watson & Co. of Sunderland. And in 1907, when owned by Angus Shipping Co. of Dundee, Scotland, she was sunk, on Jan. 19, 1907, in a collision with Vaderland (Belgian passenger liner en route from New York to Antwerp, Belgium) off the South Goodwin Lightship, Goodwin Sands (off the coast of Kent). There was dense fog at the time. The collision occurred between 2:00 a.m. & 3 a.m. in the morning. Naworth Castle 'was so seriously injured she sank like a stone'. Vaderland suffered bow damage below the waterline & her fore peak became full of water, but her fore bulkhead held & she was able to continue on to Antwerp. Naworth Castle, en route from Newcastle to Pozzuoli, near Naples, Italy, with a cargo of coal, had a crew of 20, 17 of whom were saved. Her 2nd engineer, a steward & a seaman all lost their lives. Need help! An image perhaps? 21 Stakesby 1418 (or 1162 or 1370) tons Hull 152 81215 Perseveranza Eugenia 1880 An iron steamer. Per 1 ('pdf' re 1888 stranding), 2 (Rowland & Marwood, Stakesby), 3 (1880 launch report), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 243.0 ft. long, (74.07 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters SWTJ, 130 HP engines by John Dickinson of Sunderland, launched on Jan. 12, 1880 by Miss Barry. Built for the Mediterranean & Baltic trades for 'John H. Barry and Partners', of Whitby. John H. Barry as per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1880, John Hy. Barry per the equivalent list of 1890. Rowlands & Christopher, of Whitby, were the managers, at least in 1888. On May 15, 1888, the vessel, then owned by 'Messrs Barry & others', left Taganrog, (Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the Sea of Azov, extreme N.E. end of Black Sea), bound for London with a cargo of wheat. On May 20, 1888, the vessel ran aground on Gadaro Island, Tenedos Channel, Sea of Marmora, nr. Istanbul, very close to (just 50/100 yards from!) the Gadaro Lighthouse. Next day a salvage company attended with two tugs, & for the handsome fee of £2,500, took off part of the cargo & inspected the damage. The vessel was holed in 2 places. The ship got off the rock herself, temporary repairs were effected & the vessel proceeded to Constantinople for further repairs. The cargo was there reloaded & the vessel left Constantinople on May 29, 1888 & delivered its cargo in London on Jun. 17, 1888, only 2 or 3 bags being damaged. Captain William Gribble was held to be at fault at the Cardiff Inquiry & his certificate was suspended for 6 months. The 2nd mate had his licence suspended for 9 months. Later in 1888, the vessel became owned by Rowland & Marwood's Steamship Co. Ltd., of Whitby, & in 1891 was sold to Osborn & Wallis, also of Whitby. MNL of 1900 states the vessel's then owner to be Humphry Wallis, of Cardiff. The vessel was sold yet again, in 1900, to "The "Stakesby Steamship Co. Ltd.", of Cardiff, while still registered at Whitby. MNL of 1910 lists such company as the vessel's owner with Humphry Willis the vessel's manager. In 1910, the vessel was sold to 'G. (Guiseppe) Brischitti' of Syracuse, Italy, & renamed Perseveranza. It was sold again, in 1913, to Salvatore Burgio, also of Syracuse & in 1915 was sold to Luigi Gherardi, of Genoa, Italy, & in 1915 renamed Eugenia. The vessel had many owners! In 1920 the vessel became owned by 'F. (Fausto) Dragone' of Genoa & in 1921 became owned by 'Dragone & Turcio', of Naples. On Oct. 19, 1921, the vessel 'sprang a leak' & sank 15 miles S.S.E. of Ischia, a volcanic island near Naples. Presumably no loss of life. Can you add to or correct the above? An image perhaps? 22 Glenochil 2424 tons Hull 179 84948 136858 (USA) Edith 1882 An iron steamer. Per 1 (1882 launch), 2 (data, item #2, re sinking, image), 3 (Alaska Steamship, Edith), 4 [A. H. Bull, Edith) (1)], 5 (image, Captain Mullen), 6 (Edith, sinking), 7 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 296 ft. 6 in. long overall, launched by Mrs Lindsay related presumably to 'Lindsay, Gracie & Co.' of Newcastle, who ordered the ship. But the ship would seem to have become rather owned by Glenochil Steamship Co., of Leith, Scotland, John Potter & Co., of London, the managers.  In Feb. 1895, part of a cargo of cotton-seed oil-cake was damaged in unloading at London. A modest court case resulted, which case is often referenced as a legal precedent. In Mar. 1896, the vessel arrived 10 days late at New York ex Gibraltar with a cargo of coal. She had encountered a major storm, a hurricane perhaps, en route, consumed her bunker coal & had to replenish her supply at Bermuda. On Nov. 30, 1897, Glenochil stranded on the new breakwater off Delaware Breakwater, Lewes, Delaware, suffered major damage to her forward engine rooms & bottom, & was initially thought to be a total loss. She was later righted, dragged off, & repaired at Philadelphia. The vessel was sold in 1901, to A. H. Bull & Co., of New York, & renamed Edith. Sold again, in 1906, to 'North Western Steamship Co.', of Seattle, Washington, with no change of name. In 1908, the vessel was sold to Alaska Steamship Company, of Port Angeles, Washington, again with no change of name. In late Aug. 1915, Capt. C. B. McMullen in command, en route from Nome, Alaska, to Tacoma, Washington, with a cargo of copper concentrate ex copper mines at LaTouche Island (W. entrance to Prince William Sound, Alaska), the semi-liquid cargo shifted as a result of a heavy storm & the ship was in danger of capsizing. The 37 person crew of the vessel abandoned ship on Aug. 30, 1915, off Cape Hinchenbrook, Alaska. They were rescued by Mariposa - which attempted a tow, but the line broke & towing efforts were abandoned. The vessel later sank. No loss of life accordingly. Have not read the exact location. Can you add to or correct the above? An image perhaps? 23 Toledo 2902 or 2843 tons Hull 177 85016 1882 An iron steamer. Per 1 (launch of Toledo, ex the Aug. 01, 1882 edition of 'The Marine Engineer') 2 (data incl. wreck data, John Wishart, Captain of Toledo, 1884/1898), 3 ('pdf', Board of Trade Toledo 1893 wreck Inquiry), 4 ('pdf', Board of Trade Toledo 1898 wreck Inquiry), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The webmaster has a few 'Lloyd's Registers' available to him ex Google books thru 1889/90 - see left. 301.0 ft. long, schooner rigged, signal letters WMJF, launched, on Jul. 15, 1882, by Miss A. Tully, daughter of John Tully, the managing owner of 'J. Tully & Co.', of Sunderland. I have not been able to WWW locate any info. as to the vessel's service & routes. On Jul. 29, 1898, the vessel left Galveston, Texas, with a grain & general 3,424 ton cargo & a crew of 28 all told, bound for Rotterdam, with John Wishart, the vessel's captain since 1884, in command. All went well until Aug. 20, 1898. The vessel's position was established at noon that day, & a course set for a point 8 1/2 miles S. of Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly. The captain 'was not in the habit of consulting with any of his officers with regard to the navigation of the ship', & the chief officer did not calculate the ship's latitude. It would appear that the vessel's position may well have been incorrectly determined. The vessel continued at full speed in conditions which were in & out of dense fog, apparently without a bow look-out. At 4:25 p.m. on Aug. 20, 1898, proceeding at full speed in dense fog, the vessel struck. At what proved to be Crim Rock, Isles of Scilly. The vessel's hull was ripped open, & soon its stern was in the air & its bow under water - the vessel sank, in 25 fathoms of water, within 10 & maybe within 7 minutes. The crew, some in their night clothes, took to ship's boats but were unaware of their location. At about 8 p.m., the fog cleared, & both Bishop Rock Light & St. Agnes Rock lighthouse became visible in different directions. A pilot saw the boats' blue lights, came to their rescue, & towed them to St. Mary's, St. Martin's Island, arriving at about 10:30 p.m. The Court determined that Captain Wishart was alone responsible for the stranding. In particular he had underestimated the strength of the tide which was setting the ship to the north-east, had not slowed the ship in fog, had not maintained a forward lookout nor used the lead. He was severely reprimanded by the Court but was permitted to retain his master's certificate. Is there anything you can add? An image? #1887 24 Blue Jacket 2205 (or 2090 or 2113) tons Hull 190 87481 1883 An iron steamer. Per 1 (text & image, 60% down), 2 (data), 3 (brief ref.), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 282.7 ft. long perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters HTFV. Built for 'Blue Jacket Steamship Co. Ltd.', of Cardiff, Wales, & registered there. Hallett Bros & Co., the managers. A data 'snippet' advises that in Jan. 1898, the vessel caught fire loading at Harwich. On Nov. 9, 1898, at about midnight, while en route from Plymouth to Cardiff, in ballast, the vessel grounded at Longships Lighthouse 1 1/4 miles off Land's End, Cornwall. A most unusual incident - actually hitting the rock. It almost hit the lighthouse! It missed it by just 18 metres. The wreck lies on the western side of the rocks in 12 metres of water. A total loss. I would seem that there was no loss of life. The Captain, his wife & the crew were rescued by the Sennen lifeboat. I spotted a reference to negligence being the cause, presumably established by an official inquiry. But ... a brief ref. in 'The Leisure Hour' in 1902 stated there was no adequate reason as to why the collision occurred & the weather was clear at the time. The mate was in command. The weather is also said to have been poor but the light could be seen for at least 2 miles. The wreck sat perched there for over a year, I read. Then, on Nov. 14, 1899, I think that is correct, per Lockett Graham (thanks!), the ship broke her back behind the bridge, her stern disappearing underwater. The forward part of the ship and her machinery were later salvaged. It would seem that Alfred Wallis (1855/1942), (A), a 'primitive' artist, painted the ship, but I have not been able to WWW find an image. Need help! 25 Croma 2084/3170, later 2071/3187 tons Hull 180 88745 1883 A schooner-rigged iron steamship. Per 1 (1899 Official Wreck Inquiry), 2 (data & Croma image), 3 ('Scottish Shipwrecks' page re the Croma 1899 wreck & image at left), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). Croma, which was launched on Aug. 4, 1883, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1883/84 thru 1897/98. And is likely in the 1898/99 edition also but that edition is not available to the webmaster. The vessel's initial owner, per LR, was Dent & Co., of Newcastle - the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1884 records John Dent, jun., of Newcastle, as her then, presumably managing, owner. For the entire following period thru to 1897/98, the vessel, per LR, was owned by Croma Ship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, with Dent & Co., also of Newcastle, the vessel's manager. As is essentially confirmed by MNLs of 1885 thru 1898 which all record The Croma Shipping Co. Ltd. (or The "Croma" Shipping Co. Ltd.), of Sea View, Blyth, Northumberland, as the vessel's owner - such company being set by by Dent & Co. to own this particular vessel. With John Dent, jun. the vessel's manager, from Jan. 26, 1888, I read. There are numerous references to the vessel being an 'Arrow Line' steamer. LRs record E. Cave to be the vessel's captain thru 1887/78 & W. R. Lord, correctly William Robert Lord, her captain thereafter. Bill Swift advises that 'Lord' sailed for Dent & Co. between 1869 & 1897 & was also a painter. In 1894, Mackenzie and Storrie, of Leith, Scotland (later Mackenzie & Storrie Ltd., of Edinburgh), published 'Reminiscences of a Sailor', Lord's autobiography. Such autobiography was republished in 2010 by the British Library, I learn. Such volume contained an image of Lord's painting of Croma - which image is available at left. Time has not permitted the webmaster to research the vessel's operational history, but I note that 'Tindal' or 'Tindle' later became Croma's master. On Dec. 22, 1897, returning to Leith (Edinburgh) from New York ('NY'), Croma went ashore on the E. side of Inchkeith Island in the Firth of Forth during dense fog. 'Tindal' is noted, in this report, to have been her then master but the ship was at the time under the control of an experienced pilot. A salvage company unloaded a part of her cargo into lighters & in a couple of days the vessel was got off & the vessel was dry-docked at Leith & repaired. Jonas Cleveland Claxton would seem to have become the vessel's master in the spring of 1899. I say that because on May 5, 1899, Croma left Dundee for NY with 'Claxton' in command. It arrived at NY on May 21, 1899 & on May 27, 1899 left NY to return to Leith, Scotland. The vessel's history with 'Claxton' in command, is unfortunate. On Jun. 23, 1899, 'Claxton' in command, the vessel left Leith for Dundee, Scotland, to load additional cargo for a voyage to NY. Early in such voyage, just 24 miles from Leith, Croma ran aground on rocks at May Island. During a dense fog. The vessel's engines were instantly reversed & she got off into deep water but with considerable damage to her hull. Badly holed, she made it back to Leith but with so much water in her holds she could not enter the harbour there. She had to be run aground to the W. of the West Pier at Leith. For a fee of £500, the East Coast Salvage Company was commissioned to refloat the vessel which quickly was able to enter drydock at Leith & be repaired. One of many newspaper accounts of this event. On Jul. 2, 1879 Croma (Claxton) again left Dundee for NY where it arrived on Jul. 17, 1899. 330.3 ft. long perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters HWRK, 300 HP engines by Wallsend-on-Tyne Slipway & Engineering Company Ltd. of Newcastle. Many crew lists are available via here. At 5 a.m. on Aug. 13, 1899 (incorrectly noted elsewhere as being on Jul. 13, 1899), Croma again left Dundee for NY with a general cargo of just 500 tons & a crew of 28 all told. Under the command of 'Claxton'. It first travelled northwards & turned west to pass through the Pentland Firth which separates mainland Scotland from the Orkney Islands. At 11:30 p.m. that night, 'Claxton' went below leaving Sivert Hendelin, the vessel's chief officer, in charge. Soon after midnight, 'Claxton' was requested to come on deck but did not. The weather had become steadily hazier as the voyage proceeded & had become a dense fog. Soon after 1 a.m., after seeing the light on the island of Stroma, in a temporary break in the fog, 'Hendelin' again went below. To find 'Claxton' asleep. He roused him & urged him again to come on deck. The Inquiry evidence makes clear that, though 'Claxton' later denied it, 'Claxton' was drunk. It seems evident that passing through the Pentland Firth has real dangers. There are two islands in the Firth, named respectively Stroma & Swona, Swona the more northerly of the two, about 2 3/4 miles apart. The then strong flood tide conditions, the dense fog & the vessel's light trim, all made the passage particularly dangerous for Croma. To cut a long story short, Croma, which had been travelling at slow speed, upped its speed to keep clear of the island of Stroma. But at about 1.30 a.m. on Aug. 14, 1899, still at full speed, Croma drove ashore on the S. side of Swona island with her stern on one rock & her stem on another - near Sooth Clett, I read. 'Claxton' was aroused from his sleep & came on deck. Efforts were made to get the vessel off without success. The vessel rapidly filled with water & later that day, at about 8 p.m., the entire crew abandoned the vessel via ship's boats. Later that month, with no possibility of her being refloated, & the vessel having broken her back, Croma was condemned. The webmaster invites you to read the Wreck Inquiry Report available via the link above. The hearing concluded that 'Claxton', the vessel's captain, had caused  the loss in large part due to his being under the influence of drink. While 'Hendelin', the chief officer, was also held to be partially responsible. With his extensive experience of these waters, 'Hendelin', who had served 10 years aboard the vessel, should not have tried to take the vessel thru the Firth in such conditions. Claxton's master's certificate was suspended for a period of 12 months, Hendelin's for 3 months. Both were granted 2nd officer's certificates during such periods. The role of the webmaster is not to rewrite events, but rather to diligently report the actual history. The webmaster does, however, have concerns about the decision of the Court of Inquiry in this matter. Captain Claxton was surely guilty of dereliction of his duty as master when he was absent from the bridge when critically needed. Especially so in all of the circumstances. But, to the webmaster at least, 'Hendelin', the vessel's chief officer, bears the greatest responsibility. He was, after all, in command of Croma during its voyage thru the Pentland Firth. He surely failed to exercise the level of judgement that might be expected of an experienced officer, knowledeagle both as to his ship & as to the waters of the Firth. His failure was, to the webmaster, much greater than that of the master, yet he received by far the lighest punishment. My view, at least. Is there anything you can add to the above. Or correct? #2672 26 Algoma 2914 tons Hull 205 91241 1885 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Launch, ex The Marine Engineer of Jun. 1, 1885. Marked in blue. An 1885 typographical error!), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 330 ft long. Built for W. Tapscott & Co., of Liverpool & registered there. Per Miramar, vessel was wrecked on Jul. 6, 1904 at Tongmi Point, which seems to be on the coast of China, near Hong Kong. WWW data is essentially non-existent. Can you add anything? 27   Cabo Palos 1697 tons Hull 213 1885 A cargo ship. Per 1 (1885 ref. to launch, p.246), 2 [Ybarra Line, Cabo Palos (1)], 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 250 ft long. Built for Ybarra & Co. (Ybarra Cia. S.A.), of Seville, Spain. Vessel was wrecked on Jul. 31, 1911, at Avilés, Asturias, Spain. WWW data is essentially non-existent. Can you add anything? 28   Chelydra 2518 (or 2467) tons Hull 209 91889 Chiyo Maru 1885 A cargo ship. Per 1 (1885 ref. to launch, Chelyara, p.220), 2 (1885 ref. to sea trials, page 301), 3 (Jardine, Matheson & Co., Chelydra), 4 (data available re Chelydra/Indo-China), 5 (Port Arthur, 1904, NY Times archive), 6 (Port Arthur, 1904, p.230/2), 7 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 312 ft long, accommodation for some 1st Class passengers, deck of teak, noted to be with an electric installation, speed of 12 knots attained on trials. Built for Angier Brothers, of London, for their China service. In 1891, sold to Jardine, Matheson & Co., specifically 'Indo-China Steam Navigation Company'. Sold in 1903 to K. Oaki (who may however be the agent rather than the owner) & renamed Chiyo Maru. On Mar. 27, 1904, during the Russo/Japanese War of 1904/05, the vessel (many vessels of the name), loaded with explosives & a mixture of cement & stones, 'so it would stay down for at least a year', together with 3 other ships (including Fukui Maru which link has more data), was scuttled off Port Arthur, Manchuria, to block off the narrow W channel access to Port Arthur & seal Russian vessels inside the harbour. The attack was considered to be a great success even though a gap of 200 ft. was left through which Russian vessel vessels could move with difficulty. Loss of life? - 'the crew and engineers pushed off just in time'. Can you add anything? 29 Raphael 1860 tons Hull 208 91858 Presidente Bulnes Ercilla Antofagasta Fresia 1885 An iron steamer, 'with auxiliary sail power'. Per 1 & 2 (1885 refs. to the Jun. 30, 1885 launch & later trial trip of Raphael), 3 [Bolton Steam, Raphael (1)], 4 (extensive data Bolton, Raphael), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The webmaster has a few 'Lloyd's Registers' available to him ex Google books (see left). 271.4 ft. (82.72 metres) long, speed of 8 knots, signal letters KBHR, 160 HP later 198 HP engines by Thomas Richardson & Sons, of Hartlepool. The vessel was named, at its launch, by 'Mrs. Thackwray, jun.', of Sunderland. Built for F. (Frederic) Bolton, of London, (Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1890) which, it would appear later became 'Frederic Bolton & Company', & from 1897, 'Bolton Steam Shipping Company Ltd.'. MNL of 1900 when Frederic Bolton & Louis T. Bartholomew were the vessel's managers. Operators of small cargo vessels (named after artists beginning with the letter 'R'), which often carried Welsh coal to Mediterranean bunkering stations & returned with grain, hemp & cotton seed from the Black Sea. In 1906, the vessel was sold to 'Compañía Chilena de Navigation a Vapor' ('Chilena'), of Valparaiso, Chile, (with no change of vessel name), & transferred in 1909 to 'Compañía Chilena de Navigation a Vapores' & renamed Presidente Bulnes. Chilena 'did not prosper and soon went into liquidation'. The vessel was then sold, in 1912, to 'L. C. Ubeda and J. L. Delano', also of Valparaiso, with no change of vessel name. In 1913 the vessel became owned by M. Ramis Clar & L. Gonzales, of Valparaiso & renamed Ercilla. But later in 1913 was renamed Antofagasta. Later, in 1914, the vessel was sold to 'R. W. James y Cia.' also of Valparaiso, & renamed Fresia. After WW1 ended, the vessel was sold, for the last time, in 1920, to 'Telles, Romaguera and Company', of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with no change of vessel name. The vessel was hulked at Rio de Janeiro in Q1 of 1930. As you can see from the single Fresia Lloyd's Register listing I can locate, re 1930/31, thanks to 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'. I have previously, in this spot, referred to the vessel being still afloat in 1942, & her final disposition being unknown to the webmaster. Many earlier websites have vanished along the way including, likely, my source re such comments. Crew lists thru 1904 are available here. Can you add anything? 