THE SUNDERLAND SITE - PAGE 092
SHIPBUILDERS - PAGE 35

May I suggest that you navigate the site via the index on page 001.PRIOR PAGE / NEXT PAGE Do you want to make a comment? A site guestbook is here. On this page ... Rawson & Watson, Reay, George Thompson, John Thompson, Richard Thompson, Robert Thompson Junior, Thompson & Teasdale, T. & B. Tiffin, Todd & Brown, L. T. Wang, Wigham's Ship Repair Yard. Copyright? (5 + 6 + 10 + 6 + 2 + 65 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 5 + 3 = 110) Corrections in any of the material which follows, however tiny, would be most welcome. And additions, of course! 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. RAWSON & WATSON The webmaster's knowledge about Rawson & Watson is non-existent. A list of Sunderland built ships, available to the webmaster, lists 45 vessels built by the shipbuilder from 1851 thru 1869. And just a single earlier vessel built in 1826, which likely was an entirely different builder. Of Low Southwick, I understand. 1   Sarah Huntly 328/333 tons, later 308 & 305 tons 3013 1853 A barque. Of confusing name (spelling of its name & owners). The vessel, which was launched in Jan. 1853, was registered at Sunderland rather later it would appear - on Jul. 27, 1854 (scroll to #3013). It is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1853/54 thru 1861/62 & not thereafter. Always LR listed as Sarah Huntly. The vessel was owned throughout that entire period by what seems correctly to be the 'Huntly' family of Sunderland - even though the name is so often spelled Huntley. LR refers to her owners as 'Huntley' initially & then 'Huntlys'. For service ex Sunderland thru 1858/59, ex London in 1859/60,  & thereafter for service from Plymouth to India. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1855 lists Daniel Huntley & Jeptha B. Huntley, both of Sunderland, as the then owners of the 333 ton barque with R. Errington her then captain. The equivalent register of 1856 lists D. & J. B. Huntley, both of Sunderland. While Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 states Daniel Huntly & Jeptha B. Huntly, & lists the barque as being of 305 tons only. The vessel became, per LR, of 308 tons in 1859/60. Her captains, per LR, were 'Errington' thru 1858/59, 'Gowland' in 1859/60 & R. Luxmore in 1860/61 & 1861/62. A little operational history. On Aug. 2, 1854, the vessel was en route from Shields to Alexandria, Egypt with a cargo of coal & a crew of 13. While proceeding to sea, at Herd Sand, South Shields, she stranded. 100 tons of her cargo were jettisoned to get her off. She was brought into harbour in a leaky condition for repairs to be effected. As per this page. LR of 1861/62 notes that the vessel had been 'LOST'. On Nov. 2, 1861, per line 1420 here, the 305 ton barque 'Sarah Huntley' was stranded at Ostend, Belgium, while en route from Sunderland to Odessa (Ukraine, Black Sea) with a cargo of coal. Crew of 10 - 8 lost. Then stated to be owned by J. B. Huntley. The history is essentially confirmed by this newspaper article which states, however, that 10 lives including the captain were lost & that two of the crew survived. The vessel is stated to have gone ashore W. of Ostend & was entirely lost. No crew lists seem to be available. Can you tell us anything additional? #2 2   Antias 178 tons 9037 1855 A brig. Antias is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1856/57 thru 1869/70, then an LR silence of 4 years, & from 1874/75 thru 1878/79. LR of 1856/57 records G. Smales of Whitby as the vessel's then owner, for service as a Sunderland collier. With T. Wood serving as the vessel's captain. This Whitby shipping history book page, however, states that Antias became Whitby registered in 1856, owned by W. R. Smales & Thos. Chapman Swales, both of Newcastle. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists 'Wakefield Robinson & Gideon Smales', both of Whitby, as the vessel's then owners. Which words, the webmaster believes, mean Wakefield Robinson Smales & Gideon Smales. In 1861/62, LR lists W. Smales of Whitby as the vessel's owner, thru 1869/70, for service from Shields to Hamburg, Germany, with J. Pinner serving as captain for that entire period. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865, 1870 & 1872 all list Wakefield R. Smales, of Whitby, as Antias's then owner. I read in this Whitby shipping history book page that Antias became Hartlepool registered in 1874. MNLs of 1874 thru 1878 all list John Lister, of Hartlepool, as the vessel's then owner. As do LRs from 1874/75 thru 1878/79 though LRs of 1876/77 & 1877/78 seem to list Lister, Raumann & Co. with the 'Raumann' reference soon deleted. LRs of 1877/78 & 1878/79 note that 'W. Stevnsn' presumably Stevenson, was the vessel's then captain. LR of 1878/79 note that the vessel had been involved in a 'Collision'. 82.0 ft. long, later 83.4 ft., signal letters KFQL. Many crew lists are available here. In late Oct. 1878, the vessel, noted to be owned by J. Lister of Hartlepool & captained, not by Stevenson but rather by W. Wattley, was en route from Hartlepool to London with a cargo of coal. On Oct. 28, 1878, Antias and Martch Ditchen, a German steamship, were in collision near the Nore Lightship at the entrance to the River Thames. No lives were lost from Antias's crew of 6. As per this page. So far I have not read the circumstances of the collision nor have located any data at all about Martch Ditchen. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2642 3   Mary & Isabella 256 tons Hull No. ? 29244 1860 A snow or brig. So far as I can see, the vessel is listed in Lloyd's Register only in 1861/62. Was owned by Walton & Co. of Sunderland for service ex Sunderland. On Dec. 28, 1861, per line 1550 here, the 256 ton brig was abandoned at sea, in the North Atlantic, at 39N/32W (near the Azores), while en route from New York to Queenstown, Ireland. Crew of 10 - none lost. Then owned by John Walton. The circumstances of the vessel's loss are not yet to hand. Can you tell us more? #2128 4   Isabella Atkinson 339 tons 43635 1862 A barque. The vessel was launched in Feb. 1862 & first registered, at South Shields, on Mar. 6, 1862 (scroll to #43635). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1861/62 thru 1871/72, owned for its lifetime, per LR, by 'Atkinson' of South Shields. S. Atkinson was, per LR, the vessel's captain for her entire lifetime. Per LR, initially (thru 1863/64) for service from Shields to the Mediterranean, from London to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1864/65 & 1865/66, from Shields to the Mediterranean (in 1866/67 & 1867/68) & thereafter from Swansea, Wales, to the Mediterranean. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1865 thru 1871 (1870) all list Stephen Atkinson of South Shields as her then owner. 114.5 ft. long, signal letters TPRW. While LR refers to the vessel trading out of Swansea, it would seem that the vessel rather traded out of Cardiff, Wales. 'Welsh Newspapers Online' reports the vessel's voyages ex Cardiff to Ancona, E. coast of Italy, (Jun. 3, 1863 with 561 tons of coal), to Smyrna, Turkey, (Mar. 9, 1864 with 565 tons of coal). To Bari, southern Italy, in Aug. 1866, to Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey (Feb 16, 1870 with 530 tons of coal) & to Alexandria, Egypt, (Oct. 15, 1870 with 547 tons of coal). LR of 1871/72 states 'Wrecked'. On May 10, 1871, per line 1358 here, the 339 ton barque was stranded at Long Sand (Thames Estuary, Essex), while en route from Shields to Alexandria, Egypt, with a cargo of coal. Crew of 12 - none lost. Then stated to be owned by Stephen Atkinson. There was, I learn, a Board of Trade Inquiry into the vessel's loss. Such Inquiry heard that the vessel had left the Tyne on May 8, 1871 & struck on Galloper Sands the next morning 'notwithstanding a superabundance of lights in the vicinity'. The crew took to a longboat & landed at Ramsgate, Kent. The  evidence showed that Stephen Atkinson, her captain & owner, was intoxicated from the time the vessel left the Tyne & that the vessel was lost due to his negligence & dangerous navigation. His captain's certificate was cancelled. All per this news report which notes that the vessel cost £4,400. Articles from the Isabella Atkinson wreck were stolen from the scene by Samuel Rouse, captain of Victor, a Brightlingsea, Essex, smack. Rouse was fined £22. Many crew lists are available here. Can anybody tell us more? #2192 5   Messenger 246, later 234/247, 248/256 & 228/250 tons 43641 1862 A snow or brig. A modest start re a vessel that had a long life indeed. The webmaster has, so far, only searched Lloyd's Registers ('LR') from 1862/63 thru 1899/1900. Messenger, per LR, was owned, thru 1870/71 by T. & J. Gallon, of South Shields, for service to the Mediterranean from Sunderland, Shields or Newcastle. With, per LR, M. Gallon her initial captain thru 1866/67 & W. Pomery from 1866/67 thru 1870/71. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') records the vessel as South Shields registered from 1863 thru 1871 (1870), & owned, from 1865 thru 1871, by Thomas Gallon of South Shields. It was, I read, first registered at South Shields on Jun. 05, 1862, though LRs note it was a Jul. 1862 vessel. In 1870/71, per LR, the vessel became owned by J. Bell, of Blyth, Northumberland, for service thru 1873/74 (at least) from Blyth to the Baltic. With 'Knott', from 1875/76 J. Knott, serving as the vessel's captain. MNLs of 1872 thru 1881 (1880) record the vessel, now of 234 tons, as owned by John Bell, of Waterloo, Blyth. In LR of 1880/81, E. Nicholson, Jr., of North Shields, became Messenger's owner thru 1882/83. With, again per LR, P. J. Sorenson as the vessel's captain. 'Sorenson' may well have been a part owner or the owner. I say that because MNL of 1882 records Peter J. Sorenson, of Blyth, as the then owner or managing owner of the vessel, now of 245 tons. The vessel is not listed in MNL of 1883. LR of 1882/83 notes that the vessel had 'Stranded'. It is this stranding that caused me to try to detail list the vessel. An astounding number of vessels were lost in storms in late Oct. & early Nov. 1882, including, I thought likely, Messenger. Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that Messenger was driven ashore & wrecked at Lowestoft, Suffolk, on Oct. 28, 1882. And further that all fifteen people on board were rescued by rocket apparatus. There is more to the story. I learn that there was a giant gale or hurricane on the U.K. east coast, & particularly at Lowestoft, on Oct. 28, 1882. Messenger was just one of many vessels that were lost or damaged that day. The vessel, Peter Julius Sorensen stated to be in command, was en route from Blyth to Motril (S. coast of Spain, almost due S. of Granada) with 396 tons of coal. It had anchored in Yarmouth Roads but her anchors failed & she tried to make Lowestoft Harbour. At 5 p.m. on Oct. 28, 1882, 'endeavouring to enter the harbour, she struck and drove round the pier on to the South Beach'. Seven beachmen boarded the vessel to provide assistance, but at or about 6 p.m., they, & all of Messenger's crew members, were rescued using the coast guard's rocket apparatus. Some contemporary news reports (1, 2 in blue). The captain's report noted that the vessel may become a total wreck. Clearly it did not. It must have been repaired (where I wonder?) & returned to service. LRs of 1883/84 thru 1887/88 record W. H. de M. Bessey, of Yarmouth, as Messenger's new owner. Which became 'Bessey & Palmer' in 1888/89 & 'Bessey & Palmer Ltd.' in 1896/97. With thru the entire period thru to 1899/1900, per LR, H. Wilson serving as the vessel's master. MNLs of 1884 thru 1896 (1890) record William H. de M. Bessey, of Yarmouth, as the vessel's owner or managing owner. Which became Bessey & Palmer Ltd., from 1897 thru 1900. MNL's of 1902 thru 1909 have Messenger still registered at Yarmouth but owned thru 1906 by Horatio Fenner Ltd., of Yarmouth, in 1907 by Alfred Leicester, of Liverpool, & in 1909 (MNL of 1908 unavailable) by Bennett's Haulage, Warehousing & Wharfage Co. Ltd., also of Liverpool. Likely now a barge? Even though still recorded as a brig. Some later MNL data is here. Have not yet tried to research the later data. I have read, however, that the register for the vessel was closed in 1933. 100.0 ft. long, 101.0 ft. from 1882/83, signal letters TPSH, crew lists thru 1900 are available via here. Can you add to, and/or correct, the above data? #2690 REAY The webmaster's knowledge about 'Reay' is non-existent. A list of Sunderland built ships, available to the webmaster, lists an impressive 106 vessels built by the shipbuilder from 1786 thru 1863. It is possible that 'Reay' & 'Reay & Naizby (or Naisby) is related. Need help! 1   Walker 214 later 244, 273 & 253 tons 2031 1813 A brig or snow. One list of Sunderland built ships notes that the builder was R. Reay rather than Reay. The webmaster earlier concluded that Walker was not built in 1801 (first recorded as such, he had thought, in Lloyd's Register ('LR') of 1835/36). Why? Because the vessel was LR listed in 1822/23, then owned by R. Wright, her captain, for service from Hull to St. Petersburg, Russia. The year of build was not there stated, rather how old the vessel was - 38 years - which would make her date of build about 1784. Wright owned the vessel thru 1832/33, then, per LR, 48 years old, for service from Hull to Wybg (presumably Vyborg, NW of St. Petersburg). The webmaster is now content that such LR age references were in error & that Walker was indeed built in 1801. As per an edition of LR re 1820-21 which gives her year of build as 1801. In 1835/36, G. Hall of Newcastle, her captain, became her owner (Hall & Co. in 1845/46), thru 1857/58, for service from Newcastle or Shields to London or America. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9 records the vessel, in Jul. 1848, as registered at Shields & owned by Geo. Hall of North Shields. While the equivalent register of 1854/55 has the vessel in 1854 owned by George Hall, of N. Shields with William Miller her then captain. In 1858/59, per LR, T. Motley of Shields became her owner for service of Shields to Hamburg or Holland. With W. Hans her then captain. Maybe W. Heanes. I spotted that on Feb. 19, 1859, the vessel, Heanes in command, arrived at Browershaven (Zeeland, Holland) ex Newcastle. The Mercantile Navy List notes that Walker became Shields registered on Jun. 5, 1848 (scroll to #2031). And records the vessel only thru 1860. Stangely, crew lists seem to be available for 1893 & 1894, doubtless in error. The vessel came to the attention of the webmaster via line 205 here, where Walker, a snow of 253 tons built in 1801, was reported to have been lost off the coast of Holland on Jun. 3, 1860, while en route from Shields to Holland with a cargo of coal. With, per such report, none of her 9 man crew being lost. The then owner was Thomas Motley. I have spotted a reference to the vessel's loss in 'The Nonconformist', of London, on Jun. 6, 1860 - which report notes that the vessel's crew were all lost (text). It would seem that the vessel was rather lost on May 30, 1860, per this 'Lloyd's List' report. I have not yet spotted a later 'Lloyd's List' report re the vessel's loss. The webmaster finds it surprising that a modest wooden vessel, that probably carried coal for most of its life, lasted almost 60 years! Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2605 2   Earl Moira, or Earl of Moira 348 later 331 tons 1813 A ship, later a brig. One list of Sunderland built ships notes that the builder was R. Reay rather than Reay. The vessel, which was launched in Feb. 1813, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1813 thru 1838/39, LR named thru 1827 as Earl Moira & thereafter as Earl of Moira. Her initial owner, thru 1826, was Hunter - variously LR listed as B. Hunter or P. Hunter. For initial service as a London transport, then i) in 1818 from London to Baltimore, U.S.A., ii) in 1819, 1820 & 1821 from London to Quebec (now Canada). And then ex Liverpool, to Quebec in 1822, 1823 & 1825, to Honduras in 1824, & to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia (now Canada) in 1826. With, 'best efforts', a number of captains per LR (the data is confusing) - J. Goudy for 2 or 3 years, C. Barker from 1818 thru 1820, R. Allison from 1821 thru 1826 indeed thru to 1833 under new ownership. From 1827 thru 1833, the vessel, per LR was owned by R. Harrison, with R. Allison still her captain but W. Lorains briefly in 1834. For service ex Belfast, Ireland, in 1827 & 1828 incl. to Quebec in 1828, & from London to St. Petersburg, Russia, thereafter thru 1833. The vessel, per LR, became a brig in 1826. In 1834, the vessel became both owned & captained by 'Terry' of Whitby, for consistent service ex London, incl. to Quebec from 1836/37 thru 1838/39. This 1839 U.K. Government report respecting shipwrecks of ships carrying timber, refers to the vessel's loss in all of its awful detail on a great many pages of the volume, most particularly on pages 62 & 63. The vessel is also listed on pages 26 & 143 in the downloaded volume. The volume tells us that the vessel, left Quebec, for destination unknown, on Jul. 5, 1838, with a cargo of timber. It later left London for a 2nd autumn voyage - departing Miramichi on Nov. 13, 1838, Terry in command, for Penzance for orders, with another load of timber. What exactly happened to the vessel & when is unknown. But it likely encountered fierce storms soon after leaving Miramichi. Sarah (cannot tell you which one), came across the water-logged vessel at 11 a.m. on Nov. 30, 1838. Not sure where. Eight crew members were then aboard Earl Moira & the body of a ninth, cannibalised, was hanging in the rigging. Earl Moira was largely destroyed & had no ship's boats. And was 'water-logged' - essentially underwater but kept afloat by the buoyancy of her cargo of timber. Her crew were huddled under sails rigged to try to offer some protection from the wind, sea & cold - just trying to stay alive. Sarah itself had no boats either, having lost them in the storms. Sarah stood by Earl Moira for the balance of the day but could do nothing to rescue the crew in all of the circumstances. Two of Earl Moira's crew members, one likely the captain, tried to swim to Sarah, but were seen to drown in the attempt. Sarah did assemble a raft to be able to float down onto Earl Moira next morning & stood by during another night of awful weather. But next morning Earl Moira was no longer visible, the ships having separated during the course of the night. On Dec. 19, 1838, about 2 1/2 weeks later, the abandoned vessel was spotted by Ranger, a barque, at 45N/21.54W (mid Atlantic, about 800 miles NE of the Azores). There were four dead bodies aboard her & the partial remains of a fifth in the rigging. The vessel eventually drove ashore, in Mar. 1839, at Corunna (A Coruña or La Coruña) on the Galician coast of Spain. Is there anything you can add? #2384 3   Anglicania, 248 tons 2144 1832 A barque, soon a brig. One list of Sunderland built ships, available to the webmaster, notes that the builder was T. Reay rather than Reay. Have also read Robert Reay, while W. Potts is also referenced. Anglicania, which was launched in Jun. 1832, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1838/39 thru 1863/64, with the exception of 1847/48 & 1849/50. LR records the vessel as a barque thru 1842/43 & then as a brig. A Sunderland shipping website, which site requests no links or recognition, advises that the vessel's initial owners were William & Thomas Malling, of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, further that the vessel was registered at Shields until Aug. 6, 1835 when it became London registered. They also advises that the vessel became Poole (Dorset) registered in 1843. From 1838/39 thru 1846/47, per LR, Anglicania was registered at Poole & owned by Gaden & Co, of Poole, with 'Burridge' serving as the vessel's captain thru 1841/42 then J. Clark from 1841/42 thru 1846/47. In 1838/39, per LR, her service was from Shields to London, but thereafter was ex Poole, to i) Liverpool in 1839/40 & 1840/41, ii) Hartlepool in 1841/42, & iii) Quebec, Canada, from 1842/43 thru 1845/46. A little operational detail. On Sep. 26, 1835, when the vessel was at Swansea, Wales, William Chapman, the vessel's chief mate, fell from the height of 14 ft. & ended up losing his life. On Apl. 4, 1840, the vessel left Liverpool for Quebec. On Apl. 25, 1845, per Wikipedia (thanks!), Anglicania ran aground on Lark's Reef (near the mouth of the Saguenay River), St. Lawrence River, Canada, but was later floated off. This page records a vessel of the name, likely this vessel, arriving at Quebec on Jun. 27, 1847 ex Southampton. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/49 lists the Shields registered vessel, in Jul. 1848, as owned by John Rudd & Michael Collins, both of South Shields. Though this Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') page (scroll to #2144) refers to the vessel being registered at Shields on May 17, 1849. LRs of 1848/49 thru 1863/64 all record J. Rudd, of Shields, as Anglicania's owner. With a number of captains over such period. M. Collins in 1850/51, T. Nichols'n, presumably Nicholson, from 1851/52 thru 1853/54, J. Cook from 1854/55 thru 1859/60 (but D. Cook, likely an error, in 1855/56) & G. Watson from 1860/61 thru 1863/64. The vessel's service, per LR, while 'Rudd' owned? Always ex Shields to i) Cronstadt, St. Peterburg, Russia, in 1848/49 & in 1850/51, ii) London in 1851/52 & also in 1854/55 & 1855/56, iii) Hamburg, Germany, in 1852/53 & 1853/54, iv) the Baltic from 1856/57 thru 1859/60 & in 1861/62. Otherwise as a Shields coaster. The 'Rudd' ownership is confirmed by The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in 1854 data, i.e. John Rudd of South Shields with Thomas Nicholson then her captain. And by Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856. And by Christie's Shipping Register of 1858. 86.4 ft. long, an 11 man crew in 1837 I have read, an 1863 crew lists is available, but also a bushel of lists from 1894 thru 1914, surely not 'our' vessel. What finally happened to Anglicania? LR of 1863/64 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. MNL lists the vessel as Shields registered from 1857 thru 1859, & registered at S. Shields from 1860 thru 1863 - and not registered in 1864. The Sunderland shipping site, referred to above, advises us (thanks again!) that Anglicania was wrecked on Oct. 30, 1863, at Aspö, S. tip of Finland, in the Gulf of Finland, while en route from Frederickshamm (Fredrikshamn, now Hamina, Finland) to a NE U.K. port with a cargo of deals. I learn that 'Allison' was then the vessel's captain & that the vessel, in fact, was lost on Nov. 4, 1863. Can you tell us more? Or correct any portion of the above text? #2608 4   Sheraton, 141 tons 5245 1836 A schooner, maybe a brigantine, & a schooner again, which was launched in Mar. 1836. Sheraton is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1836/37 thru 1855/56 only. The vessel was, per LR, initially owned & captained, thru 1843/44, by 'Sheraton' of Sunderland. For consistent service from Sunderland to the Baltic. There are many newspaper references to the vessel - at Bolderaa & Riga (both Latvia), Southampton, Lymington, Swinemunde (today Świnoujście in NW Poland), Pillau (now Baltiysk, Russia), & at many other ports. In 1844/45, the vessel, now LR noted to be a brigantine, became owned by J. Eno, of Wisbeach, Cambridgeshire, for service as a Jersey coaster in 1844/45 & ex London thereafter thru 1847/48 - with T. Mills her captain.  On Aug. 3, 1843, en route from Newcastle to St. Petersburg, Russia, with Mills in command, the vessel got ashore at Nakken Head (near Helsingors, Denmark). A part of her cargo was jettisoned & the vessel was assisted off without damage. In 1848/49, per LR, Sheraton became owned by T. Jackson of Whitby, Yorkshire. It is clear, however, that 'Jackson', i.e. Thos. Jackson, had rather acquired the vessel in 1846 as per this Whitby shipping history book page. The vessel's service from 1848/49 per LR? For service ex London & in 1850/51 & 1851/52 for service from Whitby to the Baltic. With master mariner H. Dale serving as the vessel's captain. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5 lists the vessel, now again a schooner, in 1853 data, as registered at Whitby & owned by Margt. Jackson & Henry Dale, with Henry Dale then her captain. I read that in 1848 T. Jackson owned 43 shares in the vessel & Hen. Dale the other 21. It was reported, from Whitby on Jan. 4, 1851 (in red), that Sheraton, Dale in command, en route from Dantzig (Gdańsk, Poland). to Grangemouth (Firth of Forth, Scotalnd) was in the bay leaky, cargo shifted & short on provisions. From 1853/54 thru 1855/56, per LR, the vessel, still Whitby owned, was owned by Dale & Co., for service, in 1853/54 at least, as a Whitby coaster. 'Lloyd's List', in a report from Antwerp, Belgium, on Oct. 3, 1856, tells us (in red) that Sheraton, en route from Newcastle to Gothenburg, Sweden, with a cargo of coal & with 'Dale' in command, was lost on Sep. 23, 1856, near the Dogger Bank (a large shallow area located in the North Sea, about 60 miles off the U.K. north east coast). Further that her crew were all landed at Helvoet (Hellevoetsluis, western Netherlands, near Rotterdam). The webmaster has not read how they all made it to Helvoet. Wikipedia. Can you tell us more? Or correct the above text in any way? #2638 5   Mary Elizabeth, 306/338 tons 1839 A barque. One list of Sunderland built ships, available to the webmaster, notes that the builder was R. Reay rather than Reay. Mary Elizabeth, which was launched in Jun. 1839, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1849/50 only. It was initially owned, per LR, thru 1841/42 by Jones & Co. of Liverpool, for service from Liverpool to Canton (now Guangzhou), China, with A. Corrie noted to have been the vessel's captain. In 1841/42, per LR, the vessel became owned by Imrie & Co., also of Liverpool, with P. Thom serving as the vessel's captain from 1841/42 thru 1847/48 & then 'Bissett' in 1848/49 & 1849/50. LR records the vessel's service, when 'Imrie' owned, as being from Liverpool to Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, thru 1842/43, from Liverpool to Bombay (now Mumbai), India, from 1843/44 thru 1845/46 & from Liverpool to 'St. Mar.' in 1846/47 & 1847/48. LR of of 1848/49 & 1849/50 lists service ex Liverpool with no destination indicated. It seems certain that 'St. Mar.' meant Santa Marta, Columbia, N. coast of S. America. I say that having seen this (in blue) reference to the loss of Mary Elizabeth, en route from Liverpool to Santa Martha. The vessel stranded on May 13, 1849 near Punta Gallinos, in the neigbourhood of Rio-de-la-Hoche. Both place names seem to relate to Columbia - Punta Gallinas & Rio de la Noche today perhaps. I read that the vessel was 'plundered by the Indians, who attacked the vessel & compelled them' (her crew) 'to abandon the vessel'. The vessel & its cargo became a total loss. Such report echoed the report in Lloyd's List of Jun. 29, 1849. Both reports indicate that 'Thom' was then her captain, though I note that this report rather references 'Thorn', surely in error. Mary Elizabeth's loss is U.K. Government listed here with an incorrect date of loss. Can you tell us anything additional? #2475 6   Jane Heward, 194/186, later 171 tons 24348 1848 A snow or brig. One list of Sunderland built ships, available to the webmaster, notes that the builder was Margaret Reay. Jane Heward, which was launched in Nov. 1848, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1865/66 & not thereafter. The vessel was owned, thru 1855/56 per LR, by B. Heward of Sunderland, for service from London to Galatz (i.e. Galați, on the Danube, Eastern Romania, Black Sea). With M. Fitt consistently serving as the vessel's captain. The vessel is not recorded in the listing of vessels registered at Sunderland in Mar. 1854 (North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5). It would seem, per this page (scroll to #24348), that the vessel was registered at Liverpool on Dec. 19, 1854. The webmaster has not researched the operational history of Jane Heward. But some matters which came to the webmaster's attention. In a report from Leghorn (Livorno, Italy) on Mar. 30, 1850, it was reported that the vessel had been damaged by Porsenna, a Tuscan schooner, which broke free of her moorings during a squall. On Jun. 21, 1850, the vessel, T. Fitt in command, was at Limerick, Ireland, soon to leave for Quebec, Canada. On Mar. 08-12, 1851, 'Spouse' (William Spouse I understand) now in command, the vessel arrived at Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) ex Liverpool. On Jul. 15, 1851 it arrived at Queenstown, Ireland, ex Ibrail (now Brăila, eastern Romania, Black Sea). On Sep. 15, 1851, the vessel was advertised for departure from Liverpool for Panama & Realijo or Realejo (Nicaragua, I think). While it was later reported (Sep. 24, 1852) that the vessel had been lost leaving Realejo, on Sep. 12, 1852 it had arrived at Pata (where is it?), bound for Callao, Peru. From Feb. 10, 1854 thru Jun. 21, 1854, Jane Heward, then lying at London, was advertised for sale pursuant to a decree of the High Court of Admiralty. On Jul. 11, 1854 the vessel was reported as loading for Demerera (Guyana, N. coast of South America) ex London, with 'Smith' in command. On Dec. 06, 1854, the vessel was offered for sale again. On Jan. 05, 1855, the vessel advertised a departure from St. George's Dock, Liverpool, for Jamaica, with Duncan Smith in command. It would seem to have left with, however, 'Dickie' in command. On Jul. 20, 1855, the vessel, then at Liverpool, was yet again advertised for sale. On Aug. 27, 1855, the vessel sailed from Liverpool for Rotterdam, 'Payne' in command. On Nov. 03, 1855 (Payne), en route from Shoreham to Seaham in ballast, the vessel went on shore near Deal & specifically near Walmer Castle. It put into Ramsgate for repair. 'Stevens' became the vessel's master soon thereafter, followed by 'Adams'. Later (1864) 'Reeves' was her captain. On Jan. 14, 1865, Jane Heward rescued the crew of Snipe, a Seaham brig (built at Bergen in 1851), which had foundered on Shipwash Sand. In Jan. 1866, the vessel (Harling) encountered bad weather & lost mainboom & main topsail yard. 'Dobson' was her captain certainly from Apl. 1866. On Jul. 17, 1867 the vessel (Dobson) was assisted into Lowestoft in a leaky condition. In 1856/57, per LR, Jane Heward became registered at Shoreham (West Sussex, near Brighton) & owned by 'Vallance', of Shoreham, for service ex 'Rms' which likely means Ramsgate (even though the normal LR contraction for Ramsgate is 'Ram'). With S. Payne LR noted to have been the vessel's captain from 1856/57 thru 1865/66. The vessel is not LR recorded after 1865/66. All is not lost however. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') record the vessel as Shoreham registered from 1857 thru 1865, & registered at Whitby, Yorkshire, from 1866 thru 1872. The MNL of 1865 lists Chas. Catt and Chas. Wallace, both of Brighton, as the vessel's then owners. While MNLs of 1866 thru 1870 all record John Harland, of Thorpe, Yorkshire, as the vessel's owner. Jane Heward is, I see, recorded in a Whitby shipping history book, which tells us, here, that the vessel, which became Whitby registered in 1865, was owned by Jn. Barker of Sunderland & then by Jn. Harland and Co. of Robin Hood's Bay. 82.0 ft. long, signal letters NWKD, per LR of 171 tons from 1856/57. I suspect it was always a brig. Many crew lists are available via this page. What finally happened to Jane Heward? The Whitby history book referred to above advises that vessel was lost near the Gull Light Vessel in Apl. 1870. This U.K. Government wreck listing tells us, however, at line #2388, that on Apl. 10, 1872, the 172 ton schooner was involved in a collision & sank off Gull while en route from Hartlepool to Caen, France, with a cargo of coal. The Gull Light Vessel was, I read, located on the Goodwin Sands (English Channel, E. of Deal, Kent). Crew of 6 - none lost. Then owned by John Harland. I learn that the vessel, at the time of her loss, was under the command of Thomas Dobson. Who tells us, in his account of the events, that the vessel, a brig, left Hartlepool for Dieppe, France, on Apl. 8, 1872. Soon after 9 a.m. on Apl. 11, 1872, the vessel, then close to the Gull Light Vessel, was run into by Forest Queen, a Hull registered steamship. Jane Heward sank within a few minutes. Forest Queen took on board all of Jane Heward's crew members & landed them at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, early on Apl. 12, 1872. I note that Forest Queen, ON #47631, was built at Renfrew (River Clyde, near Glasgow, Scotland) in 1863. These contemporary news reports relate (1 & 2). Can you add to or correct in any way the above text? #2721 GEORGE THOMPSON So far as the webmaster can see, George Thompson built 23 vessels in the period from 1837 thru 1844. Hopefully, in due course, many of such vessels will be detail listed below. Need help with background about the builder. 1   Atkin 256/278, later 268 & 273 tons 24694 1837 Atkin, a snow or brig, is recorded in Lloyd's Registers ('LR') from 1838/39 thru 1854/55, & from 1858/59 thru 1866/67. It was initially owned by J. Atkin of Sunderland for service from Sunderland to Archangel, Russia. In 1843/44, Hunter & Co., also of Sunderland, became the vessel's owner for service from Sunderland to London, soon Sunderland to Canada. It would seem that 'Moore' owned the vessel briefly - which data is confirmed by the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Apl. 1848 data - the vessel was then registered at Sunderland & owned by Martin Moore of Sunderland. However, in 1848/49 Atkin became owned by J. Wilks of Faversham, Kent, for service from Sunderland to the Baltic, soon from Shields to Hamburg, Germany, & then for service as a London collier. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 advises that J. Parkin of South Shields & J. Wilson of Whitby were her then owners. Those owner names are clarified by Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 which names James Parkin & John Wilson. In 1858/59, when LR again lists the vessel, J. Parkin of Shields owned the vessel for service from Sunderland to the Baltic, then ex Sunderland. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') records Atkin as first registered at Shields on Mar. 24, 1852 (scroll to #24694). MNL lists the vessel from 1857 thru 1866, registered at Shields thru 1865 & at South Shields in 1866. Owned in 1865 & 1866 by James Parkin of South Shields. 86.7 ft. long, some crew lists are available via here. What happened to Atkin? LR of 1866/67 states 'Wrecked'. On Apl. 21, 1866, the 273 ton Atkin foundered in bad weather near Gefle (now Gävle, Sweden), while en route from the Tyne to Gefle, probably with a cargo of coal. 'Almond' was the vessel's then captain. The crew were saved & landed at Gefle. As per this contemporary newspaper article. The then owner was stated to be Mr. Parkin of South Shields. Is there anything you can add? #2838 2   Wave 220/221, later 226/221 tons 1837 The vessel, which was launched in Aug. 1837, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1838/39 thru 1844/45, then an 8 year LR silence, & again from 1853/54 thru 1856/57. Wave was, per LR, owned by 'Richardsn' of Sunderland thru 1844/45, for consistent service from Sunderland to London, with 'Davis' always serving as the vessel's captain. T. Richardson, of Sunderland, owned the Sunderland registered vessel in Apl. 1848 - per the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9. LR of 1853/54 records S. Austin of Sunderland as the vessel's then owner with J. Austin her captain - for service from Sunderland to the Baltic. It seems that J. Austin soon sold the vessel. LRs of 1854/55 thru 1856/57 all record R. Jolly, of Shields, as the vessel's new owner with J. Kennok the vessel's captain in 1854/55 & J. Renton in 1855/56 & 1856/57. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854 records the vessel as then registered at Shields & owned by Robert Jolly - with William Jolly her captain. I note that Wave is listed in Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of both 1855 & 1856, registered at Shields & owned by R. Jolly. TR of 1855 lists J. Kumach as her then captain. So far as the webmaster can see, the vessel is not listed in Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 which covers many northern ports. What happened to Wave? The webmaster has tried to find references to the vessel's loss in 1854 but has not been successful. I refer to 1854 because the vessel would seem not to have been issued an Official Number & accordingly should not have been in existence on Jan. 01, 1855. What I did spot, however, was that on Feb. 09, 1854, Wave, with Jolly in command, arrived at Gravesend, London - reported in a collier list. I also found that on Jan. 23, 1855, Wave, with Renton in command, put into Hartlepool leaky. It would seem that the vessel may have survived until 1855, but the lack of an Official Number is a puzzle. Can you tell us what happened to Wave & when? #2841 3   William and Jane 232/228 later 214 tons 2552 1837 William and Jane, a snow or square, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1838/39 thru 1852/53, & not thereafter. It was, per LR, owned thru 1844/45 by 'Thompson' of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to Le Havre, France. It is possible that such data is incorrect. This Mercantile Navy List page tells us that the vessel was first registered at Sunderland in 1841. In 1844/45, per LR, 'Hutchinsons' of Sunderland became the vessel's owners for service ex Sunderland, in the period of 1845/47 for service from Sunderland to the Baltic. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9 lists G. Hutchinson & Co., of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, as her owners in Apl. 1848. LRs of 1848/49 & 1849/50 record service from Sunderland to 'Pambf', whatever that contraction means. In 1850/51, LR references service from Sunderland to the Baltic & in 1851/52 service from Sunderland to London. The LR data of 1852/53 is minimal. From 1850/51 thru 1852/53 'Hutchinson' is LR listed as the vessel's captain. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, in Mar. 1854 data, lists Peter Hutchinson of East Bolden, John Hutchinson of Elwick & Thos. Briggs of Sunderland, as the Sunderland registered vessel's then owners with William Hutchinson her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855 records the same names but with 'Briggs' listed first - and records F. Hunnam as her then captain. While TR of 1856 records the vessel as registered at Sunderland & owned by P. Hutchinson of East Bolden, J. Hutchinson of Elswick & T. Briggs of Sunderland. Which owner names Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 clarifies as meaning Peter Hutchinson, John Hutchinson & Thomas Briggs. The Mercantile Navy List records William and Jane from 1857 thru 1863, always registered at Sunderland. No crew lists seem to be available. What finally happened to William and Jane? On Oct. 21, 1862, per line 2437 here, the 214 ton square foundered off the Dudgeon (20 miles N. of Wells, Norfolk), while en route from Sunderland to Nieuwe Diep (N. end of North Holland Canal, effectively Amsterdam) with a cargo of coal. Crew of 9 - none lost. Then owned by Thomas Briggs. I now learn that William and Jane foundered in heavy seas, about 10 miles WSW of the Dudgeon. With J. Wright in command. The vessel was in a sinking state when Emily of Shields, 'Jackson' in command, rescued the crew of William and Jane - and later transferred them to a lugger which landed them at Broadstairs, East Kent. Emily, a barque, put into Ramsgate on Oct. 27, 1862 leaky & having lost sails. But soon, on Oct. 30, 1862, Emily left Ramsgate for Barcelona, Spain. I am not sure which Emily it was. It could have been Emily built at South Shields in 1846 or Emily built at Bristol in 1824. As per these contemporary news reports - 1, 2 & 3 (in red). I note that the vessel was misidentified in the 3rd report. Can you add anything additional? #2842 4   Belford 186/166 tons 13909 1838 Belford? A Northumberland village. Belford, a snow or brig, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1846/47 only. Always LR noted to have been an 1839 vessel - & noted thru LR of 1841/42 as being a Jan. 1839 vessel. The webmaster believes, however, that the vessel is correctly an 1838 vessel. LR records the vessel, thru 1846/47, as always owned by 'Thompson' of Sunderland for service from Sunderland to London with 'Embleton' always noted to have been her captain. In the absence of LR data, the contemporary shipping registers come to our rescue. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, lists the 160 ton vessel, in Apl. 1848, as Sunderland registered & owned by 'Farquhar & Co.' of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland. The equivalent Directory of 1854/55, in Mar. 1854 data, records Wm. Farquhar of Sunderland & Thos. Carter of Eling, as the then owners of the 166 ton Belford with Robson Liddle her then captain. Eling I see (assuming that the spelling is correct), is just to the W. of Southampton, Hampshire. While Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of 1855 & 1856 both record W. Farquhar of Sunderland & C. Carter of Eling as the owners of the Sunderland registered vessel, now of 152 tons. TR of 1855 tells us that C. Carter means Charles Carter & notes that Robson Liddle was still her captain. The webmaster notes that all of the above 4 shipping registers list the vessel as an 1838 vessel. It would seem that no crew lists are available for this vessel. Belford is Mercantile Navy List recorded from 1857 thru 1860, always registered at Sunderland. What finally happened to Belford? On Feb. 13, 1860, per line 73 here, the vessel, a brig of 166 tons stated to have been built in 1838, struck & was lost at Lands End, while en route from France to Cardiff, Wales, in ballast. Crew of 7 - none lost. Vessel then stated to be owned by William Farquhar. It was initially reported that Bedford, rather than Belford had been lost - but the data was soon corrected. On the evening of Feb. 13, 1860, Belford, en route from Rouen, France, to Cardiff, in ballast & under the command of W. Humble, was reaching in for Whitsand Bay in conditions of high wind & snow. It drove high on Cowla Rock (reports also refer to Cowliers Rock). The crew made it safely to shore, but Belford itself soon broke up. Some spars, anchors & boats were saved. Which along with the hull were then to be auctioned off. As per these contemporary news reports - 1, 2 & 3. The webmaster has not so far located exactly where Cowla or Cowliers Rock is located. But to say that the vessel was lost near Lands End seems to the webmaster to be rather inaccurate. Whitsand Bay runs from Rame Head in the east (SW. of Plymouth) across to Portwrinkle just a few miles to the west. It is a very long way indeed east of Lands End. Is there anything you can add to the above text? Or correct? #2843 5   Brandon 225/209 tons 1838 The record for this vessel is a puzzle. Brandon, a snow or brig, was lost in 1852 but the register for the vessel was only closed on Sep. 30, 1869 - so I read at a Sunderland Shipping website that requests no links or recognition. I cannot understand how that could have happened - commencing in 1855 all British vessels had a unique identifying number & Brandon would seem never to have received one. Data clearly did not flow back then as it does today! Brandon is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1849/50 only. Its initial owner, thru 1844/45, was 'Alderson' of Sunderland for service from Sunderland to London, with 'Blackburn' (R. Blackburn) serving as the vessel's captain. As per this Lloyd's Survey (click right to see the lead page) conducted at the time of her building. William Alderson, I read. First registered on Jul. 31, 1838. From 1844/45, per LR, T. Bell of South Shields was Brandon's owner for service as a Shields coaster in 1844/45 & for service from Shields to the Mediterranean thereafter. But registered in Bell's name on Sep. 09, 1843, I read. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Jul. 1848 data, lists T. & E. Bell of South Shields as the then owner of the Newcastle registered 209 ton brig. So registered back on Dec. 30, 1844, I read (at the website referred to above). Two captains are recorded during the period of 'Bell' ownership - R. Mays to 1846/47 & T. Spencer thereafter. 82.0 ft. long. It would seem that 'Hillary' became the vessel's captain in Oct. 1849. On Oct. 19, 1849 the vessel arrived at Seaham ex London with 'Hillary' in command. What happened to Brandon? As per line 1714, here, the 209 ton brig was lost on Sep. 05, 1852, in the Gulf of Bothnia, while on a voyage that commenced at Umea (Umeå, E. coast of Sweden). Crew of 11 - none lost. Then stated to be owned by Thomas Bell. Now the available newspaper reports re the vessel's loss are modest indeed. But I did find two references, the first of which tells us that 'Hillary' was in command of Brandon when she was lost - but clearly she was not quite lost but rather was abandoned. A later report from Helsingfors (Helsinki, Finland) reported that the still floating derelict had been found off the islands of the archipelago of Oeland (Öland islands, Baltic Sea, Sweden) sometime in Sep. 1852 & had been taken to those islands by the local inhabitants. I cannot tell you what happened next - if anything. I have not read anything about the weather circumstances in the Gulf of Bothnia at the time of Brandon's abandonment. Per these contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. The puzzle again? Though apparently lost in 1852, Brandon is recorded in i) The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854 - Newcastle registered & owned by T. & E. Bell with R. Hillary her captain. ii) Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of both 1855 & 1856, as a schooner of 208 tons registered at Newcastle & owned by T. & E. Bell of South Shields. With W. Hillary (not R. Hillary) the vessel's captain in TR of 1855. iii) Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 which lists the brig's then owners as being Thomas & E. Bell, of South Shields. And, per the Sunderland shipping website, the register for the vessel was only closed in Sep. 1869. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2839 6   Chieftain 267/279 tons 1838 Chieftain, a snow or brig, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1838/39 thru 1846/47 only. Always, per LR, owned by 'Ness' - specifically by J. Ness of Shields thru LR of 1841/42 & of Newcastle in 1842/43, & Ness & Co. of Newcastle & later (from 1845/46) of South Shields. With, per LR, 'Ness' the vessel's captain thru 1842/43, 'Sanderson' from 1842/43 thru 1845/46 & 'Stephens' or W. Stephens thereafter thru 1846/47. A Sunderland shipping website, which website requests no links or recognition, tells us that Chieftain was first registered at Shields on Apl. 02, 1838 - in the names of John Ness, Snr. & John Ness, Jnr., both of South Shields. Such site also tells us that the vessel was 88.8 ft. long. Some data 'snippets' that I happened to spot. On Aug. 17, 1840, Chieftain arrived at Grangemouth, Falkirk, Scotland, ex Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada. Likely with a cargo of timber. It had earlier been reported that the vessel was en route to Miramichi ex Hamburg, Germany, having found no freight at Hamburg. 'Ness' her captain at the time. Later voyages, 'Ness' in command, certainly to Miramichi. And frequent voyages to Wyborg (Vyborg, NW of St. Petersburg, Russia), & to Saint Petersburg/Cronstadt, Russia. In Aug. 1844, arriving from America, the vessel was 'on the bar' at North Shields. 'Ness' her captain thru Sep. 1844, it would appear. I learn that on Sep. 16, 1846, Chieftain arrived at Elsinore, Denmark, bound for St. Petersburg, with 'Stibbens' noted to be her captain. Ex Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland, it would appear though the report stated ex Newcastle. The nature of her cargo is not referenced. The vessel's captain may have been rather named 'Stebbens'. The vessel must have encountered bad weather soon after departing Elsinore because the crew arrived back at Elsinore on or prior to Sep. 26, 1846. In the interval & specifically on Sep. 21, 1846 the vessel became very leaky indeed when at sea, & on Sep. 22, 1846, Chieftain had to be abandoned off Fårö Island with nine feet of water in her holds (Fårö is at the NE tip of Gotland Island - the largest Swedish island, Baltic Sea, off the E. coast of Sweden). Now the available U.K. press reports re the vessel's loss provide only modest detail. Possibly the Swedish or Danish newspapers of the time provided greater detail? I have, as an example, been unable to read how the crew returned to Elsinore - saved via their own ship's boats perhaps? Or rescued by a west bound passing vessel? The vessel's loss is briefly referenced here. These contemporary news reports relate - 1 & 2. Can you tell us anything additional? #2844 7   Tweed 246/250 tons 1838 A snow or brig. Tweed, which was launched in Sep. 1838 (per a Sunderland build list), or in Oct. 1838 (per Lloyd's Register [('LR')], is LR listed from 1839/40 thru 1852/53, with the exception of 1850/51. LRs of 1839/40 thru 1849/50 all record the vessel as owned by 'Longstaff' of Sunderland, for service i) from Sunderland to London in 1839/40, ii) from Liverpool to Trieste, Italy, from 1840/41 thru 1845/46, & iii) from Sunderland to the Mediterranean from 1846/47 thru 1849/50. During the entire period of 'Longstaff' ownership, LR records 'McKenzie' as being the vessel's captain. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9 records Tweed as registered at Sunderland & owned, in Apl. 1848 data, by T. Longstaff of Sunderland. I have read that 6 vessels, all peviously owned by the late Thomas Longstaff, were sold at an auction, held at Sunderland on Oct. 14, 1851. At that sale (in blue) Tweed was sold for about £1,100. To a purchaser who was not there named. LRs of 1851/52 & 1852/53 presumably tell us who had then acquired such vessel. 'Crossby' of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to London with W. Jones LR noted to have been her new captain. The webmaster has not researched Tweed's operational history while 'Crossby' owned. But he has spotted the following data 'snippets':- In late Aug. 1851 or maybe in very early Sep. 1851, the vessel, Jones in command, arrived back at Stockton from Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada, with a cargo of timber. And in late Jul. 1852, it arrived back at Sunderland from Quebec City, Canada, to which it had earlier carried a cargo of coal tar & glass bottles. On Aug. 20, 1852, Tweed (Jones) left Hartlepool for Cronstadt (St. Petersburg, Russia) likely with a cargo of coal. On Sep. 14, 1852, the vessel went on shore at Hogland (Hogland or Gogland is an island in the Gulf of Finland, eastern Baltic, about 180 km west of Saint Petersburg), & was reported to be full of water. Part of its materials were saved. As per this report from Cronstadt. Can you add to or correct the above? #2681 8   Welcome 241/243 tons 3747 1838 A snow or brig. Welcome is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1857/58, with the exception of 1847/48. Its initial owner, thru 1844/45 per LR, was 'Thompson' of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to Holland, with 'Booth' serving as the vessel's captain. In 1844/45 & thru 1851/52, again per LR, Welcome became owned by T. Douglas, which name is, however, LR recorded from 1848/49 as 'Douglass' (and registered at London in 1848/49 & 1849/50). With J. Pile her captain thru 1846/47 at least & 'Williams' from 1848/49 thru 1851/52. Almost certainly 'Williams' correctly should read 'Williamson'. I note that the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9 records, in Apl. 1848 data, T. Douglas of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, as the vessel's then owner. The vessel's service while 'Douglas' owned? From Sunderland to Quebec, Canada, thru 1846/47, from Sunderland to 'Pambf' in 1848/49 & 1849/50 & from Sunderland to America in 1850/51. The webmaster needs help to learn where 'Pambf' is! In 1851/52, per LR, Welcome became owned by J. Gibbon of Shields. Shields registered I see, per the Mercantile Navy List, on Jun. 07, 1851 (scroll to #3747). The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5 records, in 1854 data, John Gibbon of South Shields as the vessel's then owner with James Gilbert her then master. While Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of both 1855 & 1856 record the vessel as Shields registered & owned by J. Gibbon of South Shields. TR of 1855 has J. Hetherington as the vessel's then captain. Her service while Gibbon owned? From Shields i) to the Baltic both in 1851/52 & also from 1854/55 thru 1857/58, ii) to Hamburg, Germany, in 1852/53 & iii) to London in 1853/54. With three captains per LR - J. Emery in 1852/53, J. Gilbert from 1854/55 thru 1855/56 & 'Sh'phrd' in 1856/57 & 1857/58. No crew lists seem to be available for the vessel. What finally happened to Welcome? So far at least, the webmaster has not been able to learn Welcome's destiny. But he notes that the Mercantile Navy List (link above) refers to a certificate re the vessel's loss being dated Mar. 12, 1857. I have spotted news reports that I believe state that on Nov. 05, 1856 the vessel, with 'Shepherd' in command, left Cronstadt (St. Petersburg, Russia) for London. And later, on Nov. 18, 1856, put into a Baltic port in a leaky condition. On Dec. 05, 1856 & it would seem at Jan. 20, 1857 also, Welcome was at Reval (now Talinn, Estonia), but was unable to depart due to ice drifting into the harbour there. Alas I can find no later references. Similarly at Reval in Jan. 1857 was Kate Evelyn, noted to be a brig, but correctly a barque built at Sunderland in 1851. Readers are surely familiar with the name of Samuel Plimsoll, a British MP who was the driving force behind reforms to the Britsh shipping industry and in particular the passage of a Parliamentary bill which became the 'Merchant Shipping Act'. Famous, of course, for the Plimsoll Line. He noted in his book 'Our Seamen', published in 1873, that 'no prudent ship-owner will dispatch ships to the ports of the Baltic later than the end of September'. One captain, asked to command a ship going to the Baltic at such time, responded 'For God's sake don't send us into the Baltic at this time of the year, sir. You might as well send us all to the bottom of the sea at once'. A dangerous area for ships in those times, in part due to the severity of the then winter weather. It would be good to learn what did happen to Welcome. Can you tell us more? #2845 9   Commodore 278/292, later 259 tons 14103 1840 A snow or brig. Commodore is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1840/41 thru 1864/65 & not thereafter. Commodore was owned, thru 1846/47 at least, by 'Thompson' of Sunderland. For initial service from Sunderland to London, but from 1840/41 for service from London to Cuba. No owner name is stated in LR of 1847/48. In 1848/49, it would seem that the vessel changed hands twice - to 'Passenger' of London for service from London to Sunderland, & then to 'Nicholson' of Sunderland for service from Sunderland to Cuba. Nicholson, per LR, owned the vessel thru 1855/56 - i) for continued service from Sunderland to Cuba, ii) in the period of 1850/1853 for service from Sunderland to Madeira (a Portuguese island off the NW coast of Africa), iii) in 1853/54 for service from Quebec, Canada, to Sunderland, & iv) thereafter from Swansea, Wales, to Cuba. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5 lists Commodore, in Mar. 1854 data, as owned by 'Wm. Nicholson and Sons' of Sunderland with John Scott her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855 lists Wm. Nicholson, sen., Wm. Nicholson, jun., and J. Nicholson, all of Sunderland, as her then owners with John Scott her captain. While TR of 1856 lists W. Nicholson, W. Nicholson, jun., & J. Nicholson, all of Sunderland, as her owners. In 1856/57, H. Cross of Sunderland became, per LR, Commodore's owner for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean & in 1857/58 & 1858/59 for service from Sunderland to the Black Sea. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists Henry Cross as her then owner. While H. Cross is LR stated to be the vessel's owner thru 1864/65, only limited data is provided from 1859/60 with no indication of routing nor of the vessel's registration port. The lack of detail is not surprising since the vessel was clearly lost in 1861 - read on. 89.0 ft. long, no crew lists seem to be available. On May 05, 1861, per line 1215 here, the 259 ton Commodore stranded at Garrucha (Almeria, Mediterranean coast of Spain) while en route from Villaricos (also Almería, Spain) to Sulina (Romania, Black Sea, at the mouth of Sulina branch of the Danube River). No cargo is indicated. Crew of 11 - none lost. Then stated to be owned by Jas. Edwards, a name not LR referenced. I now learn that that Commodore had landed her cargo of coals & was preparing to depart for Sulina. When she parted both anchors in an ESE gale, drove on shore at the mouth of the river Cuevas (N. of Villaricos, I believe). When weather would permit she was to be surveyed but it was feared that she would prove to be a total wreck. 'Bull' was the vessel's then captain. As per these contemporary news reports - 1 (in red) & 2. Can anybody add anything? #2837 10   Pallion Hall 162/133 tons 2549 1840 Pallion Hall? You can read about it here. A snow or brig. Pallion Hall, which was launched in Mar. 1840, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1839/40 thru 1857/58. It was, per LR, owned thru 1854/55 by 'Thompson' of Sunderland. With, per LR, E. Dixon serving as the vessel's captain thru 1844/45, then 'Caruthers' thru 1852/53, & 'Thompson' in 1853/54 & 1854/55. For service, always ex Sunderland it would appear to i) Shoreham, Sussex, thru 1844/45, & ii) Rouen, France, in 1845/46 & 1846/47. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/49 lists G. Thompson of Pallion, Sunderland, as the vessel's owner in Apl. 1848. A little operational data. On an unknown date in Feb. 1843, Pallion Hall was driven ashore at Harfleur (near the mouth of the River Seine), Normandy, France, while en route from Sunderland to Rouen. On Jan. 29, 1849 (search for Pallion Hall) the vessel, & 4 other vessels also, was ashore at Redcar, N. Yorkshire, in poor weather conditions (heavy gale & snow showers). On May 19, 1852, per this page, the vessel was en route, Thompson in command, from Rotterdam in ballast when it went ashore on the Yorkshire coast. In thick weather conditions. The vessel put into Hartlepool with 'a great deal of water in the hold' & with rudder & fore keel gone. LR of 1855/56 first reports 'Beavis' of Sunderland, as the vessel's new owner. With E. Beavis her captain. Likely for consistent service as a Sunderland collier. The sale to Beavis must have been a little earlier than is LR stated. In Mar. 1854, the North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/55 lists Edw. Beavis as her then owner & Edward Beavis her then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 also names Edw. Beavis as her owner. No crew lists seem to be available. This Mercantile Navy List page tells us (scroll to #2549) that a certificate re the vessel's loss was issued on Nov. 17, 1857. I read here (sorry that the page is so poor) that on Aug. 06, 1857 Pallion Hall left Sunderland for Boulogne, France, with a crew of 6 & a cargo of coal (for gas). When off Robin Hood's Bay, Yorkshire, the gas from the coal ignited & the vessel exploded/blew up, resulting in the total loss of the vessel. Fortunately no lives were lost. The page references £800 re the crew - am not sure what that means. The page seems not to specifically state the date of her loss, but she was, I read, lost on Aug. 07, 1857. I learn further that her crew were picked up by Thomas Barker, a snow built at South Shields in 1837. These contemporary newspaper reports relate - 1 & 2. One of those reports refers to Bologna, Spain, as the vessel's destination, I think in error. Can you tell us more? #2305 JOHN THOMPSON The webmaster's knowledge about John Thompson is non-existent. A list of Sunderland built ships, available to the webmaster, lists 16 vessels built by the shipbuilder from 1863 thru 1870. Five of such vessels are now detail listed below. All of the 11 others are named below. Need help with background about the builder. 1   Amethyst 275 tons 47665 1863 A snow or brig. The vessel, which was launched on Sep. 25, 1863 & first registered, at Sunderland, on Oct. 14, 1863 (scroll to #47665) is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1863/64 thru 1867/68 only. It was owned thru that brief period by 'Legender' of Sunderland, which owner name is clarified by the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1868 as meaning J. W. Legender of Monkwearmouth. For initial service, thru 1865/66, from Sunderland to the Mediterranean, from Sunderland to the Black Sea in 1866/67 & from Liverpool to the Mediterranean in 1867/68. 'Legender' captained his own vessel thru 1865/66 when D. Roberts took over the role thru 1867/68 in which year 'Barnes' later became her captain. LR of 1867/68 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. Line 6 on this page tells us that on Feb. 11, 1868. Amethyst was stranded near Tetuan, (now Tétouan) in northern Morocco. while en route from Taganrog (Sea of Azov, Black Sea, Russia) to Great Yarmouth with a cargo of linseed. The vessel had a crew of 9, two of whom lost their lives in the disaster. 105.2 ft. long, signal letters VPMN. Crew lists are available here. Can you tell us about the circumstances of the vessel's loss or otherwise add anything? #2213     Albanian 299 tons 47700 1864 A snow. Nicholson of Sunderland. Lloyd's Register of 1864/65 states 'Wrecked'.     Hubert 325 tons 47720 1864 A barque. Gayner & Co., later (1870) R. H. Gayner, both of Sunderland.     Mary Ann 342 tons 47179 1865 A barque. W. Richardson of South Shields, later (1870) Noble C. Richardson of Newcastle. The vessel was abandoned & lost on Aug. 29, 1881 as per this Inquiry into her loss. 2   Ogmore 328/347 (N/G) tons 51178 1865 A wooden barque, which was first registered, at Sunderland, on Apl. 11, 1865 (scroll to #51178). Launched here (in green), I think, in late Nov. 1864 perhaps. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1864/65 thru 1885/86, always LR listed as an 1864 vessel. It would seem that such data is in error in view of the date (above) of its first registration. 117.7 ft. long, signal letters RHKF. The vessel was initially owned by William Nicholson of Sunderland (confirmed by Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1866 thru 1875, 1870 is here), thru 1875/76. For some varied service per LR. From Sunderland to S. America thru 1866/67, from Liverpool to N. America in 1867/68, ex Swansea, Wales, in 1868/69, from Sunderland to the Mediterranean from 1869/70 thru 1871/72 & from the Clyde to S. America in 1872/74. I read specifically that on Jan. 8, 1869, the vessel arrived at Valparaiso, Chile, with a cargo of coal ex Montevideo, Uruguay. During the period of 'Nicholson' ownership, the vessel, per LR, had a number of captains - initially, thru 1867/68, G. Sanderson, then R. Cumming or Cummings, 'Stephens' (also recorded as 'Stevens') thru 1872/73 & J. W. Laing thereafter thru 1875/76 when the vessel was sold & indeed for a period thereafter. In 1875/76, the vessel became owned by J. (John) Bowen of Swansea & registered there (MNLs of 1876 thru 1880). In 1880/81, per LR, the vessel became rather owned by W. Bowen, Jr., of Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales (MNLs of 1882 thru 1885). Per LR, D. Roberts (likely David Roberts see below) became the vessel's captain in 1876/77, & from 1879/80 Williams or D. Williams so served. Some operational history:- 1) Some complicated history in Feb. 1877, mainly at Weymouth, Dorset. 7 members of the vessel's crew refused to work stating that her cargo of railway iron had shifted & that the vessel was not seaworthy. The local Lloyd's Agent inspected the vessel & found all to be in order. Likely as result of such inspection, the 7 were all sentenced to 6 weeks time in Dorchester Gaol. An appeal followed & the matter was even raised in the British House of Commons. A senior Lloyd's surveyor came to Weymouth to inspect the vessel but found that she had already left for Swansea. An oared Custom's galley with the surveyor & others aboard quite literally chased Ogmore for 4 miles - in the wind conditions, the vessel had made little progress. Ogmore ended up detained at Weymouth & the vessel's bowsprit & a mast (that is all it would appear) were 'condemned'. The seamen were released from gaol. Necessary repairs costing £393 were effected at Weymouth & the vessel in due course, on Mar. 6, 1877, left port for East London, S. Africa. That is not the end of the story! The vessel encountered bad weather after leaving Weymouth & a few days later her entire crew refused to work. The vessel put back to Swansea where the vessel was again inspected & found to be fully seaworthy. 4 Ogmore seamen were found guilty of refusing to work & were sentenced to a month's gaol time. The vessel's captain at Weymouth likely was Captain Laing, who left the ship along with a number of officers. The new captain, in command after leaving Weymouth, was David Roberts (one report says Edward Roberts). There are many articles at 'Welsh Newspapers Online' in Feb. 1877 about all of these circumstances. One such article is here. 2) In May 1877, a vessel named Ogmore ran onto Breaksea Point (S. coast of Wales, W. of Barry) but was later got off without apparent damage. It was presumably not 'our' Ogmore & likely was a tiny steamship of identical name built at West Hartlepool in 1866. 3) In Aug. 1880, Ogmore took on board  9 members of the crew of Gartconnel, an iron ship, which had collided with Christel, a German barque on Aug. 19, 1880. Gartconnel soon sank as a result of the collision & Christel was completely disabled by it. I cannot tell you where the collision occurred but Gartconnel had left Cape of Good Hope, S. Africa, for Queenstown, Ireland, in May 1880, having been repaired there as a result of weather damage. Ogmore later transferred the 9 seamen to Headquarters which landed them at Liverpool. 4) On Apl. 22, 1881, Ogmore, carrying a cargo of phosphate rock from Bull River, S. Carolina, U.S.A., put into Swansea to repair damage incurred as a result of encountering a cyclone in mid N. Atlantic. 5) On Jul. 17, 1882, Ogmore left Plymouth for Swansea, struck some rocks later that day & became 'leaky'. What finally happened to Ogmore? On Jan. 23, 1885, the vessel left Darien, Georgia, U.S.A., for Llanelly with a cargo of pitch pine timber, under the command of William Davies. With no cargo on deck, apparently. It was never heard from again. As you can read here (in red). The names of the ten who were lost are here. Crew lists? A great many crew lists are available. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2245 3   Phillis 347 tons 47176 1865 A barque. The vessel, which was launched on Mar. 28, 1865 & first registered, at South Shields on Mar. 29, 1865 (scroll to #47176) is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1865/66 thru 1870/71. The vessel was owned, for her short lifetime, by Foreman & Co. of South Shields. For initial service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean, from 1868/69 for service from Shields to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), & in 1871/72 for service from Shields to Port Said, Egypt. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1866 thru 1871 (1870) all list the South Shields registered vessel as owned by Mark Foreman of South Shields. 118.1 ft. long. LR of 1871/72 notes 'Wrecked'. On Oct. 17, 1871, per line 2064 here, the 347 ton barque foundered at Kileraden (means Kileradan, mouth of River Shannon, in western Ireland), while en route from Limerick, Ireland, to Shields in ballast. Crew of 12 - none lost. Vessel then stated to be owned by Mark Forman, of South Shields. Crew lists are available here. Can you add anything? #2214     Gladstone 349 tons 53212 1866 A barque. T. Rudd, later (1870) William Robinson Wylie, both of South Shields. In 1880 James Harrison Nicholson, also of South Shields.     Red Gauntlet 349 tons 56477 1866 A barque. Graham & Co. of North Shields. 4   Valetta 348 tons 54823 1866 A barque. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1865/66 thru 1870/71, owned by Forster & Co. of Sunderland. For service initially from Sunderland to the Mediterranean,, later Liverpool to South America. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1867 thru 1870 all record the vessel as registered at Sunderland & owned by Ann Forster of that city. 118.5 ft. long, signal letters HGNS. LR of 1870/71 states 'wrecked'. On Sep. 1, 1870, per line 340 here, the 348 ton barque was stranded at Rio Grande, (Brazil) while en route from Liverpool to Montevideo, Uruguay, with a general cargo. Crew of 11 - none lost. Vessel then stated to be owned by Wm. E. Forster. Line 28 on this page also reports the loss, but a little differently. It states that the vessel was lost on Aug. 20, 1870, stranded 50 miles S. of Rio Grande, Brazil, & that two of the 11 man crew lost their lives. Is there anything you can add? #2215     Jane and Dorothy 350 tons 58097 1867 A barque. W. & J. Brown, later (1870) William Brown, both of Sunderland.     Ocean 349 tons 56117 1867 A barque. Forrest Bros., later (1870) William Forrest, both of South Shields, later (1880) John Sutton of King's Lynn, Norfolk.     Sarah 349 tons 58127 1868 A barque. Culliford & Co. of Sunderland. 120.4 ft. long.     Teviot Dale 349 tons 60492 Teviotdale 1868 A barque. W. Graham, later (1870 as Teviotdale) William Graham, both of North Shields. 120.5 ft. long, signal letters HDKL. 5   Cleopas 345 later 345/369 (N/G) tons 60521 1869 A barque. The vessel, which was completed in Jan. 1869, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1869/70 thru 1878/79 only, owned throughout that period, per LR, by Darling & Co. Per LR Cleopas was registered at Blyth thru 1875/76 & thereafter at North Shields, however the Mercantile Navy Lists of 1870 thru 1879 consistently state that the vessel was registered at North Shields. And owned by Henry Darling of Backworth, Northumberland. Per LR, 'Armstrong' served as the vessel's captain thru 1870/71 & W. Kell after that date. For initial service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean, from Blyth to the Mediterranean from 1870/71 thru 1872/73 & from Blyth to the West Indies in 1873/74. 120.2 ft. long, signal letters HWJN. In Jan. 1879 W. Kell was not the vessel's captain, rather William McDougall. The vessel, owned by Henry Darling plus one other, had sailed from Poti (Georgia, eastern coast of Black Sea) to Liverpool, & having discharged her cargo left Liverpool for North Shields on Dec. 26, 1878 with 503 tons of salt, a crew of 10 all told & William McDougall her master. The vessel intended to travel south around the British Isles to get to North Shields. But facing adverse winds went north instead. When the winds changed direction, the vessel changed course & headed south again. By the afternoon of Jan. 12, 1879 the vessel had reached the area of the Downs - the passage could not have been easy however for the Captain was on deck for 2 days and a night & was in much need of rest. He left instructions as to course with William Wright, the chief officer & John Pye her 2nd officer. Which instructions included being awakened if the weather changed & became thick & heavy. As it did. The captain was not, alas, awoken. The officers mistook the Orfordness Lights for fishing boats & failed to note that the vessel was being forced off her correct course. After 4 a.m. on Jan. 13, 1869, the Master awoke, but before he got on deck the vessel had run onto the Barnard Sand in the North Sea, off Kessingland, S. of Lowestoft on the Suffolk coast. Arriving on deck, the captain tried to extricate the vessel with her sails but being unsuccessful ordered distress flares to be fired. The vessel already had 4 feet of water in her holds. The smaller of 2 Kessingland lifeboats (Grace and Sally) came to her rescue, could not get aboard but did succeed in rescuing the entire Cleopas crew. Later that day, when the winds had subsided a little, the captain returned to the vessel now fast breaking up. A day or so afterwards the vessel went entirely to pieces. The Court considered the Master's actions to be entirely appropriate but reprimanded both Wright & Pye for their actions or lack of action but neither being certificated were unable to punish them. A modest side issue related to the 2 lifeboats which returned to the vessel seeking salvage. Having rescued the entire crew such action was considered to be appropriate. You can read the Report of the Court of Inquiry via this 'pdf' file. And in summary form here. As reported in red in 'The Lifeboat' of Aug. 1, 1879. An 1872 crew agreement is in the Tyne & Wear Archives. Cleopas? A name of biblical significance. Is there anything you can add? #2216 6   Sharperton 363 later 363/374 later 377/377 both (N/G) tons 60518 1869 A barque. Sharperton? A hamlet in Northumberland. The vessel was launched on Apl. 26, 1869 & first registered, at North Shields, on May 7, 1869 (scroll to #60518). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1868/69 thru 1886/87, owned thru 1880/81 by J. Hedley of Blyth, Northumberland. Which name is clarified by Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1870 thru 1880 to mean John Hedley of Blyth. Turnbull's Register of 1874 lists John Hedley of Blyth as Sharperton's then sole owner. Per LR, G. Dunn served as the vessel's captain thru 1876/77, followed by T. Atkinson (Thomas Atkinson) thru 1881. LR records her initial service, thru 1870/71, as being from Sunderland to India, with service from Blyth to the West Indies in 1871/72 & 1872/73 & from Cardiff, Wales, to Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, in 1873/74. In passing, all MNL editions record the vessel as having always been registered at North Shields. LR reports the vessel to have been registered at Blyth thru 1873/74, then at Sunderland & only from 1876/77 did it become registered at North Shields. Some modest operational detail. On Mar. 26, 1873 the vessel arrived at Cardiff, Wales, ex Teignmouth, with a cargo of pipe clay. It was then entered out for a voyage to Hong Kong, likely with coal. On Apl. 15, 1874, the vessel was entered out from Cardiff for Cape Town, again likely with coal. On Feb. 5, 1875, the vessel was at Falmouth arriving from Sourabaya, Java. It was entered out from Cardiff for Point de Galle (SW Ceylon now Sri Lanka) on Apl. 21, 1875. In Sep. 1880 the vessel arrived at Cardiff with a cargo of esparto grass. On Oct. 19, 1880 the vessel was cleared ex Cardiff for Port Natal (Durban), South Africa, with a cargo of coal. It would seem that on Dec. 20, 1877, the vessel arrived at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, from Mauritius, presumably with a cargo of sugar. And for a year or so offered service direct from the Australian ports of Sydney & Melbourne to Mauritius with, however, stops at Lacepede Islands (a group of 4 islands about 30 km off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia). I note that this page tells us that on Aug. 20, 1878, Sharperton was stranded off the Eastern Lacepede Islands, carrying a cargo of guano. An Official Inquiry into the matter was held at Lacepede Islands on Aug. 23, 1878 & it was determined that the casualty was due to the careless navigation of her master. His certificate was, however, returned 'with a severe censure'. The Inquiry Report was, I find, published in The Government Gazette of Western Australia & you can read such report here. The captain's name was Thomas Atkinson & the date the vessel ran aground was Aug. 10, 1878 rather than Aug. 20. 1878. The vessel was NOT wrecked or seriously damaged as a result of the stranding. LR of 1880/81 tells us that L. Dedwith had become the vessel's new captain & owner. i.e. Lewis Dedwith of Barmouth (NW Wales), Merionethshire, per MNL of 1882. In 1881/82, per LR, W. Hutchinson & Co. became the vessel's next owner with H. Thomas serving as the vessel's new captain. Which owner name means  William Hutchinson of Newcastle, per MNL of 1883. I read that on Mar. 21, 1883 Henry Thomas, then the vessel's captain, was swept overboard & drowned. D. H. Jones, the vessel's then mate took over command & brought the vessel home. In 1883/84 per LR, J. J. Wallace became what would seem to have been the vessel's final owner, with R. Thomas the vessel's final captain. Jas J. Wallace of London, per MNLs of 1884 thru 1887. 123.3 ft. long, signal letters HVDW. MNLs list the vessel at 363 tons, 377 tons from 1884. Crew lists for many years, thru to 1884, are available here. An 1881 crew list. LR of 1886/87 notes that the vessel had been broken up. Per Crewlist.org in or about 1887. Is there anything you can add? #2217     Harriet 377 tons 62570 Oquendo 1870 A barque. J. Thompson of Sunderland. Lloyd's Register of 1872/73 notes that the vessel, renamed Oquendo, had become owned by Olaquibel of Bilbao, Spain. RICHARD THOMPSON So far as I can see, Richard Thompson built 46 vessels in the period from 1859 thru 1876. 1 Cyrene 592 (later 612) tons Hull No. ? 68894 1873 A barque. 155.5 ft long, signal letters HFCW, launched Sep. 1873. Built by Richard Thompson, it would seem. The vessel is not Miramar listed. The webmaster has a number of editions of Lloyd's Register available to him from 'Google' books, see left. The vessel was built for G. Foreman, of Sunderland, it would seem for the India trade. To replace an earlier fleet vessel of identical name, built by Naizby in Sunderland in 1867, which vessel was wrecked in or about 1872. In the 1876/77 edition of Lloyd's, the registered owners had become G. & M. A. Foreman ('Foreman'), also of Sunderland. The 1880/81 register records the sale from Foreman to  B. Balkwill of Salcombe, Devon, U.K. who remained the vessel's recorded owners thru the 1885/86 register, in which the vessel is reported as being 'lost'. There was, it would seem, 'a Balkwill fleet largely engaged in trade with ports in Iberia, the Mediterranean, Azores, West Indies, etc.' Roger Barrett advises me (thanks Roger!) that the vessel went aground at Cochin, India, in Feb. 1886. I presume that it was badly damaged as a result, because the vessel was then declared to be unseaworthy. Registry data, similar to the Lloyd's data at left, is available in 'The Record of American and Foreign Shipping' at the fine 'Mystic Seaport' site here (type in Cyrene), for years 1874 thru 1886 - but there are lots of Cyrene pages there! Can you add to the above, or correct anything? 