30   Thompsonian 1753 tons Hull 206 90327 Bavington 1885 A cargo ship. Per 1 (1885 ref. to launch, Thomsonian, p.77), 2 (Board of Trade wreck inquiry report, Bavington), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 260.0 ft. long perpendicular to perpendicular. Built on speculation, it would seem. Launched as Thompsonian but delivered as Bavington, at the cost of £16,500, to William Kish, of Sunderland. On Jun. 1, 1887, the vessel left Carthagena (or Cartagena), SE Spain, for Middlesbrough, under the command of George M. (Metcalf) Taylor. With a cargo of iron ore & 19 crew & 6 passengers aboard. On Jun. 8, 1867, the vessel ran aground at 'Pierres Vertes', 3 or 4 miles SE of Ushant (an island in the English Channel off the coast of Brittany, near Brest, France). Since the vessel was sinking fast, all aboard took to the boats, were taken aboard a French fishing cutter & landed at Brest. The Court held that the grounding & loss was solely due to the wrongful acts & defaults of Captain Taylor, in 'a case of reckless and careless navigation'. His master's certificate was suspended for 6 months, during which period it was recommended that he be granted a first mate's certificate. Can you add anything? 31 Hubbuck 2959 (later 2749 & 2834) tons Hull 211 91912 Eugenio Dutrus 1886 A cargo ship. Per 1 (1886 ref. to launch, p.298 ex 2), 3 (Blue Anchor Line), 4 (extensive history in Spanish, Eugenio Dutrus), 5 (link 4, Google translated into English), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 338 ft. long overall, 325.0 ft. long perpendicular to perpendicular, 3 masts, speed of 11 knots, signal letters KGBP, perhaps later HLWB. Mrs. Hubbuck named the vessel at its launch. Built for Wilhelm Lund of London for his 'Blue Anchor Line' intended for the wool & passenger service to Australia. In 1898, the vessel was sold to Talbot Steamship Co. Ltd., of London (George M. Allan the manager) or maybe also of Swansea, Wales, with, it would seem, no change of name. There were a number of later owners. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1910 states that the vessel was then owned by 'Egypt and Levant Steamship Co. Ltd.' of London with John W. Straughan the manager. Lloyd's Register of 1911/12 lists 'Numidian S. S. Co. Ltd.' as the then owner, with Olivier & Co. the manager. While the MNL register of 1915 states 'The Franco-British Steamship Co. Ltd.' of London to be the vessel's owners with John W. Thompson the manager. In 1919, the vessel was sold to Dutrus & Carsi, wine & grain merchants & fleet owners of Valencia, Spain, & renamed Eugenio Dutrus. While the vessel carried cargoes of wine, it was primarily engaged in providing service between Gijon, Asturias, Spain, & Mediterranean ports, mainly Barcelona, carrying coal from Cardiff. I read that in 1924 the vessel was in collision with Santofirme, built in 1896, as King Edgar, by Short Bros., of Sunderland. I read also that on Oct. 7, 1925 when at Cardiff loading coal, there was an explosion aboard the ship. One person loading the coal was killed & a Eugenio Dutrus crew member was seriously injured. On Apl. 26, 1926, when under the command of D. Pedro Astoreca Monasterio, the vessel ran aground in fog at Los Cabezos Rocks, W. of Gibraltar, when loaded with coal. The vessel was later freed with the help of tugs, towed to nearby Tarifa, Asturias, & beached at Los Lances beach. It later sank there as a result of a storm & was scrapped. It would appear that there was no loss of life. Much of the above data is thanks to Vicente Sanahuja of vidamaritima.com, who was kindly in touch - & whose fine web page is at link 4 above. Can you add anything? 32   Kaisow 2959 (or 3099) tons Hull 212 91898 Matsuyama Maru 1886 A cargo ship. Per 1 (1886 ref. to launch, p.297), 2 (ref. 60% down), 3 (Blue Funnel, Kaisow), 4 (Nippon Yusen Kaisha K.K., Matsuyama Maru), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 362 (or 350) ft. long, speed (anticipated at launch) 13 knots, actual 10 knots, accommodation for a limited number of 1st class passengers. Built for China Shippers' Mutual Steamship Company ('Shippers'), of London, which company traded between London & China. Named by Miss Deacon, at the launch. Somehow became owned by 'The China Mutual Steam Navigation Co.', (a subsidiary of Shippers perhaps?), which company was taken over in 1902 by Blue Funnel Line (am not sure of the name of the specific company which as a result owned the vessel). In 1894, sold to Nippon Yusen Kaisha K.K., of Japan, & renamed Matsuyama Maru. In 1923, sold to Kinkai Yusen K.K., of Tokyo. On Jul. 11, 1924, while en route from Keelung, Taiwan, to Yokohama, Japan, vessel was wrecked at Pemboeang, W of Goto Island (an isolated island in E. China Sea off SW end of Japan maybe). Can find no WWW references to the circumstances. Any loss of life? Can you add anything? 33 Rembrandt 1911 tons Hull 217 90335 Presidente Prieto 1886 A cargo ship, square-rigged on the foremast. Her yards were rigged down early in her career, but she continued to make occasional use of stay-sails for some years. Per 1 (1886 ref. to launch, Rembrandt, p.247), 2 [Bolton Steam, Rembrandt (1)], 3 (related data), 4 [data Bolton, Rembrandt (1)], 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The webmaster has a few 'Lloyd's Registers' available to him ex Google books (see left). 271.4 ft. long, signal letters KHST, speed probably of 8 knots. The vessel was named, at its launch, by Mrs. Kenneth, of London. Built for F. (Frederic) Bolton, of London, which company, it would appear later became 'Frederic Bolton & Company', & 'Bolton Steam Shipping Company Ltd'. 'Bolton & Kenneth', of London, may have been the managers, though from 1887 to 1897, Henry Kenneth was a partner, I read. Operators of small cargo vessels (named after artists beginning with the letter 'R'), which often carried Welsh coal to Mediterranean bunkering stations & returned with grain, hemp & cotton seed from the Black Sea. In 1906, the vessel was sold to 'Compañía Chilena de Navigation a Vapores' ('Chilena'), of Valparaiso, Chile, & renamed Presidente Prieto. Chilena 'did not prosper and soon went into liquidation'. The vessel was then sold to A. Puccio, also of Valparaiso, with no change of vessel name. In 1912 (or maybe in 1913) the vessel ran aground, (where I wonder & under what circumstances?) & was badly damaged. The vessel was declared a constructive total loss & was deleted from the lists, per Miramar, in 1912. Can you add anything? 34 Royal Jubilee 2454 (or 2571) tons Hull 215 94325 Foyle Miranda 1887 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Launch, ex The Marine Engineer of Apl. 1, 1887. Marked in red.), 2 [ref., fleet list, page bottom, Foyle (1)], 3 [A. Kirsten, Miranda (1)], 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 91.4 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 312 ft., speed? Was built 'on speculation' & temporarily named Royal Jubilee at the launch, by Miss Knight, of Sutton, Surrey. Later delivered to Mercantile Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. ('Mercantile'), of London, as Foyle. In Jan. 1888, re JLT, 'The firm are engaged in carrying out extensive repairs to the steamer Foyle (built by themselves), which went ashore near Malta while on her first voyage, and had to be temporarily repaired at Malta before she could be brought home to undergo a thorough overhaul'. Can find no detail as to the circumstances. In 1889, (or maybe in 1888), the vessel was sold to A. Kirsten, of Hamburg, Germany, & renamed Miranda. If 1889, it would need to be early since Mercantile took delivery of another Foyle in Apl. 1889. On Aug. 10, 1895, the vessel ran aground or was stranded at Jument Rocks, nr. Ile D' Quessant, Ushant, (an island off the coast of Brittany, France), & was wrecked & lost. The WWW seems to be silent as to the exact location & the circumstances. Any loss of life? Can you add anything? 35 Lancashire Witch 286/762(N/G) tons Hull 224 93722 Coogee 1887 A passenger/cargo steel steamship, 2 masts, rigged as a barque. Per 1 (extensive data), 2 & 3 (data), 4 (what I am sure really happened in 1903, 2 images of Coogee, from a 'Peter Plowman' book), 5 ('Yet another opposition Company', 80% down), 6 (data Coogee), 7 (data Coogee), 8 (launch ex Marine Engineer 1887/88), 9 (extensive detail, also ex Marine Engineer 1887/88), 10 (wreck), 11 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 225.0 ft. (68.58 metres) long, speed of 12 knots but certainly much faster at her trials (16 1/2 knots), 250 HP engines by John Dickinson of Sunderland. I do try, in these pages, to be 100% accurate. With this vessel that is most difficult indeed. Built for 'New Isle of Man Steam Navigation Co. Ltd.' ('Lancashire Line'), of Liverpool, for the Liverpool/Douglas, Isle of Man, route. When Lancashire Line went bankrupt in 1888, Huddart Parker Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia, bought the vessel & sailed it to Australia (I do mean sailed; the propeller was either (data differs) a) in the hold or b) not removed but 'fixed in place'). Intended for the Melbourne to nearby Geelong (about 45 miles apart) service. Renamed Coogee. A troubled history thereafter! Involved in 2 collisions in 1889 - Excelsior & Griper - & with Pilot in 1891. Vessel modified to serve the 'Bass Strait ferry run', between Melbourne & Launceston, Tasmania. Completed 961 such round trips (each about 700 miles) until involved in an accident on Christmas Day, 1903. In thick fog, Coogee (Captain Carrington) collided with (data differs) Fortuna Figaro or Fortunato Figari, ('Fortuna') a 4-masted Italian sailing ship bound for Newcastle - S. of Cape Schanck, I believe. 'A great gash was ripped in the bow of the SS Coogee. As the larger sailing ship moved past, its jib boom swept along the SS Coogee from stern to stern carrying away everything in its way including deck houses, the bridge, lifeboats, ventilators, and the funnel. The Captain and the man at the wheel were killed. Fortunately all passengers and most of the crew were below deck, otherwise, casualties would have been greater.' The 2nd mate was severely injured. Coogee did not sink, due to its watertight bulkheads. Next day it was either a) towed by Fortuna or b) Coogee towed Fortuna (data conflicts) towards Queenscliff until other vessels took over the tow. I think a) is correct. Coogee was held a) partially responsible or b) responsible in the Inquiry. Version a) sounds to be correct. A 7 year gap in the knowledge. Was later refitted (1910) & resumed Melbourne/Geelong route. The troubled history continued. Ran aground in Feb. 1914 off the Hopetoun Channel having given way to Moorabool. Took several weeks to refloat her. Later that same month, on Feb. 25, 1914, was in collision with Bombala. Collided with Uganda, lying in Corio Bay, in Mar. 1914. Vessel withdrawn from service in 1917, lay idle for 12 months until taken over by Royal Australian Navy (HMAS Coogee) & used as a mine sweeper. Later became Coogee again. In 1921, was chartered by the Telegraph Department to repair damage to the Bass Strait cable. Vessel redundant in 1928 & scuttled 'outside the Heads', 4 km. off shore & W. of Point Lonsdale, at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay (at 38.18.12S/144.35.0W). An e-Bay postcard offering in Nov. 2019 stated as follows on its rear - 'Dismantled in Melbourne in 1927 after being laid up for eight years. Her hulk was scuttled in Bass Strait in Feb. 1928.' Confusion re this listing. Can you correct or add to the above? 36 Rubens 2153, later 1922, later 2077 tons, later 2045, tons. Hull 223 94315 Presidente Manuel Montt Iquique Souk-Ahras Sara Sara Saglimbene 1887 A cargo ship which was launched on Jul. 21, 1887 christened by Miss Pearse of Plymouth. Per 1 (Bolton, history), 2 [Bolton Steam, Rubens (1)], 3 (1887 collision in Hudson Dock), 4 (Rubens, sold in 1905), 5 (Inquiry into 1902 collision with Severn, 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The webmaster has a few 'Lloyd's Registers' available to him ex Google books (see left). 275.0 ft. long (83.82 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, 287.0 ft. long overall, signal letters KNGQ later HBGJ, later OTSY, later PGTI, 250 HP engines, later 210 HP engines by Thomas Richardson & Sons of West Hartlepool. Built for 'Bolton & Kenneth', of London. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1890 records Henry Kenneth, Frederic Bolton & Louis T. (Theodore) Bartholomew, all of London, as the vessel's then owners. Bolton & Kenneth, it would appear later became 'Frederic Bolton & Company', & 'Bolton Steam Shipping Company Ltd' (MNL of 1900). Operators of small cargo vessels (named after artists beginning with the letter 'R'), which carried Welsh coal to Mediterranean bunkering stations & returned with grain, hemp & cotton seed from the Black Sea. A 'dead' website & the second image at left advises us that after her acceptance trials, Rubens was rammed by a collier at her moorings & sunk - she was soon raised & repaired. I wonder which collier rammed her? - the ship's name would surely have been reported in the Sunderland press at the time. It was indeed! Thanks to a friend of the site, we now know that the collision happened in Hudson Dock & that it was Chelsea (built at Jarrow in 1884) that rammed her. Rubens was involved in another collision, on Jan. 31, 1902 in the River Thames, a little below Tripcock Point, Barking Reach. At 6.30 p.m. that day she was en route from West India Docks, London, to Leith, Scotland, with a cargo of 1600 tons of grain under the command of George Duncan Braine, a pilot. John Isdale was Ruben's master. Proceeding up-river, was Severn, a spritsail sailing barge (ON 70673) of 36 tons, built in 1867, under the command of Harry Tyler & carrying 70 tons of chalk. Severn only had a crew of 2 & possibly had no lookout at the time of the collision which resulted in the sinking of Severn & in both of her crew losing their lives. Severn sank about half a minute of the collision. Both vessels were found to be guilty of navigation infractions, Severn for not maintaining her course & Rubens for not blasting her horn or slackening her speed. All as per the report of the Inquiry into the collision (link 5). The vessels was not recorded in MNL of 1904 for some reason. In Jun. 1905, the vessel was reportedly sold for £9,000 to 'Compañía Chilena de Navigation a Vapor' ('Chilena'), of Valparaiso, Chile, (with no change of vessel name). Later, in 1909, the vessel was transferred to 'Compañía Chilena de Navigation a Vapores' & renamed Presidente Manuel Montt. I have read that Chilena 'did not prosper and soon went into liquidation'. The vessel was sold again, in 1913, to 'Gonzales Soffia y Cia', also of Valparaiso, & renamed Iquique. The vessel was sold again, in 1918, to 'Chemins de Fer Algériens de l'Etat' of Le Havre, France, & renamed Souk-Ahras, registered at both Le Havre & at Bordeaux, France. In 1925, the vessel was sold to 'J. de St. Aignan' of Algiers, Algeria, (no change of vessel name) & in 1926 was sold to 'Soc. Anon. di Nav. Nettuno', of Catania, Sicily, renamed Sara, & registered at Catania. In 1927, D. Saglimbene became the vessel's manager & the vessel was renamed Sara Saglimbene & became registered at Trieste, Italy. The vessel was broken up in Q4 of 1928. An expired website used to make available a 'Bolton Steam Shipping' booklet, which was the source for much of the above data. Can you add to and/or correct the above! 37 Discovery 1224/1916 (N/G) tons later 1241/1986 (N/G) tons Hull 236 89790 Savio 1888 The vessel, a steel steamship, was launched on Jun. 7, 1888 & first registered, at Whitby, Yorkshire, on Jul. 12, 1888 (scroll to #89790). Per 1 (extensive data in French, with Discovery image, Google translated into English here), 2 (extensive data in French), 3 (Savio, sunk by UC-36), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). Was initially owned by Rowland & Marwood of Whitby, i.e. by John Rowland & Christopher Marwood per Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1889 & 1890. From 1891 thru 1906 (MNL of 1900), per MNLs, the vessel was owned by Rowland & Marwood's Steamship Co. Ltd. also of Whitby. With John Rowland & Christopher Marwood her managers thru 1899 & then just Christopher Marwood. With J. C. Woodall her captain thru 1892/93 & then, in 1893/94 at least, G. Donovan. In 1906, certainly by 1907, the vessel became registered at Cardiff, Wales, owned by Martin & Marquand of Cardiff (per Miramar) or per MNL of 1907 by Hilary B. Marquand ('HilaryM'), of Bute Docks, Cardiff, then stated to be her managing owner. Soon by Marquand Shipping Co. Ltd. of Cardiff with HilaryM her manager (per MNLs of 1909 thru 1911) or Martin & Marquand, per Lloyd's Register ('LR'). J. Pawley, per LR, was the vessel's captain in 1908/09 & W. Lobb in 1910/11 & 1911/12. In 1912 the vessel was sold to Joseph Carnevalli (or G. Carnevali) & Co. of Ravenna, Italy, & renamed Savio. 284.0 ft. long, signal letters KSVL, 180 HP, later, certainly from 1908/09 per LR, 202 HP engines, by Thomas Richardson & Sons of Hartlepool. On Apl. 23, 1917, Savio, unarmed, under the command of Captain Antonio Cipriani with a crew of 20, was en route from Glasgow, River Clyde, to Genoa, Italy, with a cargo of 3,000 tons of coal for delivery to the Italian Railways. It was sunk with explosives by German submarine UC-36, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Gustav Buch. Sunk 25 miles W. of Île de Noirmoutier, near Nantes, France. No lives were lost. Savio had initially travelled in convoy - to Berthaume, a little W. of Brest, France - & then proceeded to the SE independently. UC-36, travelling on the surface, approached Savio at about 8.30 a.m. on Apl. 23, 1917 & fired 6 cannon shots into her, the 3rd of which struck her bridge. UC-36 took Savio in tow, but put 4 seaman carrying explosives aboard the vessel - the explosives were soon detonated. Savio's crew were able (or permitted) to take to ship's boats & at 4 p.m. that day landed on the nearby island of Belle-Ile (off Vannes, Brittany). Is there anything you can add? #2149 38 Northumbria 1912 (later 2009) tons Hull 240 95663 Deutscher Kaiser Syra Polwell 1888 A cargo ship, a collier. Per 1 ('pdf' file, extensive Polwell wreck & history data), 2 ('irishwrecksonline', wreck data, Polewell), 3 ('uboat.net', Polwell wreck), 4 (International Lines, of Whitby), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 86.6 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 284.0 ft., signal letters KTNS. Built for International Line Steam Ship Co. Ltd., of Whitby, Christopher Marwood the manager? In 1910, the vessel was sold to 'Emil R. Retzlaff', of Szczecin (Stettin), then Germany now Poland, & renamed Deutscher Kaiser. In 1914, the vessel  was sold to 'DR Union', (which may mean 'Deutsche Reederei Union', renamed Syra, & registered at Hamburg, Germany. The vessel was captured by the British off Gibraltar, while en route from Antwerp to the Levant. I wonder when exactly that was? And was then, in 1914/15, requisitioned by the Ministry of War Transport & in 1915 renamed Polwell, managed by Clyde Shipping Co. Ltd., of Glasgow. On Jun. 5, 1918, while en route from Troon, Scotland, to France, with a cargo of coal, the vessel was hit amidships by a single torpedo fired by submarine U-96, Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Jeß in command, in the Irish Sea off the north Dublin coast. The vessel sank immediately, at 53.33.183N/05.55.867W (have read other coordinates also) - about 6 miles SE of Rockabill lighthouse, 8 miles NE of Lambay Island. I read that the entire crew of 30 made it safely to the Rockabill lighthouse, presumably via the ship's boats. The wreck, owned by 'Nautilus SAC', is, I read, largely intact on the sea floor in about 35 metres of water, festooned with nets, but without its bell. The webmaster tries to maintain accuracy, however, the above text may well need significant correction. 4 seems to state that Northumbria was sold, in 1910, to W. C. Wailes, of Whitby, with no reference to Retzlaff. Which is strange because William C. (Cordner) Wailes, of W. C. Wailes & Co., shipowners of Cardiff, went bankrupt in 1910. Some later Lloyd's Register listings would help greatly. This link (a 'pdf') suggests that the wreck is only 'possibly' Polwell, & was 'possibly' carrying coal. The wreck location may be approximate. Need help! Another image perhaps? 39 Ruysdael 2095 tons Hull 238 95460 Jeneral Freire Lautaro 1888 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Bolton, history), 2 [Bolton Steam, Ruysdael (1)], 3 (data, Ruysdael), 4 (refs. Ruysdael), 5 (related data), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The webmaster has just 2 'Lloyd's Registers' available to him ex Google books (see left). 275.0 ft long, 83.8 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters KTRV. Built for 'Bolton & Kenneth', of London, which company, it would appear later became 'Frederic Bolton & Company', & 'Bolton Steam Shipping Company Ltd'. Frederic Bolton & Henry Kenneth were partners from 1887 to 1897. Operators of small cargo vessels (named after artists beginning with the letter 'R'), which carried Welsh coal to Mediterranean bunkering stations & returned with grain, hemp & cotton seed from the Black Sea. The vessel was sold, in 1909, to 'Compañía Chilena de Vapores', of Valparaiso, Chile, & renamed Jeneral Freire. (Per 2, General Freire - likely Jeneral Freire is correct, but absent Lloyd's Registers I cannot confirm). 3 advises that in 1914, the vessel was sold to G. Pommerenke, of ?, with no change of vessel name. It was sold again, in 1920, to 'Borquez & Co.', of Valparaiso, & renamed Lautaro. On Jun. 1, 1928, the vessel was wrecked at Valparaiso. I have not been able to read the circumstances. WWW data is really quite limited. Can you add to and/or correct the above? 40   William Branfoot 1962 tons Hull 241 95275 Kurland 1888 A cargo ship. Per 1, 2, 3, 4 (all 4 re Kurland), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 86.6 metres long. Built for Tyzack & Branfoot Steam Shipping Company, of Sunderland. In 1897, sold to Argo Line, i.e. 'Dampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft Argo AG', of Bremen, Germany & renamed Kurland.  In 1908, sold to 'Ocean SA Belge d’Armement et de Nav.', of Antwerp, Belgium. Early in Dec. 1917, while en route from New York to Calais, France, with a cargo of war supplies (particularly rifles, & also horseshoes) for the Belgian government, was attacked by a German U-boat, defended herself, & escaped unscathed. Later in that voyage I presume, at 5 a.m. on Dec 13, 1917, was rammed amidships by Deventie (2) or Devonia (1) or Deventia (3), off Catherine Point / St. Catherine's Light, Isle of Wight. Cannot yet establish, via WWW, which of the 3 names is correct. Vessel sank a few minutes later. Per 2, 'most of crew survived', also Deventie went astern & steamed off into the night 'either unaware of the serious damage done or choosing to ignore it.' Lies in 32 metres of water, 13 miles off Portsmouth. A dive site today. Need help! An image perhaps? 41   Caledonia 2599 tons Hull 258 96548 Avanguardia 1889 A cargo ship. Per 1 (International Line), 2 (sinking), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 96.3 metres long. Built for International Line Steam Ship Co. Ltd., of Whitby, Christopher Marwood the manager? In 1915 (or maybe 1912) sold to 'C. Devoto fu G.B.', of Genoa, Italy & renamed Avanguardia. On Mar. 30, 1917, while en route from Bougie (Béjaïa), Algeria, to Cardiff, Wales, with a cargo of iron ore, vessel was captured by submarine UC-69 in the Bay of Biscay, 15 miles from the Contis Les Bains lighthouse, near Contis-Plage, Acquitaine, France. And scuttled. Possibly one life lost (80% down), but 2 states no lives lost. Data is limited. Need help! An image perhaps? 42 Cambria 1957 tons Hull 251 96541 Ville du Temple 1889 A cargo ship. Per 1 (International Line), 2 (image aground), 3 (Gibson photo list, Ville du Temple), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). About 90 metres long. Built for International Line Steam Ship Co. Ltd., of Whitby, Christopher Marwood the manager? In 1910, sold to 'Plisson & Co.' (who may have been the managers only), of France, & renamed Ville du Temple. On Nov. 29, 1913, while en route, in thick fog & in ballast, from Nantes, France, to Penarth, Wales, the vessel ran into the 'Runnelstone' (about 1 mile S. of the SW peninsula of Land's End). At 50.01.43N/05.40.28W. I read that the rock used to appear above the waves until Oct. 10, 1923 when the top 20 ft. of it was 'knocked off' by City of Westminster, (an Ellerman Lines steamer of 6094 tons, previously German owned) as it also ran aground there in thick fog, broke in half & sank. What a collision that must have been! No loss of life since all aboard were saved by the Sennen & Penlee lifeboats. I have not spotted yet at what time of day the accident occurred, nor have I read the speed of City of Westminster at the time. An image of City of Westminster, wrecked, was available via eBay but I found the reference, alas, after the listing was deleted. The rocks today rise to within a few metres of the surface, & are marked by a buoy to locate the granite pinnacle & the reef below. Runnelstone is the site of 30 or more shipwrecks & is, I read, the finest dive site in Europe, (but also most dangerous). 'An old fisherman's tale suggests that there is no actual rock at the Runnelstone, just an enormous pile of wreckage'! I digressed! The damage to Ville du Temple was 'plugged' & the vessel proceeded around Land's End, but took on water under her engine & ran aground at Porthmoina Cove, near Pendeen. A total loss. The webmaster is confused as to the linked images, both of which show the vessel aground at the identical spot. The second image, a postcard, says vessel is 'on the Rundle Stone'. I suspect however that the image was not of the vessel 'on the Rundle Stone', which is about 1 mile off shore, but was taken rather later at Porthmoina Cove, near Pendeen. See 3, which states that the 'Gibson' image is 'Near Pendeen'. Can anybody tell us for sure? All said & done, WWW data is limited. Need help! 43 White Jacket 2172 (or 2237 maybe 2287) tons Hull 248 95176 Olavarria Oyarzun 1889 An iron steamer. Per 1 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyds Register data, Oyarzun, 1930/31. Also 1932/33), 2 (ownership data), 3 (ownership history at page bottom, thanks to 'FILIPVS', Anglo-Vasca), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 290.0 ft. long (88.39 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, single screw, signal letters LDRN later JBMN. Built for 'The "White Jacket" Steam Ship Co. Ltd.', Geo. Hallett, i.e. George Hallett, of Cardiff, Wales, the manager, (of Hallett Bros & Co. perhaps), & registered there. Most likely a collier. The webmasters sole available 'Lloyd's Register' that includes the vessel, is at left - but now see link 1. In 1912, the vessel was sold to Anglo-Vasca de Navegacion S.A. ('Anglo'), of Bilbao, Spain, Primitivo Ruiz the manager, & renamed Olavarria. Anglo would seem to have been a single ship company, owned by Albert E. Dawson of Cardiff. In 1915, the vessel was sold again, to 'Compañía Marítima del Nervión SA', also of Bilbao, with no change of vessel name. On Dec. 2, 1924, the vessel was sold again, to 'Cia Naviera Bidasoa S.A.' again of Bilbao, A. Candina the manager, & renamed Oyarzun. Both of those names i.e. Bidasoa & Oyarzun, are place names & names of rivers in Basque Country, Spain. It would seem, that 'Cia Naviera Bidasoa S.A.' may have acquired this vessel & also Mar-Cantabrico (ex Coniscliffe, Gray, 1894, the name means Bay of Biscay) for a total price of about £25,000. On Apl. 5, 1933, the vessel was sold again, to 'Andrés Vega Gorostegui', of Santander, Spain. The vessel was broken up, at Santander, on Nov. 15, 1933 - I have also read in the 2nd quarter of 1933. Lloyd's Register of 1932/33 notes that break-up, naming the vessel Oyarsun. We thank the site visitor who kindly provided the fine image of Olavarria at left. Need help with additional data! Another image? It would appear that another image of Olavarria, dating from 1912, may be in existence. 44 Culgoa 3325 tons Hull 257 96681 222721 Champlain 1890 A refrigerated cargo or stores ship. Per 1 (data & images re U.S. service), 2 (U.S. Navy history site, images), 3 (Navy Site, vessel history & 7 images), 4 (Spanish American War site), 5 & 6 (1904 collision with Wilson and Hunting, 6 is a large 'pdf' file), 7 (Christmas 1904), 8 (Airlie in Jan. 1900), 9 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 102.1 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 346 ft. 4 in., speed of 13 knots, 3 masts, schooner rigged. There is a lot of data available about the vessel, so my summary will need to be extensive. Built for W. Lund & Sons of London, launched on Oct. 25, 1889 & delivered in Jan. 1890. 'Lund Blue Anchor Line', (Wilhelm Lund), it would seem, served Australian ports for many decades. Hence the name, perhaps. 'Culgoa' is a river in Queensland, Australia. On Jun. 4, 1898, the vessel was purchased by the U.S. Navy at Cavite, the Philippines (metro Manila), & was commissioned on Dec. 3, 1898, Lieutenant Commander J. W. Carlin in command. Between those dates, during the Spanish-American War of 1898, the vessel, still officially a merchant vessel, supplied ice & meat to U.S. naval vessels involved in the naval blockade of Manila, so 'avoiding neutrality laws which would have precluded the sale of such supplies' to the Navy. The war was ended by the Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris, France, (where else!) on Dec. 10, 1898. Crew of 122, armed with two 6 pounder guns. The vessel was overhauled at Hong Kong between Oct. 20 & Nov. 18, 1899. In 1900 & 1901, the vessel made 3 voyages to Sydney & Brisbane, Australia, for fresh stores. On one of those trips, Culgoa landed the passengers of Airlie, stranded on Chapman Island, Torres Straits, off the Queensland coast of Australia. The vessel continued to provision U.S. Naval forces in Far East waters, re Philippine American War, thru Jul. 22, 1901, when she sailed via the Suez canal for New York, arriving there on Sep. 25, 1901. The vessel was decommissioned at Boston, Massachusetts, on Oct. 16, 1901. From Oct. 1, 1902 to Aug. 11, 1905, she was back in commission serving the N. Atlantic Squadron in the Caribbean & in the Gulf of Mexico. At 7 p.m. on Nov. 9, 1904, Culgoa, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Robinson, was in collision with Wilson and Hunting ('Wilson', not referenced at Miramar), a 344 ton schooner, en route from Norfolk to New York, 10 miles off Barnegat Light, New Jersey. A collision? And how! Culgoa ran at full speed into Wilson, whose decks were loaded with pilings, cutting her in two & sinking her, with the loss of 4 lives - Robert I. Walton, Captain of Wilson, his wife, & two sailors. It would seem that Captain Walton & his wife died unnecessarily. At Christmas 1904, the vessel supplied Christmas cheer to every vessel in the U.S. Navy's S. Atlantic fleet. Decommissioned in Aug. 1905, it would seem that the Navy intended to sell the vessel, but did not. She was however struck from the Navy list in May 1906, reinstated in Jun. 1906, & re-commissioned on Sep. 12, 1907. She was loaned to the Panama Railway Co. for a single emergency shipment of beef & returned to New York on Oct. 16, 1907. Then served with the Atlantic fleet. Was a support ship for the 'Great White Fleet' on its round-the-world cruise. The vessel carried relief supplies to Messina, Sicily, Italy, after a giant earthquake on Dec. 28, 1908, in which 100,000 to 200,000 people were killed. For the next nine years, the vessel mainly served in the Western Atlantic & Caribbean areas, with voyages however to Europe, particularly, in 1918 & 1919, with 7 voyages for the Naval Overseas Transportation Service, carrying supplies to England & France during WW1. On Jul. 10, 1918, Culgoa assisted after a collision between Oosterdijk (which sank on Jul. 11, 1918) & San Jacinto, at 39.59N/47.55W, way out in the N. Atlantic, due E. of New York. Culgoa took aboard survivors & towed San Jacinto into Halifax. Then served in Caribbean mainly. In Jun. 1920, the vessel was in the Pacific Ocean again, serving as far west as Hawaii. On Jul. 20, 1920, the vessel was designated 'Provisions Stores Ship' AF-3. Overhauled at New York in Sep. 1920. Out of commission on Dec. 31, 1921, struck from the Naval register, & sold on Jul. 25, 1922 (have also read Jan. 1922) to L. H. Stewart, of New York, & renamed Champlain. The vessel was broken up, at New York, in the 3rd quarter of 1924. Can you refine the above and/or add anything? 45 Queensland 3892 tons Hull 263 97530 Everita 1890 A cargo ship. Per 1 (launch), 2 (trial trip), 3 (ref. 90% down), 4 (F. Grauds), 5 (R. M. Hudson), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). About 115 metres (360 ft.) long, speed of 12 knots. Built for William Kish of Sunderland. In 1891, the vessel travelled from Sunderland to Penang, Malaysia, via the Suez Canal, in just 30 days. It would seem that the vessel was sold to R. M. Hudson (or maybe R. M. Hudson & Son), of Sunderland, who in 1915 at least, seemed to own the vessel. The vessel then traded to the Black Sea & Levant, until 1927 when company ceased to own ships. That data may relate to the vessel being sold, in 1928, to F. Grauds (of Riga, Latvia, I believe), & renamed Everita. The vessel was broken up at Savona, Italy, in Nov. 1932. WWW available data re this vessel is most limited. Need help! 46 Port Chalmers 4154 tons Hull 277 98973 Delmonico Glacier Carbella Presidente Juarez 1891 A passenger/cargo ship, with refrigeration, that had a long life indeed, i.e. 65 years. A most good looking ship. Per 1 [Milburn Line, Port Chalmers (1)], 2 (Federal Steam Navigation, Port Chalmers), 3 [an 1898 New Zealand ('NZ') to London voyage], 4 (Wikipedia coverage, Glacier), 5 (U.S. Navy data & images), 6 (extensive data re U.S. naval service), 7 [Port Chalmers (1), vessel history], 8 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 113.1 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 388 ft. 7 in., speed of 12.3 (or 11) knots. Built for the passenger & wool service of 'Anglo-Australasian Steam Navigation Co. Limited', of London, William Milburn & Co., both owners & managers, known as 'Milburn Line'. But passengers? 7 states 'completed after the decision to discontinue carrying passengers had been made'. In 1896, the vessel was sold to 'Federal Steam Navigation Company', i.e. Federal Line, of London. 3 refers to an 1898 voyage from NZ to London with cargo which included 7000 bales of wool, 40,000 carcasses (mutton), & a quantity of rabbits. The vessel was sold, in Jul. 1898, to the U.S. Navy, & was converted for Navy service at the New York Navy yard. Four 3 in. guns were installed. Was commissioned for the 1st time at New York on Jul. 5, 1898 as Delmonico, a 'Provisions and Stores Ship', but 6 days later was renamed Glacier. Navy service? The vessel, for 5 months, carried supplies to U.S. ships operating in the West Indies re the 1898 Spanish-American War. Decommissioned Mar. 6, 1899. Later commissioned & decommissioned a number of times. Operated in the areas of Philippines & Hong Kong, & transported supplies there from Australia. Accompanied Dewey, a floating dock, towed to the Philippines in 1905/6. In 1907/8, the vessel accompanied the 'Great White Fleet' on the first half of its cruise around the World. During WWI, she served with the Pacific Fleet transporting cargo to American forces in South America. 3 voyages to Europe in 1918/19. On Jul. 17, 1920, the vessel was designated a 'Stores Ship', AF-4. Do read 6 for more extensive data re her long Navy service. The vessel was decommissioned for the last time in Mar. 1922 & was sold in Aug. 1922, for $22,000, to Barde Steel & Machinery Co. ('Barde'), of Seattle, Washington. No change of name. Her service for Barde? (7 however states that by 1920 she was owned by Northern Fisheries Inc. of San Francisco.) The vessel was sold, in 1941, to 'Carbella Steamship Company', of Panama, & renamed Carbella. Was sold again, in 1944, to 'Compañia Continental de Navegación S.A.', of Vera Cruz, Mexico, & in 1945 was renamed Presidente Juarez. In 1955, the vessel was owned by Compañia de Exportación Mexicana S.A. It would appear that at an (unstated) date & loaded with coal, she suffered engine failure off Hampton Roads & was towed to Bermuda. And then towed from Bermuda to Rotterdam by Tyne, a 'L. Smit & Co.’s Internationale Sleepdienst' ('SMIT') tug, unloaded there & sold for scrap to Thomas Young & Sons, of Sunderland. But, the vessel was not towed to Sunderland but rather to Inverkeithing (Firth of Forth, Scotland) by SMIT's tug Loire & on Apl. 22, 1956, arrived at the Thos. W. Ward facilities there, to be broken up. Can you add to or correct the above? For a ship with such a long history, the available images are few in number. 47 Adelina Patti 3114 tons Hull 293 99617 1892 A cargo ship. Per 1 (data), 2 (modest Hansard reference), 3 (an 1894 collision), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 100.6 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular. Built for Jennesen, Taylor & Co., of Sunderland. In May 1894, the vessel was in collision with Venice at Nicolaieff in the Black Sea. Adelina Patti suffered no damage, while Venice, holed below the water line, sank at her moorings alongside the wharf. Broken up at Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht (a town in the western part of the Netherlands, noted for its ship breaking facilities) in the 2nd Q of 1910. Named, I presume, after Adelina Patti, 1843/1919, an internationally acclaimed opera singer, who lived at 'Craig-y-Nos' castle, Powys, Wales. There are lots of sites about her, but almost none about the vessel which bore her name. Need help! 48 Blue Cross 3028 (or 2788) tons Hull 286 99140 Sineus Suarez No. 1 Alfonso Senra Simancas 1892 A cargo ship, which had a very long life - 75 years. Per 1 (data & image, Suarez No. 1, page bottom), 2 (Spanish page, data & image, Suarez No. 1), 3 (Wilson Line, managed ships, Sineus), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 98.1 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 9 knots. Built for The Rowland and Marwood Steamship Company, of Whitby. In 1913, the vessel was sold to G. W. Schroder ('Schroder') of Riga, Latvia, & renamed Sineus. In 1918, the vessel was requisitioned for use in WW1 by the Shipping Controller, of London, & managed by Wilson Line. It was returned to Schroder in 1919. In 1921 the vessel was bought by Marítima Suárez, of Vigo, Spain, & renamed Suarez No. 1. In 1927 the vessel was sold again, to Naviera Celta S.A. (G. Suarez the manager?) & renamed Alfonso Senra. The vessel was under Republican control early in the Spanish Civil War, but was seized by Nationalist forces (Basque armed trawlers, called 'bous') & used as an armed transport for the balance of the war. In 1943, the vessel was sold again, to Gumersindo Junquera S.A. & renamed Simancas. Possibly in a collision in 1958. With Bilbao, maybe? On Oct. 18, 1967, the vessel arrived at Avilés, Asturias, Spain, to be broken up. Can you add anything? 49 Romney 2806 tons Hull 302 102787 City of Amiens 1893 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Bolton, history), 2 [Bolton Steam, Romney (1)], 3 (data & image, Romney), 4 (brief ref. Romney, 55% down), 5 (related data), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 316 ft. long, 96.3 metres perpendicular to perpendicular. Built for Frederic Bolton & Co., of London, a partnership which became 'Bolton Steam Shipping Company Ltd.', in 1897. Operators of small cargo vessels (named after artists beginning with the letter 'R'), which carried Welsh coal to Mediterranean bunkering stations & returned with grain, hemp & cotton seed from the Black Sea. In 1915, the vessel was sold to 'Transport & Trading Co.', of London, with no change of vessel name. Per 3, in 1917, the vessel was sold to 'Franco-British Steam Ship Co. Ltd.', managed by 'Olivier & Co.' & renamed City of Amiens. Note however that Miramar record any such ownership & name change as being in 1920. In 1921/22, the vessel was sold to 'Hydra Steam Ship Co. Ltd.', managed by 'G. M. Crussachi' ('Crussachi'), with no change of vessel name - though 'Charles Hocking' indicates that Crussachi was the vessel's owner in 1922 when, on Sep. 22, 1922, while en route from Barry, Wales, to Algiers, Algeria, with a cargo of coal, the vessel ran aground & was wrecked at Bintra Point, Camariñas, Spain. I have not been able to read the circumstances & details of that wreck. But now, thanks to Geoff Soper, we know that the conditions were foggy at the time & that there was no loss of life. Also that on Sep. 30, 1922, 12 of the City of Amiens crew were landed at Liverpool by Ortega, a Pacific Steam Navigation Co. vessel returning from Valparaiso. The names & addresses etc. of the 12 can be read here. Thanks Geoff! Can you provide any more detail? And, can you add to or correct the above listing? 50   Amyl 2474 tons Hull 311 102965 Heimfeld Emil Kirdorf Hans Hemsoth Ulisse Anteo 1894 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 91.4 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 311 ft., speed of 8 1/2 knots. Built for William Tulley & Co. ('Tulley'), of Hull - it would seem not 'Tully'. Now there was a company named "Amyl" Steamship Company Limited, clearly related to Tulley. It seems likely that it might have been the registered owner of a ship named Amyl. That company went into liquidation in 1921. In 1900, the vessel was sold to 'Continentale Rhederei', of Hamburg, Germany, & renamed Heimfeld. In 1911, the vessel was sold again, to 'Frachtcontor GmbH', also of Hamburg (I believe), & renamed Emil Kirdorf. Three years later, in 1914, 'W. Hemsoth AG' or perhaps 'Wilhelm Hemsoth, Limited', of Hamburg or maybe of Emden, acquired the vessel & renamed it Hans Hemsoth. When WW1 was declared, the vessel was at Blyth, Northumberland, & under arrest in Admiralty Court as a result of claims by creditors. The vessel was seized as a prize & then used, it would appear, in the carriage of coal from the North East to the Gas Light & Coke Company power station at Beckton, on the River Thames (East London). In 1922, the vessel was the first German ship in nine years to go to Oakland, California, to deliver 6,000 tons of glass sand ex Holland. It would seem to have visited the Canadian west coast also, to load timber. In 1924, the vessel was sold to A. Giuffrida, of Italy, & renamed Ulisse & they renamed the vessel Anteo in 1925. Much of the above is derived from 'Google' data 'snippets', easily misinterpreted - a half a dozen words here, half a sentence there. I wonder why it is that data published in the early decades of the 1900s is not freely available, since it surely is long out of copyright. Do not get me wrong! I am grateful for the vast amount of material that Google does provide but so much material has been scanned by them yet remains essentially unavailable for reasons that I do not understand. So my above text will surely be found to be both incomplete & inaccurate. Example .. The vessel Hans Hemsoth would seem to have been appraised & sold, likely at a public auction, in 1926, as a result of a law suit. But the vessel had been sold & renamed Ulisse in 1924. No comprendo. The vessel was, I read, broken up (where I wonder) in Q3 of 1929. Christine Simm, who is researching ships broken up by 'P. & W. MacLellan Ltd.' at the Forth Shipbreaking yard at Bo'ness (i.e. Borrowstounness, Firth of Forth), Scotland, has come to my rescue! Christine advises (by e-mail & by guestbook) that Anteo was sold by 'Dg Nautica di Giuffrida' on Jun. 12, 1929 & arrived in Bo'ness in Jul. 1929, the 96th ship to be driven onto the beach there to be dismantled. Thank you, Christine, for that interesting data. Can you provide more data and/or correct the above? An image? There are images of Emil Kirdorf at Photoship, but I think that they are of the later vessel of the name, built in 1922. #1865 51 Ayr 3050 tons Hull 318 104796 1894 A cargo ship. Per 1 (data, Ayr, near page bottom), 2 (reference), 3 (sinking), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 322.0 ft. long (98.15 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, 333 ft. 6 in. overall?, signal letters NMDL Built for Mercantile Steamship Co. Limited, of London, managed by 'J. & C. Dunkerley' or maybe 'John A. Dunkerley and Co.', of Hull. It would seem, however, that 'E. Hain & Son', James Buchanan & Arthur Cooke were later manager of the vessel. On Mar. 8, 1918, while en route from Alexandria, Egypt, to Bizerta, Tunisia, with a cargo of cotton, cotton seed & lead, the vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by UC 37, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See (Senior Lieutenant) Otto Gerke. And sank. At 36.23N/13.45E, 31 miles N1/2W of Linosa Island, an Italian volcanic island, located in the Pelagie Islands between Malta & Tunis in the Mediterranean. No loss of life. Have not been able to read the circumstances (Captain's name, how crew were rescued, unescorted?, etc.). WWW data is limited. Can you provide more data! An image? 52 Port Stephens 3554 tons Hull 310 102853 1894 A cargo ship. Per 1 [Milburn Line, Port Stephens (1)], 2 & 3 (sinking reports), 4 (Court of Inquiry), 5 (Rakanoa search), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 105.2 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 345 ft., speed of 9 knots, specially designed for Australian coastal service. Built for Anglo-Australasian Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. ('Anglo'), of London, W. Milburn & Co., the managers & owners. Anglo mainly operated services from U.K. to Australia via Antwerp, Belgium. On Oct. 1, 1906, the vessel, under charter to Union Steamship Co. ('Union'), delivered the 2nd of two cargoes of coal to Oamaru, North Otago, S. Island of New Zealand, ex Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The vessel left Oamaru in ballast for Newcastle on Oct. 1, 1906, Captain Jolly in command, & on Oct. 3, 1906, when at latitude 45.50S/164.40E, the vessel ran into bad weather, as a result of which the tail shaft sheared. Attempts were made to repair the damage, but with the vessel pitching & rolling, it could not be accomplished. The vessel drifted fast southwards, 229 miles in 5 days to 49.20S, where, on Oct. 8th, it fortunately sighted Ravenscourt, a 1462 ton barque, which was en route from Newcastle to Callao, Peru, & had itself been driven far to the south. It is estimated that repairs would have taken an additional 2 weeks to complete, by which time the vessel would have been in iceberg infested waters. The ship was both low on provisions & out of normal shipping lanes. The decision was made to abandon the ship, at 49.21S/164.48E it would appear. All 33 Port Stephens crew members were taken aboard Ravenscourt & on Oct. 15, 1906, that vessel arrived off Otago Harbour, Dunedin, S. Island of NZ, under the tow of tug Plucky. The survivors, transferred to Plucky, were safely landed. Rakanoa, a Union vessel, searched for Port Stephens without success. And Moeraki tried to find her also. No trace of her was ever found. There was a Marine Court of Inquiry into the loss, held at Dunedin, but I have not read the conclusion. Can you provide more data! An image? 53 Rossetti 2080 (later 2147) tons Hull 314 102898 Antinoe Anastassios A. Syrmas Gerania Wilhelmina 1894 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Bolton, history), 2 (extensive data, page in Swedish), 2 [Bolton Steam, Rossetti (1)], 3 (data & image, Rossetti), 4 (history ref. Rossetti, 55% down), 5 (related data, Bolton), 6 & 7 ('Lloyds Register', data, 1930/31 thru 1941/42, Gerania/Wilhelmina, see left), 8 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 85.34 metres long, 280.0 ft., speed of 9 knots, signal letters KHBF (Gerania) later SHCN. The vessel was built for F. (Frederic) Bolton, of London, a partnership which, it would appear, later became 'Frederic Bolton & Company', &, in 1897, 'Bolton Steam Shipping Company Ltd.'. Operators of small cargo vessels (named after artists beginning with the letter 'R'), which carried Welsh coal to Mediterranean bunkering stations & returned with grain, hemp & cotton seed from the Black Sea. In 1916, the vessel was sold to Cambo (or Cambro?) Shipping Co. Ltd. of London, 'J. P. Cadogan' the manager. And in 1919, was sold to 'Egypt & Levant Steamship Co. Ltd.', T. Bowen, Rees & Co. Ltd. (owned by owned by Thomas Bowen Rees), the managers, & renamed Antinoe. Later? registered at Alexandria, Egypt. The vessel was sold again, in 1923, to T. A. Syrmas, of Andros, Greece, & renamed Anastassios A. Syrmas. And sold, in Dec. 1929, to 'Rederi AB Gerania' (J. J. Malmberg & Emanuel Högberg the managers), of Gävle, Sweden, & renamed Gerania. Thanks to 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyd's Register data from 1930/31 is WWW available - selected listings of Gerania/Wilhelmina are at left. In 1935/36, J. J. Malmberg became the vessel's manager. In Aug. 1939, the vessel collided with Heemskerk at Vlissingen, Netherlands (Flushing). I have not been able to learn the circumstances, however I read that Gerania was very badly damaged & was condemned. In Dec. 1939, the wreck was purchased by 'Rederi AB Fredrika' (Erik Högberg), of Stockholm, Sweden, who repaired the vessel & returned it to service, in 1940, as Wilhelmina. On Dec. 14, 1941, while en route from Brake, Germany, to Gävle, the vessel was wrecked at Kammarbrinken, Sweden, (NW of Utlängen). I have not been able to learn the circumstances but understand that there was no loss of life. The ship broke up a week later. Need help to ensure that the above text correctly translates the Swedish text at 2. And .. can you add to or correct the above listing? 54 Tennyson 2084 tons Hull 319 104809 Brigitta 1894 A cargo ship, schooner rigged. Per 1 ('wrecksite.eu', wreck data, image), 2 (image, data, Tennyson), 3 (French page, Brigitta), 4 (wreck status, 'Brigitta Teapot'), 5 (wreck status 'T-POT/Brigitta', 7 up from page bottom), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 85.3 metres long, speed? The vessel was built for Glover Bros. ('Glover'), of London. In 1898 she was sold to 'Shakespear Shipping Co., Ltd.', also of London, with Glover the managers. In 1915, the vessel was sold to 'Colonial Coal & Shipping Co. Ltd.', also of London, & renamed Brigitta. On Dec. 4, 1917, H. M. Pinkham in command, while en route from Barry, Wales, to Dieppe, France, with a cargo of coal, the vessel hit a mine laid on Sep. 15, 1917 by UC-63, Karsten von Heydebreck in command. At or approx. at 46.922N/50.38.785W, 6 miles SW of the then Nab light vessel, in the English Channel E. of the Isle of Wight. The vessel sank. 2 lives were lost in the explosion. The wreck has, it would seem, been identified & is still there in 16 metres of water, 'well broken amidships with the stern upside down and the two boilers remaining the highest point'. The wreck still has its propeller. It was hit by a passing ship some years ago. It is known as 'T-POT' because a tea pot was found at the site before the wreck was identified & the name has 'stuck'. Home to one giant conger eel! Can anybody add anything? 55 Whitgift 2925 tons Hull 321 104838 Nero 1895 A collier. Per 1 (extensive data & many images, Nero), 2 (data & many images, Nero), 3 (extensive Wikipedia data, Nero), 4 (1906 grounding), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 95.1 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 312 ft., speed of 9 knots, crew of 80 & four 6-pounder guns while in U.S. Navy service. Built for Houlder, Middleton Limited ('Houlder'), of London, Glasgow & Liverpool, likely for Whitgift Steam Ship Co., owned by Houlder. Presumably later sold to McCondray and Co. (maybe McCondray and Co. Inc.) ('McCondray'), of San Francisco, California. The following attempts to summarise the detail available via the above links. The vessel was sold by McCondray to the U.S. Navy, for U.S. $215,000, on Jun. 8, 1898 & that day was commissioned as USS Nero. Many sites state that while commissioned on Jun. 8, 1898 she was only purchased on Jun. 30, 1898. Which seems unlikely for a purchased vessel. Anyway, the vessel was converted for U.S. Navy use at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California. Saw service on the U.S. Pacific coast & in convoying ships to Manila, Philippines, China & Japan during the Spanish-American War & Philippines Insurrection. She returned to Mare Island & was decommissioned on Jan. 7, 1899. Was commissioned & decommissioned many times in its long Navy service. The vessel took deep sea soundings on a voyage between the U.S. W. coast & the Far East in 1899 & 1900 (Midway & Guam). Served for 3 years as a collier, U.S. Pacific coast, Philippines, E. Coast, S. America, Samoa, Philippines, & back to the E. coast. Served in the Pacific Squadron, & in the N. Atlantic & Asiatic Fleets. On Feb. 1, 1906, the vessel ran aground in thick fog at Devil's Ditch, Block Island, Rhode Island. The sea cocks were opened to minimise movement & damage. And then she was drained & pulled off the rocks on Feb. 8, 1906. Damage only to forward compartment, repaired at New London. From 1906 to 1911, the vessel served in the Atlantic Fleet, & then thru 1917 in the Pacific Fleet. Between May/Nov. 1912, she carried materials & personnel to Alaska re the upgrade of 7 Navy radio stations there. Between Oct. 1917 & Feb. 1919, based at Cardiff, Wales, the vessel carried coal from Wales & Northern Ireland to France for U.S. forces on the Western Front. Returned to Norfolk, Virginia, in Mar. 1919, an extensive overhaul at the Charlestown Navy Yard at Boston, & then saw service E. coast & Caribbean until Dec. 1920, when she returned to the Pacific Fleet for a final re-supply voyage from Mare Island to Samoa. Designated AC-17 in Jul. 1920. Was decommissioned in Sep. 1921 & sold on Jul. 29, 1922 to 'A. Bercovich and Company', of Oakland, California, to be scrapped. Can you add anything? 56   Holywell 3300 tons Hull 343 106413 1896 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). About 110 metres (350 ft.) long, speed of 12 knots. Built for Tyzack & Branfoot Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., (Well Line) of Sunderland. On Feb. 21, 1903, the vessel was en route from Middlesbrough to Delagoa Bay (now Maputo Bay, Mozambique), via London with a general cargo. Was in collision with Martello, (Wilson Line, of Hull), in the North Sea off 'Newark Light', (where is that?) & sank. Martello suffered major bow damage & had to be towed stern-first to the Humber to effect repairs. Data most limited. Need help! An image perhaps? 57 Ovidia 3343 tons Hull 343 3084 Aspen Ovidia 1897 A cargo ship. Per 1 (extensive data in Swedish, 2 images), 2 (link 1, 'Google' translated), 3 (2 'British Pathe' video clips re 1930 sinking), 4 & 5 (1930 sinking, Cornell Daily Sun), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 99.1 (or 98.84) metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed? Built for 'Rederi A/B Nord' ('Nord'), of Hernösand, (now Härnösand), Sweden (on Gulf of Bothnia), owned by O. W. Nordin, & Swedish registered. In 1899, Nord moves to Stockholm, Sweden, & later 'G. L. Ahlström', becomes the principal owner. Carried grain from Montreal, Canada, to Havre, France in 1901, but just fragmentary data. In 1908, Georg Lavén takes over Nord. The vessel was sold in 1915 to 'Förnyade Ångfartygs AB Viking' ('Förnyade') [a wholly owned subsidiary of 'Rederi AB Transatlantic' ('Transatlantic')], of Göteborg (Gothenburg), with 'J. M. Dannberg' perhaps the manager, & renamed Aspen. In early 1917, en route from Baltimore, U.S.A., to Norrköping, E. Sweden, with a cargo of wheat, it would appear, Aspen was taken over in bad weather in the North Sea by British warship Otway & escorted to Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, for investigation. The same thing happened to sister ship Viken. The vessels were released in May 1917 & in returning to Sweden, Viken was hit by a German torpedo - on May 17, 1917. Aspen sent its lifeboats to rescue the Viken crew & Aspen itself was hit. The submarine surfaced & tried to sink Aspen by gunfire, but did not succeed. Rather the crew was rescued by a British war ship & the vessel was towed to Kirkwall, for temporary repairs. The vessel made Malmö, S. Sweden, under its own power for repairs. In 1919, Förnyade goes into liquidation. Transatlantic takes over the vessel in 1921. On Aug. 23, 1927, the vessel was sold to 'Rederi AB Ovidia' (G. E. Sandström), of Göteborg, & in 1928 the vessel was renamed Ovidia. On Nov. 19, 1930, while en route from New Orleans to St. Nazaire, France, with a cargo of pitch pine, the vessel encountered a severe storm & the cargo shifted. The vessel listed, with a hole in her bottom, & sank at 42.35N/50.45W, about 400 miles roughly S. of Cape Race, Newfoundland. Captain Axel Carlsson, his wife & the crew of 26, were rescued by Mauretania, one of 4 ships which came to her aid, (the others were America, Endicott, & possibly one more) & were landed at New York. They rowed half a mile through the raging seas to reach Mauretania. 'Pytu' the Carlsson's cat, was rescued too, I read! I am grateful for 1 & hope I have understood their data correctly in translation. Data otherwise most limited. Need help! An image perhaps? 58 Reynolds 3264 tons Hull 359 108340 Chertsey 1898 A cargo ship, which was completed in Apl. 1898. Per 1 (Bolton, history), 2 [Bolton Steam, Reynolds (1)], 3 (data & image, Reynolds), 4 (brief ref. Rossetti, 50% down), 5 (related data, Bolton), 6 (sinking, Chertsey), 7 (UC 67), 8 (Britain, Watts), 9 (James Smith 2017 study re vessel), 10 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 325.0 ft. long (99.1 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 8 1/2 or 9 knots, signal letters QCKM, 271 HP engines by T. Richardson & Sons, Ltd. of Hartlepool. Built for 'Bolton Steam Shipping Company Ltd.', of London, with F. Bolton & Co. the managers. Operators of small cargo vessels (named after artists beginning with the letter 'R'), which carried Welsh coal to Mediterranean bunkering stations & returned with grain, hemp & cotton seed from the Black Sea. On Oct. 31, 1915 the vessel was requisitioned for WW1 service. The vessel was sold, in 1916, to 'Britain Steamship Company, Limited', of London, 'Watts Watts & Co.', the managers, & renamed Chertsey. On Apl. 26, 1917, the vessel was en route from the Tyne to Alexandria or Port Said, Egypt, with a cargo of coal. When 4 miles N. of Algiers, Algeria, the vessel was attacked with torpedoes by UC-67, Kapitänleutnant Karl Neumann in command, & sunk. While I have not been able to read the circumstances, Miramar indicates 'tgf', which I believe means was attacked by both torpedoes & gunfire. At 36.52N/03.05E. No loss of life. Can you add anything? 59 Zingara 3463 tons Hull 362 110022 Djena Lana Bona 1898 A cargo ship. Per 1 (1918 torpedo attack, 35% down, hard to find, para. commencing 'During the same day'), 2 (Lloyd's Register data, 1930/31 thru 1943/44, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 106.1 metres (348.0 ft.) long perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 8 1/2 knots. Built for Turner, Brightman & Co. ('Turner'), of London. The launch of the vessel on Sep. 1, 1898, for Turner, was recorded in Vol. 20 of 'Marine Engineer and Naval Architect', per a 'Google books' data snippet. A Sunderland website that died in late May 2011, however listed 'P E Brightman & E H Turner' as the initial owners of the vessel. Perhaps they were the principals behind the Turner company? Zingara? I have not read the significance of the name - can anybody tell us? But Turner had a great many vessels over the years whose names started with the letter 'Z'. At an unknown date, likely in 1908, the vessel ran aground at Moji (which presumably refers to Moji-ku, now in Kitakyūshū, Japan). It was, I read, bound for Singapore with a cargo of coal, & ran aground while the captain, who had small-pox, was being removed from the vessel. Her cargo was discharged in the course of efforts to re-float her. On Apl. 5, 1918, when in the Irish Sea, a torpedo was fired at the vessel, but the torpedo missed its target. Cyrene, built in 1888 by Short Brothers, was not so lucky. It was sunk 15 miles off N. Bardsey Island, Gwynedd, Wales, on that same day, likely in the same general area in which Zingara was attacked. Zingara was sold, in 1930, to 'Transmarine de Navigation S.A.', & renamed Djena. Note, the following name was previously indicated here to be the new owner 'Cie. Franco-Africaine de Navigation', 'Franco-Africaine Line', of Paris, France. The vessel was sold again, in 1937, to 'S. Farkouh & P. Feret', of Piraeus, Greece, & renamed Lana. Then a shade shorter i.e. 347.8 ft. The vessel was sold again, in 1939, to 'P. Feret' of Marseilles, France, & renamed Bona. Signal letters FPDU. I can find no WWW data about either of those last two owner names. The vessel was hulked at Rouen, France, in 1941 & was broken up in 1944. Can you add anything additional? 60   Stanfield 3370 tons Hull 369 110545 Nitsa 1899 A cargo ship. Per 1 (NY Times sinking report, Nitsa), 2 (Spanish page 90% down with an incorrect image), 3 (extensive data in Spanish, also with incorrect image, commencing about 60% down), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). I am advised that the 'incorrect' images referred to above are indeed of a vessel named Stanfield, but rather of the tanker built by Laing in 1943 as Thamesfield & later, in 1955, named Stanfield. This Stanfield, i.e. the one built in 1899, was about 105 metres long, speed of 11 knots. Built for Stanfield Steamship Co. Ltd. (J. Brown), of Liverpool. The vessel was sold, in 1913, to 'S. & A. Pandermaly & E. Yannaghas', of Piraeus, Greece, & renamed Nitsa. Cypriot flag, it would seem. On Jun. 5, 1916, Nitsa left Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A., Georges Yannaghas in command, with a cargo of coal bound for Savona, Italy, the coal destined for use by the Italian Army. On Jun. 26, 1916, the vessel, sank at or near Islas Hormigas, NE of Cape Palos, near Cartagena, E. coast of Spain. There are different versions of what happened. The official version is, it would seem, that it was hit by a torpedo, likely by U-35 which was in the general area. But 2 indicates (thanks go to Marie Sanders for a translation) that in fact the vessel, running without lights & in shallow waters to avoid U-boats, simply ran aground. The crew, of 29 all told, took to the boats & were picked up by Alba, Jose Carrascal Llorca in command. Alba apparently had witnessed the grounding. 3 states however, I believe, that the U-boat (U-35) approached the grounded vessel, evacuated the crew & sank Nitsa with a torpedo. ('El submarino alemán lo abordó, hizo evacuar la tripulación, y lo hundió con un torpedo.') No loss of life in either version. The wreck, said to be 'spectacular', lies 6 miles from Cabo de Palos in 48/60 metres of water at approx. 37.37.55N/00.42.07W. Can you add anything? An image perhaps? 61 Pretoria 3700 later 3764 tons Hull 376 106110 Sanday Ymir 1900 A cargo ship which was launched on Jun. 12, 1900 & completed in Aug. 1900. Per 1 (B. J. Sutherland, fleet, Pretoria), 2 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, Ymir, 1930/31 thru 1933/34), 3 (Pretoria image & data, 'pdf' file, Retzlaff, search for Pretoria), 5 (James Smith, 'pdf' Sanday study), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 381.3 ft. long (116.2 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, later 369.8 ft., speed 9 1/2 knots, signal letters RTCW, later JGVD, 336 HP engines by George Clark Ltd. of Sunderland.  Built for 'International Line Steamship Co. Ltd. of Whitby, Yorkshire, with C. Marwood serving as her manager (certainly from 1904), George Marwood later. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') record for 1910 & 1915. James Smith i) advises that on Mar. 1, 1916 the vessel was requisitioned by the Admiralty for WW1 service & ii) provides detail of her WW1 service is his Sanday study. The vessel was sold, in 1917, to 'Isles Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.' ('Isles'), of & registered at Newcastle, with no change of vessel name. Per a link above, it would seem that Isles must have been a B. J. Sutherland company - they were, per James Smith, her managers from 1917 (Arthur M. Sutherland per MNL of 1920). In 1920 the name of the vessel was changed to Sanday. In 1921, the vessel was sold to Emil R. Retzlaff of Stettin, Germany, & renamed Ymir. By 1923/24 the vessel, per LR, was listed at 3764 tons & 369.8 ft. long only. Had it been remodelled? In 1931, the vessel was sold to 'Pommerania Schiffahrts G.m.b.H.', also of Stettin, who in 1933 (per 'Fairplay Weekly Shipping Journal' Vol. 127) sold the vessel to Petersen & Albeck, of Copenhagen, Denmark, to be broken up. Such sale realised, I read, 12 English shillings per gross ton. The vessel was broken up in the 2nd quarter of 1933. All said & done, relatively little data seems to be WWW available about this vessel. Need help! An image? #1944 62 Montauk 3387 tons Hull 387 111311 Knockwell Wiltonhall 1901 A cargo ship. Per 1 ('uboat.net', sinking Wiltonhall), 2 ('wrecksite.eu' data, Wiltonhall), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 104.2 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular. Built for 'Menantic Steamship Co. Ltd.', of Bristol. The vessel was soon sold, in 1902, to 'North Atlantic Steamship Co. Ltd.', also of Bristol, with no change of vessel name. In 1913, the vessel was sold to another Bristol owner - 'Knockwell Steamship Co. Ltd. - & renamed Knockwell. The vessel was sold for the last time, in 1914, to 'Wiltonhall Steamship Co. Ltd.', also of Bristol, managed by 'Guthre Brothers Limited' or 'Guthe Brothers & Co.', of West Hartlepool, & renamed Wiltonhall. On Jul. 16, 1916, the vessel, en route from Bombay, India, to Hull with a general cargo was captured by U-39, the much decorated Kapitänleutnant Walter (or Walther) Forstmann ('Forstmann') in command, & sunk with bombs. At 37.54N/3.50E, in the Mediterranean, 65 miles NW of Algiers, Algeria. I read that there was no loss of life. Forstmann was a most successful WW1 U-boat commander indeed, sinking 149 vessels & damaging 7 others. All said and done, very little data seems to be WWW available about this vessel. Need help! #1873 63 Roma 3634 tons Hull 390 113729 Nicolaos Tassos Salaminia Argonaftis 1901 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 104.2 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 342.0 ft. speed of 7 1/2 or 8 knots. Built for 'Rowland & Marwood's Steam Ship Co. Ltd.', of Whitby. Sold in 1923 to 'D. L. Politis & D. J. Goulandris', of Andros, Greece, & renamed Nicolaos. In 1924, the vessel was sold to Nicolaos D. Boulgaris, also of Andros, Greece, (something strange about that - they must have been related!) In 1935, the vessel was sold to E. A. Karavias, of Piraeus, Greece & renamed Tassos. In 1938 it was sold again, to 'Const. A. Petroutsis & Tanes Bros.', also of Piraeus, & renamed Salaminia. No WW2 convoy service, it would appear. In 1952 it was renamed Argonaftis & later that year was scrapped at Aviles, Spain. All said and done, very little data seems to be WWW available about this vessel. Need help! 64 Fulwell 3824 tons Hull 400 114645 1902 A cargo ship. Per 1 ('doc' file re lawsuit), 2 (Anchor Line, Massilia), 3 (wreck listing, Fulwell), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 111.2 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 364.7 ft., likely speed of 9/10 knots. Built for 'Tyzack & Branfoot Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.', (Well Line), of Sunderland, which company served ports in India & Ceylon. A lawsuit resulted from the shipment, in Aug. 1909, of 28,002 bales of jute, from Calcutta, India, to Dundee, Scotland, arriving in Oct. 1909. The case involved 'Tyzack & Branfoot Steamship Company, Limited' (maybe then the registered owner) & 'Frank Stewart Sandeman & Sons'. In 1912, the vessel was transferred to Well Line Ltd., of Sunderland, which company was taken over, in 1916 by 'Thos. & Jno. Brocklebank, Ltd.' (Brocklebank Line). On Jan. 14, 1915, while en route from Calcutta, India, to Hull, with a cargo of linseed & sugar, the vessel was in collision with Massilia, an Anchor Line vessel on India service, 30 miles N. of the Burlings, a group of islands (Berlenga) off Peniche on the W. coast of Portugal, NW of Lisbon. I have not been able to learn the circumstances. At approx. 