2 Minstrel King 497/525 tons 65539 1873 A barque. Minstrel King, which was launched in Jan. 1873 & first registered, at Swansea, Wales, on Feb. 28, 1873, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1872/73 thru 1888/89. For the vessel's entire lifetime, per LR, the vessel was registered at Swansea & owned by the Jacobs family - by Jacobs & Co. thru 1875/76, by Jacobs Brothers & Co. from 1876/77 thru 1885/86, & by J. I. Jacobs & Co. from 1886/87. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') records the vessel's ownership a little differently. MNL records Chapman Jacobs in 1874 & 1875 & Lazarus Jacob (or Jacobs), of Swansea & later of London, from 1876 thru 1888 (1885). The vessel' captains per LR? 'Jameson' thru 1877/78, W. Richards from 1877/78 thru 1879/80, P. Malgraff from 1879/80 thru 1884/85, 'Cook' briefly, & 'Birmingham' from 1885/86 thru 1888/89. 146.6 ft. long, signal letters MLWP, 1878 crew lists are available via here. Minstrel King first came to the webmaster's attention when he read that on May 26, 1874, Minstrel King, George Jameson in command, en route from Swansea to Valparaiso, Chile, came upon Silver Cloud, a North Hylton, Sunderland, built barque, in distress at a point 400 or 500 miles off the coast of Chile. Ministrel King took all 17 people from Silver Cloud on board. The abandoned Silver Cloud was still afloat on May 27, 1874 but surely sank soon thereafter. That particular voyage of Minstrel King was notable for another matter. A whale struck the vessel's rudder en route &, clearly greatly agitated, attacked the vessel in the next five or so hours. Her Majesty's Government later presented to 'Jameson', an engraved 'binocular glass' to recognise his actions in Silver Cloud matter. Both matters are referenced here. I read that on Sep. 21, 1887, the vessel, Tom Birmingham in command, was en route from Liverpool to Mossel Bay (South Africa) with coals & a general cargo. Which included gunpowder, spirits & sulphur. The cargo of coal in the after hold caught fire on Sep. 21, 1887. On Oct. 13, 1887, the vessel arrived at St. Helena (a tiny & remote island in the S. Atlantic, about 1,250 miles off the coast of southern Angola), the crew having doused the fire with hoses in the interval & thrown cargo, including the gunpowder overboard. Much of the cargo was damaged & had to be discharged. Per these two contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. What finally happened to Minstrel King? I read that on May 13, 1888, with 'Birmingham' in command, the vessel arrived at Puerto Cabello (N. coast of Venezuela) ex the Cape of Good Hope & on May 14, 1888 left that port for Tucacas (a little to the N. of Puerto Cabello). There it loaded a cargo of copper ore for delivery to Swansea. The webmaster has not found any detail about what then happened. But bad weather must have been encountered & on May 21, 1888, by then dismasted, the vessel foundered at 41N/33W, about 600 miles NW of the Azores. The crew took to ship's boats & some days later, on May 24, 1888, were rescued from those boats by Teutonia, a 1280/1763 ton German steamship owned by the 'Hamburg-America Company'. Which steamship landed the survivors at Le Havre, France, on Jun. 01, 1888. Captain P. Busch, the captain of Teutonia, was later awarded a set of binoculars by the British Board of Trade re his actions in the matter. A contemporary newspaper report. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2793 ROBERT THOMPSON JUNIOR (1819/1910) ROBERT THOMPSON (1854/c.1881) ROBERT THOMPSON AND SONS (c1881/1906) ROBERT THOMPSON AND SONS LIMITED (1906/1930) ROBERT THOMPSON, JUNIOR (OF SOUTHWICK (1854/1930) AND LATER OF BRIDGE DOCK, SUNDERLAND, ALSO (1881/1933) First a few images. Hover your mouse over each thumbnail to read the subject matter. The history of this particular 'Thompson' shipbuilding enterprise seems to be relatively simple. Simple at least compared to the history of the business commenced earlier by Robert Thompson's father (Robert Thompson 1797/1860) & yet another, I believe different 'Thompson' yard whose origins so far escape me. Published words often include references to all of the many Thompson's & separating the family members by ship yard is, to the webmaster at least, not particularly easy to do. Anyway this yard was established at Southwick by Robert Thompson (1819/1910) on Aug. 8, 1854 when he left his father's family shipbuilding business to strike out on his own. He was by then an experienced shipbuilder, & I'll try in due course to set out what few words I have read about his early shipbuilding experience. And add some most interesting biographical data also which I know is available via the brilliant site of George H. Graham of Tulsa, Oklahoma. From what I can see the yard was established on the north bank of River Wear roughly 600 yards east of the (later) Queen Alexandra Bridge. At a yard 'previously tenanted' by John Candlish. Some day, hopefully, we will add a map to this WWW site & try to show upon it where I think all the yards were located. For you maybe to correct for me! He was later joined by two of his sons. That was in 1881, I read. Later history of the yard? I have little or none. In 1881 Bridge Dock was acquired also. Now Bridge Dock, as you might guess by its name was beside the bridges, & in fact located on the north bank immediately to the west of the Railway Bridge. Previously owned by George Peverall. It had sat idle for some years it would appear before 'Robert Thompson and Sons' took it over. There was a slip there, at an angle to the river, & the site must have included a stretch of bank to the west of that slip. A ship repair business, per George Graham. But ships were constructed there also. And launches from that riverbank site were spectacular - launched broadside - since the river was just too narrow at that point to permit a conventional launch of a large vessel. Most of an image that appeared in 'Where Ships Are Born' appears next. Of a broadside launch at Bridge Dock. Of the Amiral L'Hermite in 1903. I cut off a bit of the sky so you could see the image & its caption, as large as possible without scrolling. I did not scan it perfectly horizontally, alas, though I did try to do so! As I have indicated elsewhere in these pages, I hope that inclusion of images from that volume is in order on this non-profit & informational site. And on other sites! Do be in touch if that is of concern to any copyright holder. Another broadside launch stated to be at the Robert Thompson & Sons Bridge Dock shipyard. But is it? It may rather be a launch at their Southwick shipyard located on the river's north bank roughly opposite Laings. Your thoughts on that? The image below has been modified by the webmaster from the original made available at the 'Sunderland Tugs and Shipbuilding in pictures' at 'Facebook', whom we sincerely thank. Do see it there to best advantage in 'Photo Viewer'. The image is marked 'VERA' as you can clearly see. So far at least, the webmaster has not been able to figure out which vessel is shown & the date of its launch. There would seem to be no vessel launched by Robert Thomson with the name of Vera. My guess is that it dates from the 1880s. Need help! Click on the image below to see it in a larger size. The Southwick yard came to an end in about 1930. Bridge Dock closed, I have read, in 1933. 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:- 54, 84, 114, 146, 174, 204, 236, 265, 300, 332, 341. Names of just a few of the vessels constructed by Thompson's of Southwick (& later Bridge Dock), Sunderland - added as I happen to spot references to them. I hope I have them listed by the correct 'Thompson' yard! In a table in build date sequence. More vessels were referenced here but we must proceed a step at a time in building this site. An on-site listing of the many vessels built by the shipbuilder has been commenced here. 1   Graces 449 tons Hull 1 2309 1855 A wooden barque. Per 1 (12.12.1863, search page for Graces). Built for Thomas Coxon of North Shields, as advised in 'Where Ships Are Born'. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1856/57 thru 1866/67, owned for that entire period by T. Coxon of North Shields. Was launched on Sep. 27, 1855 as per this launch announcement which incorrectly names the vessel Gracious. Was completed on Oct. 08, 1855, & fitted with Mr. Robinson's Patent Steering Machine. For initial service ex Sunderland, however I am advised that the vessel's maiden voyage was to Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). For the 3 years from 1857/58 the vessel served from Shields to Aden, later ex London & ex Shields. Turnbull's Register of 1856 & Christie's Shipping Register of 1858, both confirm the Coxon ownership with Christie's clarifying the owner's name as being Thomas Coxon. The Mercantile Navy List of 1867 still records Thomas Coxon as her then owner. On Feb. 06, 1862, I gather, 8 crew members were tried at the Consular Court of Constantinople for disobeying orders & refusing to join the ship. They were each given 12 days in the Consular Prison & each fined £1.42.  On Dec. 12, 1863, per the link above, Graces dragged her anchors in violent seas during a full WNW gale in Thurso Bay, Caithness, Scotland. The crew of 15 were rescued by Thurso lifeboat Polly. David Watts has kindly provided further detail. The vessel, bound from Belfast to the River Tyne, was seen working up in Scrabster Roads (close to Thurso) with her fore canvas in tatters. She narrowly avoided going ashore on Holborn Head & drifted to leeward, unmanageable. At 2:30 p.m. her crew were taken off by Polly & she was left riding with 130 fathoms out on each cable. Her master & mate re-boarded her at ten o'clock that night & on Dec. 15, 1862, she reached safety at Scrabster. In 1864, the vessel made a 23 day passage from Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada, to the River Tyne under Captain F. Armstrong. 123.0 ft. long, or maybe 123.5 ft., signal letters HNPV. LR of 1866/67 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. On Feb. 08, 1867 Graces, under the command of Captain Armstrong, was wrecked at Frisa, near Cape Bon, Tunisia, while en route from Malta to the U.K. with a cargo of linseed. It would seem likely that no lives were lost in the disaster. Much of the above is, I understand, thanks to David Watts & to the 'Dictionary of Tyne Sailing Ships', by Richard E. Keys, published in 1998. Can you tell us about the circumstances of her loss or provide any additional data? 2   Jessamine 214 tons Hull 2 23734 1855 A snow. The vessel, which was launched on Sep. 12, 1855, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1856/57 thru 1870/71. For that entire period, per LR, the vessel was owned by Watson & Co. of Sunderland. With 'Errington' her captain thru 1859/60, J. Kay from 1860/61 thru 1863/64, J. Reay from 1863/64 thru 1865/66 & C. Cotton from 1865/66 thru 1870/71. For service always ex Sunderland to (where LR indicated) i) Hamburg, Germany, thru 1859/60, ii) the Mediterranean from 1860/61 thru 1862/63, iii) the Baltic in 1863/64 & 1864/65. The above ownership is clarified by Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1856 which lists her then owners as being W. H. Watson, W. Denton, J. Taylor & R. Errington, all of Sunderland. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 reports her then owners as being W. H. Watson, William Denton, Jenneson Taylor & Robert D. Crofts. Now it certainly seems that much of the LR above data is suspect. I say that because the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') advise differently. They do report William Hunter Watson, of Bishopwearmouth, as being the presumably managing owner of the vessel in 1865 & 1866. But from 1867 they record the vessel to be always Colchester, Essex, registered, owned, from 1867 thru 1869 by Robert Turpin of Colchester & in 1870 & 1871 by William Shead, of Wivenhow, Essex. Wikipedia notes that on Nov. 3, 1865, a vessel of the name ran aground on Piper Sands, off the coast of Norfolk. While en route from Sunderland to Wells, Norfolk. The vessel was re-floated & towed into Wells. The webmaster surely believes that it was 'our' Jessamine. On Sep. 16, 1869, Jessamine left Sunderland for London, with a cargo of coal, a crew of 6, & under the command of William Freear. Bad weather was encountered along the way & the vessel had to anchor in Yarmouth Roads from Sep. 18 thru Sep. 20, 1869. Underway again, on the evening of Sep. 21, 1869, when at the Swin Sands, 2 miles W. of the Mouse Lightship in the Thames estuary, Jessamine was run into & sunk by a ship which did not remain on the scene. Five Jessamine crew members, incl. her captain, had to scramble up the rigging which was above the surface of the water, to save their lives. One Jessamine crew member, however, Henry Gregory, did not come to the surface after the collision. The five were picked up Vedra, a Colchester brig, which landed them at Gravesend on the next day i.e. on Jan. 22, 1869. The vessel which had so run into Jessamine was Florence Nightingale, a 1,362 ton Liverpool registered ship, en route in ballast from London to Shields with John Fotherick her then captain. Extensive data is available re the court case which followed, much of it too extensive for inclusion here. One of the following attachments summarizes the case. The Court's conclusion was that, in all of the circumstances, Florence Nightingale should have stopped to render assistance when the collision occurred. Florence Nightingale was also held to be solely responsible for the collision. In a related case, the family of Henry Gregory was awarded approx. £495 in its action against the owners of Florence Nightingale. Some contemporary news reports - 1, 2, & 3. The webmaster has not read that Jessamine was soon raised & returned to service. But it surely was. 94.0 ft. long, signal letters NSVF. A couple of years crew lists are available here. LR of 1870/71 notes that the vessel had been 'Sunk'. Now, thanks to the folks at Google Books, we can tell you what happened to Jessamine. This report (ex here) advises that on Dec. 21 & 22, 1870, Jessamine was in the River Seine, near Rouen, France, taking on ballast. With W. Stead her then master. Having previously unloaded its cargo of coal at Rouen. When it & five other British vessels were seized & scuttled by Prussian military forces. During the course of the then France/Prussia War. I read further that i) William Shead was the vessel's captain, Alfred Kettle her mate & that the crew was 8 in number all told, & ii) the vessel was then valued at £2,500. But the value per the Government Valuers was £963 only. Readers might be interested to learn that all of such six scuttled vessels had been Sunderland built - I checked. A couple of contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. Is there anything you can add to or correct in this vessel history? #2313 3 Netherby 944 tons Hull 6 20745 1858 A fully rigged ship. Per 1 (Baines & Mackay, Black Ball Line), 2 (an 1862 Netherby passenger ticket), 3 (1863 arrival at Sydney, New South Wales ('NSW'), 4 (1866 sinking summary, King Island map), 5 ('wrecksite.eu', 1866 sinking, with map of wreck location), 6 (Jul. 23, 1866 account of the grounding, ex 7), 8 (Jul. 24, 1866 article incl. a passenger list), 9, 10 & 11 (1866 newspaper reports), 12 (a truly magnificent illustration of the 1866 sinking, available also via thumbnail at left, thanks to 'Trove'), 13 (Captain Owen's report of sinking), 14 (image, Netherby, insert Netherby & then click the image thumbnail), 15 (one page of a most extensive site re Netherby), 16 (Wikipedia, Netherby). The vessel is not Miramar listed. It would seem that an illustration of the ship is in Vol. 3, 1866, of Illustrated Sydney News, an illustration different from the image that is available at link 12 & left. 176.0 ft. long, signal letters NCKW. The webmaster has Lloyd's Register editions available to him for most of the vessel's life - from 'Google' books - see left. Built for E. (Edmund) Graham, of Newcastle, apparently for the India trade. In the 1861/62 edition the registered owner had become Baines & Co. ('Baines'), of Liverpool, which company, known as the 'Black Ball Line', provided passenger & cargo service to Australia. Strangely, Baines used the name & even the flag of 'Black Ball Line' of New York, established back in 1817, & it would seem competed with that line on the transatlantic packet trade. I read however that the vessel, on its final voyage in 1866, was owned by T. M. Mackay & Company, though the 'Netherby Gazette' states Baines. What happened to her in 1866? You should first know that on Jun. 6, 1859, Queen Victoria signed Letters Patent establishing Queensland, Australia, as a self governing colony. And on Dec. 10, 1859, Queensland's first governor proclaimed Queensland to be a colony separate from NSW, with its own Government etc. That Government, wanting to increase its population, chartered vessels to bring immigrants from the U.K., & Netherby was one of many vessels chartered for that purpose. I read that the vessel made 4 voyages to Australia/New Zealand. On its final voyage, the vessel left East India Dock, London, towed by City of London, on Mar. 31, 1866 (have read other dates), bound for Moreton Bay, nr. Brisbane, Queensland, via Plymouth. It departed Plymouth on Apl. 13, 1866, with 413 passengers & a crew of 38 all told (have read other numbers but the 413 looks good), under the command of Captain Owen Owens. It rounded the Cape of Good Hope & sailed E. for Australia. Extensive heavy weather was encountered on its voyage & passengers were kept below decks for over 2 weeks. During its passage of Bass Strait, which lies between Tasmania & mainland Australia, it encountered heavy overcast/foggy conditions & could not establish its exact position. At 7.30 p.m. on Jul. 14, 1866, the ship saw land but it was so close that in less than three minutes the ship was on the rocks about 35 miles S. of Cape Wickham, on the W. coast of King Island, Tasmania, in Bass Strait - a little to the S. of today's Currie Harbour. At approx. 39.55.52S/143.51.02E. Attempts were made to evacuate the ship, but the darkness & seas made it impossible. The ship was however canted over to seaward providing some degree of calm on its landward side. Early the next day, a crew member succeeded in getting ashore & a rope was tied around a rock in relatively calm waters. Two boats with survivors were hauled along that rope, time after time, until everyone was ashore, but the survivors had to scramble through the surf & over rocks to actually make it to shore. All were saved. How amazing! The ship, with its back broken, was abandoned, later broke in two & both sections sank. The survivors had come ashore on a remote & desolate coast, with little more than their lives & a few supplies rescued from the ship or found washed up on the shore. Sails from the vessel were used to protect survivors huddled in rough shelters, fires were started to maintain warmth, & a source of drinking water was located. Life continues! On Jul. 17, 1866, a daughter was born to Mrs. Cubbin! First Officer Parry & 8 volunteer passengers took 5 days to reach Cape Wickham Lighthouse ('Wickham') overland. Quickly recovered, Parry took Wickham's life-boat with 4 crew, & on Jul. 21, 1866, safely reached the Victoria coast. After a 35 mile ride on horseback, Parry reached Geelong to raise the general alarm. Meanwhile 117 single men had trekked along the coast to Wickham. Government steamers Victoria & Pharos were sent from Melbourne to pick up the survivors, many of whom later determined to settle in the State of Victoria rather than continue their journey to Queensland. The wreck & its cargo were sold at Melbourne, the ship for £150 & the cargo for £170, to a syndicate comprising Messrs Boyd & Currie, & Messrs J. Donaldson & Company. They sent Lady Don, a schooner, but it was forced to return when it collided with a (or the) pilot schooner. Ben Holt, a cutter, was then sent & commenced salvage operations which, over an extended period, recovered valuable material, including railway locomotives (there were 3 aboard) & rolling stock. Unfortunately, during the salvage operations, a heavy bar of iron slipped off its sling & crashed thru a boat containing 6 men. While 3 of the 6 men made it safely ashore, the other 3 were not seen again, drowned or more likely torn to pieces by sharks. I have not read if the wreck itself is still in situ, though I read that parts of it are still there. Was an Inquiry held into the disaster - I have seen no hint of one being held. Further reading [A (Don Charlwood) & B ('pdf' available)]. Now there is a lot of WWW material available about Netherby, some of it alas contradictory, & the above text may well need correction. If you can do that or provide additional data, your contribution would be most welcome. 4 Rose of Sharon 319 (or 304) tons Hull 9 27505 1859 A wooden barque. Per 1 (Board of Trade inquiry into 1875 grounding, ex 'Accounts and Papers', published 1876, a 'Google' book). Not listed in Miramar. 114.5 ft. long, signal letters PRMN. The first available (to me) Lloyd's Register listing I can spot is re 1860/61 when the vessel was owned by 'Watson &', i.e. Watson & Co., of Sunderland, for service to the Mediterranean - William H. Watson in 1870. In the 1873/74 edition the vessel was registered to J. Hedley of Blyth, with a reference to service to Lisbon, Portugal. In early 1875, Rose of Sharon, the vessel then owned by John Hedley of Blyth, Northumberland, left Cronstadt, (Gulf of Finland, Baltic, the port of Saint Petersburg, Russia), for London, with a cargo of about 150 tons of timber & about 50 tons of 'iron stone or ore'. A portion of the timber was stowed on deck. The vessel was under the command of James Diston, with a crew of 9 all told. On the evening of Sep. 23, 1875, the Mouse Lightship (Thames Estuary) was sighted, & in view of the squally conditions & light rain, preparations were made to anchor. A heavy squall passed over the ship & the ship went aground on the tail of Maplin Sand. It was anticipated that the ship would float off at flood tide, but that did not happen. The vessel began to leak, some bottom planks tore off & floated to the surface, & the vessel was abandoned. A smack saved all of the crew. The vessel was later salved & taken to Deptford. While the Court felt that the vessel might have floated off had the deck cargo been jettisoned, it considered the grounding to be a case of misadventure & returned to James Diston his certificate. At a date prior to 1878/79, the vessel became of 304 tons. In the 1883/84 Lloyd's Register, J. Evans & Co., of North Shields, is the stated owner, with J. Evans the Captain. While the vessel appears to be (via a Google snippet ref.) in the next year's register, it appears no longer to be in the 1887/88 register - unless the vessel's name was changed - possible but probably unlikely. I do not know, for sure, what finally happened to the vessel. Can you provide additional data? 5   John 386 later 367 tons Hull 11 28787 1860 A wooden barque. The vessel, which was launched in Sep. 1860, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1861/62 thru 1873/74, owned, for that entire period, per LR, by Tully & Son of Sunderland. (W. Tully & Son maybe). For service to South America, thru 1871/72 ex either Sunderland (1861/62 & 1865/68) or Swansea, Wales, (1862/65 & 1868/72). In 1872/73 & 1873/74, LR indicates service ex Sunderland with no destination referenced. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1867 & 1870 both list John Tully of Sunderland as her then owner. The vessel, per LR, became of 367 tons in 1872/73. 119.5 ft. long, signal letters QBWD. As per line 191 on this page, on Dec. 24, 1873, the vessel, en route from Porthcawl, Wales, to Valparaiso, Chile, with 562 tons of coal, foundered near Cape Horn in the South Atlantic. The loss is stated to have been due to the spontaneous combustion of the cargo. The vessel was run ashore & became a total loss. Crew of 12 - none lost. Then stated to have been owned by J. Tully, jun. of Monkwearmouth. Is there anything you can add? #2120 6 Zehlima 475 tons Hull 10 28449 1860 A wooden barque. Per 1 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') of 1869/70), 2 (LR of 1882/83). 134 ft. long, signal letters PWLM, later SVNF. Built for Moon & Co., of Sunderland, it would seem for the Swansea to South America trade - with J. Ryder her captain. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1870 states that H. A. Noon of Sunderland was the vessel's owner. Turnbull's Register of 1874 lists the Sunderland registered vessel's then shareholders as being John Brodie & Jas. Lawrie, both of London, with, respectively, 55 & 9 shares. While the 1880 MNL says that John Brodie, of London was then her owner. In LR of 1880/81, W. S. Moon was her captain, replaced by L. Oneto, while 'L. Oneto & F. Degregori' became owners of the vessel, now Genoa, Italy, registered. In this volume, I am advised, it states that the vessel carried coal to the River Plate & returned from South America with animal hides. When was that? Many crew lists, thru 1880, are available here. Can you provide additional data? This listing was created many years ago & needs to be recreated from scratch, hopefully soon. So far as I can see the vessel, per LR, continued to be owned by L. Oneto & F. Degregori, of Genoa, until 1897/98 when F. Degregori alone is LR listed as her owner. In 1897/98 the vessel became registered at Naples & owned by M. Sallustro, who still was her owner in 1898/99, when, per LR, the vessel was 'Condemned'. The vessel would seem to have been renamed Asia in that year, however the LR edition was poorly scanned & I cannot confirm that fact via the 'Supplement'. The scene is however confused by MNL's of 1881 thru 1888 all of which report the vessel as still being registered at Sunderland & owned by Michael B. Pearson of London. 7   George Avery 467 or 468 tons Hull 17 44315 1862 A barque that was launched on Sep. 26, 1862 & first registered, at Shields, on Oct. 11, 1862 (scroll to #44315). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1862/63 thru 1870/71, owned for its lifetime by J. Avery of North Shields. Acquired to replace George Avery, a barque built at Sunderland in 1853, that went missing in late 1861 or early 1862. Initially for service ex Sunderland but soon, from 1864/65, for service from Shields to Singapore, later, from 1867/68, for service from Bristol to China. With, per LR, 'Reed' her captain thru 1864/65 & W. Jack thereafter. On Oct. 9, 1867 or maybe rather on Oct. 30, 1867, the vessel, Jack in command, left Cardiff, Wales, for Shanghai, China, with 750 tons of coal. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1865 lists the vessel as then owned by Mary Louisa Avery of North Shields. While MNLs of 1866 thru 1871 (1870) all list Jane Brotherick Avery of North Shields as the vessel's then owner. 132.0 ft. long, signal letters TSNG. LR of 1870/71 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. On Dec. 9, 1870, per line 587 here, the 468 ton barque was stranded off Heligoland (a small German archipelago located in the North Sea, 46 km. off the mouth of the Elbe) while en route from Akyab (now Sittwe, Myanmar), to Hamburg with a cargo of rice. The vessel ran aground on the North Rocks, was towed off by Victoria, a steamer, & run aground on the island in a sinking state. Much of its cargo was saved. Crew of 14 - none lost. Then owned by Jane B. Avery. A model of the vessel is, I understand, in the Sunderland Museum's model collection. Some crew lists are here. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2188 8   Viking 339 tons Hull 16 44476 1862 The launch of the vessel, early in Jul. 1862, is referenced (in green) in this newspaper cutting. The vessel, which was launched on Jul. 1, 1862 & in early Jul. 1862 (scroll to #44476) registered at Sunderland, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1862/63 thru 1872/73, owned throughout by Potts & Co. of Sunderland. With, per LR, J. Wiggins her initial captain (thru 1866/67), T. Wallace thereafter (thru 1869/70) & from 1869/70 T. Gentle. May have been for initial service from Sunderland to New York, but from 1862/63 thru 1866/67 for service from Bristol to the West Indies. From 1866/67 it served the Mediterranean ex Sunderland & from 1869/70 served the Mediterranean ex Cardiff, Wales. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1865 thru 1872 (1870) all record the vessel as registered at Sunderland & owned by Joseph Potts of Sunderland. 117.0 ft. long, signal letters TVHB. LR of 1872/73 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. On Apl. 2, 1872, per line 2991 here, the 339 ton barque stranded at Harbyn Bay, Padstow, Cornwall, while en route from Cardiff to Plymouth, Devon, with a cargo of coal. Per such report the vessel had a crew of 9 - 1 lost. Vessel then owned by Joseph Potts. Gentles, likely T. Gentle as above, was in command at the time. On Mar. 30, 1872, Viking left Cardiff for Plymouth with the captain's wife & infant child also aboard. Hitting bad weather, the vessel headed towards Padstow, Cornwall, & sought safety by anchoring at nearby Harbyn Bay. Heavy seas 'unshipped' the vessel's rudder which then knocked a hole in the vessel's hull at the stern causing water to rush into the vessel. The captain had no choice but to beach the vessel. Unsuccessful efforts were made to rescue all aboard by rocket apparatus. 3 crewmen jumped into the sea & made their way to safety. The Padstow lifeboat, the Albert Edward, came to Viking's assistance. It had been launched but could make no headway in the raging seas. So the lifeboat was dragged overland & with difficulty launched at the wreck scene. The lifeboat was able to reach Viking & get a line aboard. George Thomas, an able seaman, descended the rope with the captain's infant child cradled in his arms. The infant was safely transferred into waiting arms but Thomas himself was swept away & unfortunately drowned. The captain's wife fell into the seas but was rescued. During the course of the rescue, the lifeboat itself was driven ashore. Eventually all aboard, except Thomas of course, were saved. All as per these contemporary newspaper cuttings (1, 2 & 3). Samuel Bate, assistant coxswain of the Padstow lifeboat, was later recognised by the Royal National Lifeboat Association for his gallantry in effecting the Viking rescue. Many crew lists are available. A model of the vessel is, I understand, in the Sunderland Museum model collection. Can you add anything additional? #2209 9   Ireshope 1113 tons later 1113/1157 (N/G) tons, later 1060/1150 (N/G) tons Hull 37 Highmoor 62306 1868 An iron ship, later, from about 1878 or 1879, a barque, which was launched in Oct. 1868 & first registered, at Newcastle, on Oct. 19, 1868 (#62306). Per 1 (Loss of a different ship named Ireshope, ex the 'Straits Times' of Singapore - article WWW available no longer, alas. Thanks!), 2 (Board of Trade Inquiry into the vessel's 1895 loss), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The first iron ship built by the yard, 'the full-rigged Ireshope', as advised in 'Where Ships Are Born'. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1868/69 thru 1894/95, always listed in LR, thru 1875/76, as Ires-hope rather than as Ireshope. 207.0 ft. long, signal letters HKBT. Built for Middle Dock Co. ('Middle') of Newcastle, for the Sunderland to India service, which service became from Liverpool to India in 1871/72 & from Shields to Callao, Peru, in 1872/73 & 1873/74. During the period of 'Middle' ownership, Ramsay or J. Ramsay served as the vessel's captain thru about 1873/74, then D. Bailie. Now the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1870 thru 1874 rather list Thomas H. Henderson, of Newcastle, as her owner, presumably a name related to 'Middle'. In or about 1874, the vessel's ownership changed. Per LR, in 1874/75, the vessel became owned by Lancaster Shipowners Co. of Lancaster, Lancashire, who owned it for many years - thru 1889/90 at least. With, per LR, D. Bailie continuing to serve as her captain thru 1880/81, then J. Pierce  thru 1883/84 at least, M. Whirter thru 1886/87 & finally G. Davies in in 1889/90 at least. The vessel was renamed Highmoor in or about 1876 or 1877. I should note that MNL records her ownership rather differently. It lists her owner in 1875 as being Wilson Barker, of Lancaster, in 1876 Wm. Herron, of Liverpool, & from 1878 thru 1890, Lancaster Shipowners Co. Ltd. of King Street, Liverpool, with, from 1889, W. J. Chambers acting as her manager. LR of 1890/91 is not available to the webmaster. LRs from 1891/92 list Burgess & Co. as the vessel's owner, with H. Svendsen serving as her captain thru 1893/94 & then 'Mallgraf'. MNLs of 1891 thru 1895 rather list George Shaddick of Swansea, Wales, as the owner of the vessel, still registered at Lancaster. On Oct. 15, 1894, Highmoor, stated to then be owned by Burgess & Company (Limited) of Swansea, left Cardiff for Mozambique (Indian Ocean, E. of Mozambique), with a cargo of 1606 tons of coal. Under the command of John Jacob Mallgraf & with a crew of 18 all told. On Jan. 17, 1895 the vessel was off the coast of Madagascar. At 2 a.m. on Jan. 19, 1895, the vessel struck the reef at Glorioso Island, located NW of Madagascar. And remained fast. Attempts were made to get the vessel off, but she filled up with water. The decision was made to abandon the vessel & make for the nearby Mayotta Island (today Mayotte Island). After 5 days the crew landed at Nosi-be (Nosy-be), an island close to Madagascar & from there they proceeded onwards to Zanzibar & home, or at least all of them did except the mate who unfortunately had died at Zanzibar of the fever. It seemed clear to the Court that the ship's log book had been tampered with. The Court concluded that the vessel's loss was due to the negligent navigation of the captain & a defective look-out. The captain's certificate was suspended for a period of 3 months from the end of the hearing, on Apl. 30, 1895. Many crew lists are available here. Can you provide any additional data? For many years I have reported here that a vessel named Ireshope, an iron ship, was on fire at Anger (means Anyer or Anjer) in February 1877 (near bottom), was towed to Banlan (means Bantam) & run ashore. Those places are at or near Sumatra. I believed that it was the same vessel. But it is now clear that it was not. It was rather Ireshope, 1522 or 1532 tons, built by William Gray at West Hartlepool in 1876. ON 76197. Also owned (LR of 1876/77) by Middle Dock Co., of Newcastle. I retain the data on this page, however, since it may be of interest to others. Thanks to the Straits Times of Singapore newspaper (image above) we advise that the 1876 Ireshope left Newcastle for Singapore with a cargo of coal. The ship arrived at Anjer roadstead with 'fire amongst the coals'. Water was pumped into the ship to a depth of 8 feet, but the vessel continued to burn. Merapi, a steamer, was to tow Ireshope to Batavia where better fire fighting facilities existed. However, when under tow, an explosion of coal gas took place & the shattered vessel had to be sunk near the cape of Bantam. The crew abandoned ship & the ship sank rapidly. It sank on or about Feb. 20, 1877. On or about Feb. 24, 1877, the hull & its cargo of coal was sold at public auction. But ... was it run ashore or did it truly sink off the coast? The article describes the vessel as being on her maiden voyage. Its loss is reported at line 680 on this U.K. Government wreck listing (ex here). 10   Larnax 380 later 380/400 tons Hull 36 62475 1868 Larnax? A chest or box, often painted, made of terra-cotta, found in early Greek or Mycenæan tombs, used to contain human remains. Larnax, a composite barque which was launched in Jul. 1868 & first registered at Sunderland on Aug. 04, 1868, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1868/69 thru 1878/79. Thru such period, the vessel was, per LR, always owned by 'Smith' & his associates of Sunderland. Per LR, Smith & Co. thru 1875/76 then A. Smith & Co. thru 1878/79. The Mercantile Navy List records the vessel from 1869 thru 1878, always with Alexander Smith, of Sunderland, her owner or managing owner. 135.3 ft. long, signal letters HFGV, crew lists, thru 1878, are available via this page. A model of Larnax is, I understand, in the Sunderland Museum model collection (it would be good if some kindly site visitor might provide an image of such model). Per LR, the vessel served from Sunderland to India thru 1871/72 & then from London to Mauritius. With, per LR, T. Booth serving as the vessel's captain from 1870/71 thru 1872/73 & then J. B. Frail. Hopefully it will be possible soon to record some of Larnax's operational history. A project for a later date. It seems clear, however, that 'Chilton' was the vessel's initial captain, and that Larnax, with 'Chilton' in command, picked up, stated to be at 57S/79E, the crew of Bellcarrigg, a ship built at Quebec, Canada, in 1851, lost by fire in the Indian Ocean in early Jan, 1869 while carrying coal from Sunderland to Bombay (now Mumbai), India. On Nov. 06, 1869 the vessel left Sunderland for Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), with 'Addison' noted to be her master. Though I think it was rather 'Anderson' - who was her captain thru early 1871 & then 'Booth' until late 1871, followed by 'Frail' in early 1872 to the date (1878) that the vessel was later sold. I read (1 & 2) that on Feb. 19, 1873, Larnax, under the command of Captain (James B.) Frail, left London bound for Mauritius. At 9 p.m. on Feb. 20, 1873, the vessel, was moored in Gravesend Bay, London, when she was struck in the fore-rigging by C. M. Palmer, an iron steamer built at Newcastle in 1870. Many aboard the barque tried to clamber onto the steamer, but 3 were drowned in the attempt - the captain's 3 year-old daughter, his nephew & the ship's steward. Others, including the captain & his wife, clung to her rigging. The barque sank within 10 minutes of the collision. Those that had stayed aboard Larnax were rescued by one of two C. M. Palmer boats. It is truly astonishing how many lawsuits & enquiries followed the C. M. Palmer/Larnax collision. Most of which reference a debate as to whether Larnax had or did not have lights visible at the time of the collision. An initial lawsuit in Admiralty Court held that C. M. Palmer was solely at fault, regardless of whether Larnax had lights or not. Later inquiries - & there were indeed a great many of them - were not so sure. The Board of Trade Inquiry into the collision resulted in the Court determining that both parties bore blame - essentially C. M. Palmer for not acting fast enough to avoid the collision & Larnax for not always displaying the proper lights on what was, it would appear, a particularly dark night. I must direct you to the many newspaper reports for details about all the legal actions & their conclusions - there were many of them. Auction sales were held over a number of days in London to sell the varied cargo that Larnax had loaded in her holds. A sale announcement. Larnax itself was later raised & repaired, presumably at London, & left London, again for Mauritius, on Jun. 19, 1873, with 'Frail' once more in command. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1874 reports that Alexander Smith, Thos. Parker, Henry Graham & G. R. Booth then owned the vessel with, respectively, 21, 16, 10 & 17 shares. On Jul. 23, 1877, the vessel left Sunderland for Singapore with 620 tons of coal. It arrived at Singapore on Dec. 07, 1877, & later left for Marseilles, France, where it arrived on Jun. 15, 1878. MNL of 1878 still records the vessel as registered at Sunderland & owned by Alexander Smith. It is not recorded in MNL of 1879. LR of 1878/79 advises that the vessel had been 'Sold to France'. I note that James Alexander must have liked the vessel name of Larnax. Once 'our' Larnax was sold, he acquired a 2nd vessel of the name, an 898/1382 (N/G) ton steamship built at Sunderland in 1878 by Joseph L. Thompson. It seems likely that 'our' Larnax, now French owned, became registered at Marseilles, France. I have not yet spotted the name of her new owner. With JVNM her new signal letters. The vessel made a number of voyages between Réunion (a French island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar & 109 miles SW of Mauritius) & Cadiz, Spain, with 'Fabre' her captain. On Oct. 24, 1880, the vessel left Réunion for the Maldive Islands - it returned to Cadiz ex Bimlipatam (E. coast of India). On Jun. 22, 1881, the vessel left Marseilles for Mozambique. At that time it would seem that the vessel was both owned & captained by 'Bringuet' or 'Bringuier'. What finally happened to Larnax? In Sep. 1882, the vessel was en route from Leke to Marseilles, under the command of 'Malaval' with a crew of 14 all told & 3 passengers. With a cargo of palm oil. Leke seems to be far inland in Nigeria, N. of Lagos. So some doubts about her port of departure. She must have encounted some very bad weather en route. I read that she became dismasted on Sep. 30, 1882, at 40N/23W (NE of the Azores), &, badly leaky, had to be abandoned. She apparently was set of fire. All aboard were picked up on Oct. 05, 1882 by Aurora, a Dundee steamship under the command of Captain Sangster, & on Oct. 07, 1882 were landed at Fayal, the Azores. Can you tell us anything additional? #2809 11   Lanoma 795 tons Hull 44 62585 1870 An iron steamship, schooner rigged. Per 1 (press reports re loss inquiry), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') recorded from 1870/71 thru 1873/74, which is a puzzle, read on. The vessel's sole owner was Culliford & Co. of Sunderland for service ex Sunderland. 205.0 ft. long. The notes of John Oliver state (thank you John!) that the vessel was on the stocks for 8 years. Lanoma was built in Aug. 1870. On Nov. 3, 1870, per line 666 here, the 795 ton steamer was stranded at the Schaarhorn sands, at the mouth of the German river Elbe, while en route from Sunderland to Hamburg with a cargo of coal. Thomas Kerr was in command, crew of 20 - none lost. Then owned by James H. W. Culliford. An inquiry into the vessel's loss was held in Sunderland on Dec. 9/10 1870. It was reported that the vessel had left the Tyne (rather than the Wear) on Oct. 31, 1870 bound for Hamburg. Early on the morning of Nov. 1 or 2, 1870, presumably in darkness, the vessel ran onto the Schaarhorn sands at a time when no lights, beacons or buoys existed - they had all been removed due to war. The Court suspended Captain Kerr's certificate for 3 months, presumably indicating the court's opinion that he should not have made for Hamburg under such circumstances. The exact date of the wreck is Nov. 1, 3 or 4 depending on the source. Can you provide any additional data? #1919 12 Santorin 687/1060 (N/G) tons  Hull 59 Toftwood Clara Lina 62660 1872 An iron steamship, which was launched in Aug. 1872 & first registered, at Sunderland, on Sep. 6, 1872 (scroll to #62660). The vessel continued to be registered at Sunderland, per Lloyd's Registers ('LR') thru 1890/91 at least, likely until it was sold. Per 1 (Constantine Shipping Co. re Toftwood), 2 (The Constantine Group, 1885-2010, a 'pdf' company history), 3 (history data, Lina ex 4, a 'Skipet' Word file, 1908-1), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 220.5 ft. long, signal letters LJBQ later WBHN & HJVC, 98 HP engines (from 1897/98 at least 114 HP) by George Clark of Sunderland. The vessel is LR listed from 1874/75 thru 1893/94 at least & probably is listed in later years also (registers not available to the webmaster). It was, per LR of 1874/75, registered at Sunderland, owned by R. T. Nicholson ('Nicholson') & many others. Turnbull's Register of 1874 lists 21 then owners of shares in the vessel, with Robt. T. Nicholson owning 4 shares only & John Poncia the largest shareholder with 8 shares, both stated to be of Birmingham. T. Nicholson & H. Nicholson also owned shares, & W. L. Byers owned 2 shares. Hopefully, soon, a scan of the register page will be made site available. Per LR, the vessel became owned, in 1876/77, by 'Lumsden, Byers & Co.' (maybe Lumsdon) ('Lumsden'), in 1885/86 by Nicholson again & in 1889/90 by Lumsden again. I presume that Nicholson, Lumsden or Lumsdon & Byers were partners. Note that from 1874 thru 1891, the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') record Robert Todd Nicholson, of Sunderland, consistently as the vessel's managing owner (MNL of 1890). LR recorded no captain names thru 1883/84 at least. 'Groundwater' is listed as her captain from 1885/86 at least thru 1886/87, 'Swinson' thru 1888/89 & W. Pick thru 1890/91 at least. I read, at 2, that in 1891, the vessel, was sold to Constantine Shipping Co. of Middlesbrough (partners Joseph Constantine (who owned 10 £100 shares) & J. Warley Pickering), renamed Toftwood & registered under the Norwegian flag - at Christiania (Oslo). The new vessel name was, I read, derived from Joseph Constantine's parents' new home at Toft House, Middlesbrough). 'Constantine' is not LR referenced that I can see but may well be so referenced in LR of 1891/92 which register is not available to the webmaster. Note that other sources above state that the vessel only became Toftwood in 1893, which data would seem to be in error. In late 1891, the vessel was sold to Aktieselskabet "Santorin" (Chr. Klaveness), of Christiania, with C. Klaveness serving as her captain (from 1891 per LR so the 1891 sale date looks good). It was Christiania registered thereafter. On Jan. 29, 1896, Toftwood arrived at Cardiff with a cargo of pitwood ex Bordeaux, France. I read that in 1896, the vessel became owned by A/S Toftwood (Chr. Klaveness). LR of 1897/98 lists O. Nichelsen as her then captain. In 1903, the vessel became owned by 'A/S Clara (O. Mohn)' (1 states A. J. Myrhe), & renamed Clara. And in 1905, became owned by 'A/S D/S Lina (O. Mohn)', & renamed Lina. But 5 indicates both of such final 2 name changes were earlier, in 1902 & 1904 respectively. On May 2, 1908, Lina was wrecked at Balanec, near Molène. In Norwegian 'Grunnstøtte innenfor Ile d’Ouessant på reise Barry – Arcachon med kull.' which Norwegian text seems quite impossible of translation into English via the WWW, but seems to mean - 'while en route from Barry, Wales, to Arcachon, Gironde, SW France, with a cargo of coal'. (Balanec and Molène are both small islands in the Molène archipelago off the tip of Finistère, Brittany). As per these contemporary newspaper articles (A & B) the vessel, with a crew of 16, went ashore in dense fog near Molène & broke in two. The crew safely made it to Molène & were taken on to Plymouth. LR of 1908/09 notes that P. Malmstein was then the vessel's captain. Many crew lists re Santorin are available here. Can you provide additional data? 13   Azorian 683/1068 (N/G) tons Hull 65 68488 Telesto 1873 An iron steamship. The vessel would seem to have been Lloyd's Register listed from 1874/75 thru 1893/94 at least - the immediately subsequent LR editions are not available to the webmaster. It was first registered, at London, on Nov. 7, 1873 (scroll to #68488). It was, per LR, initially owned by H. (Henry) Collings & Co. of London, thru 1883/84. In that year, G. W. Hayes, also of London, became her owner. The LR entry re 1886/87 is quite confusing to me. It would seem to show that in that year W. Baf became the vessel's owner, soon followed by H. Collings for the 2nd time around. It seems to be likely, however, that Collings & Hayes were partners & the changes in ownership, referred to above, relate simply to who served when as 'managing' owner. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1878 thru 1887 list G. or G. W. Hayes of St. Michael's, Azores, as the vessel's then owner. While MNLs of 1875, 1876 & 1888 list Hy. or Henry Collings, of London, as her owner. LR of 1887/88 lists the vessel twice. Firstly as Azorian owned by H. Collings with R. T. Whey her captain, & secondly, renamed Telesto, owned by K. Dalman, of Gothenburg, Sweden. In 1890 (and per LR from 1889/90 thru 1893/94), Telesto became owned by 'Angfartyga Akiebol. Erato', of Gothenburg, with C. (Carl) H. Gädda serving as the vessel's captain &, from 1893/94, K. O. F. Dalman serving as the vessel's manager. One further change of ownership it would seem. Miramar notes (thanks!) that in 1894, 'Angfartygs A/B Viking' became the vessel's owner, which name is confirmed on this page which details the ship's later sinking. 220.0 ft. long, signal letters WSCK later HTDP, initially equipped with 110 HP engines by Timothy Bates & Co. of Sowerby Bridge, Yorkshire, but in 1879 such engines were replaced by 110 HP engines by Blair & Co. of Stockton. Her tonnage is confusing - per LR, initially 683/1068 tons, from 1879/80 689/1086, from 1889/90 817/1105 & from 1892/93 at least 807/1112, all (N/G) tons. On Jan. 27, 1895, when en route from London to Sunderland in ballast, the vessel was in collision with Retford, a 611/951 (N/G) Grimsby steamship built in 1883 by Earle's Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. of Hull (ON 86450). The collision occurred at the Would of Norfolk as per this page, or, per Miramar near Newarp, which means Newarp Banks, a sandbank located off the Norfolk coast between Haisborough Sands & the coast. Telesto sank with no loss of life (crew of about 24). C. (Carl) H. Gädda was then her captain. I have not read about damage to Retford but it must have survived the encounter - it was rather later, in 1910, broken up. Many crew lists are here. Can you tell us more and/or correct the text above? #2134 14   Bride 867/1341 (N/G) tons Hull 66 65095 1873 An iron steamship, schooner rigged. The vessel, which was launched on Jul. 26, 1873 & first registered on Sep. 27, 1873 (scroll to #65095), is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed in 1873/74 & 1874/75 only. The vessel was LR stated to be owned by Adam & Co. of Aberdeen, Scotland. Which, per the Mercantile Navy List of 1875, means John B. Adam, along with, presumably, his partners. Home, per LR, served as the vessel's captain. LR of 1873/74 notes service from Sunderland to the Baltic. 234.4 ft. long, signal letters MHTC, 120 HP engines by Hawks, Crawshay & Sons, of Gateshead. On Oct. 17, 1874, the vessel, Home in command, left Penarth, Wales, for Port Said, Egypt, with a cargo of coal. On its return voyage, per line 23 on this page, the vessel left Alexandria, Egypt, for Hull on Nov. 24, 1874, with a cargo of about 1550 tons of cotton seed. With a crew of 24 & a single passenger. The vessel was never heard from again. Miramar, however, indicate (thanks!) that the vessel left Gibraltar on Dec. 6, 1874 so the vessel must have made it that far. 25 lives were lost. Some crew lists are here. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2132 15 Ithaca 698/1090 (N/G) tons Hull 64 68889 Rievaulx Abbey Freja 1873 An iron steamship, schooner rigged. The vessel was launched on Apl. 12, 1873 & first registered, at Sunderland, on May 29, 1853 (scroll to #68889). Per 1 (Lloyds Registers, 1930/31 thru 1935/36), 2 (extensive data, Google translated into English, ex 3 (in Swedish). Was initially owned by Anderson, Horan & Co. of Sunderland, with T. Potts serving as the vessel's captain. The Mercantile Navy List of 1874 lists Jas. Horan, of Sunderland, as her then presumably managing owner. While Turnbull's Register of 1874 lists her then shareholders as being Jas. Horan (14 shares), Thos. Anderson (16), Josh. Horan (14), R. K. Frost (4), R. Elwin (4), J. Firth (4), W. Thompson (4) & R. H. Potts (4). LR of 1874/75 notes that Theophalato Bros., of Cephalonia, Greece, had become the vessel's owners (no change of vessel name) with 'Theophalato' serving as the vessel's captain. LR of 1881/82 reports that Pyman, Watson & Co. ('Pyman') of Newport, Wales, had become the owner of the vessel, now renamed Rievaulx Abbey, further that Frank had become the vessel's captain. Pyman were, I learn, prominent in the shipment of coal & timber ex Cardiff & through related companies from many other cities in the U.K. Rievaulx Abbey was a Cistercian abbey, founded in 1132, located in Rievaulx, near Hemsley, North Yorkshire - substantial ruins remain today. Do note that while LR seems not to record the data, Miramar advise (thanks!) that in 1879 Ioannis Theophilatos & Panagiotis Vaglianos had become the vessel's owners replaced, in 1880, by Constantinos Theofilatos, both of Syra, Greece. Anyway, LR of 1883/84 notes that C. B. Franks was the vessel's captain & the vessel had 'Stranded'. Thanks to 'Welsh Newspapers', I can provide a little data about Rievaulx Abbey's voyages & about the stranding referred to by LR. At the end of Jun. 1882, the vessel left Cardiff for Barcelona, Spain, presumably with a cargo of coal. On Jul. 22, 1883, the vessel left Carloforte, Sardinia, for Antwerp. On Nov. 4, 1883 the vessel arrived at Burntisland (Fife, Scotland) from London. On Nov. 27, 1882, she left Pillau (now Baltysk, Russia) for Antwerp & then returned to Cardiff in ballast. On Jan. 30, 1883 the vessel arrived at Newport ex Porman, Spain, & a week later left for Malta. On Apl. 13, 1883 the vessel arrived back at Newport ex Rouen, France, in ballast. The stranding? On Jun. 30, 1883 the vessel was reported to be ashore off Fjäderregg, Holmön, Gulf of Bothnia (not sure exactly where), & was expected to became a total loss, though steamer assistance had been requested. She had been en route from Munksund, Sweden, for London, with a cargo of deals (timber). Frank is stated to have been in command and the crew were all safe. The vessel was not, in fact, lost. She was floated off with considerable difficulty (though 2 states she had been sunk) & taken into Holmsund, Sweden, for repairs expected to take just a few days. Salvaged by the Neptune Company, & taken to Bergsund's Shipyard, I read. And on Jul. 12, 1883 the vessel, presumably then repaired, arrived at Stockholm from Holmsund. Mainly as per these contemporary newspaper articles (1 &, both in red, 2 & 3). LRs of 1885/86 thru 1893/94, most of which editions are available to the webmaster, list Rederi Actiebolaget Svea, of Stockholm, Sweden, as the new owner of the vessel, sold I read on Oct. 17, 1883, now renamed Freja & recorded at 852/1124 (N/G) tons. With C. G. Bjuggren (thru 1890/91), C. G. J. Camitz (from 1892/93) & possibly A. F. Thunell also. For service, I read on the Stockholm/Amsterdam route (from 1894 North Sea/Baltic, from 1903 Stockholm/Amsterdam/ Rotterdam, from 1914 on the Rotterdam/Amsterdam/ Hälsingborg/Malmö/ Stockholm). I read that 'Nya Rederi A/B Svea', also of Stockholm, became the vessel's owner in 1894 (per LR of 1897/98 Nya Rederiaktieb. "Svea", with K. Ahlborg the manager) & 'Stockholms (or Stockholm) Rederi A/B Svea, again of Stockholm, in 1908. In 1910 the vessel was refurbished with new steam boilers. It would seem that there were no later changes in the vessel's ownership at least thru 1934/35 though the vessel had a number of managers - Hj Blomberg & H. Ericson (from 1923/24 at least). On Mar. 16, 1935, the vessel was towed, by Fenris, to Gothenburg, Sweden, having just been sold to 'Lindholmen-Motala' for scrapping. LR of 1935/36 reports that the vessel, then owned by A/B Lindholmen-Motala, had been broken up. Miramar indicate that such break-up was in the 3rd quarter of 1935, at Gothenburg. 220.3 ft. long later 217.4 ft., signal letters LWCB later HSCM & SEFK, 98 HP engines, later 125 HP engines (after 1893/94 & before 1897/98) by John Dickinson of Sunderland. Her tonnages? Variously reported over the years. Initially 698/1090 (N/G) tons, from 1886/87 852/1124 (N/G) tons, in 1897/98 634/1078 (N/G) tons, in 1908/09 610/1262 (N/G) tons, from 1910/11 606/1070 (N/G) tons. A couple of early crew lists are here. Is there anything you can add or correct? #2124 16   Life Brigade 978/1512 (N/G) tons Hull 63 65474 1873 The vessel was launched on Mar. 31, 1873 but was first registered, at North Shields, only on Aug. 28, 1873 (scroll to #65474). Was Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1873/74 thru 1875/76 only, owned throughout by E. Shotton & Co. of North Shields. The Mercantile Navy Lists of both 1874 & 1875 list Edward Shotton of North Shields as her then presumably managing owner, while Turnbull's Register of 1874 lists her then shareholders as being E. Shotton (20 shares), G. Fenwick (4), T. Harrison (16), J. Hedley (4), J. W. Robinson (4) & R. Heath (16). LR of 1873/74 notes intended service from Sunderland to New York, but such service was amended to read Newport (presumably Wales) to India. F. Gray would seem to have been the vessel's sole captain. 249.5 ft. long, signal letters MFSV, 160 HP engines by Black, Hawthorn & Co. of Gateshead. It would seem that the vessel did sail to New York in Sep. 1873, via Sydney, Cape Breton, Canada. Thanks to 'Welsh Newspapers', I can tell you a little of the vessel's movements. On Mar. 17, 1874 the vessel, Gray in command, arrived at Penarth, Wales, ex Cork, Ireland, in ballast. On Mar. 24, 1874 it left Cardiff, Wales, for Aden with 1,600 tons of coal, went onwards from Aden to Masulipatam (Machilipatnam, E. coast of India, N. of Madras now Chennai). And then on to Genoa, Italy. On Aug. 28, 1874 the vessel was reported to have left Huelva (southern Spain) en route to the Tyne. Now Miramar (thanks), tells us that on Feb. 8, 1875 the vessel was wrecked near Great Isaac Light while on passage from Liverpool to New Orleans with a cargo of salt. As per these 3 contemporary newspaper articles, I learn that the vessel specifically ran ashore at Gingerhead Ground, on the N. section of the Great Bahama Bank, at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 8, 1875. And became a total wreck. Captain Gray was in command with a crew of 26 all told. The entire crew was rescued by Lady Bannerman, a schooner, & landed at Nassau, Bahamas. Great Isaac lighthouse is located on Great Isaac Cay, a tiny island about 20 miles NNE of the Bimini islands, Bahamas. Is there anything you can add? #2123 17   Lochnagar 1030/1597 (N/G) tons Hull 68 65109 1874 Lochnagar? A dominant mountain in the Grampian mountains, located 5 miles S. of the River Dee, near Balmoral, Scotland. Lochnagar, the vessel, was launched in Mar. 1874, & first registered, at Aberdeen, Scotland, on Jul. 20, 1874 (scroll to #65109). It is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1874/75 thru 1878/79. Owned by Adam & Co. of Aberdeen - John Birnie Adam per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1875 (the sole MNL listing). 'Melville', per LR, served as the vessel's captain. Now Melville would seem to have been the captain of Lochnagar or Loch-na-gar, a 678/1079 (N/G) steamship built for Adam & Co. by John Duthie Sons & Co. of Aberdeen in 1872 - until it was sold (not sure when) to foreign owners. 271.2 ft. long, signal letters NMKC, 150 HP engines by Ouseburn Engineering Works of Newcastle. Despite the above LR listings, I read that the vessel was wrecked, on Jan. 24, 1875 (I think that Jan. 26, 1875 is, in fact, correct), while en route from the Tyne to Bombay (now Mumbai), India, with a cargo of coal. Miramar states (thanks!) at a point 7 miles ENE of the Galloper Lightship (E. of Felixstowe, Suffolk, & Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, about 50 km. offshore). She had left the Tyne on Jan. 23, 1875 & struck at 10:40 p.m. on Jan. 26, 1875. 6 lives are stated to have been lost. This contemporary newspaper article tells us that the vessel was wrecked on the Galloper Sands, on Jan. 26 1875 as I compute the date, that 17 of her crew were landed at Flushing (Netherlands, at the mouth of the Scheldt river) by a French brig, that 10 other crew members including her captain were missing & that the vessel was worth between £20,000 & £30,000. This article tells us that the wreck was on Apl. 26, 1875 & that maybe ten crew members, or 11 including the captain, were lost. See here for crew lists. An Inquiry was held at Aberdeen into the vessel's loss at which the captain (name not stated in the article I have read but her captain since the vessel was built, surely Melville) was stated to have been sober, careful & experienced. It would seem that, in the atmospheric conditions at the time of the loss, establishing distances was difficult. There was no conclusive explanation for the unusual course the vessel had taken that day, which course was significant re her loss. Is there anything you can add to and/or correct in the above text? #2135 18 Archer 789 (or 765 or 786 or 900) tons Hull 80 74535 107139 Marie 1876 A 3-masted iron barque, later a barquentine & a schooner, later equipped with engines. The vessel had an amazingly long life - it was finally lost in 1936. Per 1 (data, Archer), 2 (Peter Iredale), 3 (1894 decision of the Naval Court at San Francisco), 4 & 5 (extensive historical data & images, Archer), 6 (account of 1894 disaster ex San Francisco newspaper, that used to be available here), 7 (text as 1895 published in 'Lewis & Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific North West', a 'www.archive.org' book), 8 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 189.1 ft long, signal letters PVKG, later (by 1914) KMDR. The webmaster has a few editions of Lloyd's Register available to him from 'Google' books, thru 1889/90 - see left. Built for P. Iredale, later P. Iredale & Son, of Liverpool, later P. Iredale & Porter. Used as an emigrant ship with six voyages listed from U.K. to Australia in years 1880/1892. 'Broken' at San Francisco in 1894. I did not know what that meant but now, thanks to Susan Nicholson, we know what happened. Susan's great grandfather, Claus F. (Friedrich) Matzen (1854/1934), she tells me, was the ship's mate aboard the ship that day now so long ago. The reference to San Francisco, incidentally, is misleading. That was not where the ship was 'broken', rather where the resulting Naval Court hearing was held. On or about Mar. 16, 1894, Archer left Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, for Portland, Oregon, under tow by tug Pioneer, in ballast (loose shingle & rock), under the command of John Dawson. With a crew of 16 all told. In view of the fresh gale blowing outside the harbour, the tug did not release her, but rather took her to nearby Port Angeles, Washington, where she anchored for the night. At 5:00 a.m. on Mar. 17, 1894, Pioneer took her out to sea again & at 1:30 p.m. cast off from Archer, then 6 or 7 miles SW of Cape Flattery, Washington. The weather? Very bad indeed. An increasing gale from the SE with snow squalls. Late on Mar. 17, 1894, while adjusting sail to weather the storm, Archer was hit by a heavy squall which knocked her over. A 'tremendous beam sea' struck her. Two (not three) crew members lost their lives, swept away & drowned (Andrew Anderson, a carpenter & A. D. Evans, a seaman). She was thrown on her beam ends, (i.e. the ship's decks became vertical), the ship's ballast shifted, the ship would not right herself. They cut away her masts in an unsuccessful attempt to right the ship. Think about how they must have done that, in darkness, with the ship on its side, in a raging sea. A fire in the cabin was put out. The situation was desperate & the order was given to abandon the ship. The remaining crew members clung to the ship's taffrail or poop rail for several hours before they could launch a boat, which they accomplished at 1:00 a.m. on Mar. 18, 1894 with four men aboard her. With great difficulty the other 10 were one by one dragged by line, through the pounding seas, to that tiny boat. 1/2 hour after they were all aboard, at 6:30 a.m., they were picked up by John C. Potter (1182 tons, built in 1869 at Searsport, Maine), which saw the wreck & the ship's boat & rescued them. And safely landed them at San Francisco on Mar. 30, 1894. The ship itself? It was found as a derelict by Canadian Pacific Navigation Company's steamer Maude (a sidewheeler built in 1872 at San Juan island by Joseph Spratt) & towed to Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Pioneer further towed her to Victoria, where she was sold for about $4,000 to Captain Rufus Calhoun (1828/1903), of Port Townsend, Washington. He had her towed to Port Blakely, Washington, where at the cost of about $20,000 she was repaired, converted to a barquentine, & American registered in the name of 'Archer Ship Co.' ('ArcherShip'). The Naval Court, incidentally, found no fault with the Master or the crew of Archer, nor with the condition of the vessel. #107139 is an American registry number, issued when the vessel became American. Archer ceased to be Lloyd's registered in 1896. But that said, the British number is still recorded thru 1900 in the American registry records at 'Mystic Seaport', as at left. Rufus Calhoun had a son who was also named Rufus, & that son, i.e. Rufus Calhoun Jr., would seem to have been her captain for a number of years, from 1896 thru 1911 at least. The later ownership data is a puzzle to me. Why do I say that? Thru 1900 the vessel was registered in the name of ArcherShip & a Google 'snippet' of the American 'The Record' for 1909 still shows Archer as being owned by ArcherShip. Another such 'snippet' would seem to indicate that the vessel had a change of name in 1911. But ... from one of the links above, I read that Welch & Co., of San Francisco, became the vessel's owners in 1898, but it would seem to me that 'Welch' were rather the agents for ArcherShip which presumably was Calhoun's company. I read that in Sep. 1898, the vessel was sold, for about $22,000, to Roche Harbor Lime Company, but the sale seems not to show thru 1900. In fact the name would seem to correctly be 'Tacoma & Roche Harbor Lime Co.' ('Roche') of Roche Harbor, Washington & later of Seattle. Maybe ArcherShip, i.e. the company, was sold rather than the ship itself? So the registry data would have been unchanged. Rather unlikely I would have thought. Archer later served Roche carrying lime from San Juan Island (NW Washington) to San Francisco for rebuilding efforts after the city was devastated by the 1906 earthquake & fire. Archer was re-rigged, in 1907, as a 3-masted schooner. At some point in time, Archer became the first wireless equipped commercial vessel on the U.S. West Coast. The vessel was equipped with a coal gas engine in 1911. In or about 1916, the vessel was chartered to carry a cargo of lumber to New York, but had to put into San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, in distress, & was subsequently sold to 'Swayne & Hoyt', of San Francisco. They installed an oil engine in the ship & renamed her Marie. Miramar indicate (thanks!) that in 1919 the vessel became owned by Simmie & Griok, in 1922 by Luzon Navigation Co. Inc. & in 1923 owned by Dee C. Chuan & Co. Inc., all of Manila. On Jul. 8, 1936, the vessel foundered off E. Luzon island, Philippines, far indeed from the rugged coast of Washington State. Maybe one day, we will learn exactly what happened to her then as we now have learned what happened to her in 1894. There is confusion in the above later ownership data. Can anybody correct my text or otherwise provide additional data? 19   Helena Mena 673/692 later 615/695 tons Hull 78 73654 1876 The barque, wooden planked on an iron frame, was launched in Mar. 1876 & first registered, at London, on May 13, 1876. Built for John Wilson of London. A splendid vessel by all accounts, built specifically for the service from London to Fremantle, Western Australia ('WA'), with, in addition to officer cabins, ten passenger cabins, a ladies sitting room, a bathroom no less, & an interior of noted magnificence with its use of polished teak & fine decorations. The vessel had a close association with Perth, since George Shenton & John H. Monger, both prominent local landowners, businessmen, ship owners & agents, initially owned 16 of the vessel's 64 shares - indeed the vessel's name was derived in some way from the names of each of their eldest daughters. Likely there were other WA shareholders also. John Monger would seem to have run a general store in Perth & I do mean general - he sold drapery & fabrics, foods galore, wines & spirits, hardware of all sorts - there were very few items he did not sell! Now the arrival of vessels at Fremantle was a major event in the life of the colony. Especially so for Helena Mena which amazingly served Fremantle year after year for 22 years. Do read the extensive data about the vessel that is available on pages 2 thru 4 of this Sep. 1991 'pdf' journal of the Maritime Heritage Association Inc., of Fremantle, Western Australia. Thanks to Barbara and Ross Shardlow. A fine artwork by Ross Shardlow, depicting the vessel departing Rockingham, WA, is available here. Helena Mena is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1875/76 thru 1899/1900. LRs of 1875/76 thru 1883/84 (LR of 1884/85 is not available), record J. Wilson of London as the vessel's owner, with G. W. Bush her captain thru 1878/79, E. Marsh from 1878/79 thru 1883/84 & 'Hill' for a later portion of 1883/84. Such owner name (Wilson) is clarified by the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1877 thru 1883 (1880), which reference John Wilson of South Hackney, London, as her then owner. While MNLs of 1884 & 1885 rather list Jeremiah Wilson of Islington, London. For all of the years from 1885/86 thru 1898/99, per LR, the vessel was owned by Trinder, Anderson & Co., of London. MNLs of 1887 thru 1898 (1890) all record John R. Anderson, of London, as her presumably managing owner. Her captains during such period? A long list it would seem. Per LR, J. Nicholls in 1875/76 (doubtful), J. G. Abrahamson from 1886/87 thru 1889/90, E. T. Bolt in 1890/91, D. Davies in 1891/92, A. G. W. Campbell in 1893/94, Howard or Hamond or Hamood from 1894/95 thru 1897/98, in fact William Hammond, R. J. Bu_jaed in 1898/99. Many of such names are now clarified below. Some 'best efforts' operational details, largely thanks to 'Trove'. One must first recognise that any one of Helena Mena's 22 voyages from London to Fremantle (& back) was much like all of the others. Each voyage brought to the colony goods of all sorts, manfactured & otherwise, out from England & cabin & steerage passengers, often many immigrant passengers. Many of the voyages, certainly thru 1896, made a side trip up the coast to Champion Bay (Geraldton). All of the voyages returned to London with cargoes of wool, lead & copper ores & what is often termed 'local produce' - gum, pearl shells, wine, bones, hoofs, etc. & in later years jarrah wood. i) The first Helena Mena voyage left Gravesend, London, on Jun. 26, 1876, Edward Marsh in command, with 8 cabin passengers. It arrived at Fremantle on Oct. 1, 1876, to a grand welcome. After a brief detour to Champion Bay, it left Fremantle, heavily laden, for London on Jan. 14, 1877. Heavily laden indeed! Its cargo included 735,442 lbs. of wool, 391 1/2 tons of lead & copper ore & much more in its cargo valued at £40,872. And 13 passengers. It arrived back in London on May 8, 1877. ii) 'Marsh' remained in command for the next 6 voyages, his last being the 1882/83 seaon. On that voyage he arrived at Fremantle with 3 cabin & 56 'nominated' immigrants. And a stained glass window for St. John's Church, Fremantle. The vessel sailed for London on Dec. 30, 1882 & arrived back at London on Apl. 9, 1883 after a voyage of 100 days. iii) Such voyages were competitive. Each vessel prided itself on making the fastest of passages & beating out its competitors. So references to how many days any particular voyage had taken were frequent. Such data was often, to the webmaster at least, rather dubious. As an example, one of Marsh's Helena Mena voyages left London on Jun. 21, 1878 & arrived at Fremantle on Sep. 16, 1878. 87 days perhaps. But the voyage was noted to have been 74 days only computed 'from land to land'. The 'counting' must have started only after passing Lands End or the Scilly Islands! iv) 'Hill', i.e. Jas. Hill, was in command for the 1883/84 season, arriving at Fremantle on Oct. 4, 1884 with 7 cabin & 87 immigrants in steerage. His return voyage, effected by the weather most likely, took 106 days. v) Charles Gibbons, later 'Trove' referred to as E. Gibbon, was Helena Mena's captain re the next two year's voyages, i.e. 1884/85 & 1885/86, with 99 adult immigrants on his first voyage & also the first glass street lamp-posts to grace the streets of Fremantle. vi) J. G. Abrahamson was the vessel's captain for the next 2 1/2 years - re 1886/87 & 1887/88 & for the half of the next year's voyage which arrived at Fremantle on Nov. 4, 1888. Abrahamson then took up the command of the steamship Australind & later, in Jun. 1891, became the pilot at Rottnest, Fremantle. vii) Helena Mena was surely an immigrant ship on its 1886/87 voyage. It arrived at Fremantle with 52 single girls, 72 single men, 26 couples & 52 children - 228 souls in total which somehow translated into 199 statute adults. viii) E. Bolt was the vessel's captain on the voyage which left Fremantle on Jan. 23, 1889 & arrived in London on May 4, 1889 with 2,235 bales of wool. The webmaster finds it interesting that Bolt's wife & 3 children were with him on such voyage. Even more wool, 2,252 bales, on Bolt's next year's return voyage. ix) David Davies was the vessel's captain in 1890/91 returning to London with 1,998 bales of wool, 4 1/2 tons of gum, 53 loads of jarrah (wood) & 8 tons of tin ore. x) On Jun. 16, 1891 Captain Campbell was in command when the vessel left London for Fremantle. But on the return voyage William Hammond was her captain, the final captain until the vessel was sold in Sep. 1898. xi) in Nov. 1892 the vessel was towed by tug Dolphin to Rockingham, 29 miles to the south (now a suburb of Perth), to load a partial cargo of jarrah wood, & then towed back north by tug Rescue. The same thing happened in Oct/Nov 1893 but on that occasion the vessel grounded on Parmelia Bank but was got off, undamaged, by tug Rescue. xii) The vessel's final voyage to Fremantle left London on May 12, 1897, & after stopping in at the Azores for medical attention to captain Hammond, arrived at Fremantle on Aug. 25, 1897, guided into port by J. G. Abrahamson, her earlier captain & now the Rottnest pilot. Another side trip to Rockingham but on this occasion the vessel was driven ashore during a storm but was towed off, undamaged, by tugs Eleanor & Gannet. The vessel left Fremantle on Dec. 9, 1897 & arrived in London on Apl. 16, 1898, never to return. Per LRs of 1898/99 & 1899/1900 Helena Mena's final owner was T. (Thomas) C. Jordeson, of London. As is confirmed by MNL of 1899. But I note a) that on Sep. 21, 1898 the vessel was reported in Australia to have been sold to France for £1,275. And b) that LR of 1899/1900 notes that the vessel was 'Now a Hulk 98', & references her port of registry as being 'French'. 165.0 ft. long, signal letters PWGV, crew lists of many years are available here. An account of the vessel's 1887 voyage to Fremantle, by Richard James Whyte, a passenger, is held by the Australian National Maritime Museum, of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.  Can you tell us more, or correct any portion of the text above? #2401 20   Aberfoyle 738/1137 tons Hull 83 70462 1877 An iron steamship. Per 1 (collision with Kewadin, wreck report, a 'pdf' file), 2 (extensive set of 1883 newspaper articles), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 232.9 ft. long, signal letters QRFH, 120 HP engines by Black Hawthorn & Co. of Gateshead. Aberfoyle, which was launched on Apl. 28, 1877 & completed in that same month, was likely Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1877/78 thru 1883/84 (LR of 1884/85 is not available to the webmaster). It was owned, thru its entire lifetime, by Adam & Co. of Aberdeen, Scotland, i.e. by John Birnie Adam, her managing owner as per the Mercantile Navy Lists of 1880 thru 1888. A tiny puzzle - LR throughout listed the vessel as ON 74062. The vessel, per LR, had 4 captains during its lifetime - A. Cook thru 1880/81, A. Smith in 1880/81 & 1881/82, Young in 1881/82 & J. E. Irvine from 1882/83. An early event in the life of Aberfoyle. On Feb. 12, 1879, the vessel left Almeria, Spain, for Leith, Scotland, with a cargo of lead & esparto grass & with a crew of 21 all told. So far at least, I have not read the name of her captain on that voyage but William Jolly Potts was her chief officer & on duty at the time of the matters that follow. At 5 p.m. on Feb. 22, 1879, Kewadin, a 278 ton brig, built at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, in 1866, had left Shields for Torquay, Devon, with a cargo of coal, under the command of William Edward Meyes with a crew of 8 all told. John Bloom of Folkestone, Kent, was the managing owner of the Folkestone registered Kewadin. The night of Feb. 22/23, 1879, was beautifully clear. In the early hours of Feb. 23, 1879, at about 5 a.m., when about 6 miles off Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Aberfoyle struck Kewadin in her port bow. About 3 minutes later Kewadin sank, & one of Kewadin's crew, Charles Lewis, an ordinary seaman, lost his life. He had ended up in the water & while his voice was heard he could not be located. At about 7.30 a.m., search efforts having been exhausted, Aberfoyle continued her voyage to Leith & there landed the remaining 7 Kewadin crew members. It would seem that a contributory factor in the collision was the location of Kewadin's running lights which were likely obscured by the billowing of the vessel's square fore-sail. It would seem also that Aberfoyle had changed course in the wrong direction as she closed in upon the brig. In all of the circumstances, however, no action was taken respecting the certificates of Potts & Meyes. The collision was the subject of a Court of Inquiry whose Report you can read here. (Note that the Southampton City Council website, where such report has been available for many years, seems no longer to be operative). A brief summation of such report is also available - here. Miramar tells us (thanks!) that the vessel was lost on Mar. 23, 1883 while en route from the Tyne to Ergasteria (Ergosteria, Greece, SE of Athens) with a cargo of coal & coke. The vessel was in collision with Renown off Tynemouth. Renown (ON 52664) is said to have been owned by J. Hall & Co. of Newcastle however LR indicates that W. S. Lishman, also of Newcastle, was her owner. We thank this site for an extensive set of Shields Daily Gazette newspaper cuttings that set out the full circumstances of what happened. On the afternoon of Mar. 23, 1883, Aberfoyle & then Renown both left Newcastle, bound respectively for Ergosteria & for Lisbon, Portugal. The weather was fine. Aberfoyle, under the control of a pilot, did not leave the vicinity of the port since she had to await technicians coming aboard to adjust her compasses. So the vessel was under way, slowly, a little to the SW of the South Pier. Renown, an 1169 ton steamer built at Newcastle in 1865, came out of the port at good speed & ran violently into the midships starboard area of Aberfoyle, which, cut down to the water level, began sinking rapidly. The crew of Aberfoyle & her pilot scrambled aboard Renown, but soon returned to Aberfoyle to run her ashore along the Herd Sands, South Shields. Renown too was seriously damaged. Her bow was stove in & her fore compartment full of water. She was towed into Shields harbour & moored there. One man lost his life. Wm. Jno. Butler, a local grocer, had been aboard Aberfoyle as a friend of her captain. He suffered the misfortune to have his head crushed between the two vessels as they came together, poor fellow. A fireman had his leg broken also. The cuttings do not address blame for the collision. And they hint that Aberfoyle would end up a total wreck. Maybe we will later find out if there was an Inquiry into the collision & a determination as to blame. Can you add anything additional? 21 Lizzie Bell 1070 tons Hull 86 78731 1877 A 3-masted iron barque. Per 1 (data), 2 & 3 (wreck data), 4 (wreck report, a 'pdf' file), 5 & 6 (newspaper articles), 7 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 65.4 metres long (214.5 ft.) perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters WVHC. There are lots of newspaper references at Trove, Australia. Selected data from Lloyd's Registers available from 'Google' books, thru 1889/90 are at left. Built for P. (Peter) Iredale, soon P. Iredale & Son, of Liverpool. Later, at the time of wreck in 1901, the vessel was owned by 'Iredale and Porter', also of Liverpool. Lizzie Bell, John Rees ('Rees') in command, was wrecked on Jul. 24, 1901 on a voyage (in ballast) from Wellington, New Zealand, to Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. At approx. 11.20 p.m., in bitter cold. Wrecked due to 'negligent navigation', on Waimate Reef, 1 1/2 miles S. of the Oeo River, Taranaki. I cannot spot exactly where that is on my maps. It is however on the W. side of New Zealand, North Island, close to where Egmont National Park is today. The ballast was mainly of earth but with some iron also & it is possible that the iron affected the navigation of the vessel - the vessel was, it would appear, 90/100 miles off her proper course. 12 lives were lost out of the crew of 18. The master's certificate was suspended for 12 months, & Rees was ordered to pay £25 towards the cost of the Magisterial inquiry. The links above provide extensive detail. Can you provide additional data? A previous link, inaccessible when the listing was updated. 22 Ottercaps 625/967 tons (N/G) Hull 91 68981 1878 An iron collier. Per 1 (1903 wreck data), 2 & 3 (Board of Trade 'pdf' Wreck Report re 1879 collision with rocks, & summary), 4 (1903 Sunderland newspaper article extracts, thanks to Peter Herring), 5 (Ottercaps article by Meg Hartford), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The vessel, which was launched on Jul. 16, 1878, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed, it would seem, from 1878/79 thru 1892/93 at least, owned by H. T. Morton of Sunderland (H. T. Morton & Co. from 1888/89), with 'Benson' her initial captain but then 'A. B. Watt' from 1879/80 thru 1892/93 at least. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1879 & 1880 list Henry T. Morton of Biddick Hall, Durham, as her then owner, which means, I gather, Henry Thomas Morton ('Morton'), John Straker & Thomas Jowsey Reay, with 'Reay' (from 1889 per MNL) being the managing owner. Thomas Nicholson of Sunderland became the vessel's manager from 1891 per MNL. Morton & Straker, at least, were of Sunderland. Morton owned ships designed to serve 'the London coal trade of the Lambton Company.' 216.0 ft. long (65.84 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters RTJD, speed of 9 knots, 99 HP engines by George Clark of Sunderland, crew of 18 in 1879 & 1881 & 16 in 1903. The vessel was always Sunderland registered. Many crew lists for the vessel are on file at Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada. On Jun. 08, 1879, the vessel was en route from Bilbao, Spain, to Sunderland, George Benson in command, with a cargo of iron ore. The vessel, going at its full speed of 9 knots, hit Renards Rocks near Brest, France, but was not stranded. The vessel was however holed, the fore tank full of water, but otherwise undamaged. Benson took the vessel to nearby Brest, where the cargo was discharged & temporary repairs were effected. It ultimately arrived safely at Sunderland. A formal investigation was held on Jul. 11, 1879, at Sunderland, & Benson was held to be at fault. His master's certificate was suspended for 3 months but during that period he was allowed a first mate's certificate. Peter Herring advises that on Feb. 25, 1880, Ottercaps was in collision with Stelling (built at Newcastle in 1876) in the Bilbao river. Both vessels were beached. In or about 1885, the vessel was grounded at the jetties of the port of Boulogne, France, was seriously damaged but re-floated. Kathleen Gill (e-mail), of the Sunderland Volunteer Life Brigade, advises me (thanks!) that (1) on Aug. 10, 1890, (also 2 thanks to Peter Herring) the vessel was en route from London to Sunderland, in ballast, under the command of Allan B. Watt (we now know that the family name was Watt rather than Watts thanks to Jim Tilt's copyrighted image of the stone in Bishopwearmouth Cemetery, Chester Road, Sunderland. In heavy sea & rain, the vessel missed the harbour entrance at Sunderland, & drove ashore about 200 metres S. of the South Pier at about 10:45 p.m. The Coastguard was on the scene & the Brigade effected the rescue - by a line fired by rocket - of 15 of the 18 aboard (2 were passengers). The other three, including the Captain, elected to stay aboard until the vessel was left high & dry by the receding tide. The ship suffered modest stern damage, was towed off by 3 tugs (Ben Ledi, Snowdrop (1) & Her Majesty) (1) on Aug. 14, 1890, & was delivered to the S. P. Austin & Son Ltd. drydock for necessary repairs. On Jul. 21, 1891 Ottercaps took on board the passengers & crew (38 & 12) of Neko, a German mail steamer, which sank after Staincliffe ran into her in fog - thanks Peter Herring! - note that the vessel is incorrectly recorded in that newspaper article as being named 'Kieko'. Ottercaps landed those rescued at Brest. A number of sites reference the vessel being owned by 'The Lambton Collieries Limited' ('Lambton'), of Newcastle, from 1897 per MNL (MNL of 1900). We now know a little more about what happened - on Jul. 30, 1894 the vessel's ownership by John George Lambton, Earl of Lambton, was registered, he having bought the vessel in Nov. & Dec. 1893 from Morton & two gentlemen named Straker. As is confirmed by MNL of 1895. On Feb. 26, 1903, owned by Lambton, the vessel was again en route from Bilbao with iron ore, this time to Middlesbrough, under the command of Allan B. Watt. She ran into a violent storm near Pointe du Raz (1 & 2), Finistère, Brittany, France, attempting, it would appear, to pass between Pointe du Raz & Ile de Sein. The vessel ran ashore & was wrecked with all aboard, the crew of 16, lost. Off Feuntenet, Bay of Audierne. Approx. at 48.01.2N/04.39.4W. Fifteen bodies eventually were washed ashore. David Nichol, whose great grandfather, Peter Thompson, was an able seaman aboard Ottercaps, has kindly provided newspaper reports from the 'Sunderland Daily Echo' & other material also. The nature of the tragedy is seen when the articles note that the disaster resulted in 13 widows & 33 fatherless children under the age of 14. Peter Thompson left a widow & a family of 9, 4 of whom were under 14 years of age. You can read more of the detail here. Meg Hartford also provided data included above, including the 4th image at left, the letter re Robert Taylor. Meg comments - thanks Meg! And Peter Herring, whose maternal great grandfather, John William James Robson Young, was 2nd Mate on the Ottercaps when the ship was lost in 1903, has contributed yet more material. And Janet Wardell, whose great great uncle John Henry Wood was lost in the disaster advises. Thank you all. Some missing data if anybody, perhaps someone at Plogoff, Finisterre, can help. i.e. i) the name of the Plogoff church at which the funeral was held & ii) a photo of the gravestone in the new cemetery location. On Feb. 05, 2015, the 'Sunderland Echo' featured a splendid illustrated article about the loss of Ottercaps, including a list of those who lost their lives. You used to be able to read the article here, but no longer, alas. Can you provide anything additional? Another image? 23 Sapphire 862 tons Hull 89 78681 Dagmar Ronco 1878 An iron cargo ship. Per 1 (bottom of page), 2 (P. M. Duncan), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 201.0 ft. long, 61.3 metres long between perpendiculars, 560 net tons, signal letters R.M.K.V. The vessel would seem to have been built for 'P. M. Duncan', of Dundee, Scotland, as per the first of the Lloyd's Register listings, ex Google Books, that the webmaster has available (see left). In the 1887/88 register edition, the vessel is owned by 'Dundee Gem Line Steamships Company Limited', of Dundee. The webmaster does not have the intermediate registers that would indicate when the ownership change took place, but 1 indicates that the vessel became owned by 'Gem Line', only in 1879. That site does not, however, refer to the earlier direct ownership of P. M. Duncan. Since 1882, Gem Line was managed by P. M. Duncan, who looks to have been most closely associated indeed with Gem Line. The vessel traded with the Baltic carrying flax, but, it would seem, would have also traded to Spain, to Greece & to the Middle East. The vessel was sold, in 1909, to 'M. Reincke', of Russia, & renamed Dagmar. And sold again, in 1914, to 'G. Carnevali & Co.', of Italy perhaps, & renamed Ronco. The vessel was wrecked, on Jun. 28, 1918, between Tocra & Tolemaide, Libya. There is little definitive WWW data available however about the vessel. Can you provide anything additional? Sometimes, in creating a site such as this, one comes across data most difficult to explain. I refer to the report, at left, of the loss of Sapphire at Falsterbo Reef, on Dec. 30, 1882 (could not be 1883), while en route from Laban to Leith, Scotland, with a cargo of grain. (I cannot place 'Laban', but it likely was somewhere on the S. coast of the Baltic. Upon reflection, it may well mean Liepaja, an ice-free Latvian port on the Baltic Sea, previously known as 'Libau'. Falsterbo Reef is at the SW tip of Scania, Sweden, at the entrance to the Baltic). A summary of Wreck Inquiry #1733, published in 'The Nautical Magazine' of May 1883. The Master was found to be guilty of 'error of judgment' as to the ship's position. Now there were many Sapphire's - Lloyd's lists 7 vessels of the name in 1880/81 - but with the detail provided (tonnage, owner, date of build) the vessel referred to was clearly 'our' Sapphire. It is said to have been lost, but the vessel, in fact, clearly lasted for another 35 years into 1918. I have tried to WWW locate & read the complete Wreck Report #1733. But without success. Can you explain this most strange puzzle? 24 Cumbrian 1083 (or 1053 or 1059) tons Hull 99 81309 1879 A 3-masted steel barque with clipper stem. Per 1 (data), 2 (Peter Ireland), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). Built for 'Peter Iredale', of Liverpool. 214 (or 214.5) ft. long, 65.4 metres perpendicular to perpendicular. It would seem, if I understand correctly the data kindly provided by Mori Flapan of Sydney, Australia, that the ownership sequence was 'P. Iredale & Son', 'P. Iredale & Porter', 'J. Porter', 'P. Iredale & Porter Ltd.' & in 1911 'A. Hannay', of Melbourne. 'Hulked' either in 1912 or (per Miramar) in Q2 of 1911 (at Melbourne, Australia). Hulked in this case means used for coal storage. It then, as a hulk, initially at Melbourne & then at Port Adelaide, was owned by 'McIlwraith, McEacharn's Line Pty Ltd.' & then 'McIlwraith McEacharn Ltd.' An eBay listing indicated that it was broken up in 1950 - Mori Flapan believes that was in fact in 1958, but there is a report that says the hulk was scuttled in South Australian waters in 1937. Can you provide additional data? 25 Derwent 2471 (or 2466 or 2641) tons Hull 97 81603 Lilia Derwent 1879 A passenger/cargo steamship. Per 1 & 2 [Derwent (II)], 3 (Ashanti 1900), 4 (Wikipedia in German), 5 (Spanish page), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). Built for 'Royal Mail Steam Packet Company' ('Royal'), of London. On South American service, it would seem - to Rio de Janeiro & Santos (São Paulo). On Feb. 28, 1889, Derwent landed at Folkestone, Kent, 16 survivors of the Norwegian barque Carlo (or Carla) which had been in collision with Lamport & Holt's steamer Pascal. In Jul. 1900, she carried a total of 494 officers & troops from Bermuda & St. Helena to West Africa to reinforce the British - who were fighting in the 'Ashanti Uprising of 1900' (the Ashanti or Asante people occupied what is today Ghana). Now 4 states, in translation, that the vessel was out of 'Royal' service in 1902 & was sold for demolition, & 2 states vessel was scrapped in 1902. But I suspect it was not then scrapped and ended up sold in 1902 & renamed Lilia, as stated by 6 & 5. Sold to 'Extreme Orient', a French owner it would seem. Sold to Hong Kong owners in 1904 - name reverted to Derwent. Broken up in 3rd quarter of 1930, at Hong Kong. Can you clarify the above data and/or provide anything additional? 26 Lady Elizabeth 1208.18 (or maybe 1175) tons Hull 98 81576 1879 A 3-masted steel barque. Per 1 (a most extensive series of pages, thanks Mori Flapan!), 2 (Wikipedia comprehensive article), 3 & 4 (fine 'pdf' extensive summaries), 5 (Spanish site), 6 (fine 'KPocheffy' images), 7 (copyrighted wreck image), 8 (Isle of Man souvenir stamp sheet), 9 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The webmaster has a few editions of Lloyd's Register available to him from 'Google' books, thru 1889/90 - see left. 223.0 ft. long (69.0 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters JFQB. Details about many of the ship's voyages are at links 3 & 4. Built for John Wilson (Messrs Wilson & Oliver the managers?), a London ship owner (but 1 states he was rather a W. Australian shipping merchant), to replace his earlier (1869) vessel of identical name which was wrecked in 1878. Possibly named after Elizabeth, John Wilson's mother. Initially registered at London. Wilson, it would seem, had borrowed upon security of the vessel & the vessel became owned by 'Merchant Banking Company' ('Merchant') (query exact name), of London, who presumably foreclosed. Wilson went bankrupt on Mar. 15, 1884. Earlier however, on Jan. 5, 1884, the Lady Elizabeth was sold by Merchant to George C. (Christian) Karran, then aged 30, of Castletown, Isle of Man (vessel is featured on Isle of Man 1984 28p & 31p postage stamps). A related page indicates that the vessel was built for 'the Karrans' (incorrect) & that George Karran was the first Captain of the vessel, also incorrect, rather he was her captain after he acquired the vessel. A significant part of the vessel's career was on the London to Australia trade it would appear. The vessel was sold, in early 1906, for £3,250 to 'Skibsaktieselskabet Lady Elizabeth' of Sundet, Norway, L. Lydersen of Tvedestrand, Norway, the manager. On Dec. 4, 1912, the vessel left Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, under the command of Captain Peter J. (Julius) Hoegh, bound for Delagoa Bay, Lourenço Marques, now Maputo, Mozambique, carrying a cargo of oregon pine. She was damaged off Cape Horn, losing cargo & 4 men overboard. She made for the Falkland Islands for repairs & grounded (broke her keel) off Volunteer Point, on Uranie (or Ukraine or Ukranie) Rock, on Mar. 14, 1913, approaching Berkeley Sound, East Falkland. I have since read, in a 1948 issue of 'Sea Breezes', that the rocks were named for Uranie, a French frigate which struck the rocks 'many years ago'. She, i.e. Lady Elizabeth, did not sink. She was towed into Port Stanley & there deemed unseaworthy. The vessel was sold to the Falkland Islands Company (along with the cargo) for £3,350 & used as a warehouse moored at the east jetty in Port Stanley (but 3 casts doubt on that). Was converted into a coal hulk & served in that capacity for no less than 23 years. In 1936, her cable parted in a gale. She drifted & blew ashore on Feb. 17, 1936 at Whalebone Cove. Was soon sold to 'Crown Receiver of Wrecks', Falklands Islands, for £1,000. She is still there today, with parts of three iron masts, & a bowsprit, still relatively intact. A sand spit runs out to the ship, I read, & you can walk out for a close inspection, probably when the tide permits! We thank both Mori Flapan & Lucas Erickson for much of the data included above. Can you provide more? 27 Embleton 1196/1233 (N/G) tons Hull 108 84096 1881 An iron barque. Per 1 (an extensive page, indeed), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). About 75 metres long. Owned by 'P. Iredale & Son' & later 'P. Iredale & Porter', of Liverpool. Sunk by Cunard liner Campania on Jul. 21, 1900, in St. George's Channel, near Queenstown in Irish Channel in thick fog, en route from Auckland, New Zealand to Liverpool. Campania sliced clean through Embleton, the forward half of which sank instantly, while the aft part swung around & damaged Campania's starboard side. 11 of 18 crew lost. Court case in Admiralty Court. Cunard settled when it became known that the Campania look-out at the time was a last minute replacement, inexperienced & unskilled for role. Can you provide additional data, & an image? 28 Allonby 1451 tons Hull 125 86261 1882 A 3-masted iron barque. Per 1, 2 & 3 (all images), 4 (Peter Iredale), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The webmaster has a few editions of Lloyd's Register available to him from both 'Google' & 'www.archive.org', see left. 240.5 ft. long (73.30 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, fitted with single top-gallant, & royals, signal letters WPRL. Built for Peter Iredale & Son (later, certainly by 1894/95, P. Iredale & Porter Ltd.) of Liverpool. The vessel was a frequent visitor to Australia as 'Trove' (thanks!) reports. Allonby left London on Jan. 15, 1883, Captain Moignard in command, & arrived at Sydney, New South Wales ('NSW') on Apl. 22, 1883. On Jul. 12, 1883 the vessel left for San Francisco with 300 tons of pig iron & 1,800 tons of coal. It was back at Sydney on Oct. 13, 1884 with a varied cargo valued at £11,400, ex Liverpool, that included whisky, beer & rum, glass, cotton, hardware items galore, paper & ink etc. Again it left for San Francisco with 2,218 tons of coal. There were many later voyages - details re some of them follow. Some terrible weather was encountered on a passage from Sharpness, Gloucestershire, to Geelong, Victoria, arriving there on Sep. 3, 1889 - on to Newcastle for a cargo of coal. On Nov. 1, 1889, Thomas Brocklean, an apprentice, fell 33 ft. from the main mast at sea - the vessel put back to Newcastle & Brocklean was hospitalized with injuries that included a compound fracture of the right leg. In Oct. 1890, the vessel arrived at Newcastle, from Table Bay, South Africa. The vessel left Liverpool on Jul. 21, 1896 for Sydney, where it arrived on Nov. 16th. On Jan. 29, 1897, the vessel left Sydney for London with 1,836 tons of shale & 483 casks of tallow. On Jul. 22, 1899, the vessel left Timaru, New Zealand, for London, with a cargo of Australian wheat. And on Jan 14, 1902, Allonby left London for Melbourne, Victoria, arriving in mid May after a very long voyage. In Jun. 1904, the vessel left Hamburg, Germany, for Melbourne & on Oct. 25, 1904, it left Melbourne for Port Elizabeth, South Africa. In Jul. 1909, the vessel was reported to be sold for £2,350 for use as a hulk, i.e. moored permanently & used for storage, in the West Indies. Apparently it was sold to Trinidad Coaling Co. of Port of Spain, Trinidad. An expired eBay item referred to it, maybe in error however, as being a coal hulk at San Francisco. It would seem that there was another Allonby built in Sunderland. See here. Built by 'Kish Boolds' in 1883 or 1884. Can you explain how that is possible (two vessels of the same name at the same time). And provide additional data? 29 Carl 995 tons Hull 142 5618027 Marie 1884 A 3-masted iron barque. Per 1 ('wrecksite.eu' wreck etc. data), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). The webmaster has a few editions of Lloyd's Register available to him from both 'Google' & 'archive.org', see left. 62.7 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 205.8 ft., signal letters NGBQ. Built for C. H. H. Winters, of Elsfleth, near Bremen, Germany & registered at Elsfleth. Ebay vendor scott-base, advised (thanks!) re his expired photo postcard listing:- i) that in 1907 the vessel, still named Carl, was sold to Nils P. Hoyer, of Skien, Norway, (likely Nils P. Hoyer & Son A/S), with no change of vessel name & registered at Skien & ii) that the vessel may have been stranded, in 1914, while en route from Swansea, Wales, to Frederikstad, Norway. If it did get so stranded, it clearly was not lost at that time. In 1917 the vessel was sold to K. Hvilsom (of Copenhagen, Denmark), & renamed Marie. Niels Hald-Andersen advises (thanks!) that the vessel was further sold, in Apl. 1917, to Det Baltiske Rederi A/S of Copenhagen, still named Marie. And that on Aug. 1, 1917 the vessel stranded at Pasajes while en route from Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden, to Pasajes with a cargo of 1500 tons of wood. Apparently wrecked 'at the entrance to Pasajes'. The vessel capsized on Aug. 2, 1917. No loss of life - the crew used the ship's boats to reach safety. Can anyone tell us exactly where Pasajes is? There is a port in northern Spain called Pasaia, known as Pasajes in Spanish (San Sebastian) - could that be the wreck site? Can you provide additional data? #1837 30   Astoria 1477 (or 1429)  tons Hull 145 91198 Mastoria 1885 A 3 masted iron barque. Per 1 (data), 2 (data), 3 (1885 ref. to launch on Feb. 28, 1885, page 21), 4 (NY Times archive re 1910 abandonment), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 240.7 ft. (about 78 metres) long. Built for Peter Iredale & Son, of Liverpool. Sold in Mar. 1910 to 'Rederi-A/S Mastoria' (Martin Bruusgaard), of Drammen, Norway, & renamed Mastoria. On Oct. 16, 1910, while en route in ballast from Pensacola, Florida, to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, the vessel was abandoned in the Gulf of Mexico. Per the NY Times on Oct. 23, 1910, 'the bark was battered for seventy hours by the hurricane, and was water-logged, dismasted, and rudderless. The crew was compelled to take to the boats, one of which was swamped immediately it was launched. Its occupants were rescued with great difficulty'. The entire crew of 17 were landed at Annotto Bay, Jamaica, by River Plate. It would appear that there were two vessels of the same name built in 1885, the 2nd, a passenger/cargo ship, being built by Royden, at Liverpool. Can you provide additional data & an image? 31   Waikna 156 (or 155) tons Hull 146 90325 1885 A cargo ship, described at link 1 as an 'auxilliary screw brigantine'. Per 1 (1885 ref. to launch on Sep. 10, 1885, p.189 & ref. on p.257), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 104.0 ft. long, 'heavily sparred to give a large spread of canvas' & 'a large sailroom'. Captain H. Ellis supervised her construction, 'who will also command her'. Probably built on speculation 'after 12 months of absolute idleness'. Have not read who bought her, or anything about what happened to her, however the vessel was Lloyd's registered in the name of H. Ellis. There is however a ref. (p.181/2, which just might relate) to Waikna, a steam yacht of Sunderland, which on Dec. 7, 1885 dragged her anchor in high winds at Sandy Hook Bay, New Jersey, & went ashore nearby. Was floated off the next day & towed to New York by Rescue. Can you add anything at all? 32 Città di Milano 1247 tons Hull 148 1886 A cable-laying steamer. Per 1 (ship's history page, many images available), 2 (history of Città di Milano, at p.18/19), 3 (a ref. to a model of the vessel exhibited at Newcastle in 1887, on p.83, text at left via thumbnail), 4 (plan of vessel), 5 (1886 specifications), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 240 ft. long, speed of 10/11 knots. Christened by Mrs Pirelli. Built for Pirelli & Co., of Milan, Italy. Yes the 'Pirelli' - today 'Pirelli & C. S.p.A.' The first task of the vessel was, I read, to link Italy with 13 of its islands. Followed by a cable link from Jávea, Spain, to the island of Ibiza (in 1888) & Naples to Palermo via Ustica island (in 1890). The vessel linked Spain to Tangiers & other places in Morocco. That surely is a modest summary of its 33 years of service! But ... it completed 73 cable projects in its lifetime, repaired cable & on occasion cut rather than laid cable! 1911/12 is mentioned, when at the Dardanelles, it cut cables while under fire from the Turkish batteries. In 1919, while laying cable near Sicily, the vessel hit a reef off Filicudi, a small island NE of Sicily, in the Aeolian Islands, & sank. On Jun. 16, 1919. Have not read the exact location or the circumstances. Amongst the 26 people who died in the disaster was Emanuele Jona (1860/1919), a distinguished electrical engineer. Now I understand from Massimo (Max) Ardizzoni, of Oceanomare Diving Centre of Acitrezza, Catania, Sicily, that the wreck has been located & that dives are planned. Can you add anything at all, anything that would help Max & his colleagues with vessel identification? 33 Southery 2068 tons Hull 155 95291 Lonoconing Southery 1889 A cargo ship with a 'clipper stem', which became a collier & later a U.S. prison ship. Per 1 (Wikipedia, Southery), 2 & 3 (data & images, Southery), 4 (data), 5 (New York Times, 1895 archive), 6 (1898 purchase by U.S., 60% down), 7 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 87.9 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 288 ft., speed of 10 1/2 knots. Built for 'Culliford & Clark' ('Culliford') (J. H. W. Culliford & John S. Clark, the owners) of Sunderland & London. Culliford were ships' managers also. A vessel about which there certainly is later information, but it's early history is a mystery to the webmaster. I read that the vessel was wrecked, in 1895, outside of U.S. waters, repaired in the U.S., & was refused registry as a U.S. ship. No detail, alas, as to the circumstances! Would it only be a U.S. owner who would wish her registered in the U.S.? In 1897, the vessel was, per Miramar, sold to E. N. Hoffmann ('Hoffmann'), & renamed Lonocoming. It is possible that Hoffmann was the agent, rather than the owner, but if so, I can find no WWW references to him or indeed any WWW references to Lonocoming. It is possible, however, that Hoffmann was the agent for Edward Luckenbach, (or maybe Luckenback with a 'k', there are a number of U.S. companies of most similar names), since I have read that on Apl. 16, 1898, the vessel was acquired for U.S. $100,000, from 'Edward Luckenback', by the U.S. Navy, converted into a collier at the Boston Navy Yard ('BostonNY'), of Boston, Massachusetts, & named Southery for the 2nd time. Southery was commissioned on May 2, 1898 & used to carry coal on the E. coast of the U.S. as far south as Jamaica. Armed with two 3-pounder guns. On Feb. 18, 1899, the vessel was decommissioned while it was being converted to a prison ship, then re-commissioned to serve in that capacity at Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, then at BostonNY, anchored at a Back Channel pier, & then at Portsmouth Navy Yard ('Portsmouth'), New Hampshire, likely respecting prisoners captured in the Spanish-American War. In 1912, an average of 298 prisoners were held aboard the vessel, I read. In 1913, she became 'station ship' at Portsmouth. From Apl. thru Sep. 1917, she trained recruits from the Great Lakes Navy School, then reverted to her role as a prison ship until Nov. 1918, when she became a 'receiving ship' at Portsmouth. On Apl. 16, 1922, the vessel became a 'receiving ship' at BostonNY & served as such for the balance of her career. In the early 1920s, the vessel was designated IX-26. On Jul. 12, 1933, the vessel was decommissioned, & on Dec. 1, 1933, the vessel was sold to 'Boston Iron and Metal Co.' to be scrapped at their Baltimore, Maryland, facility. Can you add to or correct the above? 34 Eulomene 2725 tons Hull 170 99307 1891 A 4-masted steel barque, rigged with royal sails over double top & topgallant sails. Per 1 (data), 2 (data), 3 (images ex State of Victoria, etc.), 4 (data re her loss), 5 (Court of Inquiry decision), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). Built for H. Fernie & Sons of Liverpool. The vessel was, I read, a regular visitor to Australia over the years. In late 1904, the vessel was, it would seem, anchored at Nordenhamn, Germany, close to & upriver of Bremerhaven. During a major gale, the vessel was on Dec. 30, 1904 driven ashore & ended up damaged but tight. She was got off, with the assistance of no less that 10 tugs, & the decision was then made to tow the vessel to Newcastle-on-Tyne so repairs could be effected. Accordingly, the vessel left Bremerhaven on Jan. 29, 1905, in the tow of Poolzee, a Dutch tug. Eulomene was under the command of Captain Thomas with a total of 20 persons aboard including the captain's wife & two children. Or maybe a total of 23, i.e. a crew of 20 and the three passengers (the texts differ). She left in ballast with what would seem to have been a skeleton crew, sufficient to manage the ship under tow but insufficient to manage the ship properly should the tow line break. Which it did on Jan. 30, 1905, when the pair were off the Dogger Bank. Poolzee tried to get a replacement line aboard the vessel, but failed in that attempt. She lost sight of Eulomene in the stormy perhaps snowy conditions, searched the seas extensively for her, noted her lights extinguish at 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 31, 1905, & eventually made her way to the Tyne to report the loss. Eulomene was then, I read, owned by Liverpool Shipping Company who had acquired the vessel at the cost of £24,385. Its value in 1905 was £16,000, so they must have owned the vessel for many years. A part of a ship's boat later came ashore at Hamborgsund, Germany. An Inquiry into the vessel's loss was held at Liverpool on Jul. 14/15, 1905. The Court determined that the vessel had been in good & seaworthy condition, hull-wise, when it had left Bremerhaven in ballast. A factor in the loss was likely an insufficient ballast, however, its trim another factor - the vessel being deeper in the water by the stern. The vessel was adequately manned for a voyage under tow only. All said & done, the decision to tow the vessel across the North Sea in winter would seem to have been unwise. A sad ending indeed, with no survivors. Anything you can add? 35 Gatton 2543 tons Hull 176 101912 Guillermo Schulz Villareal de Alava 1892 A cargo ship which had a long life of 75 years. Per 1 (Spanish page, Guillermo Schultz, image Guillermo Schulz), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). Built, I think, for James Chambers & Co., of Liverpool, E. W. Morgan & Co. the managers, & christened by Mrs. E. W. Morgan. In 1900, the vessel was sold to 'Compañía de Navegación Vasco Asturiana', of Avilés, Asturias, Spain, & renamed Guillermo Schulz. But to the Spanish it would seem to have been 'Guillermo Schultz'. The vessel served during part at least of the Spanish Civil War as a coal hulk at Santander, Spain. In 1938, the vessel was sold to 'la Sociedad Anónima Carbones Rosas', of Santander. In 1941 it was sold again, to 'Compañía de Navegación Cantábrica' & in 1942 was renamed Villareal de Alava. In Apl. 1967, the vessel arrived at Bilbao, Spain, to be broken up. Anything to add or correct? 36 Linden 1079/1141 (N/G) tons Hull 175 99604 Ingeborg 1892 A steel barque, which was launched on Feb. 16, 1892. Per 1 (image, Ingeborg). The vessel's initial owner was John Hopper of Sunderland - thru 1900. With, per Lloyd's Register, D. George her initial captain, replaced from about 1893/94, by W. Sharp. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1893 thru 1900 all record John Hopper of Sunderland, to be her managing owner. A Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, newspaper, on Aug. 30, 1900 (in red), reported that Linden had been sold, to F. Heine, of Odense, Funen Island, Denmark. Who renamed the vessel Ingeborg. It would seem certain that the new Danish owner was correctly F. Hein (i.e. no 'e' on the end). 215.0 ft. long, signal letters MNDR. The webmaster's attention to this vessel is due to the receipt of truly extensive data, about both Linden & Ingeborg, researched at Trove, Australia, by Richard Jenkins of Sydney, Australia. Richard, we thank you! The vessel was a frequent visitor to Australia. As follows, firstly re Linden:- i) On Nov. 13, 1894, the vessel arrived at Newcastle, New South Wales, 50 days out of Buenos Ayres, Argentina (left Sep. 24, 1894), a record passage for such route, in ballast, with Captain 'Sharpe' stated to be in command. She had encountered bad weather en route & lost several of her sails. On Nov. 30, 1894 she left Newcastle for Valparaiso, Chile (arr. Jan. 24, 1895) with a cargo of 1,829 tons of Wallsend coal. ii) On Apl. 28, 1896, Linden arrived, overdue due to adverse weather, at Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, ex Liverpool (dep. Jan. 11, 1896), W. Sharp in command, with a cargo of 'miscellaneous merchandise'. The vessel later, on Jun. 2, 1896, left Melbourne in ballast for Astoria (Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.), arriving there, overdue by 30 or 40 days, on Oct. 4, 1896. It later left, on Nov. 21, 1896 for Port Natal (Durban, South Africa). iii) On Jul. 30, 1897 Linden left Newcastle, NSW, for Callao, Peru, having earlier arrived from Delagoa Bay, South Africa. With Thorp her captain. The vessel left Newcastle with 1,810 tons of coal its main cargo. It arrived at Callao on Oct. 15 or 16, 1897. Next re Ingeborg:- iv) On Aug. 8, 1901, the vessel arrived at Melbourne, H. Kaaz in command, ex Pascamayo, Peru (dep. Apl. 10, 1901), again overdue, with a cargo of sugar & 4 passengers. On Sep. 11, 1901, the vessel left for Falmouth for orders with a cargo of 16,023 bags of wheat. It arrived at Falmouth on Jan. 25, 1902 & went onwards to London. v) On Dec. 4, 1902, the vessel left Portland, Oregon, for East London, South Africa, with 24,482 bushels of wheat & 12,495 barrels of flour. vi) On Jul. 28, 1904, the vessel arrived at Geelong (near Melbourne) from Natal, South Africa. It later, on Aug. 21, 1904, left Geelong for the U.K. with 16,364 bags of wheat, N. M. Schmidt in command, & arrived at Falmouth on Christmas Eve 1904. vii) On Aug. 20, 1905, Ingeborg left Delagoa Bay & arrived at Newcastle, via Albany, Western Australia, on Nov. 1, 1905. It left for Valparaiso on Nov. 17, Schmidt in command, with 1,879 tons of Burwood coal. viii) On Jan. 6, 1907, the vessel, (Schmidt) left Marseilles, France, for Dunedin, New Zealand, with a cargo of 250,000 clay roofing tiles. It arrived at Port Chalmers (Dunedin) on May 6, 1907, went on to Lyttelton (Christchurch). And after unloading at both ports it went to Wellington & then on to Newcastle, with 500 tons of coal as ballast, to load coal for the W. coast of S. America. ix) In Aug. 1907 Schmidt had a 1/8 ownership interest in Ingeborg, then insured for £4,000. x) Alas Ingeborg never made it to Newcastle. Shortly after 3 a.m. on Aug. 14, 1907, at a point 9 miles E. of the Port Stephens (Newcastle) light, she was run into by Arawatta, an 1192/2114 (N/G) ton AUSN (Australasian United Steam Navigation Company - of London) passenger steamer, built in Dumbarton, River Clyde, Scotland, in 1889 (ON 96649) & commanded by H. T. Middleton. Arawatta had more than 200 passengers aboard at the time. Ingeborg was struck on her starboard side, was cut into by the bow of Arawatta almost to her foremast & sank 'almost at once' with the loss of 7 crew members - including Schmidt her captain. Arawatta pulled back immediately after the collision - with a few of Ingeborg's crew who had clambered onto her. Boats were lowered by Arawatta. Eight Ingeborg crew members in total were saved by Arawatta & later landed at Brisbane. I indicated above that Richard Jenkins had researched the history of the vessel & had kindly provided his data to the webmaster. Richard's data includes no less than 22 pages respecting the Ingeborg/Arawatta collision & its aftermath. I cannot, in this listing, do justice to his effort. Visitors who wish greater detail are invited to search Trove, Australia, for the period from Aug. 16 thru Dec. 21, 1907. A brief summary follows. The Marine Board of Queensland conducted a hearing at Brisbane into the collision from Aug. 19, 1907 thru Aug. 31, 1907. A great many witnesses were called, including the 'look-outs' of both vessels even Arawatta passengers. Peter Nelson, A.B., the Arawatta look-out, stated that he did not see Ingeborg until moments before the collision. There was much debate about whether Ingeborg's navigation lights were operating & whether the vessel lacked the necessary oil to have been able to maintain those lights. In its decision, the Court concluded that Ingeborg WAS displaying the appropriate lights & that the collision had been caused by a proper lookout not having been maintained by Arawatta. E. S. MacDermid, Arawatta's second mate, was held responsible for that - his certificate was suspended for six months. The Court however added that Ingeborg had contributed to the disaster by not taking evasive action when Arawatta was visible to them in the 1/2 hour or so before the collision. The Court's Report, a brief one page document, was issued on Sep. 3, 1907. You can read it here. That is not the end of the story. Ingeborg's Sydney agents sued AUSN for £20,000 as compensation. The court found in favour of Ingeborg with costs to be paid for by the owners of Arawatta. Arawatta? Can anybody tell us the meaning of the word/name? 'Our' Arawatta was 300.0 ft. long, with signal letters LJMB, & 274 HP engines by Denny & Co. of Dumbarton. Lloyd's Register of 1923/24 lists her engines at 334 HP. It was repaired in dry dock after its collision with Ingeborg & continued to serve AUSN until 1924. It went off register in 1925. The 1925 MNL record for the vessel is here. I read that it was then converted to a hulk & was later scuttled off Sydney Heads in 1936. A second Board of Trade Inquiry which involved the vessel re a minor incident in 1904. Some Linden crew lists are available here. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2163 37 Hillcrag 3256 tons Hull 192 106803 Orion Patra Styliani 1896 A cargo ship. Per 1 (brief reference, Hillcrag), 2 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, Styliani), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 100.0 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 328 ft. 1 in., speed of 7 knots, with a 'woodbine' funnel. Built for Hugh Evans & Co. ('Evans'), of Liverpool, John Herron & Co., also of Liverpool the manager (or later the manager). 1 refers to typical voyages being Rosario, Argentina, to U.K. with grain, Cardiff to Bahia Blanca (with coal?), also Argentina, & Burma to U.K. with rice. Now from the 'snippets' of data I have been able to see, the vessel may have been in fact owned by another, likely Evans owned, company. There was a company named 'Steamship Hillcrag Company Limited', another named 'Lord Letham Co. Ltd.' & another named 'Hill Steamship Co. Ltd.' In 1909, the last named company went into voluntary liquidation. This all may possibly relate since in 1908 the vessel became owned by the Bank of Athens & renamed Orion. Could it be that the Bank of Athens became the owner as a result of financial difficulties of the then owner. Can anybody clarify the facts? In 1932, the vessel was sold to 'G. Tzamkiranis et al' (or & Co.), of Greece, & renamed Patra. In 1937, it was sold again, to 'Aristides Pittas and Constantinos S. Scrivanos', of Piraeus, Greece, & was renamed Styliani. Just 3 WW2 convoy references, thru Jun. 1940. Was the vessel seized by Italy? The image at left referred to 'lorries for Mussolini at Alexandria harbour'. On Apl. 6, 1941, the port of Piraeus was attacked by German Ju 88 aircraft based in Sicily. Clan Fraser, 7259 tons, carrying 250 tons of ammunition, was hit 3 times, & the resulting explosion caused the loss of 11 merchant vessels (& other shipping also) & put the port of Piraeus out of action for 10 days. 6 were killed aboard Clan Fraser & 9 were wounded. Styliani caught fire & it would seem that on the next day, i.e. Apl. 7, 1941, the vessel sank, at Kynosoura, Salamis. Any loss of life? WWW data about the vessel is limited. Do you gave anything to add or to correct? 38 Brantingham 2617 tons Hull 199 104218 1897 A cargo ship. Per 1 (4 October 1916), 2 (sinking, p.#53), 3 (data & 2 images), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 313 ft. long (95.1 metres perpendicular to perpendicular), speed of 10 knots. Built for East Yorkshire Steamship Co. Ltd. (A. Meek & Sons, the managers), of Goole. Sold in 1910 to Brantingham Steamship Co. (T. Pratt, the manager), of Newcastle. Sold again, in 1914, to James Cormack & Company of Leith, Scotland. On Oct. 4, 1916, while en route from Archangel, Russia to Leith with a general cargo, [stated by a Russian site (not linked) to have been pit props] was sunk by a torpedo fired by German submarine U46. U46 & two other submarines (U43 & U48) were hunting 'off the North Cape and along the Murman coast'. Brantingham was never heard from. It simply disappeared in what would seem to have been good weather - the sinking, however, was confirmed by German wireless. The entire crew of 24 was lost, including James Swanson, the Master. The Russian site also indicated that there was no time to lower boats. Miramar indicates that the sinking was 70 miles NNE of Vardø, in the far NE of Norway, close to Murmansk, Russia. Can you add anything? 39 Riplingham 2570 tons Hull 204 104221 Eleni Negropontes Katina Andreadi Caliros Ekaterinodar Esperienza 1898 A cargo ship. Per 1 (data & 3 images, Riplingham etc.), 2 (data, in Russian, 3rd para., Рамзес), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 95.4 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 9 knots. Built for East Yorkshire Steamship Co. Ltd. (A. Meek & Sons, the owners & managers), of Goole. Was christened by Miss Florence Meek, sister of the managing owner. In 1901, the vessel was not damaged in any way when in collision with Wenoah, a schooner, at or near Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The vessel was sold, in 1911, to 'J. D. & A. D. Negropontes & A. Caroussis', of Piraeus, Greece, & renamed Eleni Negropontes. Greek registered, thru to Caliros. It was sold again, in 1913, to D. F. Andreadis, also of Piraeus, & renamed Katina Andreadi. In 1916, the vessel was sold to Jean Saparis, of Piraeus, & renamed Caliros. Became transport 132 BSF? I read that in May 1918, the vessel was seized at Sevastopol (Crimea) by German troops, that in Nov. 1918 the vessel was transferred to the Allies, & in early 1919, the vessel was transferred to the White Russian Government, & used as naval transport Ekaterinodar. In 1920, the ship was at Bizerta, Tunisia, with the White Russian army & fleet. Possibly the vessel was 'stolen' when at Istanbul. The vessel was sold for the last time in 1922, to C. Torre, of Genoa, Italy, & renamed Esperienza. It was broken up, in Italy, in the first quarter of 1932. I am sure that the above needs correction, particularly re the period of 1919/1922. Alas my ability in Russian & knowledge of the history of that period is non-existent & the Russian text does not translate well into English. Can you correct the above or add anything? 40 Celtic Princess 3603 tons Hull 209 110585 Aurania 1899 A cargo ship. Per 1 (French page, data & image, Aurania), 2 (R. Hughes-Jones), 3 (model of Celtic Princess, 'Cambi Casa d'Aste' auction, Genoa, in Nov. 2007, p#23), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 102.2 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 335 ft. 3 in. long, speed ? knots, signal letters RFTM. Built for "Celtic Princess" Steamship Co. Ltd., of Liverpool, R. Hughes-Jones & Co., also of Liverpool, the managers (& maybe the main indirect owners). On May 15, 1900, the vessel arrived at Table Bay, South Africa, ex London - carrying supplies for the Boer War perhaps? The vessel was sold, in 1910, to 'Liugi Pittaluga Vapori', of Genoa, Italy, & renamed Aurania. On Apl. 24, 1924, while en route to Brindisi, Italy, likely from a U.K. port, the vessel was involved in a collision, as a result of which the crew abandoned ship. While I have not read the circumstances, I understand that the crew were all rescued by the Swedish ship Investiture, which vessel is, however, not referenced at Miramar. At 48.50N/5.20W. In the English Channel, close to the Channel Islands. WWW data is most limited - many references to Aurania but not to this particular one! Can you help any? An image? #1902 41 Lynalder 3223 tons Hull 206 110544 Iperia Signal Blida 1899 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Ellis Island), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 340 ft. (about 109 metres) long, speed of 10 knots. Must have carried passengers also. Built for Liver Shipping Co. Ltd. (Johnson, Sproule & Co. the managers), of Liverpool. Travelled to Dunedin, New Zealand in 1901 & an expired eBay item referenced Buenos Aires in 1909. Sold in 1911 to T. Hick & Co. Ltd. (who probably were the managers rather than the owners) & renamed Iperia. Engaged on Liverpool, Barcelona & London service. Sold in 1923 to Paulsen & Ivers, of Kiel, Germany & renamed Signal. Sold in 1928 to 'Union Maritime' & renamed Blida. Have not been able to understand who 'Union Maritime' were, a French company perhaps since Blida seems to be a name associated with Algeria. Or Moroccan maybe? There were a number of companies with most similar names. Arrived at La Spezia, Italy, on Jun. 25, 1935 to be broken up. WWW data is most limited. Can you help any? An image? 42 Matienzo 1834 tons Hull 208 110544 Begoña No. 3 Zurriola 1899 A cargo ship. Per 1 (data, image Zurriola), 2 (1960 sale, at page bottom, image Zurriola), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 84.3 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 8 knots. Built for 'Compañia Montañesa de Navegación', of Santander, Spain, (M. Piniero & Co. the manager). In 1916, the vessel was sold to 'Compañia Marítima Vizcaína, S.A.', of Bilbao, Spain, with no change of name. In 1918, the vessel was sold to 'Compañia Naviera Begoña', J. M. Urquilo the manager, & renamed Begoña No. 3. The vessel was sold again, in 1923, to 'Naviera Guipuzcoana' & renamed Zurriola. On May 22, 1936, the vessel, along with Cabo Corona & Galea, left Bilbao, Spain under the escort of HMS Royal Oak. The vessels carried Basque children being evacuated ahead of the Spanish Civil War (Jul. 17, 1936 to Apl. 1, 1939). Zurriola, it would seem, had 759 children aboard, bound for safety in Pouillac, (or Pauillac), SW France. The vessel was held there until 1938. It was sold again, in 1960, to 'Isleña Marítima', with no change of name. On May 29, 1964, the vessel arrived at Valencia, Spain, to be broken up. WWW data is most limited. I could find essentially no other references to the 759 children being evacuated & escorted by Royal Oak. Can you tell us about those events in 1936? Or otherwise add to the above. An image? 43 Ester 2967 tons Hull 221 3935 Eriksholm 1901 A cargo ship. Per 1 (data in Swedish, Ester), 2 ('uboat.net', 1918 sinking, Eriksholm), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 95.4 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular. Built for 'Angfartygs A/B Karin' ('Karin'), of Helsingborg, Sweden. In 1916, the vessel was sold to 'A/B Svenska Amerika Mexiko Linien' ('Svenska'), also of Helsingborg. Also in 1916, D. Broström became involved. But how? Did he/they acquire Svenska or Karin? In 1917, the vessel was renamed Eriksholm. On Jan. 1, 1918, while en route from Methil to Gothenburg, Sweden, with a cargo of coal, the vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by UC58, Oberleutnant zur See Karl Vesper in command. The vessel exploded & sank. It would seem that no lives were lost but I have not read how the survivors were rescued. Was hit S. of Aberdeen, Scotland, at 57.10N/1.51W. WWW data is modest. Can you provide more? 44 Amiral L'Hermite 251 tons Hull 231 1903 A cargo ship. Per 1 (ref. 70% down), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access, scroll to 1903). Registered France. An image of its launch, broadside, in 1903, is presented in 'Where Ships Are Born', a most authoritative source - & most of it is shown above & is available by thumbnail at left. George Graham names it Admiral L'Hermite, but that is, I believe, an English spelling of a French name. Was named, it would seem, after Jacques L'Hermite, a Dutch admiral (1582/1624). A Wikipedia page, in German, is available about him. Can you help with the vessel's history? 45 Rhio 2365 (later 2609) tons Hull 232 115176 Wirma Rainer 1903 A cargo ship, which was launched on Oct. 6, 1903 & completed in Nov. 1903. Per 1 (British Steam Shipping, Rhio, 1903), 2 (Wirma, many pages of images), 3 (Lloyd's Register data, Rhio, 1930/31 thru 1932/33, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'), 4 (Lloyd's Register data, Wirma, 1932/33 thru 1940/41, same source), 5 (James Smith 2017 Rhio Study), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 299.0 ft. long perpendicular to perpendicular (91.1 metres), 310.2 ft. long overall (94.5 metres), speed of 9 knots, signal letters VHJW, later OHFQ, 233 HP engines by North East Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. of Sunderland. Built for 'Orders & Handford Steamship Co. Ltd.', of Newport, Wales, with William J. Orders & Theodore Handford the vessel's managers. On Oct. 6, 1914, the vessel was requisitioned for WW1 service as a Collier Transport. I am advised that in 1919, John Cory & Sons Ltd. of Cardiff became the vessel's managers. The vessel was sold, on Jun. 9, 1932, for £2,300, to O/Y Wirma, of Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland, 'A. Wihuri' the manager, & renamed Wirma - a part of a sale of three vessels, the others being Relillio & Ladykirk. Became registered at Brändö, Finland, in 1935. And was sold again, for 11500000 FIM, on Dec. 17, 1940, to 'Lovisa Rederi Ab', of Loviisa, Finland, 'R. Nordstrom & Co.' the managers. Was renamed Rainer on Feb. 18, 1941. On Mar. 12, 1941, the vessel left Emden, Germany, for Stockholm, Sweden, with a cargo of coke. At 00:20 on Mar. 14, 1941, the vessel was bombed by a British Handley Page bomber, when NE of Norderney (East Frisian Islands off the North Sea coast of Germany). And sunk. At 53.52N/6.57E. The entire crew of 23 were rescued by Arete, a Swedish steamer, & landed at Cuxhaven, Germany. Timo Sylvänne (his website) advises (thanks so much!) that the data re the vessel's sinking is ex Helge Heikkinen's book 'Vaarallisilla vesillä', (title translates as 'On dangerous waters'), re Finnish merchant ships in WW2. Is there anything you can add? 46   Bagdale 3045 tons Hull 236 118853 1904 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Bagdale's trials, ex the Dec. 23, 1904 edition of Page's Weekly, ex 'archive.org'), 2 ('uboat.net' sinking), 3 (UC-66), 4 (data in French), 5 (link 4 WWW translated), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 336 ft. long overall, 99.2 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 10 knots, signal letters HBQK. Built for 'Thomas Smailes & Son's Steamship Co. Ltd.', of Whitby, North Yorkshire. Bagdale? An area within the city of Whitby it would seem. The vessel's trials were on Dec. 17, 1904 & the vessel then proceeded to Cardiff, Wales, to load cargo (coal perhaps?) for the River Plate. The vessel was attacked by a submarine in Oct. 1916 but survived the attack. In late Apl. 1917, the defensibly armed vessel left Glasgow, Scotland, for Nantes, France, with a cargo of 4,412 tons of steel. Henry Mennell was in command with a crew of 25 all told, which crew included, as 2nd officer, Frederick J. (James) Mennell, Henry's 23 year old son. On May 1, 1917, the vessel was sunk by a torpedo fired by UC-66, Oberleutnant zur See Herbert Pustkuchen ('Pustkuchen') in command. At 48.41N/ 5.08W, 13 miles NE of Creac'h Point, Ushant (a small rocky island in the English Channel off the coast of Brittany, near Brest, France). 23 lives were lost including both the Captain & his son. Can anybody provide detail as to what exactly happened, tell us the names of the two survivors & provide detail as to how they were saved? Pustkuchen sank 85 vessels including 3 warships during WW1, (many of which vessels were most tiny, however). He may (some doubt about it) have died when UC-66, under attack by HMT Sea King, exploded when submerged in the English Channel on Jun. 1, 1917. Bagdale's cargo was recovered, it would seem, in 1957, by 'Rostro de la Sorima'. Can you add to and/or correct the above? An image? #1842 47 Drumcliffe 4072 tons Hull 238 120874 Kelvinbank 1905 A cargo ship. Per 1 (U-69), 2 (crew names), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 374 ft. long, speed of 10 knots. Built for 'Joseph Chadwick & Son', of Liverpool. Sold in 1917 to Glasgow Steam Shipping Co., of Glasgow, (John Black & Co. the managers), renamed Kelvinbank & registered Glasgow. On Jun. 13, 1917, the vessel, en route from Liverpool & Glasgow to Archangel, Russia, with a general cargo, was torpedoed & sunk by U-69. At 60.04N/5.40W, (maybe 60.08N), 100 miles N. of Cape Wrath, the NW tip of Scotland. 16 lives were lost including the Master (Herbert J. Colley). Anything to add? 48   Refugio 2642 tons Hull 235 121632 1905 A cargo ship that was launched on May 17, 1905 & completed in Jun. 1905. Per 1 (1905 launch), 2 ('wrecksite.eu', loss of Refugio), 3 (U-57) & 4 (Carl-Siegfried Ritter von Georg, her commander), 5 ('uboat.net' sinking), 6 (sinking, find May 12, 1917), 7 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 313.0 ft. long (95.4 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 10 knots, 254 HP engines by George Clark Ltd. of Sunderland, signal letters HCRD. Refugio was built for Orders and Handford Steamship Company Limited of Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales (which company, noted for the carriage of coal, had owned an earlier vessel of the name, built in 1894). Refugio was acquired at an estimated price of £28,000. William J. (James) Orders & Theodore L. (Leopold) Handford were the vessel's managers. An aside - I read that in Nov. 1917, the partnership between Messrs Orders & Hanford was ended due to the bad health of Mr. Orders & that Mr. Handford then entered into a partnership with John Cory & Sons Ltd., noted colliers, of Cardiff, Wales. On May 12, 1917, the defensibly armed vessel was en route, in ballast, from Ardrossan, Ayrshire, Scotland, to Huelva (Andalusia, SW Spain). R. Robert may have been in command - can anybody confirm that? One life was lost - J. Gonzales. I have read many references to the vessel being in ballast but many more that state that she was carrying a cargo of coal. The vessel was  captured, shelled & sunk by German submarine U-57, Kapitänleutnant Carl-Siegfried Ritter von Georg in command. At 55.10N/11.35W, 115 miles NW1/2W of Tory Island (off the NW coast of Donegal, Ireland). Carl-Siegfried Ritter von Georg, a decorated officer, was responsible for the sinking of 57 allied ships & damaging 5 more during WW1 when in command of U-57. I read that von Georg was on a British list of war criminals for this sinking, but the case did not go to court. I have not spotted the time of day when Refugio was lost, nor how the survivors were rescued. James Smith has kindly provided this 'pdf' study of Refugio's history & indicates that the vessel was requisitioned for WW1 collier transport service on Sep. 1, 1916. Is there anything that you can add? An image? #1933 49 Karanja 1829 tons Hull 249 125620 Butetown 1907 A cargo ship. Per 1 ('uboat.net', Butetown), 2 (UB-40), 3 (Unison, & sale of Karanja), 4 (Gordon family history, 1st section), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 80.5 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 9 1/2 knots. Built, I have read, for 'R. Gordon & Co.' ('Gordon'), of London. But I suspect that Gordon was in fact the manager & that Karanja was owned by 'Unison Steam Shipping Company' ('Unison'), a company owned by 'Robert Gordon & Company' and/or 'Gordon Steam Shipping Company Ltd.'. Unison was liquidated in late 1917, at which time Karanja, then its only ship, was to be sold. And absent a buyer would be sold to 'Gordon Steam Shipping Company Ltd.' at an independently appraised value. The name 'R. Gordon & Co.' is associated with other vessels whose names start with the letter 'K' i.e. Kariba, Karma, & Karuma, all also sunk during WW1. The vessel was successfully sold, it is clear, in 1918, to Town Line (London), Ltd., of London, Harrison Sons & Co. Ltd., of Cardiff, the managers, & renamed Butetown. At 10.25 a.m. on Jan. 29, 1918, the vessel, en route from the Clyde to Portsmouth with a cargo of coal, was torpedoed & sunk by UB-40, Karl Dobberstein in command. At 50.12N/04.48W, 1 1/2 miles S. of Dodman Point, Cornwall. 2 lives were lost. Have not read the circumstances. UB-40, in its WW1 career, sank 100 ships & damaged 14 more with its 4 commanders. Many of the ships were most tiny. Anything to add?  50 Relillio 2398, later (1932/33) 2598 tons Hull 259 121639 Wilke Riita Nurminen Alppila 1909 A collier which was launched on May 20, 1909 & completed in Jun. 1909. Per 1 & 2 (data), 3 (as Relilio, 18 up from bottom), 4 (Finnish shipping record, which references Riitta Nurminen), 5 (detail data, Wilke, now without the 5 images), 6 (image, Wilke), 7 (image, Relillio builders plate), 8 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, 1930/31 thru 1932/33, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Relillio), 9 (LR data, 1932/33 thru 1945/46, Wilke, same source) 10 (image, Alppila), 11 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 290.0 ft. long (88.4  metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, later 298.8 ft. (1939/40), 300.0 ft. overall, speed of 8 knots, signal letters HPDW, later SQCF & OHFP, 237 HP engines by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. of Sunderland. Built for 'Orders & Handford Steamship Co. Ltd.', (William J. Orders & Theodore L. Handford the managers), of Newport, Wales. I read that 'Orders & Handford' traded coal out & ore back, principally to Spain but also to other continental ports & to the Baltic. Was requisitioned for WW1 service on Apl. 28, 1914. In 1916, or perhaps in 1919, the Orders & Handford fleet of 7 ships is stated to have been sold to John Cory & Sons, of Cardiff, however LR still lists 'Orders & Handford Steamship Co. Ltd.', as her owners, thru 1932/33 it would appear. With John Cory & Sons Ltd. the vessel's managers, maybe from 1919. I have read that in Nov. 1917, the partnership between Messrs Orders & Hanford was ended due to the bad health of Mr. Orders & that Mr. Handford then entered into a partnership with John Cory & Sons Ltd., noted colliers, of Cardiff. Perhaps it was the company which was sold rather than the 7 fleet vessels. The vessel was sold, on Jun. 9, 1932, for +or- £2,600, to 'Wilke OY', of Kulosaari, Helsingfors (Helsinki), Finland, 'Antti Wihuri' the manager, & renamed Wilke - a part of a sale of three vessels, the others being Rhio & Ladykirk. The vessel traded in the Baltic & in the North Sea. On Dec. 28, 1939 the vessel was sold to 'Rederi AB Ergo' ('Ergo'), whose ultimate owners were Willi Daugs & Otto Ehrich, of Germany, though Armas Villamo (or Willamo), the vessel's manager, owned a single share. I read that on Dec. 21, 1944, the Finnish Government seized the vessel because of its German ownership. Their ownership was brief, however, because on Jan. 5, 1945, 'Meriliike Oy Trading Limited', of Helsinki, became the vessel's owners, E. Suopanki the manager. On May 5, 1945, the vessel was owned? by 'Administration of Soviet Property'. Ownership reverted to Ergo, then Soviet owned, Alexei Uschanov the manager, on May 12, 1947. Thru 1954. The vessel was sold again, on Mar. 22, 1954, to 'John Nurminen Varustamot OY', of Helsinki, Polttoaine Osuuskunta the managers, & renamed Riita Nurminen. Was the vessel named after Riitta Nurminen, a Finnish author, I wonder. And sold on Sep. 7, 1957 to 'Etelä–Suomen Laiva Oy', of Helsinki, Finland, & renamed Alppila. On Oct. 17, 1957, the vessel, en route from Helsinki to Oulu (northern Finland) in ballast, grounded off Tammisaari, also known as Ekenäs, Finland. The resulting damage was repaired by 'Wärtsilä-Yhtymä Oy Crichton-Vulcan'. The vessel's final disposition is a little confused. Miramar indicates that on Oct. 24, 1960 the vessel was broken up at shipbreaking facilities of Norsk Skipsopphugnings Co. at Grimstad, Norway. But 5 indicates that on Nov. 1, 1960 the vessel was at the facilities of Christiania Spigerverk, at Oslo, Norway, further that the vessel was used as a barge at Grimstad & broken up at Sarpsborg, Norway in Jan. 1962. We thank Timo Sylvänne for his extensive data re this vessel. The ship's saloon was apparently moved to the house of Ulrik Qvale in Oslo - how interesting. James Smith has kindly provided this 'pdf' study of Relillio's history, which includes a little detail of its WW1 service as a Collier Transport. Can you add to the above or correct anything? 51 Ellerdale 3721 tons Hull 280 133657 Elle 1913 A cargo ship. Per 1 (data 50% down, hard to find), 2 (data, Elle, images), 3 (WW2 convoy SC.1, Elle), 4 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Ellerdale, 1931/32 thru 1938/39), 5 (LR data, Elle, 1938/39 thru 1940/41, same source), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 110.3 metres (350.0 ft.) long perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 9 knots, signal letters JDFN, GPLD & OFCT. Built for 'Thomas Smailes & Son's Steamship Co. Ltd.', of Whitby, (T. Smailes & Son, managers & Turnbull, Scott & Co., the chartering agents). The vessel was sold, in 1917, to 'Gordon Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.' ('Gordon'), of London, who in turn sold the vessel, in 1919, to Hindustan Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., the main ship owning arm of Common Brothers Ltd., of Newcastle. On Sep. 10, 1927, the vessel was in collision with Ijselmonde, 1381 tons, 'op de Nieuwe Waterweg t.h.v. Poortershaven', (on the New Waterway t.h.v. Poortershaven, whatever 't.h.v.' means. Why do people assume the world automatically knows what such contractions mean?), Hook of Holland. Ijselmonde was seriously damaged, sank & was scrapped. Ellerdale was sold, in 1937, to 'O/Y Wasa Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.', of Wasa (Vaasa), Finland, (NV Stoomschip Hannah ('Hannah'), of Rotterdam, the managers) & renamed Elle. But a long expired link said, (I think), that Hannah rather purchased the vessel which was managed by F. W. Uittenbogaart, of Rotterdam. (Now Frits Uittenbogaart of Rotterdam has advised the webmaster (thanks so much, Frits!) that 'O/Y Wasa Steam Shipping Co.' was owned by F. W. Uittenbogaart, as also was 'Marjanels Steam Ship Ltd.', of London. They were later united in 'Steamship Hannah N.V.' later 'Rederij Hannah N.V.'). 2 references Alex Slotte as being the vessel's manager. On Aug. 28, 1940, while a straggler in convoy SC 01, en route from Campbellton, New Brunswick, Canada, to Ardrossan, Western Scotland, with a cargo of pulpwood & lumber, the vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by U 101 & sank at 57.43N/12.18W in the N. Atlantic. 2 lives were lost - Juho Hyytiäinen & Eino Marjamaa. 27 were saved, by Leith, a British gunboat. A long expired site referenced 'Seppinnnen & Kempi O/Y' but am unaware of its significance. We thank Timo Sylvänne for his extensive data re this Finnish vessel also. Can you add anything? 52 Kongsfos 3198 (or 3222 or 3259 or 3396) tons Hull 284 Randsfjord Gertrud Wilja 1914 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Randsfjord), 2 [Randsfjord (1)], 3 (sinking & image), 4 (Norwegian America Line), 5 (Wilja but am not permitted to link to page. Enter 48 at top left & then Wilja), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 103.4 metres (339.4 ft.) long, speed of 10 1/2 knots. Built for 'Thor Thoresen Jr.', of Kristiania (Oslo), Norway. Perhaps some later ownership restructuring - see note at end of listing. In 1920 owned by 'Skibs-A/S Thor Thoresens Line', of Oslo, Norway. Sold in 1921 to 'The Norwegian America Line', (Den Norske Amerikalinje A/S) of Norway, & renamed Randsfjord. 1923 travelled Kristiania to New York via Kristiansand, Stavanger & Bergen. Sold in 1934 to 'Rederi-Ab Gertrud' (A/B Kristian Hansen O/Y, managers?), of Helsinki, Finland, & renamed Gertrud. Sold 1939 (or 1938) to 'Oy Wipu' (Antti Wihuri, managers?), of Kulossari, Finland, & renamed Wilja. On Feb. 17, 1940, while carrying tobacco, gum rosin, wheat & turpentine, & en route from Savannah, Georgia, to Rotterdam via Norfolk & Antwerp, vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by U-48 & sunk S. of Bishop Rock, (W. of Scilly Isles at 49.00N/6.33W). 27 aboard. No loss of life. Survivors picked up by Maasdam & landed at Havana, Cuba. Can you add anything? (Note: A long gone WWW page summarised the early history of the vessel, in Norwegian, as '1914: Juni: Levert som KONGSFOS for T. Thoresen jr., Kristiania. 1916: Overført til A/S Manchester (T. Thoresen jr.), Kristiania. 1918: Disp. overtatt av Thor Thoresen jr. Ltd. A/S, Kristiania. 1920: Overført til A/S Thor Thoresens Linje (Otto & Thor Thoresen A/S), Kristiania'.) 53 Rocio 3729 tons Hull 288 135798 Ioulia Nicolaou Antonis 1915 A cargo ship, a collier. Per 1 (data), 2 (data), 3 (data, 16 up from page bottom), 4 (Kormaran & data re sinking), 5 (detail re sinking, p.149), 6 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, Antonis), 7 (Wikipedia, Kormoran), 8 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). About 111 metres long, speed of 9 knots. Built for 'Orders & Handford Steamship Co. Ltd.', owned by William J. Orders & Theodore L. Handford, of Newport, Wales. I read that that company traded coal out & ore back, principally to Spain but also to other continental ports & to the Baltic. It would seem that the vessel was sold in 1916 (or maybe in 1919) to British Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. (John Cory & Sons), of Cardiff. Sold in 1933 to 'N. G. Nicolaou', of Greece, & renamed Ioulia Nicolaou. Sold in 1936 to 'Antonis G. Lemos' Sons', also of Greece, & renamed Antonis. 6 convoy references in early WW2 including one voyage across the N. Atlantic. Carrying pulp & grain in the only two convoys where cargo is indicated. Vessel left Liverpool on Dec. 16, 1940 in convoy OB-260, bound from Cardiff, Wales, to Rosario, River Plate, Argentina, with a cargo of quality coal. The convoy dispersed & Antonis, on Jan 4, 1941, on its own probably, passed the Cape Verde Islands. On Jan. 6, 1941, the vessel was intercepted by Kormoran, a German Auxilliary Cruiser, a raider (i.e. disguised as a peaceful merchant ship), SW of St. Vincent, Cape Verde Islands. Kormoran's very first 'kill' it would appear. The Antonis's crew of 28, including the Captain, & a single blind passenger, were all taken aboard Kormaran. As were 3 machine guns with their ammunition & 7 live sheep! Antonis was sunk/scuttled by timed explosive charges at 8.17N/23.32W, about 600 miles S of Cape Verde Islands) (7 says 3.0.0S/30.0.0W, it would seem incorrectly). Have not read what later happened to the crew. You can read what later happened to the sheep! Can you add more? 54 P-28 613 tons Hull 301 1916 A 'P' Class patrol frigate. Per 1 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 74.5 metres long, speed of 20 knots. Armed with a 4-inch gun forward of the bridge & depth charge throwers at the stern. Built for the Royal Navy. Sold Jul. 24, 1923 to the Richborough British Legion. I have searched, without success, for WWW references to this vessel & indeed to the vessel class. Need help with additional data. And an image? 55 Dunelm 964 (or 971) tons Hull 290 137258 Presto 1916 A collier. Per 1 ('wrecksite.eu', 1942 wreck, data), 2 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, Presto), 3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, Llanover), 4 (wreck data), 5 (sinking circumstances, Marsden, 4-113), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 61.9 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed? Built for 'Sunderland Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.', 'Freear and Dix' the managers, both of Sunderland. There was, I have read, a company named 'Freear and Dix Steam Shipping Company Limited', which company was wound up in 1916. In 1918, the vessel was sold to 'Pelton Steamship Company Ltd.' ('Pelton'), of Newcastle. I am advised that Pelton owned coal mines & also owned a fleet of colliers trading to the Thames, S. coast ports & to the Baltic, sailing mostly from the Tyne, & returning from the Baltic with a deck cargo of sawn timber & pit props. The vessel was sold, in 1934, to 'Stone & Rolfe Ltd.', of Swansea, maybe, however, owned by 'S. & R. Steamships Ltd.' 43 WW2 convoy references, all U.K. coastal. Be careful in reading 2 since it contains other vessels, & has 12 convoy duplications. On Jul. 29, 1941, Presto left St. Helen's (River Solent, I think) for Southend in convoy CE.43 & arrived with Will Everard, of 288 tons, in tow. On Mar. 15, 1942, while in convoy (which convoy?) en route from Blyth to Dover with a cargo of coal, the vessel, & other convoy vessels also, was ordered to anchor in dense fog. At anchor, Presto sounded her bells but showed no lights as she had been ordered (as also did other convoy vessels). Llanover, (a 'Bartram' built ship of 4959 tons), was in another convoy, a tiny convoy of 3 vessels (FS.750, the 2 convoys were to join up) & was also ordered to anchor. In doing so Llanover hit Presto, off Saltburn, 9 miles E. of Teesmouth. At 54.42.20N/ 00.55W, near the Heugh Lighthouse. Presto sank. I presume that there was no loss of life. Two courts held that Llanover was not at blame, but the House of Lords held Llanover to alone be at fault since she did not anchor as soon as was reasonably possible. Other charges - that Llanover had a bad look-out, went astern at an improper time, etc. The wreck is in 33 metres of water at 54.38.092N/00.53.332W, or maybe at 54.38.083N/ 00.53.341W. A puzzle is that link 2 records the vessel leaving Methil, Firth of Forth, on Nov. 2, 1942, in convoy FS.50, bound for Southend, i.e. over 7 months after she was sunk. Was the ship perhaps raised & put back into service? It would seem not. I see that a plan of the vessel is published. Need help with additional data. Another image? 56 Capelcastle 2353/3872 (N/G) tons, later 2354/3881 (N/G) tons tons Hull 291 139456 Leominster Vinocean Csárda Vinriver Britkon 1917 A cargo ship which was launched on Oct. 2, 1917 & first registered, at Newport, Wales, on Nov. 8, 1917. Per 1 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyd's Register data from 1930 thru 1945, Vinocean, Csarda & Vinriver), 2 (data & 4 images, Capelcastle), 3 ('wrecksite.eu', Britkon sinking data, image), 4 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert either Csarda or Vinriver), 5 (newspaper report re 1949 Britkon grounding), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). There used to be Hungarian links but I cannot find them any more. However images of the vessel are available from this Hungarian site by going both left & right. 360.1 ft. (109.76 metres) long perpendicular to perpendicular, 371.1 ft. (113.11 metres) long overall, single screw, speed of 8 1/2 knots, signal letters JRQM, GQFJ, HAAG, BDSR & HPRC, 341 NHP engines by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. of Sunderland. Built for Arthur Capel & Co. (South Wales) Ltd., of Cardiff, Wales but registered at Newport, Monmouthshire. As per this 1918 Mercantile Navy List ('MNL'). With William Griffiths the manager. In 1919, the vessel was sold to 'Anglo-European Steamship Coal & Pitwood Co. Ltd.', of London, with Thomas A. Blane serving as her manager. And renamed Leominster. As per MNL of 1920, still named Capelcastle there. Have also read that Anglo-European Steamships Ltd., stated to have been rather her owner, was of Hull, with J. Bell & Co., also of Hull, the managers. The vessel does not seem to be MNL listed as Leominster. In 1929, the vessel was sold to Vinships Ltd., of London, Craggs & Co. the managers, & renamed Vinocean. Per MNL of 1930. And sold again, in 1932, to 'Magyar Hajózási Részvénytársaság', i.e. Anglo-Hungarian Shipping Co. Ltd., of Budapest, Hungary, G. Barta the manager & renamed Csárda. 16 WW2 convoy references as Csarda thru Mar. 2, 1942, but many of her voyages were independent. One N. Atlantic crossing carrying phosphates but I think 3 additional independent crossings. Service to South America & to Gibraltar. The vessel was re-registered at Panama in 1941, with no change of ownership. In 1942, the vessel was acquired by Vinvessels Ltd., of London, Craggs & Co. again the managers, & renamed Vinriver. 56 WW2 convoy references as Vinriver, from Apl. 08, 1942, including (I think) a single N. Atlantic crossing carrying sugar. Also service to the Mediterranean (Malta, Augusta, Algiers, Oran etc.) & to West Africa (Dakar, Takoradi, Freetown), in Caribbean. And many U.K. coastal. I have previously indicated in this spot that in 1948, the vessel was sold for the last time, to 'Carlbom Shipping Limited', John Carlbom & Co. the manager & maybe the owner also, of Grimsby, & renamed Britkon. Must have read that somewhere. It would seem, however, that the vessel was rather sold to Woking Shipping Co. Ltd., with John Carlbom & Co. Ltd. of Hull her manager & registered at Hull. In 1949, the vessel carried spruce timber from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Cardiff, Wales. In late Nov. 1949, Britkon was en route from Köping & Oskarshamn, both Sweden, to the Tyne with a cargo of pit props, & was at Oskarshamn to complete its load. Captain Sooman was in command with a crew of 38 all told. On Nov. 27, 1949, in a gale, the vessel was driven aground by high winds on Finnrevet reef, just E. of Furö Island, off the Furön Pilot Station at Oskarshamn, in southern Sweden. The whole crew abandoned the ship. 11 of the crew, including three women, made it to shore in a lifeboat. The other 27, including the Captain, stayed aboard a motor boat for some hours, lying in protected waters close to Britkon. The crew was, I read, saved due to the gallantry of a Swedish tug & by the Furön pilot boat & personnel. Roy Sjöberg of Oskarshamn advises me (thanks Roy!) that the gallant Swedish tug was, in fact, Nalle, of Oskarshamn. An image of the tug is at left, also thanks to Roy. Glad to know that. On Dec. 10 or 11, 1949, the vessel broke in two. The vessel was cut into pieces for scrap over the next couple of years. Crew lists thru 1929 are available here. Can you help with additional data? And/or larger images? 57 Notanda 3338 (later 3318) tons Hull 293 142321 Toran 1918 A cargo ship. Per 1 (vessel's history data in Norwegian, image), 2 (data, Toran), 3 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyd's Register data from 1930, Toran), 4 ('wrecksite.eu', Toran image), 5 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Toran. But beware! Only 4 of the 19 convoys there referenced are re this ship), 6 (Sealion), 7 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 103.6 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 340.7 ft., single screw, speed of 9 knots, signal letters JSMC, LHVJ & LDIW but 1 references WQCV also. Built for Gordon Steam Shipping Co., of London, which company was related to 'Unison Steam Shipping Company', which I had thought was liquidated in late 1917. In 1919, the vessel was sold to 'Morgan & Cadogan Limited', of Cardiff, Wales, & maybe of London too, with no change of vessel name. In 1926, the vessel was sold again, to 'British Dominions Steamship Company Limited', of London, 'Smith, Pritchard & Co.' the managers, again with no change of vessel name. In 1929, the vessel was sold to 'A/S Chr. Christensens Rederi', of Oslo, Norway, 'Chr. Christensen' the manager, & renamed Toran. 4 WW2 convoy references as Toran, all to & from Norwegian waters in Feb. or Mar. 1940. On Aug. 4, 1940, when en route from Oslo to Thameshaven (N. bank of Thames Estuary, near Thurrock, Essex) in ballast, with 30 aboard all told, the vessel was sunk, off Homborsund, SE Norway, by a torpedo fired by HMS Sealion, a Royal Navy S Class submarine, Commander B. (Benjamin) Bryant, in command. At 58.17N/8.38E. 3 lives were lost, their names are available at 2. How were the other 27 rescued? There are many WWW references to the sinking but none properly explain what happened. Was Toran then under German control or was the sinking just an awful mistake, as it looks to be? Can you help with additional data? And/or more images? #1841 58 Aymeric 5196 tons Hull 307 141902 laid down & launched as War Nemesia 1919 An 'A' type or maybe 'F' class cargo ship. Per 1 [Andrew Weir & Co., Bank Line, Aymeric (2)], 2 (report of launch), 3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, Aymeric), 4 ('uboat.net', 1943 sinking, Aymeric), 5 ('wrecksite.eu', sinking, data & image), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 122.0 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 421 ft. 6 in., speed of 11 (or 12) knots. Laid down & launched as War Nemesia for the Shipping Controller, London, Woods, Tyler & Brown, the managers, for WW1 service. But delivered as Aymeric to Andrew Weir & Co.'s 'Bank Line Limited', of London. At the beginning of WW2 the vessel was at Sydney, Australia & returned to the U.K. via Colombo, Ceylon, & Suez. 52 WW2 convoy references, including 3 N. Atlantic crossings, returning with, respectively on those voyages, grain, phosphates & iron ore. Service to W. Africa (Dakar, Takoradi, Freetown) & many U.K. coastal voyages. The vessel was independent in the Indian Ocean (Durban, Singapore, Colombo, Aden, Cape Town), from Nov. 1941 to Apl. 1942. Its W. bound Atlantic voyages, (ex ONS-7), were all independent including to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, & Montreal, Canada. On May 7, 1943, the vessel left Liverpool in convoy ONS-7, bound for New York via Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - in ballast, under the command of Sidney Morris. With 79 aboard all told, incl. 7 gunners. At 2.37 a.m. on May 17, 1943, when E. of the S. tip of Greenland, the vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by U-657, Korvettenkapitän Heinrich Göllnitz in command. At 59.42N/41.39W, E. of Cape Farewell. 