40N/10W, I read. The crew of Fulwell, all of whom were safe, abandoned the vessel in a sinking condition. There is very little WWW available data about Fulwell, or indeed, about Well Line. Can you add anything? An image perhaps? 65   Lena 4146 tons Hull 399 115850 Marigo L. 1902 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 105.2 metres long, speed of 9 knots. Built for Mercantile S. S. Co. Ltd., of London. A tramp ship company which came under the control of P & O Line in 1918 & went into liquidation in 1923, its assets being transferred to 'Hain S. S. Co.' which P & O had taken over in 1917. 1923 sold to 'N. G. Lyras' & renamed Marigo L. Broken up at Spezia, Italy, in May 1934. I am grateful, indeed for the data provided by Miramar. Especially since it is the only data I can find on the WWW about the vessel! Need help! Data? An image perhaps? 66 Ramsay 4318 (later 3851) tons Hull 398 115831 Caithness Edera 1902 A cargo ship that was launched on Mar. 25, 1902 & completed in May 1902. Per 1 [Bolton, history, Ramsay (1)], 2 [Bolton Steam, Ramsay (1)], 3 ('Lloyds Register', data, 1930/31, Edera, see left), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 351.5 ft. long, 107.1 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 9 or 10 knots, signal letters TKDS & NLFM (Edera), 330 HP engines by Richardsons, Westgarth & Co.  Ltd. of Hartlepool. Built for 'Bolton Steam Shipping Company Ltd.' ('Bolton'), of London. Operators of small cargo vessels named after artists beginning with the letter 'R' - in this case Allan Ramsay (1713/1784). The vessel carried Welsh coal to Mediterranean bunkering stations & returned with grain, hemp & cotton seed from the Black Sea. Bolton went into voluntary liquidation on Sep. 12, 1917 (was later resurrected), & on Jun. 26, 1917 the vessel was sold to Sutherland Steamship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, A. M. Sutherland the manager. In 1919, the vessel was renamed Caithness. In 1920, the vessel was sold to 'Anglo-Celtic Shipping Co. Ltd.', of London, Griffiths Payne & Co. Ltd. or maybe J. Griffiths, the manager, with no change of vessel name. In 1926, the vessel was further sold to A. (Achille) Lauro, of Naples, Italy, & renamed Edera. Thanks to 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyd's Register data for Edera re 1930/31 is WWW available - see left. On Sep. 11, 1930, the vessel was stranded on Bollen Hinder, 4 miles NNE of Ouddorp, South Holland, Holland, while en route from Braila, Romania, to Rotterdam with a cargo of grain. The vessel, it would seem, was being salvaged when a storm came up & the 32 aboard had to be rescued by Queen Wilhelmina, a tug, perhaps. It was re-floated on Oct. 15, 1930. In Jan. 1931, the vessel was broken up at nearby Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Holland, noted for its ship-breaking facilities. Much of the above data is thanks to James Smith who has kindly provided this 'pdf' study of Ramsay's history, which includes extensive detail re its WW1 service as a Collier Transport. Can you correct the above and/or add anything additional? 67 Brescia 3235 (or 3255) tons Hull 409 118021 1903 A cargo ship. Per 1 [Cunard, Brescia (1)], 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 100.6 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 343 ft., speed of 10 1/2 knots. Built for The Cunard Steam-Ship Company Limited, of Liverpool. Engaged in the Mediterranean trade i.e. 'Ships on this service carried no passengers or mails, their cargo outward bound comprised general cargo loaded at Liverpool, coal, tinplate and sulphate of copper loaded at Swansea and other general cargo from outward bound ports in the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Sea. Homeward bound the ships loaded cargoes which were in the main consumables such as raisins, currants, figs, coffee beans, bagged wheat, cotton, cotton seed, onions, bales of tobacco, live quail and casks of wine.' I read that the vessel was laid up in 1929, & on Jun. 20, 1930 arrived at the T. W. Ward Ltd. ship breaking facilities at Preston, to be broken up. But it would seem that it was actually broken up in 1931. A model of the ship was sold by Christies in 1997, but alas, no image of it is available. Need help! Another image perhaps? 68 Burnholme 3423 (or 3474) tons Hull 416 113735 Medmenham 1904 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Rowland & Marwood, Burnolme), 2 ('Rowland and Marwoods' history & flag), 3 (crew image available), 4 (Lloyd's Register data, 1930/31 thru 1933/34, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 105.2 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 345.0 ft., speed of 9 knots, signal letters VQJD. Built for 'Rowland & Marwood's Steam Ship Co. Ltd.' ('Rowland'), of Whitby, North Yorkshire. Rowland was, I read, a tramp ship company that traded worldwide. They mainly carried coal outbound from U.K. & returned with grain or timber & many other types of cargo. In 1910, the vessel served on a Java to New York service. Can anybody tell us about her WW1 service? A Google 1920 legal 'snippet' indicates that at about 11.40 p.m. on Oct. 7 (of which year?), Burnholme, with cargo, was in collision with Atlantic. I have not been able to read the circumstances, damage, or the decision of the court, however both vessels were in convoy at the time. On Apl. 1, 1924, the vessel ran aground in the River Plate. Presumably later that year, i.e. 1924, the vessel was sold, for £23,350, to 'Britain Steamship Co. Ltd.', of London, which company was owned & managed by 'Watts Watts & Co.', also of London, & renamed Medmenham. In 1933, the vessel arrived at the 'Smith & Co.', ship breaking facilities at Port Glasgow, Scotland, to be broken up. All said and done, very little data seems to be WWW available about this vessel. Need help! An image? #1896 69   Celia 3186/5004 (N/G) tons Hull 415 118407 1904 A steel steamship.  Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel, which was launched on Feb. 1, 1904 & first registered, at London, on Apl. 2, 1904 (#118407), was, I am advised, initially owned by New York & Pacific Steamship Co. Ltd. ('NY&P') of London, with Alfred Martin serving as the vessel's manager. NY&P was a subsidiary of Grace Line (W. R. Grace & Co.) of New York. It would seem that Celia was always registered at London & always owned by NY&P, thru 1917 at least (1910 is here), with no change of manager. And in 1918/19 per Lloyd's Register ('LR'). LRs of 1908/09, 1910/11 & 1911/12 all report R. T. Anderson as the vessel's then captain. In 1915, B. P. Blackaday was her captain. In 1918/19, per LR, D. McTaggart served as the vessel's captain. It seems likely, from the name of the owner, that the vessel traded with the United States & into the Pacific Ocean. To Valparaiso, Chile, I understand, and probably to San Francisco. On Aug. 3, 1917, the vessel, then under the control of D. P. Perrault, a pilot, was in collision with Katie H. (ON 125998, built in Quebec in 1908), near buoy 123L, at Pointe du Soldat (located just E. of Sorel, Quebec), St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada. An official Inquiry into the matter was held & Celia was held to be alone at blame. The pilot's licence was suspended for one month. 401.8 ft. long, signal letters VQGB, 407 NHP engines by John Dickinson & Sons Limited, of Sunderland. Many crew lists are available here. On Feb. 2, 1918, while en route, in ballast, from Genoa, Italy, to Gibraltar, Celia was torpedoed & sunk by German submarine UB-48. At 42.39N/4.08E, 44 miles off Cape Creus (Mediterranean coast of NE Spain, just S. of the French border). UB-48 was then under the command of the decorated Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Steinbauer, who during his career as a German naval officer sank 51 Allied vessels & damaged 12 others while he was in command of UB-47 & then of UB-48. No lives were lost as a result of the attack on Celia. We thank Ann English for a portion of the above data. Ann has been researching the vessel since Thomas English, Ann's ancestor, served on the vessel as 2nd Engineer in 1911. Can you add anything? #2238 70 Farringford 3753 tons Hull 418 119202 Silverash 1904 A cargo ship which was launched on May 18, 1904 & completed in Jul. 1904. Per 1 (Silverash, sunk), 2 [Silver Line, Silverash (1)], 3 (U-33), 4 (James Smith 2017 vessel study), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 345.0 ft. long (105.16 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 9 knots, signal letters VTLC, 321 HP engines by J. Dickinson & Sons Ltd., of Sunderland. long. Built for Charlton & Thompson Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., of Sunderland. Lloyd's Register refers to at least three Farringford captains - A. Chaplin (1908/09), J. T. Douglas (1910/11) & J. Robertson (1911/12). In 1912, the vessel was sold to 'St. Helens Steam Shipping Co. (1912), Limited' ('Helens'), of London, with Stanley & John Thompson, of London, her managers - & renamed Silverash. Helens would seem to have been a Silver Line Ltd. company. Note however, that 'Sea Breezes' in an extensive Oct. 1991 article  about Silver Line, rather refers to St. Helen's Steamshipping Co. James Smith advises (thanks!) on Nov. 2, 1914 the vessel was requisitioned by the Admiralty for WW1 service. On Oct. 6, 1915, Silverash, under the command of John Parry Jones, was en route from Barry, Wales, to Mudros (or Moudros, island of Lemnos, North Aegean, Greece), most likely with a cargo of coal. It was overhauled by German submarine U-33, Kapitänleutnant Konrad Gansser in command, & sunk by gunfire, at 35.30N/18.20E, 184 miles E. of Malta, in the Mediterranean. Or maybe at the nearby location of 35.46N/18.17E. The vessel's entire crew took to the ship's lifeboats (before the ship was attacked?) & were rescued by Remembrance (built in 1910 by R. Thompson & Sons of Sunderland). They later were transferred to Yarra & landed at Marseilles, France. Konrad Gansser, during his WW1 career, sank 58 allied ships & damaged three more. Is there anything you can add to the above? Or correct? Another image? #1951 71 Ribera 3500 tons Hull 419 118484 1904 A cargo ship. Per 1 [Bolton, history, Ribera (1)], 2 [Bolton Steam, Ribera (1)], 3 (sinking data, 'Sunday 27 September', 55% down), 4 (Pt. 1 of an Emden operational history on page 2 of a 12 page 'pdf' file), 5 (Wikipedia, Emden), 6 (Wikipedia, Karl von Müller), 7 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 102.4 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, speed? Built for 'Bolton Steam Shipping Company Ltd.' ('Bolton'), of London, & managed by F. Bolton & Company. Bolton were operators of small cargo vessels [named after artists beginning with the letter 'R' - in this case Jusepe de Ribera (1591/1652)], which carried Welsh coal to Mediterranean bunkering stations & returned with grain, hemp & cotton seed from the Black Sea. When WW1 was declared, Emden, a 3600 ton, 3-funnel, German cruiser, capable of 25 knots, was in the German Asiatic Squadron. The ship was ordered by Von Spee to prey upon merchant shipping. Which Emden did, after adding a dummy 4th funnel, to make the vessel look like a 'Weymouth' class British cruiser. Over the period of Aug. 4 thru Nov. 9, 1914, Emden, under the command of Korvettenkapitän Karl Friedrich Max von Müller ('Müller'), captured or sank  30 or 31 Allied ships in the Indian Ocean. Müller treated well the captains, crew & passengers of the ships that he encountered. On Sep. 26, 1914, Emden captured Gryfevale, 4437 tons, bound in ballast from Aden to Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Gryfevale was not sunk, rather ordered to follow Emden. On Sep. 27, 1914, Emden captured Buresk, laden with coal, & captured & sank two ships, Foyle, in ballast & Ribera, also in ballast, John Isdale in command, which was captured shortly after daybreak on Sep. 27, 1914, en route from Glasgow to Batavia (Java) via Alexandria, Egypt. Ribera's sea cocks were opened, scuttling charges placed aboard & at 9.00 a.m., the ship was despatched by gunfire. At or about 07.30N/75.26E, 210 miles WxN of Colombo. The crews of Ribera, Foyle, & 4 other captured ships were placed aboard Gryfevale, which was released on Sep. 28, 1914 & proceeded to Colombo. It would seem that no Ribera lives were lost. Emden's raider career was short. On Nov. 9, 1914, Emden was attacked by HMAS Sydney, hit by over 100 shells & ended up aground, a twisted wreck, with 131 of her crew killed & many casualties. Müller & other crew members were taken as prisoners. The much decorated Müller, (Iron Cross First Class, Pour le Mérite or 'Blue Max'), was held in England for the duration of WW1, was released in Nov. 1918, & returned to Germany. He was promoted, but soon retired due to poor health & died in 1923. Can you correct the above and/or add anything additional? #1882  72 Endsleigh 3709 (or 3779) tons Hull 427 119339 Président Bunge Twyford Vironia Twyford Ciltvaira 1905 A cargo ship. Per 1 ('uboat.net', 1942 sinking, Ciltvaira, image), 2 ('wrecksite.eu', wreck data, Ciltvaira), 3 (Ciltvaira, data), 4 (extensive detail of the events of Jan. 19, 1942), 5 (images of a wreck, believed by some to be Ciltvaira), 6 (identity of Cape Hatteras wrecks), 7 (August 26, 1940, 40% down), 8 (image, Ciltvaira), 9 (Miramar, you now must be registered to access). 105.7 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 346.7 ft., speed of 10 (or 8 1/2) knots, signal letters MBQG. Built for Endsleigh Steamship Co. Ltd., of Plymouth. I note that 2 seems to suggest that in 1900, the vessel was named Afrikander, & owned by Bucknall SS Lines Ltd., of London. In 1907, the vessel was sold to 'Compagnie Royale Belgo-Argentine', of Antwerp, Belgium, A. Deppe the manager, & renamed Président Bunge. In 1925, the vessel was sold to Britain Steamship Co. Ltd. ('Britain'), of London, Watts Watts & Co. the managers, & renamed Twyford. In 1932, the vessel was sold again, to N. C. Pihlakas, of Talinn, Estonia, & renamed  Vironia. Two years later, in 1934, Britain again acquired the vessel & renamed it Twyford. In 1935, the vessel was sold to 'Johann Feymann, Janis Salcmans and Karlis Jansons', of Riga, Latvia, & renamed Ciltvaira. In 1938, Latvian Shipping Co., i.e. Latvijas Kugniecibas Sabiedriba ('Latvijas'), also of Riga, became the owner with no change of vessel name. No WW2 convoy references re the vessel. During WW2, the vessel was operated by the Latvian Government in exile & managed by Latvijas. On Aug. 26, 1940, Ciltvaira, under charter to Ore Steamship Company, was sabotaged by its Latvian crew who did not wish to go to Murmansk, Russia, with 6,000 tons of manganese, as instructed by the Russian Government. Have I understood correctly the words 40% down 7? If not, can anybody clarify both the meaning & the context? On Jan. 19, 1942, Ciltvaira, Karl Skerbergs in command, with a multi-national crew of 31 all told, was en route, unaccompanied, from Norfolk, Virginia, to Savannah, Georgia, with a cargo of 6200 tons of newsprint ex Corner Brook, Newfoundland. At 5:00 a.m., the vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by U-123, Korvettenkapitän Reinhard Hardegen in command. Ciltvaira was one of four vessels attacked by U-123 that day. At 35.35N/75.23W, close to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, so close to shore that U-123 could see its targets silhouetted against on shore lights. The torpedo hit on the port side of the engine room, pierced the boilers, and flooded the boiler room and No. 2 hold. There was a hole four foot in diameter at the water line. Two firemen were killed - Carl Gustaefssen & Rolf Semelin. Ciltvaira was severely damaged, her back being broken, & the order was given to abandon ship. Coamo, a refrigerated passenger/cargo ship, came by but did not stop fearing it too would be hit. 2 hours later, Bury, a Brazilian freighter, attempted to tow the still floating Ciltvaira, but made little headway & abandoned the effort, taking, however, some of Ciltvaira's crew & landing them at New York. Nine of the crew returned to the damaged ship in an attempt to keep her afloat. At 9:00 p.m., Socony-Vacuum, a tanker, took the remaining crew aboard & landed them at Charleston, South Carolina. You might like to know that they also landed Briska & Pluskis, the ship's pet cat & dog! USS Osprey (AM-56), a minesweeper, stood by until USS Sciota (AT-30), an ocean going tug, tried to resume the tow. What then happened is unclear. It may i) have remained afloat & drifting for two more days, but it may also ii) have sunk while being towed in heavy seas and/or iii) been hit by another torpedo. The vessel is said to have sunk at 35.46N/74.37W, off Nags Head, South Carolina, U.S.A. But ... it would seem that the wreck has not truly yet been found. The sinking was a front page story in the New York Times of Jan. 21, 1942, complete with an image. Can you add to or correct the data above? Another image perhaps? 73   Wearmouth 3618 (or 3638) tons Hull 433 120591 Silverbirch Salamis 1905 A cargo ship. Per 1 (data item 8), 2 [Silver Line, Silverbirch (1)], 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 346.5 ft. (105.6 metres) long. Built for Evans, Thompson & Co., of London. In 1911, sold to 'St. Helens Steam Shipping Co.', of London, which would seem to have been a Silver Line Ltd. company, & renamed Silverbirch. Note however, that 'Sea Breezes' in an extensive Oct. 1991 article  about Silver Line, rather refers to St. Helen's Steamshipping Co. A tramp ship. In 1914 sold to 'A. & A. Callinicos', of Ithaca, Greece, & renamed Salamis. I am not sure of the full accuracy of the text that follows since I can locate no WWW data that says what exactly happened. It would appear, however, that on Dec. 10, 1916, Salamis was captured as a prize by U-47, south of Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, while en route from Cardiff to Montevideo, Uruguay. On Dec. 12 or 13, 1916, the vessel was shelled & sunk at 27.50N/14.40W. Any loss of life? Need help! Data? An image perhaps? 74 Aboukir 3660 tons Hull 442 124127 1906 A cargo ship. Per 1 ('uboat.net', sinking data, 1918), 2 ('wrecksite.eu' sinking data, image), 3 ('pdf' file re sinking, Aboukir), 4 (UB-48), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 107.3 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed ? Built for 'Clydesdale Shipowners Co. Ltd.', a subsidiary of Glen & Co. Ltd. ('Glen'), of Glasgow, the vessel's managers. On Feb. 3, 1918, en route, in ballast, from Naples to Gibraltar, the vessel was sunk by UB-48, Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Steinbauer ('Steinbauer') in command. It would seem that the vessel was captured by UB-48 on Feb. 2, 1918, & attempts were made by gunfire & explosives to sink her. She did not sink however, so she was torpedoed & sunk on the next day. At 42.20N/03.40E, 20 miles ExS of Cape Creus, a peninsula & headland in NE Spain, about 25 km S. of the French border. There was no loss of life, apparently, but the Master (his name?) was taken prisoner. UB-48 was a most successful WW1 submarine, sinking 35 vessels & damaging 8 more. Steinbauer was, in fact, the 8th most successful German WW1 U-boat commander. The available data re this vessel is in conflict - a site which request no links indicates the vessel was rather en route from Genoa to Montevideo, while Miramar state that the relevant dates were Feb. 3 & Feb. 4, 1918. The WWW record for this vessel, other than re the sinking, is modest indeed. Need help! Another image perhaps? 75 Blackwell 4712 (later 4787) tons Hull 464 123952 Ruysdael Iris 1907 A cargo ship. Per 1 (launch of Blackwell, ex the Nov. 1, 1907 edition of 'The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect', an 'archive.org' book), 2 (data, Blackwell), 3 (to France in 1915), 4 (Bolton, history), 5 [Bolton Steam, Ruysdael (3)], 6 (data, Ruysdael), 7 (refs. Ruysdael, 70/75% down), 8 ('Lloyds Register' data, Iris, 1930/31 thru 1934/35, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', see left), 9 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 401.7 ft. long, 122.4 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 13 knots, signal letters HLWS & later NUBF & ICFN (last 2 as Iris). Built for 'Tyzack & Branfoot Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.' ('Tyzack'), i.e. 'Well Line', of Sunderland, 'Tyzack & Branfoot' the managers. Intended for service on the company's routes to India ex Middlesbrough & London. The vessel was 'gracefully christened' by Miss Stobart at its launch on Oct. 5, 1907, 69 days after the laying of her keel. I have read that on Mar. 25, 1905, Tyzack was restyled 'Well Line Limited'. Can anybody tell us about her WW1 service? I have read only that in early 1915, the vessel carried troops of the 2nd Battalion, Eastern Ontario Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force, to France for service at Ypres & in many other WW1 battles. In 1916, Well Line would seem to have been acquired by 'Anchor-Brocklebank Limited, of Liverpool. Blackwell would have continued to serve India. The vessel was transferred, in 1919, into the name of 'T. & J. Brocklebank Ltd.', & in 1921, the vessel was sold to 'Bolton Steam Shipping Company Ltd.', of London, a company noted for naming its ships after artists beginning with the letter 'R'. The vessel was renamed Ruysdael, the third fleet vessel of the name (the first is here). In 1929, the vessel was sold to Achille Lauro, of Naples, Italy, & renamed Iris. Thanks to 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyd's Register data for Iris re 1930/31 thru 1934/35 is WWW available - see left. On Jan. 15, 1935, the vessel arrived at the Monfalcone, near Trieste, Italy, ship breaking facilities of 'CR dell'Adriatico', to be broken up. WWW data is really quite limited. The above may well need correction. Additions to & corrections of the above text would be welcomed. An image? #1883 76 Morawitz 4795 tons Hull 460 149786 (later) Kermoor Morawitz Purley Oaks 1907 A cargo ship. From 1 (data, image, Morawitz), 2 ('Lloyds Register' data, Purley Oaks, 1930/31 thru 1935/36, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 378.0 ft. long perpendicular to perpendicular, single screw, signal letters GMZP. Built for 'Atlantica Sea Navigation Company Limited', of Fiume, Yugoslavia. In 1914, the vessel was laid up at Galveston, Texas. It was sold, in 1917, to Kerr Navigation Corp. ('Kerr'), of New York & renamed Kermoor. On Mar. 14, 1918 the vessel was taken over by U.S. Army but was commissioned on Nov. 1, 1918 at Cardiff, Wales, by the U.S. Navy, Naval Overseas Transport Services. The vessel name was retained. 'Operated by the Navy under Army account, Kermoor served out of Cardiff, carrying coal and military supplies between British and French ports.' The vessel sailed on Mar. 6, 1919 to New York (arr. Apl. 21) via Queenstown & Baltimore. Decommissioned on May 5, 1919 & returned to owner same day - to Kerr? In 1921, the vessel was sold to American Ship & Commerce Navigation Co. Inc. (United American Line Inc.), of New York. And later in 1921 was sold to 'Oceana Sea. Nav. Co. Ltd.' (Atlantic Trust Co. Ltd.), of Budapest, Hungary, & renamed Morawitz. It was sold for the last time, in 1927, to T. E. Evans & Co. Ltd., of London, & renamed Purley Oaks. The vessel was broken up, in 1936, by Metal Industries Ltd. at Rosyth, Firth of Forth. Can you help in any way with additional data? 77 Henry R. James 1974/3146 (N/G) tons Hull 467 127066 1909 A steamship which was launched on Nov. 24, 1908 & first registered, at Bristol, on Jan. 15, 1909 (scroll to #127066). Per 1 (u-boat.net), 2, 3 & 4 (French language sites), 5 (Tower Hill memorial), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). Per Lloyd's Register ('LR') of 1910/11, the vessel was owned by Henry R. James Steamship Co. Ltd. of Bristol, with H. R. James & Sons her managers. With F. Mogg her captain. The vessel is recorded in Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1910 thru 1917, always stated to be owned by The "Henry R. James" Steamship Co. Ltd., with William H. James & Herbert H. James her managers, both of Bristol. 325.0 ft. (99.06 metes) long perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters HNLV, speed of 10 knots, 318 NHP engines (per LR) by Blair & Co. Ltd. of Stockton or 250 HP engines (per MNLs). The vessel was requisitioned for service during WW1 &, lightly armed with a 12-pounder gun, saw convoy duty in the Atlantic Ocean. On Jul. 10, 1917 the vessel left Bilbao, Spain, for Middlesboro, River Tees, via Brest, France, with a cargo of 5,300 tons of iron ore, under the command of Captain Frank Wylie Mogg with a crew of 28 all told. The vessel left Brest on Jul. 15, 1917 & proceeded eastbound in convoy, at 6 1/2 knots, hugging the French coast. On the night of Jul. 15/16, 1917, the convoy was stalked by German submarine UC-48, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Kurt Ramien. He fired two torpedoes in rapid succession into the vessel, which took less than a minute to sink - at 2.50 a.m. on Jul. 16, 1917. 24 lives were ultimately lost. I have difficulty in understanding what next happened. And have difficulty with the exact names. However it happened, 5 of the crew escaped the vessel - Captain Moog, Charles J. (maybe S. or T.) Tucker, the vessel's 1st mate, Chief Engineer Thomas Robinson, fireman William Gemmell (on the vessel as William Jones), badly hurt with a head injury, & seaman Robert Quick. Just 7 hours later Robinson died of cold & exhaustion. Thirteen hours after the sinking, the remaining 4 survivors were saved by French trawler Blaireau. You should know that Kurt Ramien was a much decorated German Naval officer who was responsible for the sinking of 57 ships in WW1 & damaging 5 other vessels. The attack was at 48.49N/3.46W, in Morlaix Bay, N. of Primel-Trégastel (Finistère), about 10 miles E. by N. of Île de Batz. I read that the vessel's wreck was discovered by Bernard Foucault, 40 or 50 metres down, in 1994 - such parts as remain (boilers & engine) are still well preserved. I also learn that an Inquiry into the vessel's loss was held at Le Havre, & that based upon their then available data they attributed the vessel's loss to a minefield. Only later did the submarine attack become known. It would be helpful to access the report of such Inquiry to confirm or modify the details above. Crew lists are available via this page. Is there anything you can add? #2148 78 , Kingsgate 3717, later 3741 tons Hull 463 125782 Scottier Lundy Light Koidula Uhlenhorst Dabaibe 1909 A cargo ship which was launched on Apl. 5, 1909 & completed in May 1909. From 1 (data, Lloyd Royal Belge, Scottier [2]), 2 (extensive & detailed vessel history, in Norwegian, thanks to Theodor Dorgeist), 3 (link 2 Google translated into English), 4 (crew images, Koidula & image Koidula, text in Estonian), 5 (link 4 Google translated into English), 6 (image, Koidula), 7 (image, Lundy Light), 8 ('Lloyds Register' ('LR') data, Lundy Light, Koidula & Uhlenhorst, 1930/31 thru 1945/46, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'), 9 (James Smith, Scottier, 2017 'pdf' study), 10 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 346.5 ft. long (105.61 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, single screw, signal letters HNTQ later GBJD & ESCN, speed of 9 knots, 329 HP engines by George Clark Limited of Sunderland. Built for 'London Gate Steamship Co. Ltd.', of London, with H. W. Dillon or H. W. Dillon & Sons serving as the vessel's managers. Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1910 & 1915. In Nov. 1915, the vessel was sold, along with a number of other steamships including Towergate, Moorgate & Aldersgate, to 'Angier Steamship Co. Ltd.', also of London, & renamed Scottier. MNL of 1920. Fairplay Weekly Shipping Journal, Vol. 123, likely provides the sale price. James Smith i) advises that on Nov. 20, 1914 the vessel was requisitioned by the Admiralty for WW1 service & 2) provides service details in his study. In 1918, the vessel was sold to 'Lloyd Royal Belge (Great Britain) Ltd.', of London, with no change of vessel name. But ... the ownership by Lloyd Royal Belge is confusing to the webmaster - the vessel may have been owned or maybe managed by Brijs-Gijlsen Ltd. (Brys & Gylsen), of London, & in 1918 transferred to Lloyd Royal Belge - see link 1). In Aug. 1922, the vessel was sold for £27,000 to Bristol Channel Steamers Ltd. ('Bristol') of Cardiff, Wales, with 'J. German & Co.', later, from 1926, 'Lewis Lougher and Company Ltd.' of Cardiff, her managers, & renamed Lundy Light. MNL of 1930. Bristol owned the vessel thru 1932 in which year the vessel was sold to M. (Mihkel) Männapso & (many) partners, of Tallinn, Estonia, for £3,000 (maybe £3,150) with delivery where she lay at Bideford, Devon. The vessel was renamed Koidula & managed by E. Bergmann. On Jun. 16, 1940. the Soviet Union (USSR) invaded the Republic of Estonia & on Aug. 6, 1940, Estonia was seized/annexed by the Soviet Union & this vessel was seized also. It became operated by Estonian Shipping Co. Ltd. of Tallin, now Russia, with no change of vessel name. On Jun. 22, 1941 the vessel was seized again, this time by a German warship & taken to Lübeck, Germany, with Captain F. Berzin (or Behrsin) & 33 crew being taken prisoner. The vessel became owned by the German Government, managed, I read, by Bock, Goddefroy & Co. of Hamburg & was renamed Uhlenhorst. LR of 1932/33 records the vessel at 3741 tons. On Jun. 18, 1944, the vessel, then at Hamburg, was hit by 2 aerial bombs & 'considerably damaged'. It later stranded, at Stubbene Enge, Aalesund, Norway, on Aug. 21, 1944. On May 9, 1945, the vessel was confiscated by the U.S.A. & on Mar. 15, 1948 was returned to Captain Fritz Behrsin as representative of the vessel's Estonian pre-WW2 owners. In 1948 the vessel was acquired by 'Compañía Dabaibe de Navegación SA' of Panama & renamed Dabaibe. Roy Fenton tells us in 'Tramps Ships, an Illustrated History' that her real owner was 'London-based Captain E. J. Jakobson, an Estonian exile & also her master'. On May 16, 1959, while en route from Calais, France, to Yokohama, Japan, with a cargo of scrap iron, bound for ship-breakers in Japan, the vessel sprang a leak when in the Mediterranean. She requested immediate assistance. The crew were all taken aboard Uarda, a Swedish tanker. A few hours later the vessel broke in two & sank - at 34.52N/19.28E, SW of Greece & roughly due N. of Benghazi, Libya. Can you help in any way with additional data? #1945 79 Ariadne Christine 3649 (or 3550) tons Hull 474 129095 Truth Vahva Suerte Trinity 1910 A cargo ship. From 1 (1918 mining), 2 (Norwegian page, Truth, image Truth), 3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Suerte), 4 (grounding at Baltasound in Feb. 1940), 5 (Lloyd's Register data, Suerte, 1940/41 thru 1945/46, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 108.5 metres long, 356.0 ft. (or 356 ft. 1 in.), speed of 9 knots, signal letters LDCZ, WMTL, LBTN & HPOI. Built for 'Ariadne Steamship Co. Ltd.' of London (maybe offices also in West Hartlepool), 'G. P. Sechiari', of London, the managers. In 1916, 'P. Samuel & Co. Ltd.', became the managers. On Sep. 2, 1918, the vessel hit a mine, possibly laid by U-75, off the NW Point of Ribachi Peninsula, at the entrance to the White Sea (Barents Sea, N. Russia, near Archangel). The vessel was damaged but survived. And was towed to Murmansk, Russia, & then perhaps towed onwards to the Tees. In 1920, repaired I presume, the vessel was sold to 'Skjelbreds Rederi A/S', of Kristiansand, Norway, O. A. T. Skjelbred, the manager, & renamed Truth. The ownership changes in 1939/1940 are confusing indeed. It would seem that in 1939, the vessel was sold to British buyers - per Miramar 'J. Teng, G. W. Grace & A. B. Grace' ('Grace'), but was registered at Talinn, Estonia. And renamed Vahva. But Roger Jordan advises that 'Compañia de Vapores Ltda.' ('Vapores'), of Panama, P. Wigham Richardson & Co. Ltd., of London, the managers, were the owners of Vahva. They certainly were the vessel's owners in 1940/41 thru 1945/46 per Lloyds Registers (left). 'Convoyweb.org' records no WW2 convoy references for Vahva. I read, however, that on Feb. 6, 1940, Vahva went aground at Baltasound, Island of Unst, Shetland Islands, in an incident described in Story of a Ship: 'The Earl of Zetland', by Adam Robson. Can anybody advise us what the book says? Now Miramar refers, as stated above, re Vahva, to 'Grace' - Vapores may have been associated with 'Connell & Grace Ltd.' The vessel was sold again, in 1940, to 'Thras L. Boyazides & Co.' ('Boyazides'), of Andros, Greece, & renamed Suerte. But it would seem likely that Boyazides were not the owners but rather were the managers for Vapores. Registered at Panama. 74 WW2 convoy references as Suerte, covering the period of Apl. 1940 thru May 1945. Includes at least 10 N. Atlantic crossings, service in Mediterranean (Port Said), service to E. Africa (Freetown), in May 1945 to Havre, France, & many U.K. coastal voyages.  In 1951, the vessel was sold to 'Trinity Compañia de Navigazione S.A.', of Panama, A. Lusi, presumably the manager, & renamed Trinity. The vessel was laid up for a while prior to, on Nov. 16, 1953, the vessel arriving at Savona, Italy, to be broken up. It was broken up at Vado Ligure (Savona) in Mar. 1954. Can you help in any way? Some images, perhaps? 80 Boyne 4445 tons Hull 473 129121 Ariadne Pandelis 1910 A cargo ship. From 1 (Mercantile history 60% down, Boyne (2) data), 2 (Hain references on page), 3 (Portuguese page re 'Ariadne Pandellis'), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 113.9 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, (about 388 ft.) single screw, speed of 11 knots. Maintained 12 1/2 knots on its trial voyage. Built for 'The Mercantile Steamship Company Ltd.' ('Mercantile'), of London. In 1917, 'Hain Steamship Company' ('Hain'), which company became a P&O & 'British India Steam Navigation Company' company following the death of Sir Edward Hain, became the majority owner of Mercantile & the managers of Boyne. By 1923, Hain owned all of Mercantile & in that year the vessel was transferred to Hain, with no change in the vessel's name. In 1930, the vessel was sold, for £22,400, to Marmara Steamship Co. Ltd., of Greece, & renamed Ariadne Pandelis. On Jun. 19, 1936, while en route from Gdynia, Poland, to Mar del Plate, Argentina, with a cargo of coal, the port coal bunker caught fire when the vessel was at Bahia (Salvador), Brazil. Unsuccessful efforts were made to control the fire. With the assistance of tugs Souza & Netuno, the vessel was towed & on Jun. 23, 1936 beached, at Itaparica, Brazil, away from other marine traffic. At 12.52.966S/ 38.41.189W. After an explosion on Jun. 25, 1936, the vessel was purposely flooded to put out the fire & the vessel was abandoned by the crew as a total loss. It would seem that Captain Atanásio Eugenides did not return to his ship or attempt the recovery of any of the cargo. Rather he initiated a claim on the vessel's insurance & presumably departed. It would seem that the vessel was later dynamited - in the 1980s. Little remains today. What there is, located right in front of the Icarai Hotel at Itaparica, is marked with a yellow buoy 50 metres off shore. The webmaster thought that is what happened, but he was really not sure. The WWW translation of Portuguese is most difficult & especially so when a site (3) does not permit text to be copied & pasted elsewhere such as into a WWW translation site. Why ever not, I wonder! But Ivo Miller confirms (thanks!) that my understanding of the story is good. He witnessed the demolition of the ship by the Brazilian Navy & his grandfather owned the Icarai Hotel. Can you help in any way? 81 Collingham 4080 (later 4115 & 4199) tons Hull 470 129069 Duba Irish Elm Leda Sadiklar 1910 A cargo ship. From 1 (data with image of Sadiklar), 2 (Irish Shipping, Irish Elm acquired 1941), 3 (Lloyd's Register data, Collingham, 1940/41 thru 1945/46, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'), 4 (Lloyd's Register data, Duba, 1930/31 thru 1940/41, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 107.2 metres long (351.7 ft.) perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 9 knots, signal letters HQJS later JEUX, YTAS & EINS. Built for Harris & Dixon Ltd., of London. The vessel had many different owners in the years that followed, all of the following being of London. To Century Shipping Co. Ltd. in 1910 & to Freear & Dix Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. in 1915. Also in 1915 to Turnbull Bros. Shipping Co. Ltd. In 1920 to Pentwyn Steamship Co. Ltd. and later that year to Bathampton Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. and in 1925 to 'Kingdom Steamships Ltd.', with Jackson Bros. the managers. The vessel was sold in 1930 to 'Slobodna Plovidba Dubrovnik', of Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, & renamed Duba. Such owner later became 'Slobodna Plovidba Drustvo s.o.j.'. And sold in 1941 to 'Cia. Leda de Vapores SA', of Panama, & renamed Leda. And later that year to 'Irish Shipping Ltd.' of Dublin, Ireland, & renamed Irish Elm. In 1949 'Sadikzade Rusen Ogullari KS', of Istanbul, Turkey, acquired the vessel & renamed it Sadiklar. Have seen the name referred to as Sadýklar, particularly on a Turkish site now long gone. The vessel was broken up in Dec. 1961 at Sibenik, Yugoslavia. Can you help in any way? 82 Birchfield 4180 tons Hull 480 131351 Shipcote 1911 A cargo ship that was launched on Apl. 12, 1911 & completed in Jun. 1911. Per 1 (Springfield Steam Shipping Company, Shipcote), 2 (Tower Hill Memorial, Shipcote), 3 (James Smith 2017 vessel study), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 369.4 ft. long (112.59 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, speed 9 3/4 knots, signal letters HSWC, ? HP engines by J. Dickinson & Sons Ltd., of Sunderland. Its initial owner, per Miramar, was Northfield Steamship Co. Ltd. ('Northfield'), of Liverpool, however Lloyd's Register of 1911/12 records J. Brown & Son of Liverpool as her then owner. Perhaps the vessel was later transferred into the registration of Northfield? In 1914, the vessel was sold to Springfield Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. (a company both managed & owned by Lunn & Maccoy of Newcastle) & renamed Shipcote. Still registered at Liverpool. James Smith advises that on Aug. 6, 1914, the vessel was requisitioned by the Admiralty for WW1 service. In Nov. 1915, Shipcote, under the command of Thomas Ormston & with a crew of 29 all told, left Archangel, Russia, for Le Havre, France, with a cargo of bagged grain. It would seem that it left Archangel on Nov. 26, 1915 (per newspaper 'overdue' notices). It went missing en route & was never heard from again. We thank James Smith for the detail data in his vessel study. Can you help in any way with additional data? #1950 83 Cento 3708 tons Hull 483 131396 Jurko Topic Wien Jurko Topic Hammarland Karlshamn Aino Nurminen 1911 A cargo ship. Per 1 (extensive data in Swedish), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 106.2 metres long, speed of 9 knots. Built for Corinthian Shipping Company Ltd. of Liverpool. In 1919 the vessel was sold to 'W. R. Davies Steamship Co.', also of Liverpool (possibly with R. Nicholson & Co. the managers). In 1930, the vessel was sold to 'Slobodna Plovidba Topic D.D.' ('Slobodna'), or maybe 'A Topic', of Sušak, Jugoslavia, & renamed Jurko Topic. And sold in 1934 to 'Austria Schiffahrts A.G.', of Vienna, Austria, & renamed Wien. In 1936 the vessel was acquired again by Slobodna & renamed Jurko Topic. In 1937, the vessel was sold to 'Naxos Prince', of Helsinki, Finland, & renamed Hammarland, Curt Mattson Rederi AB, of Helsinki the likely manager. And in Jan. 1942, it was sold to 'Sven Salén', of Stockholm, Sweden. In Feb. 1942, I think that the vessel was interned at Buenos Aires, Argentina & renamed Karlshamn, S. Salen then the manager? In Oct. 1943, the vessel was transferred to 'Rederi AB Jamaica/ Rederi AB Westindia', of Stockholm. Laid up in 1945? In Aug. 1947 the vessel was sold to 'Laiva Oy Rauma', of Helsinki, Finland, (J. Nurminen manager?) & renamed Aino Nurminen. In 1957, the vessel was sold to Italian ship breakers & in Dec. 1957 arrived at Trieste to be broken up. Am grateful for the data at 1, however the webmaster's ability in Swedish is non-existent, & WWW translation was of limited help. Corrections will surely be needed to the above text. Can you help with corrections and/or data! 84 Manningtry 3869 (or 3807) tons Hull 477 124297 Arabier Caldy Light Rönnskär Parklaan 1911 A cargo ship. From 1 (extensive data, in Dutch, 2nd item), 2 (Lloyd Royal Belge, Arabier), 3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Parklaan), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 107.4 (or 107.66) metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 352.5 ft., speed of 9 knots. Built for Imperial Steam Ship Co. Ltd., of Manchester, 'Sivewright, Bacon & Co.', the managers. The vessel was sold, in 1916, to 'Brys-Gylsen Ltd.', of  London, & renamed Arabier. The vessel was sold again, in 1917, to 'Lloyd Royal Belge (Great Britain) Limited', of  London. In 1922, the vessel was sold to 'Bristol Channel Steamers Ltd.', of Cardiff, 'J. German & Co.', the managers, & renamed Caldy Light. 'Lewis Lougher & Co. Ltd.' became the managers in 1926. In 1932, the vessel was sold to 'Marjanels Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.', of London, managed by 'F. W. Uittenbogaart', of Rotterdam, with no change of name. In 1934, it was sold to 'O/Y Wasa Steam Shipping Co.', of Wasa, Finland, managed by Marjanels Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., & renamed Rönnskär. A few years later, in 1937, the vessel was sold to N.V. Stoomschip "Hannah", of Rotterdam, managed by F. W. Uittenbogaart, & renamed Parklaan. 