52 crew members & a gunner were lost. The 25 survivors, including the master, were picked up by convoy rescue ship Copeland & escort ship HMS Northern Wave, a British armed trawler, & landed at Halifax on May 25, 1943. U-657 was itself sunk, off Cape Farewell, with the loss of all 47 aboard, on May 17, 1943 - sunk by depth charges from HMS Swale. Can you help with additional data? 59 Barracoo 5234 (or 5306) tons Hull 310 143914 Michalakis Kusuyama Maru 1919 A 'B' type cargo ship. Per 1 (Elder Dempster, African Steam Ship Company, ref. Barracoo), 2 (Ivory Coast), 3 (data & wreck site), 4 ('pdf' history, Elder Dempster), 5 (image, Barracoo), 6 (Tunny), 7 (1942, 3rd item), 8 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 122.0 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 400 ft. 3 in. or 413 ft. overall, speed of 11 knots. Built for Elder Dempster & Company Limited ('Elder') but owned by African Steamship Company Ltd., of Liverpool & London, which company was managed & probably owned by Elder. The vessel was active on the W. & S.W. coasts of Africa & had the contract to carry mail from U.K. to W. Africa. On Apl. 6, 1923, the vessel was in ballast in the Craighill Channel, Chesapeake Bay, approaching Baltimore, Maryland, to pick up a cargo of coal. It was in collision with Nordhvalen, outbound with a cargo of coal, which vessel would seem to have been entirely at fault, sank, & was 'almost a total loss'. Barracoo was also seriously damaged. That data from 'snippets' in Google books. It would seem that Nordhvalen was, in fact, a total loss. In 1933, the vessel was sold to 'N. Eustathiou & Co.', of Syra, (an island in the Cyclades), Greece, (or maybe of Piraeus) & renamed Michalakis. In 1939, the vessel was sold to 'Yamashita Kisen K.K.', (possibly Yamasita), of Kobe, Japan, & renamed Kusuyama Maru. It would seem that on Jan. 1, 1942, the vessel was hit by 2 torpedoes & 5 shells, caught fire, but survived the encounter. On Feb. 9, 1943, the vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by USS Tunny (SS-282), & sank. At 22.40N/119.03E. Off the SW coast of Formosa. Was she in convoy? What was her cargo? Was there loss of life? Where is or was Barracoo, after which the vessel was likely named? S. Africa somewhere? Can you help with additional data? 60 Eirini Kyriakides 3781 tons Hull 315 1922 A cargo ship. Per 1 (sinking, 'Friday, June 13'), 2 (1941 cargo & route), 3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, Eirini Kyriakides), 4 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 109.8 metres (360.1 ft.) long perpendicular to perpendicular. Built for N. G. Kyriakides, (possibly N. G. Kyriakides Shipping Co. Ltd.), of Piraeus, (or maybe Andros), Greece. That company seems, later maybe, to have been London based. 6 WW2 convoy references only, in the period of Mar. 1940 thru Mar. 1941, including at least 1 N. Atlantic crossing. On Jun. 13, 1941, the vessel was owned by the heirs of the late N. G. Kyriaides. En route from Lourenço Marques, Mozambique (now Maputo), to Ardrossan, Scotland, via Freetown, Sierra Leone, with iron ore, & in Convoy SL-75, the vessel was sunk by a torpedo fired by Italian submarine Brin. The submarine made 3 attacks & sank 2 vessels. At 38.53N/23.11W. 127 miles NE of Sao Miguel Island, Azores. The entire crew of 31 was lost. 3 seems not to refer to convoy SL-75, however. I am not permitted to see the vessel's independent voyages. Need help with additional data. And another image? 61 Ellaston 3708 tons Hull 314 146301 Rita Garcia 1922 A cargo ship. Per 1 (data, Rita Garcia, near page bottom), 2 (Spanish page, data & image, Rita Garcia, 30% down), 3 (data), 4 (1937 Admiralty Court case), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 105.8 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 359 ft. 2 in., speed of 8 or 9 1/2 knots. Built for 'Ellaston Steamship Co. Ltd.' ('Ellaston'), W. S. Miller & Co., of Glasgow, the managers. Ellaston would seem to have operated a fleet of colliers, & this vessel, it appears, was the 3rd of 4 fleet vessels of the name. In 1930, the vessel was sold to 'Francisco Garcia', or maybe 'Francisco Garcia Fernandez', of Santander & Bilbao, Spain, & renamed Rita Garcia. On Oct. 20, 1936, while being repaired at Bilbao, Spain, the vessel was commandeered by the Republican Government of Spain, & served them for 18 months, during the Spanish Civil War (Jul. 17, 1936/Apl. 1, 1939) under a new Master. It would seem that the owner issued a writ re her recovery on Sep. 4, 1937, & the vessel was accordingly 'arrested' at Immingham Dock, Grimsby, pursuant to that writ. The writ was not, however, successful at Admiralty Court, whose decision was issued on Nov. 22, 1937. However, the vessel's Spanish crew would seem to have been overpowered by 12 fascists of Limehouse & Bethnal Green in East London. The vessel was towed out to sea by a tug, & then sailed to Hamburg, Germany, under the Falangist flag, where the vessel was handed over to General Franco's agent. Hence, I guess, early in 1938, 'recovered by the owner' & operated in the Nationalist cause. Have not read about her service in WW2. Johann Siegfried Becker, a Nazi spy, was aboard the ship, at Segunto, Spain, in Dec. 1942. He 'sneaked ashore' at Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Jan. 3, 1943 & served the Nazi cause from South America. In 1948, the vessel became owned by 'Francisco Garcia S.A.', with Francisco Garcia the manager. On Jan. 18, 1969 the vessel arrived at Cartagena, Spain, to be broken up. After a long life in turbulent times. Can you add anything? Another image? 62 Scoresby 3843 tons Hull 316 137083 1923 A cargo ship. Per 1 ('Wikipedia', Scoresby), 2 ('uboat.net', Scoresby, sinking & image), 3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Scoresby), 4 & 5 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyd's Register data, Scoresby, for years 1930/31 thru 1940/41), 6 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). A Robert Lloyd painting of the ship is, I read, featured in 'The World's Merchant ships: images and impressions', published in 2005. 109.8 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 360 ft. 1 in., speed of 8 1/2 knots, signal letters KNMD later GFZN. Built for 'Rowland & Marwood's Steamship Co. Ltd.' ('Rowland'), of Whitby, North Yorkshire, Headlam & Sons the managers. William Headlam was the sole managing director of Rowland & surely was its owner. The vessel completed 3 N. Atlantic crossings, the first of which, travelling independently, was from South America (Montevideo) in Oct/Nov 1939, returning via Freetown, Sierra Leone. 13 WW2 convoy references, including 2 successful N. Atlantic crossings, ex Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, one with sugar & the other with pit props. U.K. coastal voyages also. On Oct. 5, 1940, the vessel left Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, for the River Clyde in convoy SC-7, on its 4th eastbound crossing, with Lawrence Z. (Zebedee) Weatherill in command (he was also vice commodore of the convoy). Carrying 1685 fathoms (a fathom is 6 cubic feet of timber) of pit props ex Francis Harbour, Labrador, & Corner Brook, Newfoundland, & a crew of 39 all told. At 5:53 a.m. on Oct. 17, 1940, the convoy was attacked by U-48, Korvettenkapitän Heinrich Bleichrodt in command, & Scoresby was hit by a single torpedo & sunk, as also happened to Languedoc. At 59.14N/17.51W, due south of Iceland, about 160 miles NW of Rockall. The entire Scoresby crew were picked up by HMS Bluebell, & on Oct. 20, 1940 they were landed at Gourock, Scotland. Can you add any additional data? Another image? 63 Dunsley 3862 tons Hull 336 161013 Locarno 1929 A cargo ship which suffered many adversities in its lifetime. Per 1 ('uboat.net', 1940 attack, Dunsley), 2 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Dunsley), 3 (20/01/1946), 4 (image, Locarno, aground at Rapallo, but you must be registered to access it), 5 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 109.8 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 360 ft. 2 in., speed of 9 (or 10) knots. The vessel suffered a mishap even before she was completed - while being returned to the fitting out dock. But ... I have not been able to read any detail, just a data 'snippet'. Can anyone tell us what happened? Dunsley? A North Yorkshire village, located close to Whitby. Built for 'Headlam & Son's Steamship Co. Ltd.', of Whitby, Headlam & Sons, the managers. 139 WW2 convoy references including at least 12 N. Atlantic crossings, carrying such varied cargoes as pit props, grain or flour, sugar, paper, steel. Also many coastal voyages in both eastern Canada & in the U.K., including many voyages to & from Wabana, Newfoundland, then noted for its iron ore mines. On Dec. 2, 1940, the vessel was approaching Ireland from the west, a straggler in Convoy HX-90, en route from Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada, to Immingham, near Grimsby, with a cargo of pit props (or maybe of steel & timber). At 6:06 a.m., the vessel was hit by gunfire from the surfaced U-47, Korvettenkapitän Günther Prien in command. At 54.41N/18.41W, about 500 miles W. of Northern Ireland. The deck cargo caught fire & the vessel suffered damage to its plating, derricks & masts. U-47 broke off the attack, the fire was extinguished & the vessel made it safely to port (which one I wonder?). In 1945?, the vessel was in collision in the Atlantic, off the NW coast of Scotland, with Ellerman Line's City of Glasgow. Dunsley was astern of City of Glasgow in the same convoy column headed west when City of Glasgow turned sharply to port. The stem of Dunsley hit the port side of City of Glasgow. A court case resulted, but I am unable to advise of the court's conclusion. I have not yet figured out which convoy that was. And when exactly it was. No convoy recorded at 2 seems to match. On Jan. 20, 1946, the vessel, en route from Leith, Scotland, to the Tees, ran aground in dense fog on East Scar, a rocky ledge off Redcar, near Cleveland & the mouth of the Tees, & was driven stern first onto Stokesley Scar with her bows in the sand. The local lifeboat offered assistance but the crew twice refused to be evacuated. The vessel was later refloated with the help of tugs, repaired & I read that it was then sold. It was? In 1954, the vessel was sold to 'S. Tuillier', possibly of Lugano, Switzerland, & renamed Locarno. It is likely, however, that 'S. Tuillier' was the vessel's manager & the vessel was owned by another company, possibly Cia. de Nav. Aguila, of San Juan, Costa Rica. The vessel was registered at Costa Rica. I read that a month after she was sold, she loaded ore, likely copper or cobalt ore, at Águilas, Spain, & was driven ashore in heavy weather leaving the port. The vessel suffered considerable damage, was towed to Gibraltar, & repaired. Became Panama registered. On Jan. 3, 1961, the vessel, en route from Genoa to Portiglione, both Italy, ran aground at Rapallo, near Genoa. The vessel was refloated, but declared a constructive total loss. It was sold to Italian ship breakers & 'limped', (presumably that means under her own power?), into La Spezia, Italy, on Feb. 15, 1961, to be broken up. Much of the above is derived from incomplete WWW references & data 'snippets' & the text surely needs correction. Can you correct the above, and/or otherwise provide additional data? 64 Sando 2923 (or 2895) tons Hull 335 522826 Athen Nanceen Massalia 1929 A cargo ship. Per 1 (Compagnie des Bateaux à Vapeur du Nord), 2 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, Nanceen), 3 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 106.0 metres long overall, 100.7 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, 347 ft. 10 in., speed of 11 (or 10 1/2) knots. Built for 'Henrik Østervold & Co. AS', of Bergen, Norway. The vessel was sold, in 1931, to 'Boe & Pedersen' of Oslo, Norway, & renamed Athen. It was sold again, in 1936, to 'Compagnie des Bateaux à Vapeur du Nord', of Dunkirk, France, which company would seem to have served Algeria, & was renamed Nanceen. Not the first fleet vessel of the name perhaps. 57 WW2 convoy references including at least 5 N. Atlantic crossings, & service to Mediterranean (Port Said, Oran, Casablanca), Caribbean (Guantanamo) & U.K. coastal. In 1951, the vessel was sold to 'Franco-Tunisienne' (which I think means 'Société Franco-Tunisienne d'Armement', likely of Marseilles, France, since Massalia was the early name for Marseilles) & renamed Massalia. It would seem that there was a court case, in or about 1961, involving Massalia, but while I have seen many references to the case I have not been able to read the detail. In Aug. 1965, the vessel arrived at Portovenere, La Spezia, Italy, to be broken up. Can you help with data about the vessel? 65 Harmonic 4558 tons Hull 339 161490 1930 A cargo ship. Per 1 (which may relate 75% down. 'At the start of 1934 ....'), 2 (Miramar, link, you now must be registered to access). 395 ft. 6 inches long. Limited WWW data other than the 'Echo' article. Built for J. and C. Harrison's 'National Line' & used in trade to South America (River Plate) - coal in one direction (along with occasional locomotives or other rolling stock lashed on deck for use by British-owned Central Argentine Railways) & grain coming back. In early 1934, Harmonic may have been in collision, in dense fog, with Kilrea while en route from Barry (Cardiff) to Rio de Janiero with a cargo of coal. Harmonic stern badly damaged. On Jul. 15, 1943, en route from Buenos Aires to U.K. with a cargo of linseed oil, the vessel was torpedoed & sunk. 47 aboard. One crewman died. The 'Echo' article related to a model of the vessel, which model was presumably sold at auction in May 2006. Can you help with data about the vessel & about the shipping line? The National Line, which went into liquidation in 1914, clearly does not relate. THOMPSON & TEASDALE E. T. THOMPSON & J. TEASDALE The webmaster's knowledge about this modest shipbuilder is non-existent. A list of Sunderland built ships, available to the webmaster, lists just 4 vessels built by the shipbuilder, a single vessel in 1840 & three in 1841. I have read there were three partners in 1841 - Thos. Thompson, Ed. Thompson, & J. Teasdale. 1   Northam 221/222 tons 1840 A brig or snow. The vessel, which was launched in Oct. 1840, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1842/43 thru 1848/49 & not thereafter. Thoughout such period the vessel was owned, per LR, by 'Twynams' of Southampton, Hampshire, for service ex Southampton thru 1844/45, & from Southampton to Sunderland from 1845/46 thru 1847/48. With 'Harrison' LR noted to be Northam's captain thru 1845/46 & J. Mann from 1845/46 thru 1848/49. Now LR of 1848/49 has limited detail which suggests that the vessel could then have been either lost or sold. It clearly was sold. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848 records the vessel, in Jul. 1848, as now Newcastle registered & owned by Wright Brothers & Co. of South Shields. The webmaster first listed this vessel having seen, in a U.K. Government report, that Northam was wrecked at Hartlepool on Oct. 28, 1852. At line 2098 here, the vessel there noted to be owned by Robert Wright. Look at all the vessels that were casualties at the end of Oct. 1852! A more detailed list of 1852 vessel losses was also Government published - you can read the page that relates to Northam here ex here. It states that the vessel, en route from Newcastle to London with a cargo of coal, was driven onto Longscar Rocks through stress of weather & became completely wrecked. 'Lambell' is there noted to have been the 240 ton vessel's captain at the time of the loss. Two Northam crew members lost their lives, the seven survivors being saved by the Seaton lifeboat. The Longscar Rocks are, I read, notorious & treacherous rocks that have claimed shipping victims for centuries - located in Hartlepool Bay, part of a reef that extends far out into the North Sea. It seems clear that the U.K. NE coast had been hit by major gales in late Oct. 1852. Many vessels were driven ashore up & down the coast. Indeed Wensleydale, built at Sunderland in 1836, was also driven ashore onto the Longscar Rocks. You will find that this contemporary report well describes the effects of the storm in the area. It references the loss of Northam with two lives lost. Even better is this extensive report of the many shipping losses (Northam in blue). The vessel's loss was also noted in these 'The Lifeboat' pages. Is there anything you can add or correct? #2444 2   Alexander 123, later 230 & 212 tons 699 1841 A brig or snow. The record for this vessel is unusual - in the words used to describe it & in its changing tonnage. Alexander, which was launched in May 1841, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') recorded from 1841/42 thru 1857/58 &, even though the vessel survived thru 1870, not thereafter. Thru 1844/45, the vessel was LR recorded as a 123 ton snow, owned by A. Scott of Newcastle for service from Sunderland to Riga, Latvia. Described as being 'very slightly built', words I have not spotted before re any vessel listing. With R. Irvine serving as the vessel's captain. From 1845/46, the vessel is listed at 230 tons, owned by Taylor & Co. of Hartlepool, thru 1849/50, for service from Hartlepool to London, thru 1847/48 & from Hull to the Baltic in 1848/49 & 1849/50. With 'Burnicle' per LR, her captain. However, the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9 records the 230 ton Hartlepool registered Alexander in May 1848 as owned by Richard Watkins of Hartlepool & Thos. & Chris Watkins of London - names not LR referenced. From 1850/51 thru 1857/58 Alexander was owned, per LR, by Mills & Co. of Whitby. First registered, at Whitby, on Sep. 29, 1849, I read (scroll to #699). The proposed voyage data reported by LR is fragmentary - for service from Whitby to the Tees in 1850/51, as a Stockton coaster in 1851/52 & 1852/53 & as a Hartlepool coaster in 1855/56. With J. Mills, per TR, always her captain. Such owner names, i.e. 'Mills', are confirmed by many contemporary shipping registers. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/55, in 1853 data, lists the vessel as Whitby registered & owned by Isaac & John Mills and Wm. Levitt, all of Robin Hood's Bay ('RHB'), Yorkshire, & William Ranfield of Harwich, Essex. With John Mills her captain. Turnbull's Shipping Registers of both 1855 & 1856 refer, in 1855 data, to essentially the same names but refers to J. & J. Mills rather than I. & J. Mills. Christie's Shipping Register of 1858, however, lists Isaac & John Mills, William Levitt & William Ranfield, as her then owners, all of Harwich, at least as there reported. A little operational history. On Sep. 18, 1856, Alexander left Hartlepool for Gothenburg, Sweden, with a cargo of coal. En route, at 55N/1E, the vessel was struck by a heavy sea & became partially disabled & leaky. The vessel was able to reach the U.K. coast & making much water, arrived at Grimsby, Lincolnshire, on Sep. 21, 1856. William Pearson was her master at the time. As per these references (1 & 2). In the absence of later LR data, the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') comes to our rescue. From 1857, MNL reports the vessel as Whitby registered with, from 1865 thru 1870 Isaac Mills, of RHB, as her (maybe managing) owner. This page tells us that in 1861 the shares in the vessel were owned as follows:- Isaac Mills, 32, Jn. Mills, 16, Will. Levitt, a Master Mariner, 16. Signal letters HDVN. Some crew lists are available here. The vessel was lost in 1870 but the available data initially seemed confused. On either Mar. 3, 1870 (per line 95 here), or on Apl. 3, 1870 (per line 145 on the same page), the brig, noted to be of 212 tons, was involved in a collision & sank at Heligoland (North Sea, 29 miles off the mouth of the Elbe River), while en route from Hartlepool to Hamburg with a cargo of coal. No collision detail is there provided. Crew of 7 or 8 - none lost. The vessel was stated to then be owned by Isaac Mills. Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that the loss, in fact occurred on Apl. 3, 1870, further that Alexander was in collision with Ino, of flag unknown. This contemporary newspaper article, from an Apl. 4, 1870 report from Bremen, Germany, tells us that Ino, was of North German registry & was en route from Bremen to Trinidad. Considerably damaged in the collision, Ino put back to Bremen, presumably to effect repairs.. Is there anything additional that you can add? Or correct? #2502 T. & B. TIFFIN (1810-1857) THOMAS TIFFIN THOMAS & BENJAMIN TIFFIN Little more than a name and some dates today. There is, I learn, a reference to the builder in an 1892 book entitled 'Sunderland: A History of the Town, Port, Trade and Commerce', written by Taylor Potts. Available here as a 'Google' book, the text re Thomas Tiffin can be read below & seen in its original form here. THOMAS TIFFIN Built on the yard at the east of the Pottery Bank and to the east of Thornhill's wharf, launching the ships across the road and over the caunch; he lived in a double  three storied house, which had large round pillars on each side of the doorway. The house stood, and still stands, below the Pottery Buildings on the north, and on the east side of the bank; the large gates at the entrance of the yard at the upper end were next to the house. Young Tom said: "I was born in that house in 1800, and my father built in that yard years before I was born."      Old Mr. Tiffin used to boast that he bought the first parcel of American elm (about 16 loads) ever brought into the port, i.e. in 1818, when the low yard was at work.      In 1819 the business was removed to a yard in the Rack, a little to the east of the Ayre's Quay Bottle Company's works, afterwards to the yard at the Sheepfolds. His sons, Tom and Ben, carried on the business after their father retired, in a yard purchased from the Dean and Chapter in 1836, on the north side of the Rack below Raven's Wheel, and to the south-west of the colliery.      In 1819 Mr. Tiffin removed to a house in Queen Street, with its back to Pewterer's Lane; between the house and the lane there was a garden where flowers and apple trees grew and blossomed. He afterwards removed to a new house in Tavistock Place (then considered a grand part of the town), where he died on January 16th, 1855, aged eighty-eight years; his son Tom died May 9th, 1884, aged eighty-four years. So far as I can see, shipbuilders named 'Tiffin' built 76 vessels at Sunderland in the period from 1810 to 1857. A list of 21 of such vessels for which some additional data is available on site is here, with links to on site data about each vessel. A best efforts listing of the other 55 vessels is here. The overall list may well, in the future, need to be modified. Built by Thomas Tiffin. 1   Clyde 190 tons 2647 1818 Built by T. Tiffin, a snow or brig that had a long life - thru to 1856. Clyde is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1817/18 thru 1838/39, then an LR 'gap' of two years, & from 1841/42 thru 1845/46 & not thereafter. The LR data in the early years is confusing. It would seem that Tiffin (also LR recorded (1820/21) as T. Tiffon) owned the vessel in 1820/21. LR, however, reports that T. Steffens was the vessel's owner from 1817/18 thru 1819/20 - a name which to the webmaster looks doubtful - too close to T. Tiffin. For service in that short period from Sunderland to London, ex London, & from Exmouth, Devon, to Sunderland in one of the LR editions of 1820/21. With R. Dunn, per LR, her captain thru 1819/20 & J. Scott from 1819/20 thru 1820/21, indeed thru to 1823/24 under new owners. From 1821/22 thru 1824/25, per LR, Heatley & Co., of city unknown, owned Clyde for service ex Lynn thru 1823/24 & from Plymouth, Devon, to Wales in 1824/25. During 1823/24, 'Stevenson' per LR became the vessel's captain replacing J. Scott. From 1825/26 thru 1832/33, Kirtly & Co. is LR named as the vessel's owner, with 'Stevenson' always her captain, for service i) as an Exmouth coaster in 1825/26 & from 1829/30 thru 1831/32, ii) as a Lynn, Norfolk, coaster from 1826/27 thru 1828/29 & iii) as a Cowes, Isle of Wight, coaster in 1832/33. This page effectively tells us that 'Kirtly & Co.' was of Sunderland, at least in 1826 - then Clyde is stated to have been registered at Sunderland & owned by 'Kirtley & Rowe' with 'T. Stephenson' her then captain. The webmaster does not know who owned Clyde from 1834 thru 1840/41. The vessel is not listed in LRs of 1839/40 & 1840/41. While LRs from 1834 thru 1838/39 state only that the 191 ton vessel was Sunderland registered with 'Stevenson' her captain - i.e. no owner name, no date & place of build, no routing etc. LRs from 1841/42 thru 1845/46 record that 'Douglas' of Sunderland was Clyde's owner with 'Andrews' her captain. For service from Sunderland to London. LR does not list the vessel after 1845/46 but we know that in Apl. 1848 at least, Martin Douglas, Jun., of Sunderland, owned the vessel, per the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9. The vessel's final owners, certainly from Mar. 1854 at least, were Geo. Walton & John Elliott, both of Sunderland. As per the North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5, which notes that Geo. Walton was the vessel's then captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1856 confirms such data, while TR of 1855 spells out Walton's first name as being George. What finally happened to Clyde & when? Lloyd's List reported that on Nov. 15, 1856 the vessel, loaded with coal, was on shore south of the harbour at Sunderland. I learn that Clyde, George Walton in command, was leaving for London when it became leaky. In attempting to return to the harbour, the vessel was driven onto the beach behind the south pier. It must have been stormy at the time - the crew were brought ashore by rocket apparatus. On Nov. 17, 1856 it was reported that all of her rigging, except the lower shrouds & stays, had been landed & that the cargo would have to be discharged before she could be got off. She was still aground on Nov. 19, 1856. The webmaster has not read what later happened but notes that the Mercantile Navy List reports (scroll to #2647) that Clyde had been lost as per a certificate dated Dec. 03, 1856. I presume, therefore, that the vessel had been damaged beyond repair. George Walton filed a deposition re the grounding on Nov. 17, 1856. Some contemporary news reports - 1 & 2 (both in red). Is there anything you can add to the above account? Or correct? #2852 2   Ocean 230 later 222 tons   1832 A brig or snow. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1834 (the applicable page in the 1833 edition is missing) thru 1848/49, ex 1845/46. It was owned, really for its entire lifetime, by Dodd or Dodds - J. Dodds of Newcastle then of South Shields thru 1840/41, then Dodds & Co. of South Shields thru 1847/48, then Bell & Co. of North Shields. J. Dodds was, per LR, the vessel's captain until part way thru 1839/40. For service from London to Archangel, Russia, thru 1838/39, then ex Shields - i) to the Baltic in 1839/40, ii) to Archangel again from 1840/41 thru 1844/45, iii) to London in 1846/47. In 1848/49 service from Newcastle to Holland is referenced. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Jul. 1848 data, lists the vessel, then a snow of 222 tons, as registered at Newcastle & owned by R. Bell & Jane Dodd, both of North Shields. LR of 1848/49 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. Can you tell us what happened to the vessel or otherwise add anything additional? #1960 3   Louisa Munro 300 tons 1238 1835 A barque. The vessel, per this newspaper cutting, was launched in Feb. 1835. Louisa Munro is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1834/35 thru 1857/58 with the exception of 1855/56. Owned thru 1837/38 by J. C. Munro of Sunderland for service from Sunderland to America. The vessel's captain throughout such period of ownership was J. Munro. On Jun. 26, 1835, the vessel arrived at Quebec, Canada, ex Sunderland. From 1838/39 thru 1850/51 at least, Finlay (or a different spelling of the name) of London was recorded as the vessel's owner. Initially for service from London to Mauritius, soon Liverpool to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from London to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) & ex London. The owner's name was recorded as Findlay from 1840/41 & as T. Finlay in both 1849/50 & 1850/51 where service from Liverpool to the Mediterranean is referenced. On Jun. 07, 1845, Louisa Munro left Colombo, Ceylon, for London but returned to port since Captain T. H. Pritchard was sick. Captain Pritchard died on Jun. 13, 1845. No owner name is LR recorded from 1851/52 thru 1854/55. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of Mar. 1854, lists Wm. Coltart & James Laidlaw Cross, both of Liverpool, as the vessel's then owners, with Dl. Crerar the vessel's then captain. In LR of 1856/57, J. Cross of Liverpool is listed as the vessel's owner for service from Falmouth to the Mediterranean. What finally happened to Louisa Munro? In early Dec. 1856, the vessel, Captain Richardson in command, was approaching the U.K., en route from Malta to Cardiff, Wales. The vessel ran into bad weather, a terrific gale. On Dec. 06, 1856, the vessel was lost on Menlow Sands (correctly should read Marloes Sands, located on a peninsular W. of Milford). Captain Richardson, the ship's mate & 7 crew members were drowned while 4 crew members were saved. As per this contemporary newspaper article. A watercolour painting of the vessel exists, it would seem (click on 'More'). Since the above was first listed, the webmaster has learned new details about these sad events. In large part due to an account provided by John Henry Burn, the vessel's boatswain, one of the 4 who survived the disaster. On Sep. 27, 1856, the vessel had arrived at Malta ex Kamiesch (Crimea, Black Sea, Ukraine), under the command of Captain Richardson - Captain Sigismund Richardson, I now read. Louisa Munro then left Malta on Nov. 03, 1856, for Cardiff, Wales, in ballast. All went well until Dec. 06, 1856, when, approaching the Welsh coast, a massive gale developed with giant seas & high winds. A gale described, I have read, as one of the longest and most severe gales to ever have swept Milford Haven. At 3.30 p.m. that day, they spotted a lighthouse about 3 miles away, but could not determine which lighthouse it was. It proved to be the St. Ann's Lighthouse, at the entrance to Milford Haven. At 4 p.m. a tremendous sea struck the vessel amidships, causing the ballast to shift & forcing the vessel onto her beam ends. Louisa Munro became quite uncontrollable. Later seas caused her to lose both her main & mizen masts. At 6.30 p.m. or maybe at 7 o'clock, the vessel struck ground at a spot about 2 miles N. of St. Ann's Lightgouse. The vessel's crew tried to find safety wherever they could around the ship. Which soon broke in two causing many crew members including 'Burn' & the Captain to be swept into the raging seas. Only four of them made it the 300 or so yards to shore through the pounding surf. The ship - what was left of it - soon broke up with pieces of it scattered quite everywhere. Do, via the links that follow, read boatswain 'Burns' own words describing these events. Some additional contemporary news reports - 1, 2 & 3. Can you add anything? Or correct the above in any way? #1961 Built by Thomas Tiffin jun. & Benjamin Tiffin 1   Concord 276/287, later 269 tons 34804 1840 A snow, later a brig. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1840/41 thru 1869/70 & not thereafter. Was owned, thru 1850/51, by T. Shotton of Newcastle (but from 1846/47 of North Shields). For some varied service - from Shields to France, from Liverpool to Constantinople (now Istanbul) & to Icheboe (a tiny island then noted for its penguin guano, located off the W. coast of Namibia), from Shields to the Mediterranean, to Odessa (Black Sea, Ukraine) & to Barcelona, Spain. In 1851/52, G. Shotton of North Shields was her owner for service from Shields to the Mediterranean. From 1853/54, Kirkwood of Sunderland owned the vessel for service from Sunderland to the Baltic. Only for a short time, however. In 1855/56, Gallon & Co. of Shields became the vessel's owner, thru 1860/61 it would appear, for service ex Shields to America, to London & to the Baltic. Turnbull's Register of 1856 lists W. & T. Gallon & J. Firbank, both of South Shields, as her then owners. Which owner names Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 clarifies as meaning William & Thomas Gallon & John Firbank. Became of 269 tons in 1859/60. From 1862/63 thru 1869/70, LR records Proctor & Co., of Hartlepool, as the vessel's owner for service as a Hartlepool coaster. J. Proctor per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1867. The MNL of 1870, however, lists John McDowall, of Hartlepool, as her then owner. 91.0 ft. long, signal letters RMBG. On Oct. 2, 1872, per line 2607 here, the 269 ton brig foundered near Spurn (a sand spit at the mouth of the Humber river), while en route from Sutton Bridge (Lincolnshire, near The Wash) to Lubeck, Germany, with a cargo of coal. Crew of 8 - none lost. Then stated to be owned by John McDowall. Can anybody add anything? #1962 2   Myra 284/303 tons 14134 1848 A snow. Myra, which was launched in Nov. 1848, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1856/57 only. It was, per LR, always owned by Reed & Co., of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean from 1848/49 thru 1851/52, & from the Clyde to the West Indies thereafter. With, per LR, 'Brown' the vessel's captain thru 1851/52, & T. Hunt thereafter. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/55 records the vessel, in Mar. 1854, as owned by Thos. and Geo. Reed, of Sunderland, with Thos. Hunt her then captain. Such owner names are clarified by Turnbull's Shipping Register ('TR') of 1855 which lists Thomas Reed & George Reed, of Sunderland, as Myra's then owners with T. Hunt her then captain. Data essentially confirmed (as to her owners) by TR of 1856. The Mercantile Navy List tells us (scroll to #14134) that a certificate re the vessel's loss was dated Dec. 26, 1856. What had happened to Myra? I learn that in early Dec. 1856, the vessel, 'Hunt' in command, was en route from Newcastle to Alexandria, Egypt, with a cargo of coal. On Dec. 4, 1856, when 40 miles off the Egyptian coast, a fire (spontaneous combustion) was discovered in her cargo. Efforts were made to bring the fire under control without success, & two days later, on Dec. 6, 1856, a giant explosion blew the vessel's decks apart. The crew took to ship's boats & witnessed the vessel engulfed in a mass of flame. The crew made it safely to shore near Arabs' Tower (about 25 miles W. of Alexandria) but their boats were destroyed in landing. Locals there helped the crew & provided camels & horses by which the crew made their way to Alexandria. All as per these contemporary reports (1 & 2). Is there anything you can add. #2490 Built by Thomas & Benjamin Tiffin 1   Juventa 255 later 272 tons 15637 1855 A barque, later a brigantine. Juventa is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1856/57 thru 1868/69, & from 1870/71 thru 1876/77.  LR of 1877/78 is not available to the webmaster. During the first such period, the vessel was owned by Wilson & Co. & registered at Borrowstoness (Borrowstounness or Bo'ness, Firth of Forth, Scotland). For initial service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean, from 1857/58 thru 1859/60 for service from the Clyde to South America, then ex London including, in 1861/62 & 1862/63 from London to Algoa Bay (E. coast of S. Africa, about 425 miles E. of Cape of Good Hope), from 1863/64 thru 1866/67 for service from Newcastle to Matanzas, Cuba, & from 1867/68 for service from London to South America. J. Wilson was the vessel's captain thru 1863/64 & A. Wilson followed serving as captain thru 1868/69. Alan Cairnie has been in touch (thanks Alan) to advise a)  that J. (John) Wilson (1824/1870) was his great grandfather, b) to provide John Wilson's own words, written on Nov. 30, 1868 - 'The Juventa was launched on Oct. 8th 1855 continued in her until May 6th 1863, then left when Adam took command. Joined the Juventa at Bristol 4 June 1864 and continued until November 1865, joined her again 1st September 1866 and sailed from Troon for Matanzas to Bremen March 1867 thence to Limekilns in April, since then I have remained at home.' & c) to provide a list of places that Juventa visited from 1855 to 1867 ex Lloyd's Captains Register. 'Mediterranean, Black Sea, Sea of Azof, Adriatic, Brazil and River Plate, Baltic, Norway, White Sea, Gulf of Finland, the Cattegat, East Indies, Burmah, Mauritius, Red Sea, Cape, Ascension, St. Helena, Algoa Bay, Natal, West Indies, Vera Cruz, Belize, and Caribbean Sea. A. (Adam) Wilson (1839/1891) was John Wilson's brother. Turnbull's Register of 1856 lists the vessel at Bo'ness & owned by 'Wilson' as does Christie's Shipping Register of 1858. The Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') of 1865 thru 1869 (1867) all list John Wilson, of Lime Kilns, Fife, Scotland, as her then owner. 100.5 ft. long, signal letters LTDK. LR of 1868/69 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked'. The circumstances of such wreck have not yet come to hand. Can you tell us exactly what happened? But ... so far as I can see, the vessel could not have been wrecked - it must rather have stranded, been saved & rebuilt (& lengthened). Presumably rebuilt at Bo'ness, because thereafter the vessel is stated to have been built at Bo'ness. The vessel saw more years of service as a brigantine 102.2 ft long. During the period from 1870/71 thru at least 1876/77, the vessel was, per LR, owned by H. Hollis, of Bermuda, with H. Hollis her captain. However, MNL of 1871 lists the vessel as registered at Hamilton, Bermuda, & owned by John. T. Bourne of St. Georges, Bermuda. What is most strange, a circumstance I have not seen before, is that the vessel is listed twice in LR of 1874/75, firstly, built at Sunderland & owned by H. Hollis & secondly as a 272 ton brigantine built at Bo'ness & owned by J. E. Burgess of Swansea. There is no further reference to J. E. Burgess owning the vessel in later editions of LR that I can see. But MNLs of 1872 & 1874 list the vessel, registered at Swansea, said to have been built at Bo'ness in 1855, owned by Jas. Edwards Burgess of Swansea. MNL of 1875 lists the vessel, still registered at Swansea, as owned by Burgess & Shaddick of Swansea. On Dec. 5, 1874, per line 348 on this page, the vessel was lost in the Mediterranean, at 38.39N/15.15E, (roughly S. of the island of Stromboli, off southern Italy), while carrying 386 tons of ore from Carloforte, SW Sardinia, to Swansea. Crew of 7 - none lost. 'Casualty attributed to improper stowage. Cargo platform appeared to have been insufficiently secured.' The vessel would seem to have been off course. It was then owned by J. E. Burgess. So the final years of LR listings, i.e. those after 1874/75, are clearly wrong. Can you add anything additional? #2208 TODD & BROWN The webmaster's knowledge about Todd & Brown is non-existent. Of Hylton I believe. A list of Sunderland built ships, available to the webmaster, lists 54 vessels built by the shipbuilder from 1845 thru 1863. 1   Amy Robsart 332/348, later 316 tons 12936 1846 A barque. Amy Robsart is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1846/47 thru 1864/65. Amy Robsart? Amy Dudley (née Robsart) (1532/1560), was famous indeed in British history. Amy Robsart would seem to have had many owners. It was owned initially, but for only a short time, by E. (Errington) Bell of Newcastle for service from Sunderland to 'Mirmci' (Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada) & in 1847/48 for service from Bristol to Hong Kong. I have read that Thomas Barker & John Dryden, of North Shields, were the vessel's next owners. Soon, from 1848/49 thru 1852/53, E. (Edward, but maybe Edmund) Graham of Newcastle owned the vessel for service from London to India & from Newcastle to Mauritius. Such ownership is confirmed by the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Jul. 1848 data. From 1853/54 to 1855/56, Amy Robsart was owned by 'Thompson' of Sunderland for service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean. Marwood's North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5 lists the vessel, in Mar. 1854 data, as registered at Sunderland & owned by Robert Thompson & Sons of Sunderland with John Wake her captain. Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856 lists Taylor & Co. of Hartlepool as the then owner of then Hartlepool registered vessel with 'Bravey' her captain.. While Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 lists her then owners as being E. S. (Ebenezer Septimus) Jobson, G. (George) Bravey, Thos. Lillo, J. P. Denton, J. H. and C. A. Taylor, all of Hartlepool. LR, from 1856/57 thru 1864/65, records Taylor & Co. as the vessel's owner with G. Bravey as her captain. For continued service from Sunderland to the Mediterranean, service ex Liverpool & Gloucester & from 1859/60, for service from Hartlepool to the Mediterranean. I have read that on Dec. 29, 1863, the vessel left Cardiff, Wales, for Alicante (Mediterranean coast of Spain), with 500 tons of coal. In May 1864, the vessel became, I have read, owned by H. E. P. (Henry Edward Pyle) Adamson of North Shields. But soon thereafter became owned by H. E. P. & Charles A. Adamson, both of North Shields, along with Henry Walker of London. Who are noted (the first two names at least) as being the vessel's owners when the vessel was lost in Nov. 1864. 99.0 ft. long, have also read 101.7 ft., a couple of vessel crew lists. The vessel, per LR, became of 316 tons in 1861/62. LR of 1864/65 notes that the vessel had been 'Wrecked', while this page (scroll to #12936) tells us that a certificate re the vessel's loss was dated Jan. 03, 1865. Wikipedia advises (thanks!) that on Nov. 28, 1864, Amy Robsart ran aground on the Black Middens, in the North Sea off the coast of Northumberland & was wrecked. Further that her crew were rescued by lifeboats. The Black Middens are a cluster of rocks at the mouth of the River Tyne - on the N. side of the river at its mouth, 'abreast of Tynemouth Castle and close to the Spanish Battery'. I read that gales struck the U.K. in late Nov. 1864 - they hit the W. coast around to the English Channel. And then hit the E. coast. There were massive losses of shipping as a result of all of such gales. There are many extensive articles at 'Welsh Newspapers on Line' about the gales from Nov. 25, 1864 thru Dec. 3, 1864. Normally I would try to make selections from such articles available by way of an image. In this case that seems to be impractical. Access this page ('Terrific Storm on the East Coast', etc.) to see what I mean & how extensive the news coverage was. Such page, while it does refer to the Black Middens & the loss of Stanley, does not refer to Amy Robsart. I have read that five ships were lost on the Black Middens during the gales & 34 lives were lost - though I have not spotted a tidy list of the vessels' names. (Maybe i) Stanley a 552/376 ton Aberdeen registered iron steamer built at Hartlepool in 1859, lost with great loss of life, 25 or 26 lives, ii) Friendship, a Colchester schooner built in Denmark in 1819, 5 lives lost, iii) Amy Robsart, iv) a barque of unknown name & v) Deptford Packet, a 51 ton schooner built by G. Short at Sunderland in 1858). But maybe also Reaper of Newcastle, Gateshead Packet of Kirkaldy, Hardwell of South Shields. I know that is many more than 5 ships - the data is extensive but truly most confusing & would require much time to resolve. Clearly Amy Robsart was just one of many shipping casualties around U.K.'s shores that resulted from the violence of those gales. Amy Robsart was under the command of Captain D. Sutherland when it sailed, in ballast & with a crew of nine, from London to the Tyne in late Nov. 1864. It must have experienced difficulties approaching the Tyne. I say that because early on Nov. 28, 1864, the vessel was under the tow of a steamer (name unstated), when it crossed the bar at Tynemouth at 8 or 9 a.m. that day. The tow unfortunately broke & the vessel drove onto rocks on the edge of the Black Middens. I read that her tow had broken three times earlier - presumably due to the severity of the conditions. Lifeboats from both North & South Shields came to her assistance & the South Shields lifeboat landed the crew at North Shields. The South Shields lifeboat later returned to the vessel with Captain Sutherland & a group of men to attempt to get her off. Their efforts were clearly not successful. Some days later, on or about Dec. 02, 1864, Rogerson & Marson or maybe rather Robert Marden, a shipwright, were engaged to get the vessel off, with buoys apparently, & bring her into port. The vessel had long since lost her keel, or maybe her rudder, had bumped continuously & her decks were under water. I have not read what next happened, but it would seem that the vesssel must have ended up a wreck. Some contemporary newspaper reports - 1 & 2. Can you tell us more? Or correct the above text in any way. #2739 2   Honor 337/365 tons 14745 1847 Honor's initial owner, per Lloyd's Register ('LR') of 1848/49, was Weare & Co. of St. Ives, Cornwall, thru 1852/53, for service ex London & in 1851/52 & 1852/53 for service from London to Madras (now Chennai), India. With T. Daniel her captain from 1848/49 thru 1850/51 & W. Thomas in 1851/52 & 1852/53. In 1853/54, per LR, Honor became owned by Hocking & Co., also of St. Ives, for service from London to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, thru 1857/58, with W. Davey her captain. Only minimal data is recorded in LR of 1857/58. Which suggests that the vessel may have been lost or sold. This page (scroll to #14745) notes that the vessel was sold to foreign owners, with a date that is hard to read - perhaps that date is Dec. 14, 1861? The webmaster believes it is possible that this was the barque named Honor, which rescued the crew of Aspasia (built at Sunderland in 1846) when it had to be abandoned in the North Atlantic, on Oct. 15, 1859. But my possible identification is tentative indeed, inspired by the reference above to T. Daniel & the fact that no other British barque of the name seems to have then existed (per the Mercantile Navy List). I learn that Honor, with 'Daniel' in command, left Falmouth on May 11, 1859 for Barcelona, Spain, via Cardiff, Wales, & arrived at Barcelona on May 28, 1859. On Sep. 01, 1859, it left Penzance bound for Quebec, Canada. I have read that Honor put back to Penzance to land Aspasia's crew. The webmaster is puzzled by such actions. It was a long long way to put back to Penzance from the reported location of Aspasia's loss, roughly in mid Atlantic. You might have rather expected Honor's voyage to continue & the crew of Aspasia to be landed on the E. coast of North America. The other contemporary news reports on site re the Aspasia loss - 1, 2, 3. No crew lists seem to be available for the vessel. The webmaster has spotted no later references to Honor which may well have changed its name when it was acquired by foreign owners. Can you add anything additional? #2873 3   Kitty 380/420 later 384 tons 1127 1850 Kitty, a barque with 3 masts, was launched in Oct. 1850, & first registered at Newcastle on Oct. 11, 1850. It is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1860/61. Always owned, per LR, by Brooks & Co. of Newcastle. Lloyd's Register Foundation kindly makes available three Survey documents re the vessel including this Survey, dated Sep. 13, 1850, conducted while Kitty was in course of construction. Initially, in 1851/52 & 1852/53, for service ex Sunderland, in 1853/54 for service from Newcastle to Valparaiso, Chile, & from 1854/55 thru 1856/57 to Valparaiso ex the Clyde. LRs of 1857/58 thru 1859/60 record service from Newcastle to the Mediterranean & in 1860/61 service ex London. LR records that the vessel's captain, thru 1856/57, was 'W. Naughtn', which name is recorded elsewhere as W. Naughter. From 1857/58 thru 1859/60. LR records R. Langdon as the vessel's captain & A. Ellis, Alexander Ellis I now know, in 1860/61. Marwood's Maritime Directory & Shipping Register of 1854/5, in Apl. 1854 data, lists the Newcastle registered Kitty as owned by J. C. Brooks, & John & Edward Nelson, all of Carville (NE of the City of Durham). With W. Naughter the vessel's captain. Turnbull's Shipping Registers ('TR') of both 1855 & 1856 state that her then owners were J. C. Brooks and J. and E. Nelson, both of Carville, while TR of 1855 confirms W. Naughter as the vessel's then captain (despite the references, the webmaster thinks that the captain's true name was William Naughton to whom there are many newspaper references). Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 states John C. Brooks of Wallsend, and Jno. & Edward Nelson of Carrville. 113.9 ft. long, 115 ft. per the Lloyd's Surevy, of 384 tons from LR of 1857/58, no crew lists seem to be available. The Mercantile Navy List records the vessel from 1857 thru 1860, always registered at Newcastle. On Jun. 28, 1859, Kitty was at Gravesend, London, to commence a voyage to York Factory, a fur-trading post located on the SW shore of Hudson's Bay in NE Manitoba, Canada. Chartered to carry a year’s supply of goods, said to be then worth about £10,000 (worth about $1,800,000 in 2012 Canadian dollars, I have read), both for that Hudson's Bay Company post & for the settler inhabitants of the area. Kitty was under the command of Alexander Ellis, & William Armstrong was the vessel's chief Mate. With a crew of 16 all told. Kitty's voyage was clearly ill advised - 'Lloyd's', I read, were concerned that the vessel was not designed for the conditions she was to encounter in the far north. In late Mar. 1860 it was reported in the U.K. press that Kitty had supposedly foundered, though the newspaper articles incorrectly stated i) she had left for Port Adelaide, South Australia, rather than for Hudson's Bay & ii) that the vessel itself had been built at Sunderland in 1820. A further report, on Aug. 02, 1860, advised that an unnamed, presumably charitable committee, had given Mrs Mary Armstrong, chief Mate William Armstrong's widow, the sum of £11, to help her & her three young children. What had happened to Kitty? A U.K. Government 1860 wreck listing tells us that on Aug. 27, 1860, per line 274 (here), the 384 ton barque was lost in Hudson's Bay, Canada, while en route from London to Hudson's Bay with a general cargo. All of the 16 crew lost their lives. The vessel was then owned by John C. Brooks. It is clear, however, that the true story of what happened is quite different. And that Aug. 27, 1860 was not the date of Kitty's loss. We know of the events principally from a detailed account provided by William Armstrong, the vessel's chief Mate, who after the vessel was lost, made his way with geat difficulty & hardship, with 4 other crew members, to the coast of Newfoundland. 'Armstrong' himself, eventually arrived back at Shields about a year later, on Aug. 27, 1860, to the astonishment & joy of his wife & family. He had arrived at Galway, Ireland, on Aug. 26, 1860 (a part article) aboard Prince Albert, a Royal Mail steamer, ex St. John's, Newfoundland, on Aug. 18, 1860. However did he get from Galway to Shields in one day? So what exactly had happened? On Aug. 12, 1859 Kitty entered Hudson's Strait (which permits access to Hudson's Bay from the east) & thereafter encountered continuous ice & icebergs. The vessel's hull became holed, the ship took on water & on Sep. 05, 1859, then lying on its side & full of water, Kitty had to be abandoned. At 62N/69W, I read (I have previously noted 68.58N/61.48W from a source today unknown). The crew left the ship in two boats - Alexander Ellis, the vessel's captain, was in the longboat with 10 crew members. While 'Armstrong' was in a skiff with 4 crew. The two boats safely made it to Saddle Back Island but left there 2 days later to try to meet up with another vessel or reach York Factory. The boats, alas, got separated during a snow squall, & 'Armstrong' never again saw Captain Ellis & the longboat. 'Armstrong' decided to try to make it to the coast of Labrador & on Nov. 06, 1859, now in wretched condition & severely frostbitten - after a voyage in an open boat of over 60 days - he & his companions were picked up by the Esqimaux at Amitok (an island on the Labrador coast). On Nov. 09, 1859 they arrived at a Moravian missionery settlement & stayed there & at other settlements thru the winter until mid May of 1860. Eventually they reached Cartright in Sandwich Bay via a Hudson's Bay settlement at Kibokok, & from Cartright they travelled by the schooner Lottery to St. John's, Newfoundland, arriving there on or about Aug. 06, 1860. You can read Armstrong's account of the events here - & a related report is here. Now there are an amazing number of newspaper articles in the U.K. press about the loss of Kitty from late Aug. thru late Oct. 1860. A great many of them reported that William Armstrong was the sole survivor. Which is strange since their detailed data could only have originated with 'Armstrong'. It would seem, however, that rumours & misinformation abounded in the rush to go to press with details of the dramatic story. What looks to be the true account as related by William Armstrong would seem to have originated in the 'Northern Daily Express', a newspaper that seems to be WWW unavailable. But the incorrect account, you can read it here, reached as far as Australia. So far we had covered the events re the 'Armstrong' skiff. We now turn to what happened to the Kitty longboat under the command of Alexander Ellis. Earlier, a major source of data about all of these events was a website which provided extensive detail. Alas, while I previously linked to that site, I did not retain an image of its content. And today, as this listing is updated, in Apl. 2024, that website has vanished. As, unfortunately, have other fine websites, also. My understanding is that such site reported that the 'Ellis' party of 11 landed on Akpatok Island, Ungava Bay, near the Hudson Strait, where they were initially hospitably received by the Esquimaux - 'but as food grew scarce, and the natives began to realize their helpless condition, they were all murdered one night while sleeping in their tents.' The source of that data is now clear. Mrs Ellis tried diligently to learn what had happened to her husband & his many companions. On Nov. 17, 1862, the Times of London published the text of a letter that Mrs Ellis had received from the missionaries in Canada. That article was republished in the following weeks by many newspapers, including The Newcastle Daily Journal on Nov. 18, 1862. You can read its contents here. The eleven men were apparently all murdered, as stated above, because of the woollen blankets they had with them. We know, thanks to Iain Turner, that William Scott, born about 1815 & a relative of Iain, was one of the 11 who were lost - from the orphanage records of William's son - ‘Father murdered by native Indians in the Davis Straits, from the wrecked Kitty of Newcastle in the fall of 1859’. Iain has long been seeking a Kitty crew list for that fateful voyage. Can you help him in locating one, should it exist? Iain Turner was further in touch in Mar. 2018. To advise that he had been able to locate not a Kitty crew list but rather a listing of Kitty's crew members who died in 1859 - from published 'Death at Sea' records. Iain has summarised his knowledge of Kitty's ill-fated crew into this informational page - do view it in full size. We thank you Iain! I invite you to visit this fine website with its comprehensive account of the Kitty voyage history, written by Mr. Bruce Cherney. An article made available (thanks!) by the Winnipeg Regional Real Estate Board. And this second related article. A few news reports state that Kitty had some passengers also, but I suspect that was not so. Can you tell us anything additional? Or correct the above text in any way. #2938 4   John and Alice Brown 212 later 185/195 tons 12714 1851 A snow or brig. The vessel is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1851/52 thru 1862/63, an LR silence of 11 years, & again from 1874/75 thru 1876/77. From 1851/52 thru 1862/63, John & Alice Brown was, per LR, owned by 'Brown' of Whitby, Yorkshire - specifically by A. Brown thru 1854/55 & M. Brown thereafter. I read that the vessel was registered, at Whitby, in Jun. 1851. The vessel's captains, per LR, were M. Brown thru 1854/55 & J. Lavirie from 1855/56 thru 1862/63. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1854/5 lists the Whitby registered vessel, in 1853 data, as owned by Alice Brown of Staithes, Yorkshire, with Matthew Brown serving as the vessel's captain. Which data is confirmed by the 1855 data in Turnbull's Shipping Register of 1856. However, Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 advises that the vessel, still Whitby registered, was then owned by Addison Brown, John Cole & William Ryder, all of Staithes. In the absence of LR data, the Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') come to our rescue. MNLs of 1865 thru 1876 all record William Ryder, of Staithes, as her then owner. As is also reported by LRs of 1874/75 thru 1876/77. William Ryder was surely not the vessel's owner but was rather its managing owner. This Whitby Shipping history book page (in green) tells us that in 1874 the vessel was owned by Will Ryder, Lavinia Brown, J. V. Laverick & Jn. Seymour. LR of 1876/77 notes that the vessel had been 'Lost'. I read here that John and Alice Brown was lost on 'Hasebro' Sand' in Apl. 1876. The vessel's loss is U.K. Government referenced here ex here, which tells us that the vessel, with a cargo of coal & a crew of 7, was lost on Hasborough Sand, Norfolk, on Apl. 10, 1876, while en route from Newcastle to Delfs Haven (Delfshaven, a borough of Rotterdam) - with F. Burnett her then captain & W. Rider her then owner. The early news reports misspelled the vessel's name. Hence Wikipedia reports (thanks 'Wiki') re John and Alice that her crew were saved by Daniel, a fishing smack. I read that the vessel's crew left the vessel in a ship's boat when the vessel began to break up & 'with the greatest difficulty at length succeeded in reaching the Leman and Ower lightship' - having struck the sands at 2 p.m. on Apl. 10, 1876 during heavy weather. They remained at the lightship for a couple of days until Apl. 14, 1876 when Daniel took them aboard & landed them at Yarmouth. On Apl. 14, 1876, F. Burnett filed at Yarmouth a deposition re her loss. Hasborough or Haisborough is a noted sandbank, located off the coast of Norfolk, at Happisburgh. 88.8 ft. long, signal letters LCWN, many crew lists are available here. Is there anything you can add? Or correct? #2465 5   Artemisia 334 later 335 tons 44860 1862 A barque which was launched on Mar. 15, 1862 & first registered, at London, on May 8, 1862 (scroll to #44860). Artemisia is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1862/63 thru 1871/72. Owned for that entire, if short, period by J. Patton & registered at London. Initially for service from Sunderland to China, later ex London including from London to Algoa Bay, South Africa, & from 1870/71 from Shields to the Persian Gulf. The Mercantile Navy Lists of 1865 thru 1871 (1870) all list J. Paton, of North Shields, as her then owner. 115.0 ft. long, signal letters TWSM. LR of 1871/72 states 'wrecked'. On Jul. 25, 1871, per line 1429 here, the 335 ton barque was stranded at Cape Bouillon (N. of today's Mombasa, Kenya, it would appear), while en route from Kurrachee (now Karachi, Pakistan), to Zanzibar. Crew of 10 - none lost. Then owned by John Patton. Can you tell us more? #2179 L. T. WANG The webmaster's knowledge about L. T. Wang is non-existent. A list of Sunderland built ships, available to the webmaster, lists 14 vessels built by the shipbuilder from 1845 thru 1863. But just one in 1863 & all the others in the years from 1845 thru 1847. Of Deptford, I understand. 1   European 119 tons 1845 A schooner or brigantine. European is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1845/46 thru 1850/51, & not thereafter. The vessel, listed as a schooner thru 1847/48, was, per LR, owned thru 1847/48, by J. Denton of Sunderland, for service from Sunderland to London & with 'Rowntree' (or 'Rowntre') noted to have been her captain. In 1848/49, per LR, European, now listed as a brigantine, became registered at Newcastle & owned by G. Liddle of Newcastle, for service from Stockton to the Baltic. With 'Marshall' her captain. However, the North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Jul. 1848 data, lists the vessel as a Newcastle registered schooner owned by G. Little & Co. of Gateshead. 'Little' (rather than Liddle), seems to have been correct. On Jan. 04, 1850, per line 3 here (in a U.K. Government wreck listing), the 119 ton European, noted to be a brig, was stranded on the W. coast of Morocco. No data is there provided re the vessel's routing, cargo or exact location of loss. Crew of 7 - none lost. Vessel then stated to be owned by George Little. Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that the vessel was wrecked near Casablanca, Morocco. This cryptic contemporary news report advises that European was lost there & refers specifically to 'Dar-elbaeda' (have also read Dar Waide). G. (George) Little certainly was her owner. Other details re the vessel's loss are not yet to hand. Can you tell us more? #2717 2   Emily 296 tons 16006 1846 A snow. Emily, which was launched in May 1846 & first registered on May 28, 1846, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1846/47 thru 1858/59 only. Emily's initial owner, thru 1857/58 per LR, was H. Tanner of Sunderland, with 'Bravey' (H. Bravey from 1851/52) serving as the vessel's captain. The North of England Maritime Directory of 1848/9, in Apl. 1848 data, records H. Tanner, of Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, as her then owner. While the equivalent directory of 1854/5 records the vessel, in Mar. 1854 data, as owned by Henry Tanner of Sunderland with Henry Bravey her captain. Turnbull's Shipping Registers of 1855 & 1856 confirm such ownership, the 1855 edition listing Henry Brewis as her then captain. Such captain data may well prove to be in error, however. I say that because Christie's Shipping Register of 1858 records H. Tanner & H. Bravey as the vessel's then owners. Emily's service per LR when 'Tanner' owned? From Sunderland to the Mediterranean in 1846/47 & from 1854/55 thru 1856/57, from Liverpool to the Mediterranean in 1850/51, from Newport, Wales, to Havana, Cuba, from 1851/52 thru 1853/54, & ex Sunderland in 1857/58. LR of 1858/59 lists 'Coggin', of Whitby, Yorkshire, as the vessel's new owner & captain for service from Sunderland to the Baltic. Which ownership data is confirmed by a Whitby shipping history volume which lists Emily as first registered at Whitby in 1858, owned by Thos. and Jn. Coggin and by Jn. and Geo. Speedy, all presumably of Whitby. And further notes that the vessel was lost off the Texel in Nov. 1858. I learn that on Oct. 31, 1858 Emily was reported, from Dungeness, Kent, as being en route from Swansea, Wales, to Bremen, Germany, with a cargo of patent fuel. On Nov. 10, 1868 it was reported from Amsterdam that the vessel had sunk in the North Sea, 'Coggin' in command, off Kamperdale (may mean Kamperland), & her crew were rescued by pilot-boat 3 & landed at Nieudiep (Nieuwe Diep, N. end of North Holland Canal, effectively Amsterdam). Nine crew members all told. Emily had become leaky on Nov. 08, 1868 apparently & they had to abandon the vessel, then sinking fast, on the next day. John Coggin, I read, of Robin Hood's Bay. Some related reports (1 & 2). Can you tell us anything more? #2716 3   James Watt 450/531, later 509 tons 7710 1847 A barque or a ship? James Watt, which was launched in Jun. 1847, & was, I read, Shields registered on Aug. 07, 1847, is Lloyd's Register ('LR') listed from 1848/49 thru 1869/70. It was, per LR, for that entire period, owned by Waite & Co., initially maybe of Newcastle but from 1848/49 always of North Shields. With, per LR, 4 captains - J. Turpie thru 1850/51, W. Train in 1853/54 & 1854/55, D. Kinear from 1855/56 thru 1858/59 & 'Rimmnd' from 1859/60 thru to 1869/70. No captain's name is LR noted in the 1851/52 & 1852/53 editions of LR. LR records James Watt as a barque thru to 1855/56, a ship from 1856/57 thru 1862/63, & a barque again from 1863/64. Of 509 tons from LR of 1859/60. It seems likely that the owners' family name was correctly 'Wait' (without the 'e' at the end). I say that because a number of shipping registers refer to 'Wait' - I. & J. Wait & Co. in Jul. 1848 (North of England Maritime Directory), three 'Wait' family members & John Rind, in 1854, (1854/5 edition of the same source with Tho. Sopwith then her captain), two Wait family members (J. &. J. & J. & J. Wait, jun.) & J. Rhind in 1856 (Turnbull's Shipping Register), & 'John, James, and James John, Wait, Jun. John Rhind' in 1858 (Christie's Shipping Register). James Watt's service, per LR, while Waite or Wait owned? From Sunderland to Odessa (Black Sea, Ukraine) in 1848/49, from Shields to Aden in 1850/51, 1853/54 & 1854/55, ex Liverpool in 1851/52 & 1852/53, ex Leith, Scotland, from 1855/56 thru 1858/59, to the Mediterranean ex Bristol from 1859/60 thru 1861/62 & ex Shields from 1862/63 thru 1869/70. 119.0 ft. long (have also read 118.9 ft.), no crew lists for the vessel seem to be available. What finally happened to James Watt? Wikipedia tells us (thanks!) that at an unknown date in Dec. 1862, James Watt, en route from Odessa to a U.K. port, was lost off Yevpatoria, Russia. I learn that on Nov. 03, 1862, the vessel arrived at Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), ex Spezzia (La Spezia, SE of Genoa, Italy), bound for Odessa. I learn also that the vessel, under the command of Captain Kinmond & with a cargo of wheat (Indian corn), was lost on Dec. 29, 1862, in Eupatoria Bay (a bay on the W. side of the Crimean peninsula, Black Sea, where Yevpatoriya (or Evpatoriya, or Eupatoria) is located. A report from Sebastapol (also W. side of Crimea), on Feb. 04, 1863, advised that the wreck of the vessel, as she lay on shore, had been sold for 2,001 roubles. One report stated that the vessel was lost near Theodosia (now Feodosia, Crimea, Black Sea) which is more easterly in Crimea. The vessel was noted to have then been owned by J. Wait & J. Wait jun., of North Shields. The webmaster has not read about the circumstances which caused the vessel's loss. Some related news reports - 1 & 2. Can you add anything additional? #2718 WIGHAM'S SHIP REPAIR YARD WELFORD & WIGHAM JOHN WIGHAM & SONS, LTD. JOHN WIGHAM'S ENGINEERS, IRON FOUNDERS & SHIP REPAIRS OF PALLION (1878-1885) AND THEN SOUTH HYLTON (1885 to c.1947) First a few images. Hover your mouse over each thumbnail to read the subject matter. Largely just a name today. Does any site visitor have any detail? Exactly where? When? Ownership? Anything! Need help. I now learn that they did not build any vessels but most certainly repaired them. Douglas Scrafton of the South Hylton Local History Society (SHLHS) has kindly provided help (thank you Douglas!) and advises that Wigham's was situated slightly down river from today's Golden Lion Inn. He advises that the ship repair business was started in 1878 by Major John Wigham whose grandson today (Jan. 2007) is an active member of the Society at age 84. Wigham's also, I am advised, had a foundry making steam winches & steering gear for boats, indeed that would seem to have been their principal business. And they had a slipway 'in their early days' for the repair of vessels. The business started at Pallion & moved to Hylton in 1885. John Wigham was born, it would seem in about 1849, in Leith, Lothian, Scotland, as per this page - yet another page by prolific George H. Graham of Tulsa, Oklahoma. George, thanks again! John was described as a mechanical engineer in a 1901 census. And Douglas Scrafton has kindly provided no less than an (undated but possibly 1890s) image of Wigham's Ship Repair Yard, which image appears at left & here. How wonderful! And I now see that the South Hylton Local History Society site has a page about the yard, available here. Which page even tells us exactly where John Wigham lived in 1877 & afterwards. And contains other data that a reader may well find to be of interest. I am advised that there are family links between the Wigham & Wawn families. as you can read here. I have now read that the furthest vessel in the above image is Premir, a brigantine which was built in 1855 at Rye, Kent, & survived into the 20th century. I cannot find any additional data on the WWW about Premir, however. The low building on the extreme right edge of the image above (with a black 'eye' in its gable) was The Golden Lion Inn. The river would seem to run straight at Hylton, so I am puzzled at the 'bend' in the river seemingly depicted above. The SHLHS site used to have an image of the Wigham foundry buildings. (early in the 'gallery' but I am unable to take you there directly). I used to say that the image showed their remains, since they are long gone, of course - but that may not be so since I cannot today find, in the SHLHS gallery, an image of any 'remains'. I have not read when the ship repair business came to an end. But in 1913, John Wigham & John Rodham Wigham were granted a patent, No. 1061932, by the United States of America Patent Office in respect of 'Control Devices for Steam Engines'. So the business was presumably still active beyond 1913. The 1913 patent - No. 1061932. But now read on re the overall history of the firm, through to its final sale in or about 1947. - - - - - - - 0 0 0 - - - - - - - The family of Robert Keith Wigham has kindly provided an extensive history of 'Wigham' derived from the family's records & family history book. I am happy to next present such history in its entirety.  John Wigham and Son - King's House Works, Pallion John Wigham (1849-1936) and Son first went into partnership with Squire Robert Welford of North Hylton Manor at King's House Works, in Pallion. The partnership however was amicably dissolved, on May 13, 1882 - Squire Robert Welford was primarily a farmer & was more comfortable in the field of agriculture. The partnership, known as 'Welford and Wigham', was referenced in Kelly's Handbook of 1879 (1). They were mechanical engineers building iron steamers, winches & boilers - & lots more besides (1, 2). I am advised that the firm is also referenced in the Ward Directory of 1883-84. John Wigham and Son - in South Hylton Wigham ship repair yard at South Hylton. In 1878, John Wigham’s wife Ann Thompson, daughter of Joshua Rodham & Barbara Thompson, bought the High Yard beside the Hylton Ferry from Ann Browning & formed 'John Wigham and Son'. The 'son' was Mr. John Rodham Wigham (c.1877/1942) who later became Managing Director of the firm upon his father’s death on Sep. 2, 1936. John Rodham continued the business with the help of his two brothers, Joshua Thompson Wigham and Stanley Wigham, the firm being known as 'John Wigham and Sons Engineers, Iron Founders and slipway'.  The foundry was on the opposite side of the road to the engine works and the slipway. The firm built 2 small ships but found increasingly that the slipway was just not big enough to accommodate modern ships. El Rayo, an 85 ton Torpedo Boat, built by Doxfords in 1887 for the Nicaraguan Navy. On the slipway at Wigham's Hylton yard. The firm then concentrated on steamships’ winches, steering gear and windlasses and later owned their own patent design - for a 'Steam Economic Valve for the fitting to Steering Gears'. (1) It also handled some of the first small torpedo boats built at the Doxford yard & built 2 small Steam Compound Marine Engines. (1) In the firm’s heyday, it was on the 'Admiralty List' and produced 30 winches per month as well as steering gear. It also undertook vessel repairs. It employed over 200 men & trained many apprentices many of them later moving to Wm. Doxford’s bigger yard, taking up positions there as foremen and chargehands - a fact that the family were very proud of. The Steam Cargo Winch was the 'bread and butter' of the firm because while a ship has only one steering gear and windless, it could have 8 or more cargo winches. The firm’s slogan was 'Wigham’s Winches Wear Well When Wisely Worked'. At left below, a group of Wigham's apprentices in 1914. At right, a portion of the Wigham's staff in about 1945/46. In the centre a part of a Wigham's patent dated 1886. After World War 1, Wigham’s built a new foundry at the end of Cambria Street, South Hylton in the 1920s but it never really functioned because of the slump which got lasted for many years into the 1930s. For 5 years they didn’t turn out a single winch but were able to keep going on ship repairs, the 'Steam Economic Valve' and any other foundry work they could get. John Wigham & Son advertising material. Though there was a lot of work during WW2, the firm never really recovered, because other firms began to produce what were called 'Economy Winches' and John Rodham Wigham refused to drop the standard of quality, the hallmark upon which his father had built the firm. He was encouraged to cut his losses and shut the firm down but he refused, indeed many of the workers preferred to work part-time than go on the dole and he also wanted to honour the apprenticeships of his men. John Wigham died on Sep. 2, 1936 at age 87 just as things were improving. His son John Rodham (known as Rodham) took over as head of the firm with the help of his younger brothers Joshua and Stanley. John Rodham had 5 children but his other two sons i.e. John Rodham and Robert Keith didn’t become involved in the business. John Rodham rather went into farming and Robert Keith was thought to have been lost at war when he was taken prisoner by the Japanese. The business continued during the 2nd World War. On the death of John Rodham, on Nov. 14, 1942, brothers Joshua and Stanley bought the shares owned by Mary Elizabeth, John Rodham's wife, and ran it for a few more years. After the war with larger conglomerates springing up, the family felt the the time was right to sell their interest in the business. They sold it to a non-union firm called Barton’s Engineering Co. Ltd. in or around 1947. A new machine shop was built. But when the non-union practices began to operate, the AEU (Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union) blacklisted the firm, not only at South Hylton but also at Barton's parent company with the result that Barton’s went into liquidation. (Can anybody confirm that that data is correct. A company named 'The Barton Hydraulic Engineering Co. Ltd.', also 'A. Barton Engineers', would seem to have been in active business at Hylton in 1956 at least). The land was then brought by a plant contractor called Reeds, and it was used for the storage of machinery such as dumpers, excavators and small cranes. The firm continued for a number of years until it also closed and the building were demolished around 1987. The land is now landscaped & and 2 anchors from the Wigham’s works now stand proudly on the site of the firm. As you can see in the Keith Cockerill fine 2006 image, which follows. The above text was mainly compiled from the family history records of Robert Keith Wigham. 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. [ ] £ 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:                                                                                       VOYAGES OF 'HELENA MENA' LONDON TO FREMANTLE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA & RETURN A 'best efforts' list, compiled from Australian newspapers (Trove). # London to Fremantle   Fremantle to London Left London Arrived Fremantle Name of captain   Left Fremantle Arrived London Name of captain 1 1876 - Jun. 26 1876 - Oct. 01 Marsh   1877 - Jan. 24 1877 - May 08 Marsh 2 1877 - Jun. 19 1877 - Sep. 13 Marsh   1877 - Dec. 28 1878 - Apl. 06 Marsh 3 1878 - Jun. 21 1878 - Sep. 16 Marsh   1878 - Dec. 28 1879 - Apl. 01 Marsh 4 1879 - Jun. 23 1879 - Sep. 21 Marsh   1879 - Dec. 30 1880 - Apl. 02 Marsh 5 1880 - Jun. 24 1880 - Sep. 30 Marsh   1881 - Jan. 01 1881 - Apl. 13 Marsh 6 1881 - Jun. 28 1881 - Oct. 01 Marsh   1882 - Jan. 04 1882 - Apl. 11 Marsh 7 1882 - Jul. 01 1882 - Oct. 01 Marsh   1882 - Dec. 30 1883 - Apl. 09 Marsh 8 1883 - Jun. 24 1883 - Oct. 04 Hill   1884 - Jan. 05 1884 - Apl. 21 Hill 9 1884 - Jun. 27 1884 - Oct. 04 Gibbons   1885 - Jan. 08 1885 - Apl. 10 Gibbons 10 1885 - Jul. 03 1885 - Oct. 08 Gibbons   1886 - Jan. 16 1886 - Apl. 10 Gibbons 11 1886 - Jun. 30 1886 - Sep. 24 Abrahamson   1887 - Jan. 05 1887 - Apl. 23 Abrahamson 12 1887 - Jul. 02 ex Plymouth 1888 - Sep. 16 Abrahamson   1888 - Jan. 03 1888 - Apl. 14 Abrahamson 13 1888 - Jul. 24 1888 - Nov. 04 Abrahamson   1889 - Jan. 23 1889 - May 04 Bolt 14 1889 - Jul. 12 1889 - Oct. 27 Bolt   1890 - Jan. 16 1890 - Apl. 24 Bolt 15 1890 - Jun. 12 1890 - Sep. 12 Davies   1891 - Jan. 16 1891 - May 04 Davies 16 1891 - Jun. 16 1891 - Oct. 01 Campbell   1892 - Jan. 18 1892 - May 12 Hammond 17 1892 - Jul. 30 1892 - Nov. 07 Hammond   1893 - Jan. 28 1893 - May 18 Hammond 18 1893 - Jun. 26 1893 - Oct. 01 Hammond   1893 - Dec. 22 1894 - Apl. 05 Hammond 19 1894 - Jun. 16 1894 - Sep. 28 Hammond   1894 - Dec. 18 1895 - Mar. 28 Hammond 20 1895 - Jun. 13 1895 - Sep. 23 Hammond   1896 - Jan. 09 1896 - Apl. 27 Hammond 21 1896 - Jun. 22 1896 - Oct. 10 Hammond   1896 - Dec. 19 1897 - Apl. 16 Hammond 22 1897 - May 11 1897 - Aug. 25 Hammond   1897 - Dec. 09 1898 - Apl. 16 Hammond