53 WW2 convoy references including at least 11 N. Atlantic crossings, Mediterranean (Port Said), W. Africa (Freetown, Casablanca) & many UK coastal. Its final voyage was from Goole to Seine Bay, France, in Jun. 1944. Upon arrival there, it was  scuttled, on Jun. 8, 1944, as part of a temporary 'Mulberry Harbour', on the coast of Normandy, (Gold Beach, Arromanches, Normandy), France. It was re-floated in Jul. 1945, towed to Troon, Scotland, & broken up there in Oct. 1945. Can you add anything? 85 Tenpaisan Maru 5416 tons Hull 488 14168 1911 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Mitsui Bussan Kaisha, Tenpaisan Maru), 2 & 3 (wreck images, 'Jones Photo Co.'), 4 & 5 (WWW wreck images), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 116.0 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 12 knots. When built, the largest ship that 'JLT' had ever built. Built for 'Mitsui Bussan Kaisha', of Tokyo & Kobe, or maybe of Mikawa, Japan. In 1915, the vessel was 'stuck' at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal, by a massive slide that blocked the canal & delayed at least 83 ships for an extended period.  In late 1927, the vessel was en route from Japan to N. Pacific ports, when it was driven ashore by a massive SW gale, during thick fog, at Copalis Beach, 12 miles N. of Grays Harbor, Washington. Roughly at 47.7.4N/124.10.42W. I believe that it ran aground on Nov. 24, 1927, but not all sources agree. Salvage tug Salvage Queen, of Pacific Salvage Company Limited, of Vancouver, Canada, perhaps, went to her assistance on that day but was recalled as the vessel was already breaking up. No loss of life. The U.S. Coast Guard Service got a line aboard from shore with a Lyle gun, & rescued everybody by a pulley & breeches buoy apparatus. The vessel was a total loss. It would seem that the wreck lay on the beach for a great many years & that children played both in & on it. It was eventually, however (when I wonder?) removed. I have not been able to read any detail as to Tenpaisan Maru's final voyage - the crew number, the Captain's name, its cargo, its course at the time, etc. etc. Nor the exact coordinates of the wreck site. The wreck & rescue was photographed by a photographer of 'Jones Photo Co.', long established in the North West, with studios at nearby Aberdeen, Washington. Can anybody provide large quality scans of contemporary 1927 'Jones' wreck postcards? The scene is dramatic & the images merit better WWW coverage than is today available. Or help with corrections and/or additional data! 86 Chincha 6395 (or 6348) tons Hull 488 135135 Milena Gloria 1912 A cargo ship. Per 1 (extensive data Gloria), 2 (Grace Line), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). About 126 metres long, speed of 10 1/2 knots. Built for 'New York & Pacific Steamship Co. Ltd.', of London,  [a subsidiary of 'W. R. Grace & Co.', which company i) had a long association with Peru hence the vessel name, & ii) became Grace Steamship Company, ('Grace')], of New York ('NY') Grace the managers. In 1918, the vessel was sold to 'Nafra Steamship Co.' of NY, Grace the manager. In 1919, the vessel was sold to 'Green Star Steamship Corp.', of NY. In 1923, it was sold again, to 'Planet Steamship Co.', also of NY. In 1929, it was sold to 'American South African Line Inc.', of NY. And in 1939, was sold to 'Ante Babarovich', of Milna, Yugoslavia ('Petrinovic & Co. Ltd.', of London, the managers), & renamed Milena. In 1941, the vessel was sold to 'Compañia de Vapores Arauco Panameña', of Panama ('Atlas Trading Corp.', of NY, the manager) & renamed Gloria. Also in 1941 (Jan. 8), the vessel was chartered by the Swiss War Transport Administration ('Swiss'), of Berne, Switzerland. 1st voyage from NY to Genoa. Swiss negotiated to acquire the vessel but the transaction was not consummated - the charter ended on Apl. 16, 1941. In 1948, the vessel was registered, sold I presume, to 'Gloria Compañia Maritima S.A.', of Panama. In Aug. 1950, it arrived at the Baltimore, Maryland, facilities of 'Potapsco Scrap Company' to be broken up. Can you help with corrections and/or additional data! 87 Curaca 6386 tons Hull 489 135178 1912 A cargo ship. Per 1 (extensive data, Halifax explosion), 2 (Wikipedia, Halifax explosion), 3 (more explosion data), 4 (data, Curaca, Halifax explosion), 5 (Grace Line), 6 (Lloyd's Register data 1930/31 thru 1933/34 ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'), 7 (repair of Curaca, after Halifax explosion, ex Popular Science Monthly of Sep. 1927), 8 (monument to Curaca crew members lost), 9 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 122.8 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular (403.0 ft.), speed of 10 1/2 knots, signal letters JBKN. Built for 'New York & Pacific Steamship Co. Ltd.' ('NYPSCo'), of London,  for use on their New York to Chile service. NYPSCo was a subsidiary of 'W. R. Grace & Co.' ('GraceCo') of New York, a company with a long trading association with South America. The operations of both companies, known as 'Grace Line', came together & in 1922, the vessel was, in fact, transferred into the name of GraceCo. But I am getting ahead of the story. Curaca? A senior official in the Incan Empire - a likely origin of the name. It seems likely that the vessel was stranded off Charleston Harbour, perhaps in 1917, but the data is sketchy. On Dec. 6, 1917, the vessel was at Pier 8, in Halifax Harbour, loading horses or mules to be shipped to Europe for WW1 service. Or did it have grain only aboard & was awaiting the arrival of the livestock? The vessel was then under the command of Captain E. Peck, with a crew of 55 & also 12 horsemen to look after the animals. Now the Halifax Explosion is really too large a subject to cover here in depth - you are directed to the many other sources for greater detail. But in a 'relatively speaking' nutshell ... Entering Halifax Harbour that morning was Mont Blanc, a 3279, or maybe 3121 gross ton, cargo ship built in 1899 by Sir Raylton Dixon & Co., at Middlesbrough, for 'Société Générale de Transports Maritimes à Vapeur', of Marseilles, France. On Dec. 1, 1917, Mont Blanc, had left New York for Halifax to join an eastbound convoy to Europe with Bordeaux, France, as her destination. It was then owned by 'Compagnie Générale Transatlantique', registered at Saint Nazaire, & was carrying explosives including 250 tons of TNT, 2,366 1/2 tons of 'highly unstable' picric acid, &, on the deck, 250 tons of benzol in barrels. Captain Aimé Le Medec was in command with a crew of 41. And a pilot named Francis MacKey was aboard. I have read that an ammunition ship was required to fly a red flag (is that correct?) but Mont Blanc apparently did not do so. Exiting the harbour was Imo, 4833 gross tons, a livestock carrier built in 1899 for White Star Line as Runic by Harland & Wolff of Belfast. In 1917, Imo, then a supply ship owned by 'South Pacific Whaling Company' of Christiana, Norway, was a 'neutral' ship, under charter by 'The Commission for Relief in Belgium', & was leaving for New York to load relief supplies there. Captain Haakon From was in command with a crew of 39. William Hayes was aboard as pilot. Early on Dec. 6, 1917, in clear weather, the vessels were in 'The Narrows', the narrow (300 to 500 metres bank to bank) access to 'Bedford Basin', the inner harbour of Halifax. In the confines of The Narrows also was Stella Maris, a tug, (previously a mine-sweeper) pulling two scows. Imo, going quite fast, tried to overtake or avoid Stella Maris & its towed vessels, & strayed out of its correct channel. Mont Blanc & Imo collided at 8:45 a.m., not a giant collision in fact, but sparks from the collision caused Mont Blanc to catch fire. Its crew tried to combat the fire & then took to the boats & they rowed (like hell, I would have thought!) for Dartmouth, leaving the ship to drift towards Halifax. Efforts were made to tow the burning vessel away - a tender from HMCS Niobe, a Royal Canadian Navy depot ship, attached a hawser to it & Stella Maris tried to tow the vessel. But the hawser broke & a stronger one was en route to the scene when Mont Blanc blew. The entire tender's crew died in the subsequent explosion, while Stella Maris was severely damaged & 19 of her crew, including Brannen her captain, were killed. Petty Officer Albert C. (Charles) Mattison, in command of the tender, was awarded the prestigious Albert Medal for his brave efforts. Mont Blanc came to rest at Pier 6, in the north end of Halifax. Sorry! I got ahead of the story. Just before 9:05 a.m., 20 minutes after the collision, Mont Blanc exploded. And what an explosion! A brilliant flash of light, a shock wave felt 270 miles away, much of the city of Halifax flattened, over 2,000 killed & 9,000 injured (many lost eyes or total eyesight), much shipping destroyed & damaged, a giant wave like a tsunami. Mont Blanc ceased to exist - bits of it were blasted miles away - a large part of its cannon, as an example, landed 3 1/2 miles away. Due to their rowing prowess perhaps, Mont Blanc's crew all survived, (they landed near protective woods), except for one sailor, who was, it would seem, hit by falling debris & later died. (A human interest story concerning some of the Mont Blanc crew). Imo was driven against the northern or eastern Dartmouth shore, substantially damaged. Captain From, 5 crew members & its pilot were killed. It was repaired, & later, as Guvernøren, a whale-oil tanker, ran onto rocks & was abandoned at Cape Carysfort, Cow Bay, East Falklands, on Dec. 3, 1921. Who was at fault? Mont Blanc or Imo? The matter was addressed by a number of courts, & the final court, the Privy Council, in London, England, determined that the vessels were, in fact, both at fault. The above summation may well need correction since the various disaster accounts differ in their detail. And Curaca? It was moored just a few hundred feet from the exploding Mont Blanc, was torn from its moorings & driven across to Tufts Cove, Dartmouth, where it sank, stern pushed in, her masts & smokestack blown away. She lay with her bow out of the water. I read that of its crew, 7 or 8 were ashore at the time & survived while 46, aboard at the time of the explosion, were all killed except for one. The words seem not to account, however, for the 67 referenced above? Captain Peck clearly survived - he filed paperwork re crew members of Curaca who lost their lives, including John McGaddock, fireman, & J. Boyle, seaman. A list of 54 names, which includes both crew members & horsemen who lost their lives aboard Curaca, is here. The vessel was later, in 1918, raised, & towed to New York. She was badly damaged, her superstructure having been blown away, & she was buckled - she apparently sagged 8 feet in the middle. She was rebuilt with great skill & was put back into service with no change of vessel name. In 1922, the vessel was transferred into the name of GraceCo, & registered at Panama. In 1931, the vessel was sold to 'Curaca Shipping Corp.', also of Panama, 'Argonaut Steamship Line Inc.', of Panama, the managers, again with no change of vessel name. In late Mar. 1931, the vessel started a service from Baltimore to Buenos Aires, Montevideo & Rosario. Norton Lilly & Co. of New York were the local agents at the time, it would appear. However a 'blotter' indicates that the service was direct from New York to the above ports & also to Santa Fe. On Feb. 28, 1934, the vessel arrived at Osaka, Japan, to be broken up. Can you help with corrections and/or provide additional data? Another image? Was there an official Inquiry into the Halifax Explosion, separate from the court actions? #1843 88 Southern 4769 (or 5977 or 6065) tons Hull 487 132714 44573 Maasdijk Rhymney Macdonald Pei Foo Kitafuku Maru 1912 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Holland America Line, Maasdijk), 2 (data, Rhymney), 3 [Morel Limited, Rhymney (2)], 4 (Southern, in 1915, ex 'The Argus', Melbourne), 5 (data in Dutch), 6 (link 5 translated), 7 (2 images, Maasdijk), 8 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 118.5 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 403.0 ft. overall?, 388.7 ft., speed of 10 (or 9 1/2) knots. Built for 'Lunsford Shipping Co. Ltd.', of London, Harris & Dixon the managers. But the 'JLT' build list elsewhere in these pages indicates that it was built for Century Shipping Co. Ltd. ('Century'). It would seem that in the immediately following years, the vessel was owned by a number of related companies, including, in 1914, Century of London. The vessel was requisitioned by the Commonwealth Government ('Commonwealth') of Australia, from Century. The vessel left Albany, Western Australia, on Nov. 15, 1914, carrying 7 officers, 145 men & 328 horses across the Indian Ocean as part of the Australian Imperial Force to the WW1 campaign in Europe. And, it would seem, New Zealand forces also. Rather slowly, apparently! On Feb. 3, 1915, Commonwealth relinquished control of the vessel, which was, on Jan. 29, 1915, (dates modestly wrong somewhere it would seem), sold for £88,000 to 'Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Mij', i.e. 'Holland America Line' ('Holland'), of Rotterdam, & renamed Maasdijk. Have seen the name referred to also as Maasdyjk. The vessel's first voyage for Holland was on Feb. 18, 1915 to the E. coast of North America. Crew of 44. On Dec. 1, 1922, the vessel was sold to 'Congueil Steamship Company Ltd.', (or maybe Conguel), of London, 'Morel Limited' of Cardiff, the managers & renamed Rhymney. In 1923, the vessel became owned by Rhymney Steamship Co. Ltd., of Cardiff, with no change of vessel name. In 1928, or 1929, it was sold again, to 'Dowlais Steamship Company Ltd.' ('Dowlais'), also of London, Morel still the managers, again with no change of vessel name. Dowlais went into bankruptcy in late 1936 & the vessel was sold to 'Guardian Line Ltd.', of London, C. A. Roberts the managers, & renamed Macdonald. In 1937, the vessel was sold, for £50,000, to 'Chang Shu Chang', of Tsingtao, China, & renamed Pei Foo. And in 1938, the vessel was sold to 'Kitagawa Sangyo Kaiun KK', of Osaka, Japan, & renamed Kitafuku Maru. A data 'snippet' seems to state, however, that the vessel was instead captured by the Japanese in 1938. On Mar. 17, 1940, the vessel ran aground & was wrecked. At 26.20N/126.56E, on Luchu Island, E. of Kumesima, Japan, NE of Taiwan. I have not read the circumstances. Can you help with corrections and/or additional data! 89 North Pacific 3931 (or 3938) tons Hull 497 132072 Csikós Vinlake 1913 A cargo ship. Per 1 (data & easily missed images, click on image, Csikós), 2 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Csikos), 3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Vinlake), 4 (WW2 convoy, CORNCOB.3), 5 (French page, ships scuttled in 'Gooseberry 3'), 6 (extensive French 'pdf' file, '46 Vinlake', 65% down), 7 (image, Csikós), 8 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 115.7 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 393 ft. 10 in., speed of 10 (or 9 only) knots. Built for 'Pacific Shipping Ltd.', of Sunderland, who just 3 years later, in 1916, sold the vessel to 'Felix Steamship Co. Ltd.', also of Sunderland, 'G. E. Ambatielos' the manager. In 1920, the vessel was sold again to another Sunderland owner, i.e. 'Newfoundland Maritime Co. Ltd.' 'Japp, Hatch and Co. Ltd. were the managers but in 1921 E. H. Mundy and Co., assumed the role. In 1923 the vessel was sold to Exmouth Steamship Co. Ltd., of Cardiff, Wales, Anning Bros. the managers. All of those changes of ownership were with no change of vessel name. In 1934, the vessel was sold to  'Magyar Hajózási Részvénytársaság', i.e. Anglo-Hungarian Shipping Co. Ltd. ('AngloHungarian'), of Budapest, Hungary, 'G. Barta' the manager, & renamed Csikós. 39 WW2 convoy references re Csikós, with just one of those voyages when registered in Hungary, i.e. HX.20 from Halifax, Canada, to Liverpool in Feb. 1940, en route to Le Havre, France. I read that in 1941, the vessel became registered at Panama, however it would seem that that re-registration must rather have taken place in Mar. or Apl. 1940. 38 WW2 convoy references when Panama registered, including 5 N. Atlantic crossings, at least 3 of them with grain, & U.K. coastal. If I understand correctly the French text at 6, as it relates to other available data, Kabalo, a Belgian cargo ship, was sunk on Oct. 15, 1940 by an Italian submarine & the Kabalo crew were at Lisbon, Portugal, in Mar. 1941. As were Csikós & Csarda, also an AngloHungarian fleet vessel. Isidore Mesmaekers, the first officer of Kabalo, was asked to bring Csikós to England, & was placed in command (I presume that the captain of Kabalo took command of Csarda). Csikós joined a convoy from Gibraltar on Apl. 3, 1941 & en route was attacked & damaged by German aircraft, 2 crew being killed in the attack. Csikós was repaired at Londonderry & safely reached Ardrossan, Scotland, on Apl. 29, 1941. In 1942, the vessel was sold again, to Kentships Ltd., of London, Craggs & Co. the manager, & renamed Vinlake. Became British flag. Now 6 states the ship was renamed Vinriver & then Vinlake, but the reference to Vinriver looks to be in error - it was Csarda which was renamed Vinriver. Just a single WW2 convoy reference re Vinlake. On Jun. 7, 1944, Vinlake left Poole Bay, Dorset, in convoy 'CORNCOB.3', for Seine Bay, France, arriving there the next day. The vessel had been taken over by the Ministry of War Transport, managed by Christian Salvesen and Co., & taken to France in order to assist re the Normandy Landings. To assist? In a most important way, yes indeed! The ship was old & provided valuable service when scuttled, on Jun. 9, 1944, as part of 'Gooseberry 3', one of 5 'Gooseberries', i.e. lines of ships scuttled to create sheltered waters, within which two 'Mulberry' harbours were built on the coast of France. Vinlake, a 'corncob', the military code term for such a block ship, was scuttled at Gold Beach, where 'Mulberry B', used by the British, was constructed at Arromanches. Two other 'JLT' built vessels were similarly scuttled there - Sirehei & Parklaan, built 1907 & 1911 respectively. 'Mulberry B' lasted much longer than anticipated - 10 months I read, & in that period 2.5 million men were landed along with 500,000 vehicles & 4 million tons of munitions & stores. The other 'Mulberry', i.e. 'Mulberry A', was constructed at Omaha Beach, for the use of the Americans, but was largely destroyed in a storm on Jun. 17, 1944. That is not the end of the story! Vinlake was re-floated in 1946, & taken, via Falmouth, Cornwall, to Milford Haven, to be broken up at the 'Bisco' T. A. Ward Ltd. ship breaking facilities there. En route it 'leaked badly' & had to be beached at St. Maws, Cornwall. I am grateful for the detail available at the above links. My text may well prove to include errors, so corrections would be most welcome, as would additional data. 90 Batsford 4782 tons Hull 503 136641 Hamdale St. Mellons Tozan Maru 1914 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Canadian Pacific, Batsford), 2 ('wrecksite.eu', wreck of Tozan Maru, image Hamdale), 3 (image, Batsford, but you must be registered to view it), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 118.5 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 12 knots. Built for 'Century Shipping Co. Ltd., of London, owned by Harris & Dixon Ltd., also of London. I see that an image of Batsford appears in 'Ships of the Panama Canal' (by James L. Shaw, published in 1985), the first ship in a convoy transiting the canal, on a voyage from Antofagasta, Chile to Colon, for orders, with 7900 tons of nitrate. Perhaps the same image is at 3? In 1918, the vessel was bought by Canadian Pacific Railway Company, also of London, with no change of vessel name. That likely means 'Canadian Pacific Ocean Services Ltd.', which in 1921 became 'Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd.' Presumably provided service to Canada (yes?) though I saw a brief reference to the vessel being engaged on a Portland to New York service in 1918. In 1927, the vessel was sold to  'Turnbull Coal & Shipping Co. Ltd.' ('Turnbull'), of Cardiff & renamed Hamdale. In 1934, Turnbull was restyled as 'Turnbulls (Cardiff) Ltd., also of Cardiff, of course. On Apl. 12, 1937, the vessel was sold to 'Barry Shipping Co. Ltd.', of Cardiff, i.e. 'South American Saint Line', 'B. and S. Shipping Co. Ltd.' the managers, & on Apl. 29, 1937 was renamed St. Mellons. A few days later that same year, in May 1937, the vessel was sold to 'Okada Gumi KK', of Osaka, Japan, with delivery in Jun/Jul. 1937, & renamed Tozan Maru. It was sold for £47,000 or perhaps for £42,500. On Mar. 06, 1938, while en route, in ballast, from Yawata, now Kitakyūshū, Japan, to Keelung, Taiwan, (then under Japanese rule), the vessel was wrecked. At 33.20N/129.10E, which is, I believe, in the Gotō Islands, in the East China Sea off the western coast of Kyushu Island, Japan. Have also read near to Sasebo on the island of Kyushu. Can anybody tell us the circumstances? Or otherwise add to or correct the above text. 91 Foyle 4703 (or 4739 or 4815) tons Hull 510 139093 Delphoi Volodda 1915 A cargo ship. Which had a long & interesting life. Per 1 (Mercantile Steamship history, 60% down, & extensive data Foyle near bottom of fleet list. Thanks!), 2 (See 'Horror at Bari', 90% down, Volodda), 3 (Bari attack), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 121.9 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, (414 ft 10 in.) speed of 10 knots. Built for Mercantile Steamship Co. Ltd. ('Mercantile'), of London. In 1917, Hain Steamship Co. ('Hain') became the owner of the majority of the shares of Mercantile & became Foyle's manager. By 1923, Hain owned all of the shares of Mercantile & Foyle was transferred to them. ln 1934, the vessel was sold, for £9,750, to 'Rethymnis & Kulukundis (Hellas) Ltd.', and D. E. & M. Lemos, both of Greece, with 'Rethymnis & Kulukundis Ltd.', as managers, & renamed Delphoi. In 1936, 'owners restyled D.P., M.G. & E.P. Lemos and Rethymnis & Kulukundis (Hellas) Ltd.'. On Nov. 9, 1938, while en route from Gdynia, Poland, to Chekka, Syria, with a cargo of coal, the vessel was stranded at Chekka. Cannot find any detail about the circumstances. The vessel was re-floated 'and reported sold to Italian shipbreakers who resold her to F. A. Bertorello' ('Bertorello'), of Genoa-Sampierdarena, Italy, who repaired her & renamed her Volodda (in 1939). No WW2 convoy references it would appear. 1 indicates that the vessel, in Sep. 1943, was scuttled at Bari, Italy. It would seem however, that Volodda was at Bari, Italy, when, on Dec. 2, 1943, German Ju-88 aircraft mounted a fierce bombing attack against allied ships assembled there re the allied advance up the Italian mainland. I read that 17 ships were sunk & 6 more were damaged but the list seems to total to 41 vessels. I think that Volodda was sunk in the attack but the data WWW available is a bit confusing. Can someone explain an Italian ship being at Bari, as part of the Allied advance? (In Apl. 2019 Francesco De Domenico has addressed that question in the following words. Thanks, Francesco! 'The text raises some doubt as to the presence of Italian merchant ships at Bari on Dec. 2, 1943. In fact, besides VOLODDA ex FOYLE, there were several others, as Bari was never really under German control after the Italian armistice and became a part of the Regno del Sud, whose capital city was at nearby Brindisi. The Regno del Sud declared war against Germany on Oct. 13, 1943'). Later, in 1947, it was raised, repaired & returned to service. Bertorello was in 1958 restyled as 'Febo Amedeo Bertorello fu Giacomo'. In 1960, the vessel was sold to British Iron and Steel Corporation (Salvage) Ltd., of London, & 'allocated' to 'P. and W. MacLellan Ltd.', ship-breakers of Glasgow. But on Aug. 10, 1960, the vessel arrived at Bo'ness, (i.e. Borrowstounness, Scotland), to be broken up. The break up actually commenced on Nov. 1, 1960. All most interesting. I am grateful for the fine data at 1. Can you help with corrections and/or additional data! 92 Abercorn 5424 (or 5425) tons Hull 514 140308 Mesna launched as Mesna 1917 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Wilhelmsen), 2 (Furness/ Norfolk), 3 (data in Norwegian), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 385 ft. (117.3 metres) long, triple expansion engines, speed of 11 knots. The vessel was launched, as Mesna, for 'D/S A/S Den Norske Afrika & Australlinje' of 'Wilm. Wilhelmsen' ('Wilhelmsen'), Tønsberg, Norway. It was requisitioned, in 1917, by the Shipping Controller, London, (at price of 1.508.533,40 NOK i.e. krona) renamed Abercorn, & placed under management of Furness, Withy & Co. Ltd., of London (registered to 'Norfolk & North American Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.'). In 1920 the vessel was returned to Wilhelmsen & the vessel's name reverted to Mesna. On Sep. 4, 1924, while en route from Haiphong to U.K. with a cargo of zinc ore & copra, the vessel went ashore on the Hakaufisi Reef, near Nukualofa, Tonga (at 20.09S/174.55E). Need help with more data! And an image. 93 Holbrook 6655 (or 6668) tons Hull 524 140409 Bredon Brandon 1917 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Canadian Pacific, Holbrook), 2 (Christian Salveson & Co., Brandon), 3 (builder's half model, Holbrook, lot #166), 4 (data, & earlier related messages), 5 ('uboat.net', Brandon, sinking), 6 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Brandon), 7 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 125.7 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 427 ft. 0 in., speed of 12 knots. Built for 'Century Shipping Co. Ltd.', 'Harris and Dixon, Limited' the owner/managers, both of London. Named after Lt. Norman D. (Douglas) Holbrook, RN, VC, a friend of Frank Dixon, & the recipient of the first naval Victoria Cross in WW1 (he dived his submarine under five rows of mines & torpedoed & sank the Turkish battleship Mesudiye). Employed as an ammunition carrier in WW1. In 1918, the vessel was sold to Canadian Pacific Railway Co. ('CP') & renamed Bredon. Was renamed Brandon later in 1923. Can anybody tell us on which routes she served for CP? In 1928, the vessel was sold to 'Salvesen's Mediterranen and Deep-Sea Trade', owned by Christian Salvesen & Co., of Edinburgh, with no change of name. Used as a freighter re their Antarctic whaling activities. Just a single WW2 convoy reference, OB-48 ex Liverpool on Dec. 6, 1939. Just before noon on Dec. 8, 1939, while en route in ballast from Cardiff to Port Everglade, Florida, a straggler in convoy OB-48, Captain Richard B. (Black) Chisholm in command, the vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by U-48 & sank. At 50.28N/8.26W, 150 miles W. of Lands End & 80 miles SW of Fastnet. 9 lives were lost. 43, including the Captain, were saved by Belgian trawlers Marie Jose Rosette & Tritten & landed at Milford Haven. 'Convoyweb.org', indicate, I think, that the vessel was waiting at RV (rendezvous) when hit by U-48. Have I read that reference correctly? Can you add to and/or correct the above? 94 War Tulip 5283 tons Hull 514 142654 Ethelfreda Evros 1918 An 'A' type cargo ship. Per 1 (West Hartlepool, managed ships at page bottom, War Tulip), 2 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Evros), 3 ('uboat.net', sinking Evros, image), 4 ('wrecksite.eu', sinking, Evros, image), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 121.9 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 412 ft. 8 in., speed of 11 (or 10 only) knots, signal letters JVDC later SVLN. Built for the Shipping Controller, London, with 'West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Co.' the managers. In 1919, the vessel was sold to Harrowing Steamship Company Ltd., of Whitby, Robert Harrowing & Co. likely the owner/manager, & renamed Ethelfreda. In 1933, the vessel was sold to John G. Livanos, of Piraeus, Greece, managed by John Livanos & Sons Ltd., of London, & renamed Evros, (ΕΒΡΟΣ or Εbpoσ in Greek). Just 7 WW2 convoy references, including one completed N. Atlantic crossing, with a general cargo - the vessel was sunk on the 2nd return crossing. The vessel was at Osaka, Japan, in Apl. 1940 then voyaged to Fremantle, Australia, & spent time in the Indian Ocean. In S. African waters in Mar/Apl 1941 (Cape Town, Durban etc.). On Oct. 5, 1941, the vessel left Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, in convoy SC-48, en route from Vitoria, Brazil, to Ardrossan, Scotland, with a cargo of 7,000 tons of iron ore. I have not read who was in command - can anybody tell us his name? A crew all told of 32. At about 3:45 a.m., on Oct. 17, 1941, the vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by U-432, Kapitänleutnant Heinz-Otto Schultze in command. At 57.00N/24.30W in mid-Atlantic S. & slightly W. of the tip of Iceland (800 miles W. of the Hebrides). 'Uboat.net' states clearly that there were, in fact, no survivors & that reports that 2 crew members were saved proved to be in error. The vessel, hit amidships, broke in two & sank immediately. Need help with more data! More images? 95 War Wager 5230 (or 5059 or 5152 or 5179) tons Hull 530 142401 Elzasier Humanitas Kalliopi S. 1918 A tanker, that was soon converted into a dry cargo ship. Per 1 (Lloyd Royal Belge, Elzasier), 2 (Compagnie Maritime Belge, Elzasier), 3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Kalliopi S), 4 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyd's Register data, Elzasier, 1930/31 & 1931/32), 5 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyd's Register data, Kalliopi S. plus, from 1932/33 thru 1940/41), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 400.3 ft. long (122.0 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, 413 ft. 1 in. long overall, speed of 11 (or 10 only) knots, signal letters MEOZ, later NTHW & SVBG. Built for the Shipping Controller, i.e. the British Government, for WW1 service, managed by Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co., of London. I have read little about its WW1 service - only a brief reference to it being stopped for 2 hours on Jun. 22, 1918, with machinery defects, while in convoy HH59 from the U.S.A. (at p#119 of 'Naval Review, 1917', a giant 'pdf' file). In 1919, the vessel was sold to Lloyd Royal Belge, & renamed Elzasier. And converted into a dry cargo ship. Now it would seem that it was in 1919 acquired by 'Lloyd Royal Belge' of London, & that the vessel became owned by 'Lloyd Royal Belge S.A.', of Antwerp, Belgium, only in 1923. Engaged on the Antwerp to New York service. In 1930, 'Lloyd Royal Belge S.A.' was taken over by 'Compagnie Maritime Belge S.A.' with 'Agence Maritime Internationale' the managers. In 1932, the vessel was sold to 'Mare Nostrum S.A. di Nav.', of Genoa, Italy, P. Ravano likely the manager, & renamed Humanitas. (The above is what most WWW sites advise. Two quality WWW sites advise however, in data 'snippets', that the vessel was  renamed Humilitas in 1933, & was renamed Humanitas only in 1934. I cannot WWW locate additional confirmatory data. Miramar do not refer to Humilitas). Also in 1934, the vessel was sold to J. Stavrou & Co. Ltd., of Coumi, Greece, later Piraeus, Greece & maybe London also & renamed Kalliopi S., (ΚΑΛΛΙΟΠΗ Σ. in Greek). 6 WW2 convoy references, but the record is, I find, a little confusing. The vessel made 2 round trip voyages across the N. Atlantic, returning with grain. The vessel did not complete its 3rd such trip, returning, also with grain, either in convoy SC3 or HX70. On or about Sep. 2, 1940, the vessel left Halifax (or maybe Sydney) for Limerick, Ireland, with a cargo of grain ex Sorel, Quebec, Canada. When NW of Inishtrahull Island, she separated from the convoy & headed S. for Limerick. On Sep. 17, 1940, while 11 miles SW of Tory Island (off the NW coast of Donegal, Ireland), the vessel was hit by bombs & machine gunned by German aircraft (1 Staffeln, KG40). The vessel, engulfed in flames, drifted ashore & broke in two, at 55.11N/07.50W, in Dowines Bay, Sheephaven, County Donegal. A total loss. A dive site today, I wonder? There were 29 aboard, I read, & no loss of life. Can you add anything? 96 Syrian Prince 3072 (or 3092) tons Hull 539 142851 Welsh Prince Dea Mazzella laid down as War Rock 1919 A cargo ship. Per 1 (75% down, Syrian Prince), 2 [Prince Line, Syrian Prince (2)], 3 (data in German, but WWW translation is difficult), 4 (Sokol), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 101.0 metres (342 ft. 6 in.) long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 11 (or 10) knots. Laid down for the Shipping Controller, i.e. the British Government, as War Rock but delivered to Prince Line Ltd., of Newcastle, (Furness Withy & Co.), as Syrian Prince. Sister to Algerian Prince (also Sunderland built - by 'Priestman'). Was renamed Welsh Prince in 1936 (to free up the prior name). And later that year, the vessel was sold to 'Ditta Pasquale Mazzella', of Naples, Italy, & renamed Dea Mazzella. On Sep. 2, 1941 the vessel was bombed by British aircraft & damaged at 'Cotrone' (means 'Crotrone', I believe), Sicily. On Sep. 8, 1943, the Germans seized the vessel at Venice, Italy, & used it to supply German forces in Yugoslavia. On Sep. 30, 1943, the vessel was shelled by Yugoslav partisans at Primošten, S. of Sebenico (Šibernik). On Oct. 4, 1943, it was wrecked, hit by a torpedo fired by Polish submarine Sokol, near the Isle of Grbavac. I could only find a single ref. to the sinking by Sokol, which was however in the Adriatic at the time. The sinking is not recorded at 4. WWW data is limited. Can you add anything? 97 Michigan 6419 (or 6549) tons Hull 526a Evanthia Republika 1920 A cargo ship. Per 1 [French Line, Michigan (1)], 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 125.8 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 130.25 metres, speed of 12 (or 10 1/2) knots. Built for Compagnie Générale Transatlantique ('French Line') & registered at Le Havre. Maiden voyage was in 1920. After the occupation of France by German troops, the vessel was laid up from Jun. 25, 1940 at New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. On Feb. 6, 1942, the vessel was seized by the U.S.A. & transferred to the U.S. War Shipping Administration, of Washington, DC., & registered at Panama. A succession of managers, initially 'Waterman Steamship Agency', then 'Blidberg, Rothschild & Co.' & finally 'New York French Line Inc.', the last two both of New York. In 1945, the vessel became French registered & 'Lykes Bros. Steamship Co. Inc.' of New Orleans became the managers. On Jul. 28, 1945 the vessel was returned to French Line & re-registered at Le Havre. The vessel was sold, in 1950, to 'Cia. Maritima Atychides S.A.', of Panama, & renamed Evanthia. And in 1951 it was transferred to 'P. Atychides', also of Panama. In Sep. 1951, the vessel was sold to "Metrans“ Gesellschaft für Internationale Spedition und Seeschiffahrt, ("Metrans“ Society for International Forwarding and Shipping), of Prague, Czechoslovakia, (now the Czech Republic). Through to Nov. 1, 1952, when it re-entered service, the vessel was in extensive overhaul/conversion by Stocznia Gdynia, of Gdynia, Poland. In 1952, the vessel was transferred or sold, to 'Cechofracht Shipping Corp.', of Prague, i.e. the state line of the Government of Czechoslovakia & renamed Republika. During the summer of 1952, the vessel ran aground while homeward bound from China. Temporary repairs were effected at Shanghai, China, & final repairs were effected in the summer of 1953. On Apl. 1, 1959, the vessel was transferred, with no change of name,  to 'Ceskoslovenska Narmorni Plovidba', i.e. Czechoslovak Ocean Shipping, also of Prague. The vessel was sold to shipbreakers in 1962 & broken up at Trieste, Yugoslavia, in Aug. 1962. WWW data is most limited. We thank Hans Meyer, of Ratingen, Germany, for almost all of the above data. Can you add anything additional? 98 Aslaug Haaland 4655 (or 4709 or 4747) tons Hull 541 145491 Ellaroo 1921 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Melbourne Steamship, Ellaroo), 2 & 3 ('Melbourne' history, with data & 4 images, Ellaroo), 4 (Lloyd's Register data, Ellaroo, 1931/32 thru 1945/46 ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 111.1 metres (378 ft. 11 in.) long perpendicular to perpendicular, 364.5 ft., speed of 10 1/2 knots, signal letters KMLN & VJCT. Built for 'D/S A/S John K. Haaland Rederi', of Haugesund, Norway. The vessel was sold, in 1922, to 'Melbourne Steamship Co. Ltd.', of Melbourne, Australia, for £63,000 (the value came from a 'Google' snippet of a very small type size & may be incorrect). Somehow 'Interstate Steamships Co. Ltd.' was involved - not sure how or when. In 1936, the vessel was chartered by 'The Broken Hill Pty. Co. Ltd.' ('BrokenHill') for the carriage of iron ore ex the Whyalla mine. A long term arrangement, through 1959, when the vessel was sold to 'Scott Fell Shipping Pty. Ltd.', of Sydney - no change of vessel name. The vessel was again chartered by BrokenHill 'for specific service run from Newcastle and Port Kembla to Melbourne and Adelaide with cargoes of limestone, dolomite and scrap metal as required.' In 1960, the vessel was sold to Hai An Shipping Co. Ltd. (or Hai An Steam Ship Co. Ltd.), & then resold to Japanese ship breakers. On Apl. 23, 1961, the vessel arrived at Nanao, Ishikawa, Japan, to be broken up. Can you help with more data! 99 Cubano 5800 (or 5810) tons Hull 533 1921 A cargo ship. Per 1 [Wilhelmsen, Cubano (2)], 2 (comprehensive data re sinking, & image), 3 (data & image), 4 (page in Norwegian, data), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 120.4 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 395.1 ft., speed of 12 knots. Built for Wilh. Wilhelmsen Line of Tønsberg, Norway. In 1930/31 was registered to 'A/S Norge-Mexico Gulflingen' with Wilh. Wilhelmsen the managers. Just 2 WW2 convoy references but also 4 independent voyages, including to S. America (Buenos Aires), Caribbean & Eastern US. On Oct. 19, 1940, while en route, in ballast, from Manchester to Montreal, Canada, the vessel was sunk by U-124 SW of Iceland. At 57.55N/24.57W. The torpedo struck amidships & the vessel sank next morning. 2 engine-room crew were lost. Master Håkon Martinsen & the remaining crew of 29 took to two boats & on the morning of Oct. 20, 1940 rescued a survivor from Sulaco, also hit by U-124, 1/2 hour after Cubano was struck. The boats stayed together, set course for Scotland, were rescued on Oct. 21, 1940 by Saguenay (D 179), a Canadian destroyer, & landed at Greenock. A number of sites state total crew was 35. Can you help with more data! 100 Cycle 4676 (or 4626 or 4513 or 4520) tons Hull 542 151803 Cape Wrath Everelza laid down as Tello 1921 A cargo ship. Per 1 [Howard Smith, Cycle (2)], 2 [data & image, Cycle (11)], 3 ('uboat.net', 1942 sinking, Everelza), 4 (1942 sinking account, 25% down), 5 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Everelza), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 111.1 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 364.5 ft., speed of 10 knots. The vessel was laid down as Tello for J. Lindvig of Kragerø, Norway, but was laid up upon its completion. It was later sold to & delivered as Cycle to Howard Smith Limited, i.e. Australian Steamship Property Ltd., of Melbourne, Australia. The vessel was 'held up' at Melbourne for 3 months after her arrival in Apl. 1922. The vessel was engaged in the Australian coastal trade until 1934, when the vessel was sold to Lyle Shipping Co. Ltd., of Glasgow. They renamed the vessel Cape Wrath in 1936. In 1937, the vessel was sold again, to Fricis Grauds, or F. Grauds Shipping Co. Ltd., of Riga, Latvia, & renamed Everelza. Just 2 WW2 convoy references, both Caribbean & the E. coast of U.S.A. Presumably there were also independent voyages, which data I am not permitted to access. At 9:48 a.m. on Aug. 13, 1942, while en route, in convoy TAW-12, from Trinidad to Key West, Florida, (the voyage ex Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, bound for Baltimore, U.S.A.), the vessel was sunk by a torpedo fired by U-600, Korvettenkapitän Bernhard Zurmühlen in command, 18 miles S. of Cape Maysi, the easternmost point of Cuba, or, as you will, off the NW tip of Haiti. At 19.55N/73.49W. The first 2 torpedoes that U-600 fired did not hit any vessel, while his 4th & 5th shots hit & sank Delmundo. The torpedo that sank Everelza was U-600's 3rd shot. Now I read that the ship was carrying a cargo of manganese ore, but in view of the explosion that resulted, that seems unlikely. 'Kelshall' at 3 advises - The third hit the Latvian freighter Everelza with its cargo of ammunition. She "exploded with a six hundred foot tower of flame" and sank in less than a minute. All told there were 37 aboard, & 23 of them lost their lives. I have not read who rescued the 14 who were saved but it likely was another convoy vessel. Can you help with more data! 101 British Lord 6098 tons Hull 547 146658 1922 A tanker. Per 1 (Apl. 21, 1941 attack, data & image), 2 (1941 attack, ref. 'Monday, 21 April'), 3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert British Lord), 4 (complete WW2 service detail, British Lord), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 125.6 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 10 knots. Built for British Tanker Co. Ltd. ('Tanker'), of London. Tanker was the maritime transport arm of the 'Anglo-Persian Oil Company', & the ship owning & operating subsidiary of British Petroleum Company, Ltd., later (1956) restyled as 'BP Tanker Company Ltd.' While I have not been able to read the detail, it would appear that the vessel grounded in the River Mersey, with her forward section fast on rocks, likely in Aug. 1925. Water ballast was moved aft to lighten the vessel forward, & she was freed, apparently with some difficulty. 74 WW2 convoy references. Would seem to have been in the Persian Gulf / Indian Ocean area for much of the war (Bandar Abbas, Aden, Bombay, Colombo, Trincomalee) but also 2 N. Atlantic crossings, (one returning with 'FFO' & the other with 'Sun Fuel'), service in the Mediterranean (Augusta, Bari, Port Said. Alexandria, Piraeus etc.) & U.K. local. 'FFO' means 'fuel furnace oil', I learn, while 'Sun Fuel' is, I believe, kerosene. On Apl. 20, 1941, the vessel left Piraeus, Greece, in convoy AS-26, bound for Alexandria, Egypt. The convoy was attacked by German bombers, & at 7.25 p.m. on Apl. 21, 1941, British Lord was severely damaged such that the ship had to be abandoned. At 34.35N/23.32E, S. of Gavdhos Island, the most southerly European island, located S. of western Crete. 1 indicates that the aircraft that attacked British Lord, was, in fact, an Italian aircraft piloted by Lt. Robone. One life was lost in the attack. Vampire, an Australian destroyer, took off the crew. Auckland, a sloop, took the vessel in tow. Later Protector, a netlayer, took over the towing duties. The vessel arrived, under tow, at Alexandria on Apl. 25, 1941, & at Port Said on the 29th. I presume that after temporary repairs were effected, British Lord was towed to Bombay, India, for permanent repairs. The vessel visited Auckland, New Zealand, on Sep. 15, 1944. I have read no word aboBut her peacetime service history. In 1953, the vessel was sold to BISCO, (British Iron & Steel Company, then an arm of the British Government, but now owned by Tata, of India) & allocated to T. W. Ward Ltd., of Sheffield, for demolition at their Milford Haven, Wales, ship breaking facility. The vessel arrived at Milford Haven on May 22, 1953, from Dunkirk, France, to be broken up. Actual break-up commenced on Jun. 8, 1953. Anything you can add? There are more (later) vessels built by 'Joseph L. Thompson' on the 2nd 'Joseph Thompson' page available here. TO END THE PAGE For your pleasure and amusement. An interesting trade card for 'Drury & Son', of Drury's Corner, of a subject matter so appropriate for a site shipbuilding page. A 'Raphael Tuck and Sons', 'Oilette', postcard, mailed at Sunderland on Oct. 27, 1905. An eBay item which was sold for U.S. 19.00 on May 3, 2010. May I suggest that you navigate the site via the index on page 001.PRIOR PAGE / NEXT PAGE To Thomas M. M. Hemy Data Page 41. All of the other Thomas Hemy pages, including image pages, are accessible though the index on Thomas Hemy page 05.  [ ] £ ä è é Î ñ ó ü To the Special Pages Index. A SITE SEARCH FACILITY Search This Site for Get a Free Search Engine for Your Web Site THE GUEST BOOK - GO HERE E-MAIL THIS LINK Enter recipient's e-mail: