THE SUNDERLAND SITE - PAGE 053
SHIPBUILDERS - PAGE 12

May I suggest that you navigate the site via the index on page 001.PRIOR PAGE / NEXT PAGE Copyright? (100) On this page ... William Doxford Page 2, page bottom (WW1 German torpedo boat). Do you want to make a comment? A site guestbook is here. To search for specific text on this page, just press 'CTRL + F' & then enter your search term. A general site search facility is here. Corrections in any of the material which follows, however tiny, would be most welcome. And additions, of course! Test. Miramar, images, mariners-l.co.uk, MNL, e-Bay, WILLIAM DOXFORD (1840/1875?) WILLIAM DOXFORD AND SONS (1875?/1890) WILLIAM DOXFORD AND SONS LIMITED (1891/1957) WILLIAM DOXFORD & SONS (SHIPBUILDERS) LIMITED (1957/ ) (OF COX GREEN, THEN PALLION, SUNDERLAND) This is the second 'Doxford' page, made necessary by the increasing number of listings re 'Doxford' built vessels. The first page, with the first 107 vessels, is available here. And the 3rd & 4th pages are now here & here. Build lists? A list of 'Doxford' built vessels is now on site, at page 143. 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:- 30, 60, 100, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 271, 300, 330, 363, 390, 420, 451, 496, 515, 547, 595, 628, 658, 688, 718, 758, 792, 820, 889, 881, 898. (898) And a list of all of the Doxford built vessels is here (including those built at the Doxford yard in its later years after it was taken over) thanks to Fred Gooch & John Bage. Names of just a few more of the vessels constructed by William Doxford & Sons of Sunderland - as I happen to spot references to them. In a table in build date sequence. And alphabetic within a year. But just a start! 108 HMS Success 385 tons Hull 282 1901 A 'Doxford Special' torpedo boat destroyer. Per 1 (Wikipedia, data), 2 (fine image), 3 (B Class), 4 (2 images), 5 (at page bottom), HMS Success was built for the Royal Navy. Became B Class in 1913. Maybe 'Greyhound' class earlier? 210 ft. long, speed of 30 knots, complement of 60, 4 funnels. Armed with one 12 pounder gun, five 6 pounders & 2 torpedo tubes. Launched Mar. 21, 1901 & commissioned May 1902. HMS Success had the misfortune to be the first British WW1 destroyer loss, when on Dec. 27, 1914, under the command of Lt. William Pennefather, the vessel ran aground & was wrecked off Fife Ness, Fifeshire, Firth of Forth, North Sea, in very heavy seas. Have read i) that 60 survived & ii) that her complement was 60. So presumably no loss of life? Can you add anything? 109 Sutherland 2277/3542 (N/G) tons Hull 284 110369 1901 A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Dec. 20, 1900 & completed in Jan. 1901. Per 1 [Sutherland, Sutherland (2)], 2 (U-35), 3 ('uboat.net', sinking, Sutherland, with map location of loss), 4 (Lloyd's Register of 1914/15, in red). 103.6 metres (340.0 ft.) long perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters SDRN, speed of 10 knots, 300 (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 307 (per the Mercantile Navy List - 'MNL') NHP engines by W. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. Sutherland was built for 'The Sutherland Steamship Co. Ltd.' of Newcastle with Arthur M. Sutherland her manager. As per the MNLs of 1902 thru 1916. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record A. Wallace as the vessel's captain from 1903/04 thru 1907/08, W. Parlett in 1908/09, & A. Longstaff in 1912/13 & 1914/15. On Oct. 31, 1912, while en route from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Bombay (now Mumbai), both India, with a cargo of coal & a crew of 57, Sutherland suffered modest damage in the East Indian Ocean. But one seaman died. Per this U.K. Government report. On Jan. 17, 1916, while en route from Bombay, India, to Hull with a cargo of manganese ore & seeds, Sutherland was captured, shelled & sunk by U-35 near Malta (at 34.43N/18.08E). 192 miles SE by E of Malta, perhaps. One life lost. U-35, at the time, was commanded by Kapitänleutnant Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, who apparently sank 54 ships totalling more than 90,150 tons during just a single cruise in 1916. In its lifetime, U-35 (4 commanders), sunk an amazing 224 ships for a total of 546,988 tons in its career of about 4 years. Including Sutherland. Can you help with additional data? Because little data is WWW available. An image? 110 Aviemoor 2382/3715 (N/G) tons Hull 301 115910 Naderi Ise Maru 1902 A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Sep. 30, 1902 & completed in Oct. 1902. Per 1 (Moor Line), 2 [Bombay & Persia, Naderi (2)], 3 (archival data, Walter Runciman & Moor Line). Aviemoor is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1903 thru 1917 as Aviemoor & from 1919 thru 1924 as Naderi. Registered at London thru 1917, & at Bombay (now Mumbai), India, from 1917 thru 1924. 104.2 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 8 1/2 knots, signal letters TRHF, 300 (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 307 (per MNL) NHP engines by W. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. Aviemoor was built for 'Moor Line, Ltd.' ('Moor'), of Newcastle, with Walter Runciman or Walter Runciman & Co. her managers, but registered at London. LR of 1903/04. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record G. Williamson as the vessel's captain from 1903/04 thru 1912/13, & J. H. Kelford in 1914/15. In 1916, Aviemoor was sold to 'Bombay and Persia Steam Navigation Co. Ltd.', of Bombay, initially still registered at London, with no change of vessel name. With John S. W. Milne her manager. But renamed Naderi (not sure when) & registered at Bombay, from 1917 it would appear. In 1923, Naderi was sold to 'Naigai Kisen Kabushiki Kaisha', of Amagasaki, Japan, & renamed Ise Maru. Miramar years ago advised that on Apl. 21, 1940, Ise Maru went aground at Shinyasaki, Japan. In ballast I have read. The vessel suffered major damage but was re-floated, & scrapped in 1941. I have read no detail as to the grounding circumstances, & cannot even learn exactly where Shinyasaki is located. It may, however, be on the island of Aomori near Cape Shiriyazaki. Any loss of life? Can you help with additional data? 111 Bleamoor 2403/3745 (N/G) tons Hull 302 115930 1902 A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Oct. 30, 1902 & completed in Nov. 1902. Per 1 (Moor Line), 2 (data re sinking, with map location of loss), 3 (alternate wreck site?), 4 (A. J. Tennent volume, brief data re Bleamoor). Bleamoor is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1904 thru 1918, registered at London in 1902 & registered there thru 1917, but registered at Bombay (now Mumbai), India, in 1917. 342.3 ft. (about 107 metres) long, speed of 9 knots, signal letters TRSW, 300 (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 307 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. Bleamoor was built for 'Moor Line Ltd.' ('Moor'), of Newcastle, with Walter Runciman (1874/1937) or Walter Runciman & Co., her managers. Per LR of 1903/04, in red. The vessel was, I have read, sold in 1916. MNL of 1917 reports that the vessel was then owned by 'Bombay & Persia Steam Navigation Co. Ltd.' ('Persia'), of Bombay, with John S. W. Milne her manager. I cannot tell you exactly when it was sold - but this contemporary news report, dated Jan. 18, 1917, reports the sale to Persia as being recent. What finally happened to Bleamoor? On Nov. 27, 1917, defensibly armed & en route from Hull to Falmouth with a cargo of coal, Bleamoor was torpedoed & sunk by UB-80, Kapitänleutnant Max Viebeg in command, 4 miles SSE of Berry Head, Devon, near Brixham, (at 50.22.43N/03.25.14W). 8 lives were lost. The captain survived. The webmaster has tried to locate a contemporary news report about her sinking, so far without success. Some doubt as to whether the wreck at the above location is Bleamoor or Kendal Castle. Bleamoor may instead be at 50.22.72N/03.25.22W or at some other nearby location - years ago, when this listing was first created, I found many WWW dive site pages which were, to the webmaster at least, confusing. Can you help with additional data? 112 Clan Chattan 2500/3938 (N/G) tons Hull 300 115711 1902 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Sep. 03, 1902 & completed in Oct. 1902. Per 1 [Clan Line, Chan Chattan (1)], 2 (data, general arrangement plan, captain names & fine images, re Chan Chattan), 3 (origins of Clan Line). Clan Chattan is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1903 thru 1931, always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. 109.7 metres long, 359.8 ft., speed of 11 knots, signal letters TQKH, but maybe GQLT in 1931, 330 (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 394 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. Normally it is neat & tidy as to who owns a particular vessel. Not so tidy in this case. Clan Chattan was always owned, per LR, by Cayzer, Irvine & Co. of Glasgow. As per LR of 1917/18. The 'confusion' is how MNL recorded her ownership. They record The Clan Line Steamers Ltd., as her owners in 1903, Sir Charles Cayzer from 1904 thru 1913, The Clan Line Steamers Ltd. from 1914 thru 1921 & Clan Line Steamers Ltd. (no 'The') from 1922 thru 1930. With Thomas Barr her manager thru 1928 & Fred Bedford from 1929. To add to the confusion, I learn that 'The Clan Line of Steamers Limited', of Glasgow, became 'Cayzer, Irvine & Company, Limited' in 1907. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record A. Weir as Clan Chattan's captain from 1903/04 thru 1905/06, F. Makepeace from 1906/07 thru 1908/09, R. Pill from 1912/13 thru 1917/18 & T. Brocklebank in 1918/19 & 1919/20. I now see that link 2 adds additional captain names (D. S. Smith & W. G. Holman) & more detail as to the periods of service of all of her captains. The webmaster has not researched the operational history of Clan Chattan. But ... some modest matters he happened to spot:- i) In the spring of 1904, Clan Chattan carried a locomotive & tender to Madras (now Chenai), India. Such locomotive was built by the Atlas Works of the North British Locomotive Company, of Glasgow. ii) on Jul. 08, 1914 when at Avonmouth with a cargo of cotton ex Bombay (now Mumbai), India, some bales of cotton caught fire. A small fire it would seem. iii) on Dec. 09, 1918, when at Glasgow I think, fire broke out aboard the vessel damaging the chart house. Damage was estimated at costing £250. iv) On Sep. 05, 1921, arriving at Dieppe, France, ex Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, the vessel would seem to have hit the dock, damaging her bow plates & frames. I read that Clan Chattan was requisitioned in 1917 by the British Government for service during WW1. And was returned to its owners in 1919. In that regard, a Sunderland shipping website, which site requests no links or recognition, provides much detail as to the vessel's WW1 service. Alas you must find that site for yourself! I have read that in 1930, Clan Chattan was sold to P. & W. MacLellan Ltd., ship breakers of Bo'ness, River Forth/Firth of Forth, Scotland. And that she arrived at Bo'ness on Dec. 23, 1930 to be broken up. I learn that the vessel was at Antwerp, Belgium, when she was sold, further that she sailed to Bo'ness under her own steam. I gather that she was beached on Dec. 23, 1930 at the Carriden Yard of Forth Shipbreaking Co. Ltd., which company was owned by P. & W. MacLellan Ltd. But probably was not quickly broken up in the then difficult economic times. This contemporary news report relates. Can you help with additional data? WWW available data is most limited. 113 Clan Lindsay 2499/3935, later 2503/3945 (N/G) tons Hull 299 115704 1902 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Jul. 25, 1902 & completed in Sep. 1902. Per 1 [Clan Line, Clan Lindsay (2)], 2 (data, general arrangement plan, captain names & images), 3 (Wiki page), 4 (origins of Clan Line). Clan Lindsay is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1903 thru 1931, always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. 109.8 metres long, 360.2 ft., speed of 11 knots, signal letters TPND, but maybe GQLW in 1930 & 1931, 330 (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 394 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. It would seem that during WW1, or during a portion thereof, the vessel was fitted with a 4.7 in. gun. Normally it is neat & tidy as to who owns a particular vessel. Not so tidy in this case. Clan Lindsay was always owned, per LR, by Cayzer, Irvine & Co. (or with Limited at the end) of Glasgow. As per LR of 1914/15 (in blue). The 'confusion' is how MNL recorded her ownership. They record The Clan Line Steamers Ltd., as her owners in 1903, Sir Charles Cayzer from 1904 thru 1913, The Clan Line Steamers Ltd. from 1914 thru 1921 & Clan Line Steamers Ltd. (no 'The') from 1922 thru 1931. With Thomas Barr her manager thru 1928 & Fred Bedford from 1929. To add to the confusion, I learn that 'The Clan Line of Steamers Limited', of Glasgow, became 'Cayzer, Irvine & Company, Limited' in 1907. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record C. MacMahon as Clan Lindsay's captain from 1903/04 thru 1908/09, A. (Alexander) Scotland from 1912/13 thru 1917/18, N. Leslie in 1918/19, & W. R. Miller in 1919/20. LRs from 1921/22 seem not to report captain names. I now see that link 2 adds additional captain names (W. Harris, C. Laird & H. J. Giles) & more detail as to the periods of service of all of her captains. I read that Clan Lindsay was requisitioned during the period of 1917/19 by the British Government for service during WW1. On May 03, 1916, Clan Lindsay, under the command of Captain Scotland, was attacked by gunfire from an unidentified German submarine when in the Bay of Biscay. Returning from South Africa with cargo & passengers. The submarine fired upon Clan Lindsay which returned fire. After another exchange of shots the submarine vanished. Captain Scotland & his crew, incl. D. Graham, the seaman who manned the gun, were big heroes when the vessel docked safely at Tilbury. As you can see from these interesting newspaper pages - 1 & 2. And at the bottom image at left. Clan Lindsay was involved in another submarine attack. In Oct. 1917. In Oct. 1917, HMS Orama (an 8179/12927 ton, 551.0 ft. long, passenger steamship, described as then being an armed mercantile cruiser, was in a large convoy that was escorted amongst others by McDougal & by USS Conyngham (A. W. Johnson in command) & Jacob Jones, both US destroyers. Orama was commanded by W. Moorsom, R.N., & had a total of 478 persons aboard. At 5:50 p.m. on Oct. 19, 1917, then at 48.00N/9.20W in the Western Approaches, a torpedo hit Orama - which listed to port & later, that night, sank by the bow. The tip of a periscope being briefly observed, a depth charge was dropped by Conyngham & debris surfaced. The submarine involved, which seems to have been U62 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Ernst Hashagen, may have been damaged but was not destroyed. I have read that all 478 aboard Orama were saved, taken aboard the US destroyers & later landed at Queenstown, Ireland. But this page notes that 5 lives were lost. This report also relates. What does all of this have to do with Clan Lindsay? Well the torpedo which sank Orama had passed across the bow of Clan Lindsay. Part of the crew of Clan Lindsay, thinking, for reasons unknown, they had been hit, abandoned ship. Their lifeboat was recovered by USS Conyngham which tried to return them to Clan Lindsay apparently with resistance from that crew. The lifeboat was damaged when crushed between the two ships hulls. And two panicked Clan Lindsay crew members jumped overboard & were not recovered. Per this page - search for 'Lindsay'. On Dec. 28, 1931, Clan Lindsay arrived at Plymouth ex Rosario, Argentina, via Bilbao, Spain. 3 weeks later, on Jan. 17, 1931, the vessel left Plymouth for Inverkeithing, Firth of Forth, Scotland. This news report tells us that she had been sold, for £4,000, to Messrs. T. & W. Ward Ltd., to be broken up at their Inverkeithing ship breaking facilities. Can you help with additional data? 114 Clan Shaw 2503/3943 (N/G) tons Hull 297 115691 1902 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on May 10, 1902 & completed in Jun. 1902. Per 1 [Clan Line, Clan Shaw (2)], 2 ('uboat.net', sinking data), 3 (fine image, extensive detail re what later happened to the wreck), 4 (origins of Clan Line). Clan Shaw is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1903 (1904) thru 1917 (1916), always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. 109.7 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 360.0 ft., speed of 12 knots, signal letters TLCK, 330 (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 394 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page.  Clan Shaw was always owned, per LR, by Cayzer, Irvine & Co. of Glasgow. As per LR of 1905/06 (in blue). MNL, however, reports her owners as being, from 1903 thru 1913, Sir Charles W. Cayzer of Glasgow, with Thomas Barr her manager. MNLs of 1914 thru 1917 rather record 'The Clan Line of Steamers Limited', again with Barr. To further confuse matters, I learn that 'The Clan Line of Steamers Limited', became 'Cayzer, Irvine & Company, Limited' in 1907. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record C. M. L. Sommerfeldt as Clan Shaw's captain in 1903/04, R. G. Becket in 1905/06, A. W. Simpson in 1906/07, J. Clark in 1907/08 & 1908/09, J. C. Hunter in 1912/13 & C. Edwards in 1914/15. I now see that link 3 adds additional captain names (W. G. Young, D. Dale, C. J. Higgins & G. Scott) & more detail as to the periods of service of all of her captains. It is likely that the vessel was requisitioned by the British Government for service during WW1. Can you confirm that? What we do know is that in early 1917, Clan Shaw, defensively armed, was returning from Chittagong (then India, now Bangladesh) & Calcutta (now Kolkata, India) to Dundee via London, with a cargo of jute. Now on Jan. 22, 1917, UC-29, Oberleutnant zur See Ernst Rosenow in command, laid mines in the Firth of Tay & on the next day, i.e. on Jan. 23, 1917, Clan Shaw hit one of those mines. At 56.27N/02.38W, 8 miles NE of St. Andrews. Two lives were lost (named in link 3). The vessel, beached at the mouth of the River Tay, soon broke her back, & salvage operations were abandoned. She became a total loss. I have not, so far at least, spotted the name of her captain at the time of her loss. The vessel's owners sought a contract to save what could be saved of the ship & cargo. On Feb. 22, 1917, at the Dundee Harbour Works Yard, a modest amount of materials saved from the vessel were auctioned off. And on Apl. 05, 1917 some damaged jute was offered for sale. The owners also sought a purchaser for the hull in situ. I read that the wreck became a real problem in the following years & that the vessel was in an area of quicksand which made salvage efforts most difficult. Five vessels hit the wreck & suffered damage - how can that be if the vessel was truly beached. And fisherman had difficulty with the jute fibres affecting their nets & causing fish to migrate away from the area. In Oct. 1919 an offer of £7,500 (approx. £370k in 2018 value, I read) was accepted by the Dundee Harbour Trustees to remove the wreck. Such work was completed in late 1920. Do read the detail low on the page at link 3 which splendidly provides all the sources for greater detail. The WWW record for the vessel is modest. Can you help with additional data? Images? 115 Inverness 2401/3734 (N/G) tons Hull 295 114423 Morias ordered as Ross 1902 A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Mar. 11, 1902 & completed in Apl. 1902. Per 1 [Sutherland, Inverness (2)], 2 (builder's model, Inverness, sold at a 'Tennants Auctioneers' of Leyburn, North Yorkshire, 2010 auction - click to see the image in a larger size), 3 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, 1930 thru 1932, Morias). Inverness is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1903 thru 1929, registered at Newcastle thru 1919 & at London thereafter. 104.4 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 342.6 ft., speed of 9 1/2 knots, signal letters THRK, 300 (per LR) or 307 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. The vessel was ordered by The Sutherland Steamship Co. Ltd. ('Sutherland'), of Newcastle, as Ross, but launched & delivered to Sutherland as Inverness. LR of 1903/04. Sutherland, per MNL owned the vessel thru 1921. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record J. J. Proud as Inverness's captain in 1903/04, G. Clarkson from 1905/06 thru 1908/09, J. E. Venus in 1912/13 & 1914/15, J. T. Clucas from 1917/18 thru 1919/20. Captain's names seem not to be LR recorded from 1921/22 thru 1927/28. On Oct. 15, 1904, Inverness left Tacoma, Washington, for Yokohama, Japan, with a general cargo - under the command of Captain Ernest Happer. The vessel encountered continued heavy weather for about a month - during that time the vessel's steering gear was carried away twice - on Oct. 17 & Oct. 29, 1904, & the vessel suffered much additional damage en route. On Nov. 18, 1904, the captain decided to make for Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan, apparently to re-coal. On Nov. 25, 1904 the vessel left Muroran, resuming her journey to Yokohama, with a crew of 30 & a most varied (original?) cargo. Leaving port, she sailed too close to shore & stranded on the W. side of the Muroran harbour. Over a 10 day period, cargo had to be unloaded into lighters to permit her to be got off. Which she did with no hull damage it would appear. She finally left for Yokohama on Dec. 15, 1904. The matter does not seem to the webmaster at least to be of great importance. However a Naval Court of Inquiry into the grounding was held on Nov. 25, 1904, at Muroran, an Inquiry which found Captain Happer to be solely at fault. The Court reprimanded him but did not deal with his master's certificate. You can read the report of that Court of Inquiry here. I have read in a number of places that Inverness was sold, in 1920, to 'The Anglo-Celtic Shipping Co. Ltd.', of London, with with J. Griffiths, of Cardiff, soon Griffiths, Payne & Co. Ltd., the managers, with no change of vessel name. While that statement is true it does not state what really happened. In the very early days of Feb. 1920, 'Western Counties Shipping Company Limited' ('Western'), of Cardiff, with Edgar Edwards or E. Edwards & Sons the managers, agreed to acquire Sutherland's then entire fleet of eleven vessels for a total price of £1,825,000, including Inverness which was included in the purchase at a value of £110,000. This contemporary news report relates. My understanding is that Western proposed to pay for their purchase by raising £1,000,000 in new Ordinary capital and by assuming a Sutherland mortgage for £900,000, intending to soon sell three of the older vessels & reduce the mortgage by an anticipated £370,000. The heavily oversubscribed share issue was a success, largely acquired by prior shareholders of Western. Three of the eleven vessels were sold in Apl. 1920 - to The Anglo-Celtic Shipping Company Ltd. of Cardiff for a total of £375,000 i.e. Caithness (£145,000), Dumfries (£120,000) & Inverness (£110,000). This prospectus advertisement relates. 'The Anglo-Celtic Shipping Co. Ltd.', of London, owned the vessel thru 1929 per MNL. In or about 1929, Inverness was sold to Stepho G. Farkouh & M. Olivier, of Piraeus, Greece, with M. Olivier the manager, & renamed Morias. LR of 1930. On Apl. 02, 1933, Morias arrived at Savona, Italy, to be broken up. The WWW record for the vessel is most scanty. I have not been able to find any references to the vessel's service in WW1, indeed few references whatsoever to the vessel. Can you help with additional data? Images? #2241 116 Lime Branch 3468/5379 (N/G) tons Hull 293 114639 Konsul Carl Fisser 1902 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Dec. 12, 1901 & completed in Feb. 1902. Per 1 (1902 voyage, 75% down), 2 (Nautilus, Lime Branch), 3 (image, Lime Branch, thanks to Newcastle Libraries. A large & fine set of largely Newcastle images is available here 4), 5 ('uboat.net', re 1917 attack, Lime Branch with location map), 6 (1917 attack, search for Lime Branch). Lime Branch is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1903 thru 1925, always registered at Sunderland. 120.7 metres long, 396.0 ft., speed of 8 1/2 knots, signal letters TFWR, 359 (per LR) or 473 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. I do not remember seeing before a variance of such magnitude in the reported horsepower of a vessel. LR of 1905/06 (in red). Lime Branch was built for 'The Nautilus Steam Shipping Co., Ltd.' ('Nautilus'), of Sunderland, who owned it thru 1925 per MNL, with F. & W. Ritson her managers, & Stanley M. Ritson from 1918. Nautilus served the W. coast of S. America (Gulf Line). The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record F. M. Maling as Lime Branch's captain in 1903/04 & 1905/06, A. Livingston from 1906/07 thru 1908/09, F. J. Orford in 1912/13 & 1914/15, L. A. (Lowly Arthur) Mitchell (died Apl. 30, 1925) in 1917/18 & 1918/19 & G. H. Pinder in 1919/20. Captain's names seem not to be LR recorded from 1921/22 thru 1922/23. The vessel left Newcastle for San Francisco on Aug. 11, 1902 with a record 7,936 tons of Wallsend coal. In the spring of 1917, Lime Branch was en route from Punta Arenas, Chile, to London with a varied cargo that included 5,000 tons of nitrate of soda, cotton & cotton cake, oats & wool. It had left Las Palmas, Canary Islands, & was struck at 3:58 p.m. on Apl. 13, 1917 by a torpedo fired by U-84, Kapitänleutnant Walter Roehr in command. At 48.27N/08.30W, 242 miles off Plymouth. Lime Branch was hit in No. 2 hold & the hole in the hull was 30 x 22 ft. in size. While seriously damaged, all the other holds were intact & the vessel was able to continue. It was attacked again at 8 p.m. but the torpedo just missed - by a foot. The vessel made Plymouth, escorted by torpedo destroyer G67. Lime Branch may well have been permitted to continue its voyage to London, under escort, without immediate repair of the damage. The vessel was apparently laid up at Antwerp for an extended period of time. On Jan. 16, 1924, Lime Branch left Cardiff bound for Valparaiso, Chile, on a voyage which originated in Antwerp, Belgium, via London. With Jas. I. Rogers, a Sunderland man, in command - I think with a cargo of 450 tons of coal, 1,000 tons of patent fuel & 270 tons of galvanised iron. She soon ran into a major, widespread, gale that resulted in her losing her propeller & rudder - indeed she lost all of her propeller blades while her rudder was described as being 'unshipped'. But now see below. Helpless in the raging seas & winds, when about 100 miles SW of Fastnet, at 50.12N/15.06W, she on Jan. 18, 1924, sent out an SOS requesting urgent assistance. Cordita, a 5,545 ton tanker owned by Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company, heard the call & headed towards her position. As did a trawler - Ijuina or a name close to that. Two tugs left for the scene also, Morsecock, ex Queenstown, Ireland (now Cobh), & Roode Zee, a Dutch tug, ex Plymouth. A bit of a race it would seem between the two tugs for a major salvage prize. One news report stated (in error) that Lime Branch later arrived at Queenstown in the tow of both Morsecock & Roode Zee. In fact, Lime Branch had been taken in tow by Cordita which towed her all the way to Queenstown arriving there on Jan. 22, 1924. Some contemporary news reports - 1, 2 & 3. It would seem that The Cork Harbour Commissioners reported that Lime Branch had not properly followed port regulations re some explosives that were aboard the vessel. It is from the Captain's rebuttal that we know the true name of her than captain - Jas. I. Rogers. There are later reports re the matter - too confusing for me to devote time to the subject. On Feb. 18, 1924, presumably repaired, Lime Branch left Queenstown to resume its journey to Valparaiso. The webmaster has tried, so far without sucess, to learn what happened re Cordita's likely major salvage claim against the owners of Lime Branch. Can you tell us how that was resolved? I have now read that the damage to Lime Branch's rudder & propeller was caused by hitting submerged wreckage - a matter that I did not spot in the earlier reports. In early Feb. 1925, Lime Branch, en route from Liverpool to Bremen, Germany, stuck & badly damaged a lighter near Vegesak (just N. of Bremen). Lime Branch went ashore, was floated off with the assistance of five tugs & soon thereafter went ashore again. On Mar. 21, 1925, the Liverpool Journal of Commerce reported that Lime Branch had been sold to German interests for £22,000. Apparently to 'Fisser und Von Dornum', of Emden (now of Hamburg), Germany, which company was engaged in the coal & timber trades. They renamed the vessel Konsul Carl Fisser. In Q1 of 1933, Konsul Carl Fisser was broken up at the 'Nordseewerke' facilities at Emden, Germany. Can you help with additional data? WWW data is really quite limited. 117 Clan Forbes 2516/3946 (N/G) tons Hull 306 115762 1903 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Apl. 28, 1903 & completed in Jun. 1903. A collier. Per 1 [Clan Line, Clan Forbes (2)], 2 (sunk in 1918, see Clan Forbes), 3 (image of ship's model), 4 ('uboat.net', sinking, Clan Forbes with map location of loss), 5 (origins of Clan Line), 6 (image & data). Clan Forbes is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1904 thru 1918, always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. 109.8 metres long, 360.3 ft., speed of 11 knots, signal letters VBSM, 330 (per LR) or 394 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. Clan Forbes was always owned, per LR, by Cayzer, Irvine & Co. of Glasgow. As per LR of 1917/18 (in blue). MNL, however, reports her owners as being, from 1904 thru 1909, The Clan Line Steamers Ltd., of Glasgow, with Thomas Barr her manager. MNLs of 1910 thru 1913 rather record Sir Charles W. Cayzer, again with Barr. While MNLs of 1914 thru 1918 record 'The Clan Line of Steamers Limited', again with Barr. To further confuse matters, I learn that 'The Clan Line of Steamers Limited', became 'Cayzer, Irvine & Company, Limited' in 1907. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record W. H. Ridgway as Clan Forbes's captain from 1903/04 thru 1906/07, R. G. Becket from 1907/08 thru 1912/13, Q. C. Pagan in 1914/15 & C. W. Henderson in 1917/18. On Jun. 09, 1918, defensively armed, while en route from Newport, Wales, to Port Said, Egypt, with a cargo of coal, Clan Forbes was torpedoed by UB-105, Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Marschall in command, & sunk in the Mediterranean, 115 miles WNW of Alexandria, Egypt. At 31.55N/27.50E. 2 lives were lost. Can you help with additional data? Data is most limited. But ... I seem to have said that for so many of these listings! 118 Dunrobin 2319/3617 (N/G) tons Hull 311 118626 ordered as Harefield 1903 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Sep. 22, 1903 & completed in Oct. 1903. Per 1 (24 November 1917, search for Dunrobin), 2 (U-53), 3 (Tower Hill memorial), 4 ('uboat.net', sinking, Dunrobin), 5 (1916 submarine attack, search for Dunrobin. Dunrobin is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1905 thru 1917, always registered at Newcastle. About 108 metres, 339.9 ft., long, speed of 9 or 10 knots, signal letters VJRG, 300 (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 313 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. The vessel was ordered as Harefield. By, I presume, The Dunrobin Shipping Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, with Arthur M. Sutherland the manager, who registered it as Dunrobin. Per MNL, Dunrobin was sold, likely in 1905 or 1906, to The Sunderland Steam Ship Co. Ltd. ('Sunderland'), of Sunderland, with John L. Browne the manager. On or prior to Feb. 04, 1909 (in blue), B. J. Sutherland & Co., of Newcsatle, were appointed the managers of the vessel, which would seem to have soon thereafter to have been sold to Munro Shipping Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, with Arthur M. (Munro) Sutherland or B. J. Sutherland & Co., the managers. (I cannot locate LR editions of 1909/10 thru 1911/12 to confirm such Munro ownership). But by LR of 1908/09, the vessel was owned by Sutherland Steamship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, again with A. M. Sutherland her manager.  LR of 1912/13. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record M. H. Ransom as Dunrobin's captain in 1905/06 & 1906/07, V. E. Venus in 1907/08 & 1908/09, W. E. Carr in 1912/13 & 1914/15 & H. Ison in 1917/18 & 1918/19. It would seem that many British steamers were blocked from exiting Swedish & Russian ports from the beginning of WW1. Dunrobin was one of such vessels, blocked in the harbour at Lulea, Sweden. In Jun. 1916, Dunrobin was able to escape, chased by 20 or so German armed trawlers. She sailed in Swedish waters under the command of a Swedish captain & escorted by Swedish torpedo-boats, until a British captain was able to take over at Gothenburg, & bring her back to the U.K. Per this contemporary report. On Aug. 18, 1916, Baron Wemyss put into Ferrol, NW Spain, having been in collision with Dunrobin off Ferrol. Baron Wemyss was in dock at Ferrol for a couple of days to repair her resulting damage - which repairs cost £450. On Sep. 26, 1916, Dunrobin fought off an attack by U-35, Kapitänleutnant Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière in command, between Cape San Sebastian, Spain, & Majorca. So far as I can see, the matter was not reported in the U.K. press. It would seem that D. Thompson was in command of Dunrobin at the time. And that he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in recognition of his service. On Nov. 24, 1917, while en route from Almeria, Spain, to the Tyne with a cargo of iron ore & grapes, & defensively armed, Dunrobin was torpedoed by U-53, Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose in command, & sunk 49 miles off the Lizard. 31 lives were lost including H. Ison, her captain. Again, so far as I can see, the loss was not reported in the U.K. press. But I did spot this Nov. 30, 1917 news report about the loss of Captain Ison. Which report references his receiving, 'a few months ago', a gold watch for sinking a German submarine. Which could not have been U-35, which surrendered in Nov. 1918. Can you help with additional data? 119 E. O. Saltmarsh 2319/3630 (N/G) tons Hull 310 118321 Wanaheim 1903 A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Aug. 22, 1903. A collier. Per 1 (Louisville & Kentucky, p#107 & image on p#101, & also at p#195 here), 2 (E. O. Saltmarsh, extensive voyage detail etc.), 3 (modest image, E. O. Saltmarsh). 340.0 ft. long, about 110 metres, speed of 10 knots, signal letters VFQK, 300 NHP engines by W. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page.. E. O. Saltmarsh is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1904 thru 1923, always registered at London. E. O. Saltmarsh was built for 'Pensacola Trading Co. Ltd.', ('Trading') of London, with Fenwick S. Watts or Watts, Watts & Co., later Stanley M. Thompson & John W. Thompson, the managers, which company owned two ships based at Miscogee Wharf, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.A. Trading was then owned by Gulf Transit Company, in turn owned by The Louisville & Nashville Railroad ('L&N'), of Kentucky, U.S.A. E. O. Saltmarsh 'plied the waters of the Gulf & Caribbean, delivering coal to foreign ports, and returning to home base at Pensacola with tonnage of a highly diversified nature'. The vessel was named for Ernest O. (Olmstead) Saltmarsh, 1848/1933, a L&N superintendent, who was presented 'with an expensive and elaborate model of it encased in a Mahogany trimmed Glass Case, mounted on a mahogany base. It was about three feet long and was precise down to the slightest detail.' That model may well be in a Maritime Museum in California. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record T. Rogers as E. O. Saltmarsh's captain from 1905/06 thru 1918/19 & J. Clarke in 1919/20. LR of 1921/22 records no captain name.  At an unknown date in Nov. 1906, E. O. Saltmarsh rescued & landed at Liverpool the 11 man crew of Vera Cruz, a St. Vincent schooner, bound for New Bedford, Mass. U.S.A., with a cargo of salt. Vera Cruz, had encountered gales, became dismasted & was abandoned in a sinking condition. In 1915, Trading (the company) was sold to 'C. C. Mengel & Brother Company', of Louisville, Kentucky. E. O. Saltmarsh was then used to carry mahogany from S. American ports. One of the crew was granted a 'Silver War Badge' a most rare badge indeed, for war service during WW1. Such a medal was only issued to those who were incapacitated in war service. Have no detail as to the recipient or the circumstances. Lloyd's Registers of 1921/22 & 1923/24, list E. O. Saltmarsh as now owned by New Pensacola Trading Co. Ltd., still registered at London. E. O. Saltmarsh was sold, in 1923, to Emil R. Retzlaff, of Stettin, then Germany now Poland, & renamed Wanaheim. And in 1931, was sold again, to "Pommerania" Schiffahrts GmbH, also of Stettin, with no change of vessel name. In Apl. 1933 the vessel was sold for £2,200 for scrapping. Wanaheim arrived at Rosyth, Firth of Forth, Scotland, on May 08, 1933, to be broken up. Can you help with additional data? 120 Grängesberg 6749 (or 6801) tons Hull 305 Beukelsdijk 1903 A steel 'turret' steamer, with 14 masts. Launched on Mar. 14, 1903. An ore carrier Grängesberg is the name of an iron-ore mine in Sweden. Per A (e-Bay, 1903 French page re Grängesberg), 1 (Batavier Line, Grängesberg), 2 (Holland America Line, Beukelsdijk), 3 (data & image Beukelsdijk), 4 (2 images Beukelsdijk & 1 as Beukelsdyk), 5 (data Beukelsdijk), 6 (fine sepia image Grängesberg), 7 (Dutch page, image, stranded in Jan. 1923, 60% down page). 440.2 ft. (138.83 metres) long, speed of 10 (or 10 1/2) knots, signal letters NVCL, 370 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland. Grängesberg was built for 'Wm. Müller & Co.', (or 'Wm. H. Müller & Co's Algemeene Scheepvaart Maatschappij') (Batavier Line) of Rotterdam, Netherlands. LR of 1905/06. On Jun. 02, 1907, while en route from Oxelosund to Rotterdam, Grängesberg ran aground in fog at Falsterborif (a reef off the SW tip of Sweden, near Falsterbo. The vessel was refloated on Jul. 04, 1907 & repaired at Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij. - that date per a long gone website, with this text in English & Dutch. On Jan. 27, 1916, Grängesberg was sold to 'Nederlandsch - Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij' (Holland America Line), also of Rotterdam, & renamed Beukelsdijk. Can anyone explain the matter of the vessel's new name? Most references are to Beukelsdijk, but I have also read Beukelsdyk. And 4 has an image of the vessel with that name on its side. Are not vessels registered? And the exact name as registered should govern? Maybe it was Dutch registered as Beukelsdyk? The vessel was used to transport grain. On Mar. 06, 1917, Beukelsdijk ran aground in Halifax Bay during a heavy storm. Was later refloated. On Mar. 21, 1918, Beukelsdijk was taken over by the U.S. Navy at San Juan, Puerto Rico, commissioned (as ID 3135) & assigned to 'Naval Overseas Transportation Service'. Complement of 62. Two guns, one 3 in. & 1 six-pounder. Was used on South American run carrying coal to Latin America (Bahia, Santos, & Rio de Janeiro) & returning with coffee. In Jul. 1918, Beukelsdijk travelled in convoy to France. She reached Brest to effect boiler & engine repairs after a slow trip (had to stop 4 times with engine problems). Then to St. Nazaire to discharge her cargo but she could not leave until Oct. 13, 1918 due to an outbreak of Spanish influenza. She disembarked her sick sailors at Quiberon Bay, suffered a fire in her coal bunkers & eventually reached New York, where lengthy repairs were effected. Early in 1919, Beukelsdijk carried a cargo of cotton & oil from Galveston, Texas, to Le Havre, France. While discharging, one of her boilers exploded, killing 2 men. After repairs, she sailed to Rotterdam, where she was returned to her owners, Holland America Line, on May 18, 1919. On Jan. 29, 1923, (per 7, Jan. 28, 1923), while en route from Rotterdam to Narvik (far north of Norway & another iron ore port), in ballast, Beukelsdijk ran aground & was stranded at Stótt, near Bodõ, Vestfjord, Norway. At 67.00N/13.40E. The vessel broke in two & sank. Link 7 seems to say that her cargo was salvaged for kr. 50,000 (how can that be - she was in ballast) & that her hull was sold at a Bergen auction for kr. 546.91. Need help with that data. Can you add anything? An image? 121 Siward 2409/3753 (N/G) tons Hull 304 114440 Queenmoor Queenmead Knud Roma 1903 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Dec. 30, 1902 & completed in Jan. 1903. Per 1 (modest images, Queenmoor), 2 (re her Byers anchors, re her loss of her propeller in Dec. 1906). The vessel is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') recorded from 1904 thru 1922, registered at Newcastle thru 1918 & at London from 1919. About 109 metres, 342.9 ft., long, speed of 9 1/2 knots, signal letters TSVH, 300 (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 313 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. Siward was built for The Novocastrian Shipping Co. Ltd., of Newcastle. With Wm. J. Stephens & Co., the managers - thru 1907 per MNL. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record A. J. Wilde as Siward's captain in 1903/04, J. W. Rigby in 1905/06 & 1906/07. Re Queenmoor - A. Richardson in 1908/09, J. Mikkelsen in 1912/13, J. T. Taylor in 1914/15, W. Evans in 1917/18 & 1918/19 & C. F. Williams in 1919/20. LR of 1921/22 records no captain name re Queenmead. On Mar. 07, 1906, when at Leghorn (Livorno, Italy), Siward collided with Zeus under circumstances unknown. Zeus suffered no damage - the necessary repairs to Siward were estimated at £900. Am not sure which Zeus it was - there were four vessels of the name then recorded in LR. In early Dec. 1906, Siward arrived at Antwerp, Belgium, with a cargo of oil from the Black Sea. It later left Antwerp, in ballast for the Tyne, with a crew of 26 & likely Rigby in command. En route it encountered a truly major storm with mountainous seas & high winds. In late Dec. 1906, she sheltered briefly in Bridlington Bay. Soon after she left Bridlington Bay, she lost her propeller - all blades being lost it would seem. Now essentially helpless, late on Dec. 28, 1906, Siward found herself off a lee shore a couple of miles NE of Filey Brigg - a narrow peninsular jutting out into the North Sea & a notorious place for seafarers indeed. The coast at Filey Brigg has 30 metre cliffs & a rock bound shore & ships that end up on the rocks there always end up in pieces. Siward let go two anchors & gratefully they held. Cambria, a Scarborough Harbour Commissioners tug, came to her assistance as did Evening Star a screw trawler. Initially Siward declined their offer of help & rather requested that powerful tugs from the Tyne come to the scene. But she did soon accept the tow of Cambria & was towed to the Tyne in the company of Evening Star. It would seem that her anchors must have been Byers anchors. These contemporary news reports relate - 1 & 2. Siward was renamed Queenmoor in 1907 or 1908, still owned by 'Novocastrian' but now managed by Walter Runciman. LR of 1912/13. Queenmoor was sold, in 1918, to Moor Line Ltd., of Newcastle, with Walter Runciman or W. Runciman & Co. the managers. In 1920, Moor Line Ltd. sold Queenmoor to Western Counties Shipping Co. Ltd., of Cardiff, Wales, with Edgar Edwards or E. Edwards & Sons Ltd. her managers - who registered it at London & renamed the vessel Queenmead. In 1922, Queenmead was sold to Rederi A/S Triton, of Copenhagen, Denmark, T. Nielsen of Denmark the manager, & renamed Knud. And sold again, in 1924, to A/S Patria, of Copenhagen, O. Ovesen the manager, & renamed Roma. On Dec. 22, 1924, Roma stranded just S, of Dragor, a fishing village near Copenhagen, while en route from Stockholm, Sweden, to Rotterdam. The vessel was re-floated with assistance & arrived in Copenhagen Roads on Dec. 24, 1924. But she had been extensively damaged. She was broken up at Copenhagen, don't know when, by (per Niels Hald-Andersen) Petersen & Albeck, of Copenhagen. WWW data about the vessel is most limited. Can you help with additional data? 122 Cairntorr 2293/3588 (N/G) tons Hull 314 118628 1904 A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Dec. 19, 1903 & completed in Jan. 1904. Per 1 [Cairn Line, Cairntorr (1)], 2 (U-34), 3 ('uboat.net', sinking). Cairntorr is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1905 thru 1915, always registered at Newcastle. 340.0 ft., 103.63 metres, long, speed of 10 knots, signal letters VNDT, 292 NHP engines (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 315 NHP (per MNL), by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page & here (1915 list). LR of 1905/06 (in red). Cairntorr was built for The Cairn Line of Steamships Ltd., of Newcastle, with Cairns, Noble & Co. Ltd., the managers (per LR) or, (per MNL), Thos. Cairns, Wm. J. Noble & Thos. R. Cairns. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record J. D. Gibson as Cairntorr's captain from 1905/06 thru 1908/09, J. O. Band from 1910/11 thru 1912/13 & R. A. Purvis in 1914/15. A Welsh newspaper reported on Jan. 04, 1907 that Cairntorr had put into Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, with the cargo of cotton in its main hold on fire. The vessel's crew had kept the fire under control for 4 days using steam from the main boilers. I have read that 5,500 bales of cotton were, as a result of the fire, destroyed. In Nov. 1907 Cairntorr arrived at Shields reporting that William Hammond, a fireman, had disappeared while the vessel was en route from Cardiff to Genoa, Italy, with a cargo of coal. On Mar. 21, 1915, while en route from the Tyne to Genoa, Italy, with a cargo of 5,000 or 6,000 tons of coal, with Captain R. A. Purvis in command & with a crew of about 35 (see link below), Cairntorr was hit by a torpedo fired by U-34, Kapitänleutnant Claus Rücker in command. At 50.14N/00.15E, 7 miles S. of Beachy Head, East Sussex. Cairntorr saw the torpedo launched from 400 yards away, tried to avoid it but was unable to do so. Thousands of people witnessed, from a distance, the spectacle that followed. Help soon arrived - lifeboats from Eastbourne & Newhaven, 2 naval patrol boats & several tugs. 'Attempts were made to tow her into port, but she foundered'. Yes indeed! Cairntorr continued to float for about 3 hours after the attack but sank before she could reach Newhaven, while under tow from one of the naval patrol boats. Fortunately with no loss of life. You are invited to read contemporary newspaper articles here (in red) & here. U-34, I read, sank 119 ships & damaged 4 others during its WW1 service from Oct. 05, 1914 to (maybe) Nov. 09, 1918. Some remains of the wreck remain on the sea floor today, I read. WWW data about Cairntorr is quite limited. Can you help with additional data? 123 Eaton Hall 2380/3711 (N/G) tons Hull 322 119951 Yorkbrook Primiero Maria Teresa 1904 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Jul. 12, 1904 & completed in Jul. 1904. Per 1 (image), 2 (book re Sir Edward Nicholl), 3 (capsule history of Cardiff Hall Line), & 4 (of Hansen Shipping Co. Ltd., both ex here). Eaton Hall is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1905 thru 1925, initially registered at Cardiff, Wales, & then, from 1912, at London. 342.1 ft., about 108 metres, speed of 9 1/2 knots, signal letters WCSJ, 300 (per LR) or 313 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record W. Polglase as Eaton Hall's captain in 1905/06, C. Beck in 1907/08, E. Dysson in 1908/09 & 1912/13, & R. Ward from 1914/15 thru 1919/20. Eaton Hall was built for The Eaton Hall Steamship Co. Ltd. of Cardiff with Edward Nicholl or Edward Nicholl & Co. ('Nicholl'), the managers. The principal of Nicholl, i.e. Edward Nicholl (1862/1939) later became Sir Edward Nicholl (lots of references to the vessel in the volume at the link). Bought at the cost of £34,500. Eaton Hall's first voyage was to Port Said, Egypt, with coal, then from Nicholaieff (Nikolayev, Ukraine, today) to Rotterdam with grain. In 1917, Sven W. (Wohlford) Hansen or Hansen Brothers Ltd., also of Cardiff, became her managers. Eaton Hall was sold, on or about May 23, 1917, to Hansen Shipping Co. Ltd. ('Hansen'), of Cardiff, with no change of vessel name or manager. Eight Cardiff Hall Line vessels. incl. Eaton Hall, were effectively sold to Hansen in May 1917. But the paragraph immediately above does not correctly describe what actually happened. You should first understand that each of the 8 vessels was owned, not by the Cardiff Hall Line itself but rather by its own particular single-ship holding company. Each such company had its own group of shareholders - with Nicholl clearly having a major shareholding in all of them. And managing them all. What happened is that Nicholl sold his shares in each of the 8 holding companies to Hansen who in turn agreed to buy out the other shareholders in each company if they so wished. At a handsome profit to each shareholder it would appear. So both before & after the May 1917 sale, Eaton Hall was actually & technically owned by The Eaton Hall Steamship Company Ltd. You can read all about the sale in this contemporary news report. Now it may well be that such ownership arrangements were later further changed. In Eaton Hall's case, both MNL & LR soon record that Hansen Steamship Company Ltd. later became the direct owner of Eaton Hall. Hansen must have later had financial problems because, in Oct. 1924, Eaton Hall was sold by National Provincial Bank Ltd., the mortgage holder, to Monument Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., ('York Line'), with Ernest G. F. Brown the managers, & renamed Yorkbrook. Note - the webmaster cannot find his earlier source for the sale as above recorded - i.e. sold by order of the National Provincial Bank Ltd. Need confirmation of the accuracy of the words. Re that Oct. 1924 sale, this contemporary news report tells us that Eaton Hall & Whateley Hall were both sold to Messrs. Richards Longstaff & Co., of London & Cardiff, for a combined price of £18,800. As part of the total dispostion of the Hansen Shipping Co. fleet. Can both of the prior paragraphs be correct? Certainly Monument Steam Navigation were the owners of the vessel when it  was sold as per the next paragraph. I note also that Richards Langstaff & Co. Ltd. were also the managers of Monument Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. Yorkbrook was sold, in Jan. 1926, to 'S.A. di Navigazione Compagnia del Tirreno', (or 'Compagnia del Tirreno S.A. di Navigazione'), of Genoa, Italy, & renamed Primiero. Was sold for £8,500 per this contemporary news report. In 1927, Primiero was sold to Augusto Missiroli & Co., also of Genoa, & renamed Maria Teresa. In 1928, the vessel was sold again, to 'United Chartering and Steamship Co. S.A.', of Genoa. 'G. M. Chapira' & 'Depositi Italiani di Carboni Industriali' became the managers, in 1929 & 1931 respectively. On Oct. 05, 1931, Maria Teresa arrived at Genoa, Italy, to be broken up. Maybe actually broken up in 1932. WWW data about the vessel is limited. Can you help with additional data? 124 Elaine 2337/3687, later 3022/3956 (after rebuild), later 3022/4035 (N/G) tons Hull 316 118398 Rio Claro Riva Trigoso Folgore 1904 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Feb. 16, 1904 & completed in Mar. 1904. Per 1 (click on the image to see it in a large size - Elaine, builder's model), 2 ('wrecksite.eu' vessel aground on Feb. 27, 1908), 3 (U-63), 4 ('uboat.net', Rio Claro sinking in 1918), 5 (extensive data in Italian, Riva Trigoso, image), 6 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll' shipdata', Lloyd's Register ('LR') data 1930/31 thru 1945/46, Folgore). 340.1 ft. long, 103.7 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, later 341.0 ft., speed of 11 knots, attained 11 1/2 knots on her trial trip, signal letters VPRH, later RQMV (Riva Trigoso) & NPQI, 300 NHP (per LR) or 313 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists thru 1917 are available via this page. A 50.5 in. long builder's model of Elaine was sold at auction on Sep. 28, 2010 by Bonhams - for £12,000. Elaine is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1905 thru 1915, always registered at London. As Elaine thru 1912 & as Rio Claro thereafter. I read that Angus Steamship Co. Ltd. of Dundee, Scotland, were Elaine's initial owners with J. P. Bruce her manager, but have no edition of LR or MNL to verify the fact.  Later in 1904, Elaine became owned by Lion Line Ltd. of London with Weddel, Turner & Co. or Robert J. Turner & John J. S. Davidson serving as the vessel's managers. See this snippet in that regard. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record T. (Thomas) Millons as the vessel's captain from 1905/06 thru 1908/09, C. S. Newton in 1912/13, & J. E. Grant in 1914/15 & in 1917/18. Some Elaine operational data:- Elaine's maiden voyage was to Hong Kong, then on to Nagasaki, Japan, to pick up a crew. She left Nagasaki in ballast & on Jul. 03, 1904 arrived at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. On Aug. 18, 1904 Elaine left Pinkenba (E. Brisbane) for Delagoa Bay (now Maputo Bay, Mozambique), & Durban, South Africa ('SA'), with a cargo mainly of 47,696 railway sleepers. On Nov. 07, 1905 Elaine arrived at Bunbury, ex Durban, likely en route to Newcastle, New South Wales. In late Jun. 1907, she arrived at Yarraville (Melbourne) with 5,600 tons of phosphates ex Ocean Island (Banaba Island, Pacific, NE of Australia). On Nov. 07, 1907 the vessel arrived at Newcastle from Honolulu, Hawaii, to load coal for Manila, Philippines. It would seem that the vessel made many voyages from Newcastle, NSW, to Manila carrying coal. On a couple of such voyages, she sailed via Townsville, Queensland, to load horses for the Philippines Army. On Feb. 01, 1908 Elaine loaded hardwood at Port Temperance (Hobart, Tasmania, I think) & called in at Bunbury on Feb. 22, 1908 to load bunker coal. The coal loading had been completed & the ship had not left the dock when fire broke out in the new bunker coal. I have previously noted in this spot that the 'lumpers' (labourers who unload cargo) refused to help until they had finished their dinner! I cannot find any references to such a matter but it is clear that they did demand a higher hourly rate than the agreements provided to unload that bunker coal. As a result of which the vessel left Bunbury for Fremantle. Vigilant, a 'Timber Combine' tug, came to Elaine's assistance, pumped out water from her holds & towed a lighter to the vessel with a pump which was used to extinguish the fire. The vessel made its way to Fremantle, WA, where the coal loaded at Bunbury was unloaded & new bunker coal was taken aboard. About £1,000 of damage to the hull was sustained. Temporary repairs were effected at Fremantle & on Mar. 10, 1908 the vessel left Fremantle for Calcutta (now Kolkata) India. That voyage to Bunbury was noted for other mishaps also - including but not limited to her Chief Engineer McMillan falling down one of her bunkers & having to be hospitalized with a dislocated shoulder. MNL of 1913 records William Petersen of London as the vessel's then managing owner. Though I have read that in 1912, European & Brazilian Shipping Co. Ltd., of London, became the owners of the vessel now renamed Rio Claro - with Petersen & Co. Ltd. the vessel's managers. As per MNL of 1914 (William Petersen the manager). In 1915, London Maritime Trading Co. Ltd. also of London, became her owners, with 'Petersen' still her managers. It would appear that the last two owners were both related companies to 'Peterson', so the vessel may well have been transferred rather than sold. On Aug. 14, 1915, Rio Claro was requisitioned by the Admiralty for WW1 service as a Collier Transport. On Jan. 05, 1918, Rio Claro was en route from Leghorn (Livorno, Italy), to Cartagena, Spain, in ballast, when she was attacked by German submarine U-63, Kapitänleutnant Kurt Hartwig in command, & sunk. And broke into two pieces, only one of which parts was recovered. At 44.13N/9.29E, 2 miles off Riva Trigoso, Rapallo Bay, Bay of Genoa, Italy. I read that the after part of Rio Claro was later, in Mar. 1919, re-floated, & that in 1920 that after part was joined to a brand new forward section & the ship became again available for service. There is considerable detail of the re-build at link 5. 'Hartwig', of U-63, was responsible for sinking 43 vessels during WW1, a warship also & damaged but did not sink 6 additional allied ships. In 1920, Rio Claro was acquired by the salvage company which had raised her, i.e. Soc. Italiana Salvataggi e Navigazione ('Salvataggi') of Leghorn, & renamed Riva Trigoso. LR of 1923/24 notes that Salvataggi were then in liquidation. In 1924, Riva Trigoso was acquired by 'Clorialdo Devoto fu G.B.' of Genoa, & renamed Folgore. LR of 1926/27. I read that in the 4th quarter of 1932, Folgore was broken up at Genoa. We thank James Smith for kindly providing this extensive 'pdf' study of Rio Claro's history, which includes detail re its WW1 service as a Collier Transport. All said & done, WWW data about the vessel is limited. Can you help with additional data? #1940 125 Ethelwynne 2067/3230 (N/G) tons Hull 318 118851 Shinsei Maru No. 6 laid down & launched as Andros 1904 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Mar. 31, 1904 & completed in May 1904.. Per 1 ('uboat.net', 1917 mine, Ethelwynne, with map location of attack), 2 (Harrowing Steamship fleet list), 3 ('wrecksite.eu,' wreck data). Ethelwynne is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1905 thru 1922, always registered at Whitby. About 105 metres, 332.1 ft., long, speed of 9 1/2 knots, signal letters VRLS, 265 NHP (per Lloyd's Register 'LR') or 287 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1917 are available via this page. The vessel was laid down & launched as Andros for Dryden Steamship Co., but delivered as Ethelwynne to John Henry Harrowing of Whitby, Yorkshire, later, in or about 1908/09, 'The Harrowing Steamship Co. Ltd.' with J. H. Harrowing or Robert Harrowing & Co., serving as the vessel's managers. LR of 1912/13. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record L. A. Bradford as the vessel's captain from 1906/07 thru 1908/09, G. J. Murray in 1912/13 & 1914/15, W. Cotton in 1917/18 & 1918/19 & J. Macleod in 1919/20. On Jul. 26, 1917, while en route from the White Sea (Barents Sea, N. Russia, near Archangel) to Cardiff with a cargo of timber, Ethelwynne hit a mine laid by U 71, Kapitänleutnant Walter Gude in command. At 60.36N/00.37W, 6 miles off Fetlar, a north island of Shetland Islands, Scotland. The damaged Ethelwynne was towed to (which?) port. No loss of life. In 1919, the vessel is stated to have been sold to Joseph Constantine, of Middlesbrough, with no change of vessel name. In 1920, Ethelwynne was sold to 'The New Steam Navigation & Trading Co. Ltd.', of Bombay, India, with Kaikhushroo B. Mazagonwalla her manager, again with no change of vessel name & still registered at Whitby. In or about 1922, Ethelwynne was sold to 'Shinsei Kisen Goshi Kaisha', of Dairen, Japan, & renamed Shinsei Maru No. 6. LR of 1921/22, however, records the new owner as just being 'S. Hara' while LR of 1922/23 records 'Shinsei Kisen Goshi Kaisha'. On Mar. 14, 1931, (have also read Mar. 16, 1931),  Shinsei Maru No. 6 was wrecked at Hainan Bluff. Possibly at Hainan Island in South China Sea. While en route from Hongay to Hong Kong. Note - Mar. 16, 1931 is certainly the date on which the matter was reported from Hong Kong. It was further reported, on Apl. 08, 1931, that her salvage had been abandoned & 'total loss seems unavoidable'. WWW data about the vessel is particularly limited. Can you help with additional data? 126   Nairn 2324/3627 (N/G) tons Hull 323 118644 1904 A steel, single screw 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Aug. 13, 1904 & completed in Oct. 1904. A collier. Per 1 (Malwa 1908 with ref. to the 1910 collision), 2 ('uboat.net', sinking, Nairn, with map location of loss), 3 (data, Nairn), 4 ('wreck-site.eu', wreck & possible image, Nairn). Nairn is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1905 thru 1917, always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. 339.6 ft. (about 108 metres) long, signal letters HBKP, 300 NHP (per Lloyd's Register 'LR') or 313 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1917 are available via this page. I read that Nairn was built for Dunrobin Shipping Co. Ltd., A. M. Sutherland the manager, of Newcastle. Per L. Gray & J. Lingwood in 'The Doxford Turret Ships' via 'Ships Nostalgia'. From 1904, per MNL from 1905, & per LR editions from 1905/06, thru about 1909, Nairn was owned by J. B. Murray & Co., of Glasgow. With John Bruce Murray her manager. In 1908, 'The "Park" Steamship Co. Ltd.', also of Glasgow, became the vessel's owner, with Colonel J. Smith Park, M.V.O. (Member of the Victorian Order), her manager. LR of 1912/13. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record J. S. Naile as the vessel's captain in 1905/06, E. Lassen from 1907/08 thru 1914/15 & D. Lewis in 1917/18 & 1918/19. In Jul. 1910, Nairn was in collision with Malwa, a Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. 5904/ 10,883 (N/G) ton passenger liner, 23 miles S. of Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). I read that at about 5.30 a.m. on Jul. 06, 1910, Nairn under the command of Captain Lassen, left Colombo for Calcutta (Kolkata), India, in ballast, after having unloaded a cargo of Indian coal at Colombo. At about 9.44 p.m. that day, she collided with Malwa, en route from Fremantle, Australia, to Colombo, with passengers, mails & specie. Nairn, I gather, hit the bow of Malwa causing some damaged plates etc. Nairn was rather more damaged with a badly stove in bow. A Marine Court Inquiry into the incident was held on Aug. 12, 1910, I think in Calcutta, - a hearing which heard evidence from Nairn but not from Malwa, & did not determine responsibilty. A relatively modest matter extensively reported in 'The Englishman' of Calcutta. Just a couple of contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. On Aug. 27 (or Aug. 28), 1917, while en route from Malta to Port Said with a cargo of coal, Nairn was hit by a torpedo fired by Austrian submarine k.u.k. U14, Korvettenkapitän Georg Ritter von Trapp in command, & sank. In the Mediterranean. At 34.05N/19.16E. Off the coast of Libya, N. of Benghazi. No lives were lost. Can you help with additional data? 127   Trowbridge 2380/3712 (N/G) tons Hull 320 118451 1904 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on May 28, 1904 & completed in Jun. 1904. Per 1 (data), 2 (Trowbridge 1917, but all it says is 'TROWBRIDGE, collier, lost November 14, 1917, Mediterranean'), 3 (U-63), 4 ('uboat.net', sinking Trowbridge, plus earlier damage). Trowbridge is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1905 thru 1917 (1916), always registered at London. 104.3 metres, 342.3 ft., long, signal letters VSNT, 300 NHP (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 313 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1917 are available via this page. Trowbridge was built for The Temperley Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. of London. But not included in the partial list of 'Temperley' ships here. With John Temperley her manager thru 1911 & Joseph Temperley thereafter. LR of 1905/06 (in red). The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record J. D. Williams as the vessel's captain in 1905/06 & in 1908/09, H. L. R. Wall in 1906/07, T. J. F. Tucker in 1907/08, W. R. Marrs in 1912/13, 1914/15 & 1918/19, & H. Trinick in 1917/18. I have read that on Apl. 11, 1907, Trowbridge ran ashore on Komariya or Komali Ridge, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), while en route from Calcutta to Bombay (both India) with a cargo of coal. There are an amazing number of Lloyd's List news reports re the vessel's 1907 grounding. Which was on Apl. 10, 1907. She was reported as lying in an almost helpless position, upright, on two coral rocks, at a spot 56 miles S. of Batticallos (Batticaloa today). Forehold full of water, per her captain (not named but probably Williams) likely to become a total loss unless assistance (tug, pumps & lighters) was rapidly provided. Help was slowly provided, about 2,000 tons of coal were jettisoned & she was floated off on Apl. 21, 1907 to proceed under her own steam to Colombo. Where, on May 08, 1907, she entered dry dock to establish the extent of her damage. Her remaing cargo of coal was sold, temporary repairs were effected & so repaired, she left Colombo on Jun. 17, 1907. A couple of contemporary newspaper reports - 1 & 2. The webmaster has not yet spotted what caused the grounding in the first place incl. the weather conditions at the time. I hoped to locate local India or Ceylon reports to provide greater detail - so far without success. In 1917, Trowbridge was damaged while on charter to the Crown. That was on Feb. 14, 1917, when the vessel was attacked by U-38, Korvettenkapitän Max Valentiner in command, while en route from Barry to Alexandria, Egypt. At 36.41N/12.54E, in the Mediterranean, S. of Sicily. No lives were lost. Max Valentiner was an amazingly successful & much decorated u-boat commander, sinking 144 Allied ships in WW1 & damaging many more. A little later, on Nov. 14, 1917, the defensively armed Trowbridge was torpedoed & sunk by U-63, Kapitänleutnant Otto Schultze in command, 12 miles SE of Cape de Gata, SE coast of Spain near Almeria, while en route from Blyth to Alexandria, again loaded with coal. No lives were lost. Can you help with additional data? An image, perhaps? 128 Whateley Hall 2380/3712 (N/G) tons Hull 321 119946 Yorkriver Ronchi San Matteo 1904 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Jun. 16, 1904 & completed in Jul. 1904. Per 1 (book re Sir Edward Nicholl), 2 (image, 50% down, San Matteo, carrying timber), 3 (capsule history of Cardiff Hall Line), & 4 (of Hansen Shipping Co. Ltd., both ex here). Whateley Hall is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1905 thru 1924, initially registered at Cardiff but from 1912 at London. 104.3 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 342.3 ft., speed of 9 1/2 knots or 9 to 11 knots, signal letters VTSL, 300 NHP (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 313 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1917 are available via this page. Whateley Hall was built for The "Whateley Hall" Steamship Company, Ltd., of Cardiff, Wales, Edward Nicholl & Co., ('Hall Line'), the vessel's major owners & manager. The principal of Edward Nicholl & Co., i.e. Edward Nicholl (1862/1939) later became Sir Edward Nicholl (lots of references to the vessel in the volume at the link). LR of 1905/06, in red. The vessel was the 100th turret ship built by Doxford. Named after 'Whateley Hall', (sold & demolished in 1935 or maybe burned down in 1936), at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, the property of Frederick Knight, Nicholl's first investor. Whateley Hall was christened by Miss Knight. Bought at the cost of £34,500. Whateley Hall's first voyage was to Port Said, Egypt, with coal, then from Nicholaieff (Nikolayev, Ukraine, today) to Rotterdam with grain. The vessel assisted Broadgarth, a Middlesbrough vessel, which had run aground in the Black Sea, on Nov. 04, 1904. The owners of Whateley Hall were awarded £1,125 for their salvage assistance. 'Sue' advises that her grandfather, A. E. Mead, was Whateley Hall's master for much of the period of 1912 thru 1915. In that regard, the webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record T. Williams as the vessel's captain in 1905/06, W. G. James in 1906/07, J. Gordon in 1907/08 & 1908/09, W. Mackrell in 1912/13, A. E. Mead in 1914/15 & E. J. Spurrier from 1917/18 thru 1919/20. In 1917, the managers became Sven Wohlford Hansen & then Hansen Brothers Ltd. On or about May 23, 1917, Whateley Hall, along with 7 other fleet vessels, was sold to Hansen Steamship Company, Ltd. (principals Sven Wohlford Hansen & Vyvyan Robinson), of Cardiff (or London). But those words do not correctly describe what actually happened. You should first understand that each of the 8 vessels was owned, not by the Cardiff Hall Line itself but rather by its own particular single-ship holding company. Each such company had its own group of shareholders - with Nicholl clearly having a major shareholding in all of them. And managing them all. What happened is that Nicholl sold his shares in each of the 8 holding companies to Hansen who in turn agreed to buy out the other shareholders in each company if they so wished. At a handsome profit to each shareholder it would appear. So both before & after the May 1917 sale, Whateley Hall was actually & technically owned by The "Whateley Hall" Steamship Company, Ltd. You can read all about the sale in this contemporary news report. Such ownership arrangements were clearly later changed. In Whateley Hall's case, both MNL & LR soon record that Hansen Steamship Company Ltd. had become the direct owner of Whateley Hall. On Jun. 18, 1917, the vessel was attacked by U-boat gunfire W. of Gibraltar, & presumably survived the attack - saved, I have read, by her own gunfire. Hansen must have later had financial problems because in Oct. 1924 the vessel was sold by National Provincial Bank Ltd., the mortgage holder, to Monument Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., ('York Line'), 'Richards, Longstaff & Co. Ltd' the managers, & renamed Yorkriver. Note - the webmaster cannot find his earlier source for the sale as above recorded - i.e. sold by order of the National Provincial Bank Ltd. Need confirmation of the accuracy of the words. Re that Oct. 1924 sale, this contemporary news report tells us that Eaton Hall & Whateley Hall were both sold to Richards Longstaff & Co., of London & Cardiff, for a combined price of £18,800. As part of the total dispostion of the Hansen Shipping Co. fleet. In 1925, the vessel was sold to 'Parodi & Corrado S.A.', of Genoa, Italy, & in 1926 renamed Ronchi. Was sold for £8,500 per this contemporary news report. In 1929, Ronchi was acquired by 'S.A. E. V. Parodi', also of Genoa, with no change of vessel name. The vessel was sold again, in 1934, to 'M. Scudari', of Catania, Italy, & renamed San Matteo. On Jan. 28, 1937, while en route from Gdynia, Poland, to Italy with a cargo of coal, San Matteo was wrecked in a heavy gale near Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic, between Sweden & Poland. To be more specific, the vessel was wrecked on the Stolp (or Stolpe) Bank, 17 (or maybe 28) miles north of Stolpmunde, Poland, today's Ustka. All 40 of her crew, were drowned. This contemporary news report relates. I read that an image of Whateley Hall exists in France, entering Rouen harbour, France, in Oct. 1914. Can you help with additional data? An image, perhaps? 129 Belle of France 2469/3876 (N/G) tons Hull 340 120905 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Oct. 28, 1905 & completed in Nov. 1905. Its trial trip was on Dec. 01, 1905. Per 1 ('uboat.net', 1916 loss, Belle of France, with map location of loss), 2 (ref. to U-33, page 125, an incorrect ref. it would seem), 3 (U-21), 4 (ref. Belle Agency Limited). Belle of France is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1906 thru 1916, always registered at Liverpool. About 111 metres long, 352.0 ft., speed of 10 knots, signal letters HFBM, 313 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists thru 1916 are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record W. W. Leslie as the vessel's captain from 1906/07 thru 1908/09, & J. (James) P. Cargill in 1912/13 & 1914/15. Belle of France was built for "Belle of France" Steamship Co. Ltd., of Liverpool, with Crow, Rudolf & Co. ('Crow') or Arthur H. Crow her managers. But maybe not. John Bage's list of Doxford built ships indicates that Crow were the original owners. They went bankrupt in May 1914, triggered by the failure of an American firm that was greatly indebted to Crow. Belle Agency Ltd. became the vessel's new managers. I presume that Belle of France would have been sold as a result of Crow's failure. It would seem, see link 4 above, that she became owned by Belle Agency Ltd. of Liverpool. On Feb. 01, 1916, Belle of France was torpedoed & sunk by U-21, Kapitänleutnant Otto Hersing in command, 126 miles NW by W. of Alexandria, Egypt, while en route from Karachi, Pakistan, to Algiers, Algeria, with a cargo of grain. At 32.30N/27.45E. 19 lives were lost. The captain survived. Link 2 states that vessel was rather sunk by U-33. The vessel's captain was James Cargill who wrote to his wife in Carnoustie (N & a bit E. of Dundee, Scotland) to say that he was safe & would be home soon. This report tells us that the European crew of Belle of France were all saved as were 22 lascars. Can it be true that 19 lives were ln fact lost? Can you help with additional data? Or correct the above. An additional image, perhaps? 130 Carthusian 2576/4121 (N/G) tons Hull 347 85278 Dumfries 1905 A steel 'turret' steamerwhich was launched on Nov. 14, 1905 & completed in Dec. 1905. Per 1 (B. J. Sutherland), 2 (19 May 1915, search for  Dumfries), 3 ('uboat.net', sinking, image, Dumfries, with map location of loss), 4 ('wrecksite.eu', sinking, Dumfries). 350.0 ft. (about 111 metres) long, signal letters HFCS, 310 NHP (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 330 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1914 are available via this page. I note that another Sunderland shipping website records the vessel's engines as built by David J. Dunlop & Co. LR of 1906/07. Carthusian is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1906 thru 1915, registered at Aberystwyth, Wales, thru 1908 & at London thereafter. Always MNL listed as Carthusian. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record R. James as the vessel's captain in 1906/07 & 1907/98, W. T. Davies in 1908/09 & 1912/13, J. O. Enos in 1914/15 & C. Kragh also in 1914/15, after the vessel's sale. Carthusian was built, per LR, for J. Mathias & Sons ('Mathias'), of Aberystwyth, Wales.  Or, per MNL, for Lewis J. Mathias, her managing owner. I read that in 1908, 'Cambrian Steam Navigation Co. Ltd.', also of Aberystwyth, became the vessel's registered owners with, per LR, Mathias her managers or, per MNL, Lewis J. Mathias and Velindre Hall of Cardiff. Carthusian was sold, in 1915, to Sutherland Steamship Company Ltd., of Newcastle, with A. M. (Munro) Sutherland, her manager, & renamed Dumfries. At 11.00 a.m. on May 19, 1915, while en route from Cardiff to Leghorn (Livorno), Italy, with a cargo of coal, Dumfries was torpedoed & sunk by U-27, Kapitänleutnant Bernd Wegener in command, at 50.46N/05.02W, 13 miles N. of Trevose Head, Cornwall. 2 lives were lost. I read, in this contemporary news report, that the vessel was under the command of Captain Craig & that 53 of the crew of 55 were landed at Ilfracombe late on May 19, 1915. Such report names the ship's officers. Can you help with additional data? An image, perhaps? 131 Gellivare 1188/1992 (N/G) tons Hull 344 4463 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer whaich was launched on Jun. 21, 1905 & completed in Jul. 1905. An ore carrier. Per 1 (launch, text), 2 (launch, image), 3 (page in Swedish & image), 4 (Norwegian Gellivare page, images). About 88 metres long (84.2 metres between perpendiculars), 276.4 ft., speed of 9 knots, 202 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd., of Sunderland. Sister to Kiruna. Gellivare was built for 'Rederi A/B Luleå-Ofoten', (have also read Trafikaktiebolaget-Grangesberg-Oxelosund), with Welin or P. Tham the managers?, of Stockholm, Sweden. P. A. Weiling became the managers in 1906. A few Gellivare operational matters that the webmaster happened to spot:- i) On Nov. 16, 1907, it was reported that Gellivare, with a cargo of iron ore, & likely Anderson in command, was aground, at Hannestsholman (? spelling) - 16 miles N. of Sannensjoen (Sandnessjøen, Norway). Her forepeak & foretank were noted to be full of water. Two salvage steamers were alongside & she was expected to be floated off on Nov. 16, 1907. Her repairs at Drontheim (Trondheim, Norway) were completed on Jan. 11, 1907 - she was then to reload her cargo & resume her voyage. ii) On Sep. 21, 1909, when loading at Svarto Viaduct (Svartå, Sweden), water entered the vessel thru an open valve. She had 10 ft. of water in her engine room. Belos, a salvage steamer, came to her assistance, beached her & pumped her out. iii) When at Connah's Wharf, Middlesbrough, on May 05, 1910, Gellivare collided with Begona, a Spanish steamship, which suffered modest damage. iv) On Jan. 07, 1911, Gellivare struck the lock at Ardrossan, Scotland. v) On Mar. 08, 1915 the vessel, en route to Rotterdam, grounded at South Oland (Sweden). She was surveyed & found to have suffered no damage. She delivered her cargo to Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland). On May 19, 1916, the vessel was 'Överförd till Trafik Ab Grängesberg-Oxelösund, Stockholm.', which means (thanks to Pontus Skeppstam of the U.K.) 'Transferred to Trafik AB Grängesberg-Oxelösund, of Stockholm'. AB means a limited company, I gather. In 1920, G. Dillner became the manager & in 1930 M. Walderstrom. In Sep. 1933, Gellivare was sold to Lindholmens of Göteborg (Gothenburg) to be broken up. Can you help? 132 Grindon Hall 2380/3721 (N/G) tons Hull 346 119978 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Aug. 31, 1905 & completed in Sep. 1905. Which had a very short life. Per 1 ('Nicholl' volume), 2 (data), 3 (also data -1907/8 Times of London extracts), 4 (crew list at time of loss), 5 (1908 Board of Trade Inquiry into loss). 342.2 ft. (about 110 metres) long, signal letters HDMK, speed of 9 1/2 knots, 300 NHP (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 313 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1914 are available via this page. Grindon Hall is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1906 thru 1908 only, always registered at Cardiff, Wales. Grindon Hall was built for 'The Grindon Hall Steamship Company Ltd.', of Cardiff - Edward Nicholl & Co., the major owners & managers. Registered at Cardiff on Sep. 21, 1905. The principal of Edward Nicholl & Co., i.e. Edward Nicholl (1862/1939) later became Sir Edward Nicholl.  It would seem that Grindon Hall completed nine voyages into the Black Sea to load cargoes of grain. And was lost on the tenth such voyage. Richard Burt was the vessel's captain during the vessel's entire lifetime except for the single voyage immediately prior to the one next described. On Oct. 16, 1907 Grindon Hall left Cardiff for Kustenjeb (or Kustendij), located about 100 miles N. of Varna, Bulgaria, Romanian Black Sea coast), with a cargo of 5,071 tons of coal, under the command of Richard Burt & with a crew of 26 all told. It arrived at Kustenjeb on Nov. 04, 1907 & on Nov. 23, 1907 left for nearby Sulina (Romania, at the mouth of Sulina branch of the Danube River) to load a cargo of barley & maize. Grindon Hall arrived at Sulina that same day. There is a little confusion as to how many tons of cargo the vessel took on board at Sulina. Perhaps 4,181 tons of barley & 1,349 tons of maize. On Dec. 04, 1907, Grindon Hall left Sulina, for Glasgow. With, it would seem, modestly more bunker coal than she should have been carrying. But her cargo & bunker coal was not loaded in accordance with the rules of the Board of Trade. She was never heard from again, & was surely lost with all hands in the Black Sea soon after leaving Sulina. Likely having encountered heavy weather. There was, it would seem, no report of her passing the Bosphorus (or Bosporus), which data is, however, not conclusive on its own. But ... On Jan. 08, 1908, Kelet, an Austrian steamship, picked up part of a Grindon Hall lifeboat in the Black Sea. And a little later a Grindon Hall lifebuoy & a lifebelt were also picked up on Black Sea beaches. At the time of the vessel's loss, the vessel was worth about £35,000 & insured in approx. that amount. An e-Bay item, now long expired, was a 1908 Workman's Compensation Claim re William Roberts, a steward who perished. Grindon Hall was replaced with another Doxford 'turret ship', built in 1908, & also named Grindon Hall. On May 06/07, 1908, the Board of Trade conducted an Inquiry at Cardiff into the vessel's loss. The most extensive resulting report, which describes the vessel in much detail, can be read here. The Board concluded that Grindon Hall had not been properly loaded at Sulina & she was lost by the instability that such loading caused.  There were some confusing aspects to the record of this vessel, but I think they are now resolved. The Nicholl volume available above, neither references the loss of Grindon Hall nor mentions the replacement vessel of the same name. WW1 losses are not mentioned either. But it does give, at page #99, financial results of the vessel's operations from Sep. 26, 1905 through Nov. 27, 1908. That seemed to be a strange end date indeed, since it was almost a year after 'our' Grindon Hall was lost. I believe, however, that the solution emerges, thanks to data provided by Barry Quest re the 2nd Grindon Hall. It is clear that Nov. 27, 1908 was the end date of a voyage of that 2nd vessel. Now each Nicholl ship was owned by a separate 'company' or group of investors. I conclude that the company which owned this vessel, received the insurance funds when it was lost, & with those funds bought the replacement vessel of the same name. So the financial results to which reference is made are the results of that company covering 2 vessels of the identical name. Which makes sense, I think. Can you add anything? Or provide an additional image? 133 Hatumet 2584/4147 (N/G) tons Hull 343 120605 Rassay 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Aug. 19, 1905 & completed in Sep. 1905. Christened by Miss Vera Doxford. Per 1 (B. J. Sutherland, Hatumet), 2 (NY Times article Feb. 14, 1910), 3 & 4 (accounts of the Lima wreck & rescue). 106.7 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 350.0 ft., signal letters HDKT but at the end GPCV, speed of 10 knots, 310 NHP (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 347 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1930 are available via this page. Hatumet is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1906 thru 1932, registered at London initially & at Newcastle from 1917. As Hatumet thru 1919 & as Rassay thereafter. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record E. R. Calder as the vessel's captain in 1905/06, J. (John) Peters from 1906/07 thru 1914/15, & J. McLelland from 1917/18 thru 1919/20. Hatumet was built for Hathor Steam Ship Co. Ltd., of London, with Harry B. Gourlay & Alister F. W. Gourlay (or H. B. & A. Gourlay) her managers. On Feb. 05, 1910, Lima, a passenger liner of 4,943 tons built on the Clyde in 1907 by John Brown & Co., en route from the Clyde & Liverpool for Callao, Peru, & commanded by Percy M. Jacobs ('Jacobs'), ran ashore in bad weather including fog on Huamblin Island, about 100 miles S. of Chiloé Island, Chile. At 44.45S/ 75.12W. References say that the vessel, ran ashore in the Strait of Magellan but it would seem that Huamblin Island is a long way N. of the Strait. Anyway, Hatumet, commanded by Capt. J. Peters, saw the distress signals & rescued '205 persons, of whom 188 were passengers, including all the women and children'. One by one, they were lowered by rope, in darkness, to two waiting Hatumet lifeboats, boats which were manned, I read, by Lima seamen & commanded respectively by Lima's Chief Officer I. Nicholson & by Lima's boatswain. 6 of the crew of Nicholson's lifeboat (including Nicholson) lost their lives when the boat overturned in high seas & they were swept away, however link 2 indicates that in fact 50 more were lost by drowning, including Lima's chief mate. Hatumet, in danger of being herself swept onto the rocks, made for Ancud, at the N. end of Chiloé Island. Many rescue vessels were dispatched. I read that a silver medal of the 'Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society' was awarded to J. McClusky, boatswain, presumably of Lima, for his gallant conduct in the rescue, along with the sum of £5. Other medals etc. were also awarded, including silver medals to Jacobs & three able seamen who presumably served as lifeboat crew. The remaining 88 persons aboard Lima were later taken off, by rocket apparatus, by Blanca Encalada or maybe by Chilean cruiser Ministro Centro. Not sure. Nor am I sure of the date on which the 88 were rescued - the data is confusing - however it would seem to have been 15 days after Lima struck. On Dec. 27, 1911, Hatumet was in the river Hooghly at Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, under the command of John Peters. While Punjab, a river steamer owned by Rivers Steam Navigation Company Ltd., was proceeding in the other direction. Both vessels signalled their intentions to keep to starboard to pass one another port to port. Hatumet ended up stranded on the Sibpur College Sand when avoiding Punjab which suddenly changed course & cut across Hatumet's bow. The first court case found in favour of the owners of Hatumet. That decision was reversed on appeal i.e. the court found in favour of Punjab. However, on the 2nd 'Judicial Committee of the Privy Council' appeal, in Mar. 1916, Punjab was held to be at fault. The matter was extensively covered in Lloyds List from Mar. 28 thru 30, 1916 & on May 06, 1916. And, so far as I can see, was not published anywhere else. Such Lloyd's List coverage is so extensive that I must direct you to those issues for detail. Hatumet was sold, in 1915 (or maybe in 1914 - LR of 1914/15 certainly), to The Isles Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. ('Isles'), of Newcastle, with Thos. W. Brown or Dixon, Robson & Co. her managers. It would seem that Dixon, Robson & Co. were the managing owners of Isles. In Feb. 1916, Arthur M. Sutherland or B. J. Sutherland & Co. were appointed her managers. And in 1919 Hatumet was renamed Rassay. LR of 1921/22. On Oct. 06, 1919, when in dock at Hull, having arrived from Madras (now Chenai), India with a cargo of ground nuts & cotton seed, a fire broke out in No. 1 hold. Both cargo & vessel were damaged. In 1922 or 1923, but link 1 says in 1918, Rassay was acquired by B. J. Sutherland & Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, with no change of vessel name. They owned the vessel until it was sold to be broken up. The images at left are shown thanks to Sax Jarritt, whose father-in-law served aboard Rassay in the spring of 1920, particularly on a voyage from Hull to Bahia Blanca, Argentina, to pick up a cargo of grain. In Jun. 1932, Rassay was broken up at the Gateshead facilities of J. J. King & Sons, sold to them for £1,500. Can you help with additional data?  134 Kiruna 1198/2004 (N/G) tons Hull 342 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched on May 20, 1905 & completed in Jun. 1905. Her trial trip was on Jun. 24, 1905. Per 1 (maiden voyage), 2 (page in Swedish), 3 (Kiruna, page with 3 images as at left, the link sometimes does not work). 84.2 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 276.4 ft., 203 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons of Sunderland, named, per Björn Waldenström, after the largest deposit of iron ore in Sweden. Sister to Gellivare. Kiruna was built for 'Rederi A/B Luleå-Ofoten', (have also read Trafikaktiebolaget-Grangesberg-Oxelosund), (P. Tham the managers), of Stockholm, Sweden. Kiruna's maiden voyage was to Stockholm, on Jun. 24, 1905. In 1906, P. A. Weiling became the manager. On Feb. 16, 1913, en route from Oxelösund, Sweden, to Rotterdam, with a cargo of iron ore, Kiruna collided with the German steamer Cæsar or Caesar in the North Sea. And sank, with no loss of life. Caesar was en route from Emden, Germany, to Blyth in ballast. The collision is stated to have occurred at 53N/5.8E, but that location, being inland, seems to be doubtful. Likely it occurred in the North Sea near to Rotterdam. The contemporary news reports provided no words about the circumstances, the captain names, the damage to Caesar or how the Kiruna survivors were rescued. One report noted re Kiruna - 'vessel and cargo are valued at £22,000. These reports relate. Can you help with additional data? 135 Komura 1316 or 1289/2112 (N/G) tons Hull 348 120646 Hwa Sing (maybe) Hwah Sung 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Nov. 28, 1905 & completed in Dec. 1905. Per A (e-Bay, modest Komura image), 1 (McIlwraith McEacharn data, plus 3 tiny images, Komura, 45% down), 2 (Scottish Line, data Komura, states vessel was renamed 'Hwa Sing'), 3 (Plimsoll, Southampton, LR data 1921/32 & 1932/33, Hwa Sing). Komura is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1906 thru 1931, registered at London initially & at Melbourne, Australia, from 1906. Always as Komura. 90.1 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 295.5 ft., speed of 10 1/2 knots, 2 masts, single screw, signal letters HFGC, later VJDZ, 241 NHP (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 287 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, no crew lists are available. Komura was built for 'McIlwraith, McEacharn & Co. Proprietary Limited', 'Scottish Line', of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, with Andrew McIlwraith her London manager. For the Australian coastal trade. I have previously noted in this spot that in 1913 that company was restyled as 'McIlwraith, McEacharn’s Line Proprietary Ltd.' MNL records that change in 1915 & LR in 1914/15. MNL further advises that the company became McIlwraith, McEachern Ltd. in 1928. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record W. R. Clack as the vessel's captain in 1906/07, H. Strom in 1907/08, W. Smith in 1908/09, A. N. Guthrie in 1912/13 & 1914/15, J. C. Keay in 1917/18 & 1918/19 & A. McDonald in 1919/20. A long expired e-Bay item was a Captain's Abstract or Log, with details, in 500 pages, of the Australian coastal voyages of the vessel from Oct. 15, 1914 to Dec. 06, 1920. Some Komura operational details that the webmaster happened to find:- i) On Aug. 09 or 10, 1908, Komura arrived at Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, after a 140 mile tow by Noorebar - a much smaller vessel of 336/685 (N/G) tons. Having encountered a massive 4 day gale that caused her to lose three blades from her propellor. As per this contemporary report. She was later towed into Sydney to replace the propeller. The owners of Noorebar claimed a salvage fee, which was settled in court at £2,000. ii) On Mar. 13, 1909, Komura was in collision with Condor, a German cruiser. Contact was slight & practically no damage resulted. iii) On Aug. 19, 1909, Komura, Captain W. C. E. Morgan in command, stranded in Shafston Reach, Brisbane River, Australia. About 100 tons of cargo was transferred into a lighter & her ballast tanks were emptied. She was floated off later that day with the assistance of tugs. iv) A minor grounding, in South Channel, Brisbane, I think, on May 11, 1918 with Angus McDonald in command. v) On Aug. 12, 1927, navigating the Port Adelaide river in dense fog, Komura grounded. She was towed off seven hours later by tugs Falcon & Foremost. The webmaster did not spot the name of her then captain. The Great Depession commenced, I read, in 1929 & the then worldwide economic times were most difficult & continued that way for a decade. Shipowners were not immune from the economic turmoil. So from the middle of 1929, Komura was essentially idle, laid up at Melbourne, Australia, due to the lack of trade. Many shipowners were forced to sell their vessels at truly depressed prices - Komura being no exception. It was sold to northern China buyers on or immediately prior to Jul. 10, 1931 - I did not spot that the sale price was reported. Probably at or near £6,000 only. For the better part of 20 years, I have noted in this spot that in 1931, Komura was sold to the 'Hwa Sung Steam Ship Co. Ltd.', of Shanghai, China, & renamed Hwa Sung. I cannot recall where I read that data, but such data is what I might best describe as being 'conventional wisdom'. Having now searched at Trove, Australia, I have doubts as to its accuracy. There are literally bushels of references at Trove to Komura being sold to buyers 'from the East,' & to her name being changed to Hwa Sing. On Aug. 15, 1931, the vessel left Adelaide, Australia, under the command of Captain C. Kemmett, bound for Shanghai, China, with a cargo of grain. LR would seem to have acknowledged such sale - recording the renamed vessel as Hwa Sing & her owner as Hwa Sing S.S. Company in LRs of 1931/32 & 1932/33. LRs of 1933/34 & later record the vessel rather differently. They record the vessel as Hwah Sung (note not Hwa Sung), owned by Hwah Sung S.S. Company of Shanghai, China. Were the 1931/32 & 1932/33 LR editions in error? With such error corrected in LRs of 1933/34 & later? That surely is possible. Even likely. But the number of Trove references to Hwa Sing & LRs recording that exact name makes me wonder. I read that Hwa Sung (or Hwah Sung) was scuttled, as a blockship, in the Upper Yangtse River, China, in 1938. Presumably related to the Second Sino-Japanese War which commenced in Jul. 1937. The webmaster does not know how to check that that data is correct. I give the last word to Leonard Gray & John Lingwood, who literally wrote the book on turret ships - 'The Doxford Turret Ships', published in 1975. They advise re Komura (via Ships Nostalgia):- 1931 sold to Hwa Sung Steam Ship Co. Ltd., China renamed Hwah Sung. 1938 Scuttled Upper Yangtse. Can anybody comment? Or otherwise help with additional data? 136 Nordland 2443/3222 later 2346/3769 (N/G) tons(many values are stated) Hull 334 Rigel 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on May 06, 1905 & completed in Jun. 1905. Per 1 (page in Swedish, modest image). 107.3 metres long, likely perpendicular to perpendicular, 352.0 ft., speed of 9 (or 8) knots, signal letter JPHD, later, as Rigel LDNK, 409 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record C. G. E. Svensson as the vessel's captain from 1905/06 thru 1908/09, V. Hansson in 1912/13 & 1914/15, & O. H. Olsson from 1917/18 thru 1919/20. Nordland was built for 'Ångfartygs A/B Tirfing (Broström)', of Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden. Lloyd's Register of 1911/12 states the owner to be ÅngfAktieb Tirfing with Axel Broström & Son the managers. LR of 1922/23 Nordland was sold, in 1930 or 1931, to 'Red. A/B Iris' (C. H. Abrahamsen managers & maybe the owners also), of Stockholm, Sweden, & renamed Rigel. LR of 1932/33 records E. Erickson as her then owner. From 1932 to 1942, Rigel would seem to have become a Finnish vessel. A now expired link stated 'After only two years she was flagged out to Finland under management of Emm. Erikson from Mariehamn. Her actual owner remained C. Abrahamsen.' So Abrahamsen were, in fact, the owners? Returned to Swedish flag in 1942. Can anybody tell us about Rigel's service during WW2? At 11:40 p.m. on Mar. 04, 1953, Rigel, carrying iron ore from Oxelösund, Sweden, to Port Talbot, Wales, was in collision with Italian vessel Senegal (of Palermo), in the North Sea off the mouth of the Thames - at 51.41N/2.16E, which was stated, I read, to be SE of the Galloper Light Vessel. I have also read however, in a data 'snippet' that the collision was off the Belgian coast. But if you locate the above coordinates in an atlas, they seem to be neither off the mouth of the Thames nor particularly close to the Belgian coast. Rigel was hit amidships & sank. Her crew were all saved. The circumstances? Miramar years ago suggested that Senegal was at anchor. I now think that it was anchored only after the collision had taken place.  There are many contemporary newspaper reports about the Rigel sinking but none of them, so far as I can see, provide much detail nor describe the exact circumstances - except to consistently say that at the time there was a truly dense fog. The visibility was quite literaly nil. Rigel's SOS stated 'Abandoning ship'. Howard Pickering, the captain of Arnhem, a 4,891 ton British steamer, on the Hook of Holland to Harwich service, 'saw the Swedish ship sinking on his radar screen'. Arnhem speeded six or seven miles to the collision site, to find that he could not see the survivors' lifeboat even when it was right alongside his ship. Arnhem took on board 29 Rigel crew members & landed them at The Hague. One Rigel crewman, her 2nd engineer, was taken aboard Senegal - which vessel apparently suffered no serious damage. She was unable to offer assistance having no radar. Other vessels also went to assist as did lifeboats from the English & Belgian coasts - but by the time they arrived on the scene the Rigel crew had all been rescued. The location of the collision was variously described as being i) 60 miles from Ostand, ii) 29 miles off Walton-on-Naze, Essex & iii) 25 miles off Margate. I have not spotted the names of the captains of the vessels involved. A couple of contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. Can you correct the above and/or otherwise provide additional data? 137 Österland 2546/4085 (N/G) tons Hull 345 4551 Österhav 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Oct. 14, 1905 & completed in Nov. 1905. Per 1 (image as Österhav, with further links in 'comments'), 2 (wreck data ex here), 3 (wreck data ex here), 4 (data & images, Swedish page). 105.6 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 346.3 ft., signal letters JPLQ, 310 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd., of Sunderland. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record E. Svensson as the vessel's captain from 1906/07 thru 1908/09, R. H. Thelea? in 1912/13 & P. J. Andersson in 1914/15. Österland was built for 'Ångfartygs A/B Tirfing' (Axel Broström & Son), of Gothenburg, Sweden. The vessel became Österhav in 1931 & was sold that year to 'Rederi AB Turret' of Finland, Kristian Hansen the manager. Dan Brostrom became the manager in 1917 & S. G. Janson the manager in 1926. In 1936, Österhav was registered at Helsingfors, it would seem. On Mar. 28, 1936, in thick fog, Österhav struck rocks near the Stacks at Duncansby Head, Scotland (one of the most northerly parts of mainland Scotland near John o' Groats), while carrying a cargo of wood pulp from Rauma (in Finnish Raumo), Finland, to Ellesmere Port, River Mersey. With Captain Kantola in command. Österhav backed off the rocks, badly holed, & was beached or driven ashore in Sinclair's Bay, 2 miles N. of Wick. The Wick lifeboat rescued the entire crew of 25 men & 4 women, & also the captain's dog (need picture!). All were landed at Ackergill. The vessel was later, in Sep. 1936, re-floated & taken S. to Cromarty Firth (Moray Firth). A couple of contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. Now Miramar used to indicate, years ago, that Österhav was broken up 'Stockton'. It would seem that that reference means that the vessel was sold to 'Stockton Salvage Company', maybe the 'South Stockton Shipbreaking Co. Ltd.', or maybe 'Stockton-on-Tees Salvage Company' (all such names are referenced) of Stockton, with the intent of their using Österhav to carry heavy machinery & other material from HMS Natal, which had been lying in Cromarty Firth since 1915. The sale of Österhav to Stockton took place on or prior to Mar. 19, 1937, when Österhav, having been floated off & taken to Cromarty, was discharging her cargo of wood pulp there. These contemporary news reports relate - 1 & 2. Österhav was broken up at Cromarty Firth in Aug. 1938, the metals & other materials being transferred to Stockton aboard the steamer Dispenser. I note that 'The Doxford Turret Ships' states, in error I believe, that the vessel was scrapped at Stockton-on-Tees. The 5th image at left, of Österhav, was referenced 'Marvictor Cia Naviera SA' - can anybody explain that reference. And can you correct the above, and/or add anything? 138 Pearlmoor 2576/4119 later 2594/4097 (N/G) tons Hull 349 120613 Pearlmead Anneliese Uru 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Sep. 19, 1905 & first registered, at London, on Oct. 11, 1905 (scroll to #120613). Per 1 (Lloyd Brasileiro, Uru), 2 (1912 rescue), 3 (Southampton City Council/Plimsoll, Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, Uru, re 1930/1931), 4 (same source, LR data, Uru, of 1931/32 thru 1945/46). Pearlmoor is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1906 thru 1923, always registered at London. As Pearlmoor thru 1920 & Pearlmead thereafter. 350.0 ft. (106.68 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, later 348.6 ft., speed of 10 knots, signal letters HDQB later RDHV & PUCN, 310 NHP (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 330 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. Pearlmoor was built for Moor Line Ltd., of London, with Walter Runciman her manager, or Walter Runciman & Co. per LR. C. S. Moffett was her captain in 1911/12, from 1905 it would seem. A modest rescue. On Aug. 13, 1912, when in the Red Sea, Pearlmoor rescued a trimmer from Ethiope, who had fallen into the sea when Ethiope was sailing about 8 miles ahead of Pearlmoor. Pearlmoor was sold, in 1920, to Western Counties Shipping Co. Ltd., of Cardiff, with Edgar Edwards or E. Edwards & Sons Ltd. the managers, & renamed Pearlmead. Per MNL of 1921. On Oct. 21, 1920, Pearlmead, then moored at Rouen, France, was run into by Sierra de Fuentes, a Belgian steamship (built in 1918 as War Visor by S. P. Austin & Son Ltd. of Sunderland). Pearlmead was holed amidships & leaked slightly, while Sierra de Fuentes was damaged on her starboard side. Western faced enormous financial difficulties referred to many times elsewhere on this page - due to a world wide recession & shipping slump. I believe that early in 1922, F. V. Eberhardt & Co., of London & Antwerp, acquired Pearlmead. And later that same year, on or prior to Apl. 05, 1922, the vessel was sold again. To George S. Karck or Karck & Knott, also of London. With Sidney R. Gilbert her manager. MNL of 1923. The Liverpool Journal of Commerce advised, on Mar. 17, 1923 that Pearlmead (Dalemead also) had been sold to German owners. Apparantly  to Emder Reederei A.G., of Hamburg, Germany, & renamed Anneliese. In 1925, the vessel was sold to 'Lloyd Brasileiro', of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, & renamed Uru. Uru arrived, in Jun. 1957, at the Rio de Janeiro ship breaking facilities of 'Laminacao', to be broken up. The vessel had a long life, indeed! Can you add anything? 139 Queda 4944/7703 (N/G) tons Hull 337 121238 1905 Queda? A small state & seaport, on the west coast of the Malay peninsula. A steel 'turret' steamer. In fact the biggest such steamer ever constructed. Launched on Apl. 18, 1905 & completed in May 1905. Per 1  [British India, Queda (1)], 2 (launch, Queda). Queda is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1906 thru 1923, always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. About 143 metres long, 138.7 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, 455.2 ft., speed of 12 knots, signal letters HCPB, 413 NHP (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 504 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, just a 1923 crew list is available via this page. Queda was built for British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., of London, with Duncan MacKinnon her initial manager, and from 1915 The Rt. Hon. Lord Inchcape. R. H. Cooper was the vessel's master, per LR of 1906/07. On or about Feb. 02, 1923, Queda was sold - to foreign buyers for £12,500. Per this news report (in red). Apparently to T. Campanella, of Genoa, Italy, with no change of vessel name. Maybe Tito Campanella? A Sunderland shipping website, which website requests no links or recognition, tells us that the vessel was sold to T. Campanella to be broken up. Was T. Campanella both a shipowner & a shipbreaker? I note that in 1924 British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. bought a new vessel of the name. On Nov. 21, 1923, Queda arrived at Spezia, northern Italy, to be broken up. Maybe actually scrapped in 1924. WWW data was most limited re this vessel, but thanks to Jochen Kemsa, we are able to present a 5 page 1906 article, in German, re both Queda & Wellington, including plans, ex 'Zeitschrift des Vereins Deutscher Ingenieure' - Magazine of the German Association of Engineers. Here:- A, B, C, D, E. Alas, the webmaster has no ability in German. Can you add anything additional! Another image? 140 Querimba 4937/7696 (N/G) tons Hull 339 121245 Maria Enrica 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched (in red) on Jun. 03, 1905 & completed in Jul. 1905. Per 1 [British India, Querimba (1)], 2 (Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyds Register data, Maria Enrica, 1930/31 thru 1933/34), 3 (Wiki, Querimba), 4 (P&O Heritage data sheet). Querimba is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1906 thru 1923, always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record W. B. Smith as the vessel's captain from 1905/06 thru 1908/09, H. Carey in 1912/13, H. J. Wilesher in 1914/15, H. W. Barber in 1917/18 & J. V. LeGrand in 1918/19 & 1919/20. About 143 metres long, 138.8 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, 455.3 ft., speed likely of 12 knots, signal letters HCVJ, later NXOG, 413 NHP (per Lloyd's Register - 'LR') or 504 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists for just 3 years are available via this page. LR of 1907/08 (in red). Querimba was built, at the cost of £70,300 (per link 4), for British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., with Duncan MacKinnon her initial manager, and from 1915 The Rt. Hon. Lord Inchcape. Also per link 4, on Jun. 24, 1914, British India Steam Navigation Company was taken over by The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. On Jun. 19, 1923, Querimba was sold to Emanuele Bozzo & Luigi Mortola, of Genoa, Italy, for £11,000, & renamed Maria Enrica. LR of 1926/27 (in red). On or about May 10, 1928, Maria Enrica was in collision with the anchored Eusebia del Valle (a Spanish steamship built, as Strathtay, at Greenock in 1894) - at Antwerp it would seem. Both vessels were badly damaged. Per this contemporary news report. In the 2nd quarter of 1933, the vessel was apparently broken up at Genoa. WWW available data is essentially non-existent re this vessel. Need help! Another image? 141 Wellington 3626/5600 (N/G) tons Hull 330 119967 1905 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Feb. 21, 1905 & completed in Mar. 1905. Per A (e-Bay image, facing p.126 of a book published in 1913), 1 (16 September 1918, near page bottom or search for Wellington), 2 (Seneca's role, p.25 thru 33 - none of those pages are today provided but I preserve the link for the source), 3 (U-118), 4 ('uboat.net', Wellington, with map location of loss), 5 (image, Wellington, thanks to Newcastle Libraries. A large & fine set of largely Newcastle images is available here), 6 ('wrecksite.eu', Wellington), 7 (Court of Inquiry report into 1907 grounding). Wellington is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1906 thru 1918, always registered at Cardiff, Wales. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record T. A. Tait as the vessel's captain in 1906/07 & 1907/08, T. S. Hosking, maybe Hosling, in 1908/09, & J. T. Evans from 1912/13 thru 1917/18. 119.0 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 390.3 ft., speed of 10 knots, signal letters HCJF, 359 NHP (per LR) or 454 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. Link 7 reports that the engines were of 454 horsepower. Wellington was built for Wellington Steam Ship Company Limited ('Wellington'), of Cardiff with William J. (James) Tatem or W. J. Tatem & Co. her managers, also of Cardiff. The largest Cardiff owned ship at that time, I read. On Aug. 27, 1907, Wellington left Odessa (Black Sea, Ukraine) for Hamburg, Germany, with 8,450 tons of grain, a crew of 33 all told & Thomas Arthur Tait in command. The vessel safely passed the Bosphorus & the Dardanelles & at about 12.30 a.m. on Aug. 30, 1907, the captain retired & left the ship in the command of the first officer when the Gadaro or Gardaro Light was visible 11 1/2 miles distant, in conditions clear & smooth. He instructed such first officer to call him when they were nearing such Light since the passage there is narrow. The first officer did call the captain, but he did so only when Wellington was within 100 ft. of the Light & about to go aground. Which it did at 1.20 a.m. on Aug. 30, 1907 badly damaging the vessel's hull. The vessel stayed aground until the afternoon of Sep. 08, 1907 - 2,000 tons of cargo had to be off loaded to permit her to be floated off. The Gadaro or Gardaro Light is on the Rocks of the name, just off Tenedos or Bozcaada, a small Turkish island in the Mediterranean, near to Troy & the Dardanelles. Wellington was assisted by Recovery, a salvage vessel. A formal Inquiry into the grounding was conducted at Cardiff from Nov. 26 thru 29, 1907. In purposeful language the judge found that the chief officer had disobeyed the master's instructions & had navigated the vessel to within a few feet of a light well known & seen by him. The judge absolutely determined that the first officer was at fault. And felt that the first officer's certificate should be dealt with - a matter which was beyond the judge's jurisdiction. The two assessors on the panel, however, felt that in all of the circumstances, the captain too had failed in his duty. You can read the report via link 7 & reach your own opinion. To me the judge had it 100% right. This news report relates. The webmaster is surprised to see that in such report the name of the first officer seems never to have been mentioned. The report does note that he was an experenced officer, 20 years with a master's licence. The contemporary press coverage of the grounding is modest. I have tried to determine the name of such first officer but so far have not found that his name was ever reported. Can anybody provide that name? Wellington, i.e. the company, was wound up voluntarily in late 1909, at which time the vessel was sold to Tatem Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. In 1917, Wellington was sold again, or maybe transferred, to Atlantic Shipping & Trading Co. Ltd., of Cardiff later of London, with W. J. Tatem & Co. still her managers. LR of 1917/18. I read that the vessel was torpedoed by UB-40, Kapitänleutnant Hans Howaldt in command, on Oct. 19, 1917, while 5 miles SSE. of Portland Bill, en route from the Tyne to Genoa with a cargo of coal. Wellington was beached at Portland Roads, later re-floated, repaired & returned to duty. No loss of life. Later, on Sep. 16, 1918, Wellington was en route from Newport, Wales, to Naples, Italy, again with a cargo of coal. Under the command of William Christopher Donovan. A part of 21 ship convoy OM 99 bound for Gibraltar, escorted initially by a great many ships but at the time of loss solely by Seneca, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter under the command of William J. Wheeler. Wellington was torpedoed without warning by U-118, Kapitänleutnant Herbert Stohwasser in command, 175 miles N. by W. of Cape Villano, NW Spain, (at 45.48N/10.58W). Seneca attempted valiantly to save the Wellington. 20 Seneca volunteers boarded the seriously damaged vessel, which Wellington's crew had abandoned, & attempted to make the port of Brest, France, assisted by 12 of Wellington's crew (including her captain) who had re-boarded her. The ship later sank, however, in a major gale. After valiant attempts to keep the ship moving & afloat, the combined crews took to rafts when she sank, but many were lost, drowned in the cold seas. Seneca lost 11 of its personnel in the attempt, while 5 of the Wellington crew were lost including its Captain (Donovan). My recollection is that the webmaster initially read details of Wellington's torpedoeing & the involvement of Seneca via the then content at link 2 above. These two sites (1 & 2) today provide extensive reports about the whole history. Thanks to Jochen Kemsa, we are able to present a 5 page 1906 article, in German, re both Wellington & Queda, including plans, ex 'Zeitschrift des Vereins Deutscher Ingenieure' - Magazine of the German Association of Engineers. Here:- A, B, C, D, E. Alas, the webmaster has no ability in German. Still need help! 142 Countess Warwick 2568/4108 (N/G) tons Hull 366 123168 Kincardine 1906 A steel 'turret' steamer, a collier, which was launched on Aug. 23, 1906 & completed in Sep. 1906. Per 1 ('u-boat.net', sinking Kincardine, with map location of loss), 2 (U-70), 3 (p. 216, A. J. Tennent volume, Kincardine - I preserve the link for the source), 4 (builder's model auction & data, click the image to see it in a large size. The builder's model sold for GBP 8,400 in a Christie's Nov. 2005 auction), 5 ('wrecksite.eu' page), 6 (B. J. Sutherland, Kincardine 1) . Countess Warwick is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1907 thru 1919, initially registered at Cardiff, Wales, from 1915 at Newcastle. As Countess Warwick thru 1916 & from 1916 as Kincardine. 350.1 ft. (about 111 metres) long, 106.7 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 9 1/2 knots, signal letters HJFG, 310 NHP (per LR) or 330 later 300 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists thru 1917 are available via this page. LR of 1912/13. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record E. T. Elias as the vessel's captain in 1907/08, J. W. Hewison in 1908/09, J. Thompson in 1912/13 & W. S. Barnes in 1914/15. Countess Warwick was built for Williams & Mordey of Cardiff, Wales, but placed in a single-ship holding company, i.e. Countess Warwick Steamship Co. Ltd. ('Warwick'), of Cardiff, with William J. Williams later Thomas H. Mordey, or W. J. Williams & Co., her managers. I presume that Messrs. Williams & Mordey were significant shareholders in Warwick. Countess Warwick was sold, in 1916 (or 1915), to The Sutherland Steamship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, with Arthur M. Sutherland, the manager, & renamed Kincardine. On Mar. 03, 1917, defensively armed, Kincardine was torpedoed without warning by U-70, Kapitänleutnant Otto Wünsche in command, & sunk 20 miles NE of Tearaght Island, County Kerry, off the SW coast of Ireland, (at 52.22N/10.26W), while en route from Cardiff, Wales, to Genoa, Italy, with a cargo of Welsh steam coal. No lives were lost, it would appear, though I cannot tell you how the crew were rescued. Need help! 143 Drumcondra 2964/4691, later 2970/4642 (N/G) tons, other values also. Hull 355 120926 Lübeck S. E. Calvert Aquitania Mar Glauco Mokatam 1906 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Feb. 13, 1906 & completed in Mar. 1906. Per 1 (extensive data, Drumcondra), 2 (data & images as S. E. Calvert & Mar Glauco), 3 (references to Mokatam), 4 (Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyds Register ('LR') data, Mar Glauco, 1930/31 thru 1941/42 & Mokatam, 1941/42 thru 1945/46), 5 (an account of her demise, as Mokatam, 2nd item). The vessel, so far as I can see, is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed, as Drumcondra, from 1907 thru 1913, registered at Liverpool. Registered at London in 1919, it is MNL recorded in 1920 & 1921, as Lübeck. 380.8 ft. (about 120 metres) long, later 379.5 ft., speed of 8 or 8 1/2 knots, signal letters HFRC, later, as Lübeck, KBNF, later HPYE, NEKH & IBMU, 339 NHP (per LR) or 445 later 339 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page, from 1906 thru 1913 & 1920 thru 1924. Drumcondra was built for Astral Shipping Co. Ltd., of Liverpool, with Joseph Chadwick & Robert B. Chadwick her managers. LR of 1912/13, in red. Drumcondra was sold, in 1913, to 'L. Possehl & Co.' of Lübeck, Germany, & renamed Lübeck. In Jul. 1914, the vessel was temporarily stranded at Tranóy, which is, I am advised, where the pilots board ships going to Narvik, Norway, to load iron ore. In 1915, Lübeck was sold to 'Nordisches Erzkontor GmbH', of Stettin, then Germany now Poland. At the end of WW1, in 1919, Lübeck became a British vessel, a war reparation, owned by The Shipping Controller, & managed by William Turner or Turner, Brightman & Co., of London. LR of 1919/20, in red. Lübeck was sold, in 1921, to Calvert Steamship Co. Ltd., of Goole, Yorkshire, J. S. Calvert her manager & probably her owner, & renamed S. E. Calvert. LR of 1921/22, in the supplement. Goole is a 45 miles inland port, on the Ouse River. The vessel was sold again, in 1924 (or 1923), to 'Ditta Luigi Pittaluga Vapori', of Genoa, Italy, & renamed Aquitania. And in 1927, sold once again, to M. Maresca & Co., also of Genoa, & renamed Mar Glauco. In Jun. 1940, the vessel was laid up at Philadelphia, U.S.A., & on Sep. 12, 1941 was seized by the U.S. Government & renamed Mokatam. The vessel was operated by the United States Maritime Commission under Panamanian flag, & managed by Grace Line. LR of 1943/44. In 1943, the vessel was transferred to the U.S. Army, & was used as a storage facility at Morotai, an island in the Molucca Islands of Indonesia. It was damaged there in a Japanese air attack on or about Feb. 27, 1944. Was later repaired at Sydney, New South Wales ('NSW'), Australia. In 1946 Mokatam was laid up at Newcastle, NSW, & in 1949 sold to 'R. Cunningham & H. Sutherland' & cut down to tank top at Stockton, NSW. Was eventually beached in the Platt's Channel, Hunter River, as a 'landfill bulkhead'. It is surely still there today! Quite a history! Can you add anything! 144 Duffield 2442/3838 later 2477/4016 (N/G) tons Hull 372 122865 Fernando 1906 A steel 'turret' steamer cargo ship, launched Nov. 20, 1906 & completed in Dec. 1906. Per 1 ('Hunting' history), 2 (Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lloyds Register data, Fernando, 1930/31 thru 1932/33), 3 (references to vessel, now in archive, search for Duffield). Duffield is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1907 thru 1925, always registered at Newcastle. 106.8 metres long, 350.3 later 350.0 ft., speed of 9 knots, signal letters HJTB, later MBWL, 292 NHP (per LR) or 316 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1922 are available via this page. I read that the vessel was 'built especially for the carriage of grain on voyages in which the Suez canal was used'. Duffield was built for Northern Petroleum Tank Steamship Co. Ltd. ('Petroleum') of Newcastle, with Charles S. Hunting, from 1923 Percy L. Hunting, or Hunting & Son her managers. I see that James Duffield was the first Chairman of Petroleum, hence, I presume, the vessel's name. It would seem that members of the Hunting family must have been major shareholders in Petroleum. Ex link 3 above:- 'The steering gear was steam driven. There was no shipboard electricity and therefore no refrigeration; lighting throughout was by kerosene wick lamp. The Duffield sailed with a cargo of steel rails from Middlesbrough to Port Sudan. Before returning to the UK, the Duffield traded for 12 months carrying coal, trading between Calcutta, Colombo and the Red Sea port of Djibouti.' The webmaster does not yet understand the data which follows. And particularly why, in Apl. 1919, vessels still needed to travel in convoy - WW1 having ended in Nov. 1918. Anyway, on Apl. 12, 1919, Duffield was in collision, in the Mediterranean near Cape Orso, Sardinia, with Bedeburn (built in 1896 at Newcastle as Port Denison). Both were en route to Naples, Italy, with cargoes of barley & coal respectively, & both were in what clearly was a very large convoy of ships. The webmaster has so far found but a single reference to the matter - a report of an Admiralty Court case. For the moment I do not provide the voluminous text of that report which was, however, published on May 09, 1920 in the Liverpool Journal of Commerce. I simply note that Bedeburn was held to be at fault. I direct you to that source for greater detail. Duffield was sold, for £12,250, on or prior to Feb. 28, 1905, to (per LR of 1924/25), 'Naviera Pereda S.A.' of Colon, Panama, & renamed Fernando. Which company, would seem to have become 'Cia Naviera Pereda S/A.' of Panama - but maybe Lloyd's List was just correcting the record. This Spanish website states that the vessel was sold to Fernando Pereda Palacio. The vessel soon became Bilbao, Spain, registered. It was reported on Nov. 29, 1931, from Gibraltar, that Fernando, en route from Swansea, Wales, to Genoa, Italy, had been in collision with Demokratia, a Greek steamship (built, as Teresa, at Port Glagow in 1900), en route from thr Black Sea, off Tarifa, Spain (W. of Gibraltar). Both vessels were damaged. Fernando was repaired thru about Dec. 12, 1831 - (I think) at Gibraltar. Per this contemporary news report, in red. On or prior to Oct. 28, 1932 (related image) Fernando was sold, for 96,000 pesetas, to Vega Gorostequi, of Santander, Spain, to be broken up. For many years, I have reported in this spot that the vessel had arrived on Oct. 01, 1932, at the Santander ship breaking facilities of Andres Vega Gorostegui - to be broken up. Such data may well prove to be suspect. Can you provide more data? 145 Elgin 2443/3835 (N/G) tons Hull 367 122855 Gwynmead Virgo 1906 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Aug. 04, 1906 & completed in Sep. 1906. Per 1 (data, search for Elgin), 2 (LR data 1930/31 thru 1935/36, Virgo). 106.8 metres long, 350.5 ft., speed of 9 knots, signal letters HJBC, later, as Virgo, KGVB & OHFM, 292 NHP per Lloyd's Register ('LR') or 316 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1929 are available via this page. Elgin is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1907 thru 1929, initially registered at Newcastle, registered at London in 1920 & at Newcastle again from 1921. As Elgin thru 1921 & as Gwynmead from 1922. Elgin was initially owned by Arthur M. Sutherland of Newcastle, per MNL. But LRs of 1906/07 & 1907/08 rather record B. J. Sutherland & Co. of Newcastle as the vessel's then owner.  I read that in 1908, the vessel was transferred to Munro Shipping Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, with Arthur M. Sutherland her manager. Transferred? The 'Munro' must refer to A. Munro Sutherland who was Chairman & the managing director of Sutherland Steamship Co. Ltd. ('Sutherland'). With no change of vessel name. And in 1911 was transferred again to Sutherland Steamship Co. Ltd. of Newcastle, again with Arthur M. Sutherland her manager & with no change of vessel name. I have read in a number of places that Elgin was sold, in 1920, to 'Western Counties Shipping Company Limited' ('Western'), of Cardiff, with Edgar Edwards or E. Edwards & Sons the managers, & renamed Gwynmead. While that statement is true it does not state what really happened. In the very early days of Feb. 1920, Western agreed to acquire Sutherland's then entire fleet of eleven vessels for a total price of £1,825,000, including Elgin, then lying at Port Talbot, Wales, which was included in the purchase at a value of £140,000. This contemporary news report relates. LR of 1919/20. My understanding is that Western proposed to pay for their purchase by raising £1,000,000 in new Ordinary capital and by assuming a Sutherland mortgage for £900,000, intending to soon sell three of the older vessels & reduce the mortgage by an anticipated £370,000. The heavily oversubscribed share issue was a success, largely acquired by prior shareholders of Western. Three of the eleven vessels were sold in Apl. 1920 - to The Anglo-Celtic Shipping Company, Ltd. of Cardiff for a total of £375,000 i.e. Caithness (£145,000), Dumfries (£120,000) & Inverness (£110,000). This prospectus advertisement relates. Seven of the sold eleven Sutherland fleet vessels were built at Sunderland - the other six, in alphabetic order, as follows:- 1) Caithness, built by Joseph L. Thompson & Sons Ltd. as Ramsay in 1902, detail site listed here. 2) Dumfries, built by Joseph L. Thompson & Sons Ltd. as Corinthia in 1901. 3) Fife, build by John Priestman & Co. as Clivegrove in 1906. 4) Inverness, built by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. in 1902, detail site listed here. 5) Renfrew, built by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. as Claveresk, in 1907, site listed here. 6) Sutherland, built by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. in 1918, site listed here. Western renamed Elgin as Gwynmead. The later failure of Western is truly astonishing. And the related transactions look to be most complicated. However freight rates took a large tumble & Western became unable to pay the insurance premiums on its fleet vessels. In May 1921, a receiver/manager was appointed by Chancery Division on behalf of the Western debenture holders whose security was fixed by way of mortgages on the various ships. On Aug. 24, 1921, eight of the Western fleet vessels were sold by public auction at the Baltic Exchange in London. Elgin (now Gwynmead) was one of such ships. The vessel, which had been acquired for £140,000 so very recently, was sold at such auction for £23,000 only. To, it would seem, Isles Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., of Newcastle. MNL of 1922. LR of 1921/22. This contemporary news report relates - in red. Vessels which had sold for £30 per ton were sold for £1 to £5 per ton only. E. Edwards & Sons went into voluntary liquidation. 'Ships Nostalgia' advise, ex 'The Turret Ships', that in 1922 Gwynmead was sold to W. Runciman & Co. of Newcastle & not renamed. I am so far unable to confirm that data - unless Runciman was the owner of Isles Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. But ... I have noted a number of references to 'Isles' being rather owned by Dixon, Robson & Co. of Newcastle (an example here, search for 'Isles'). Runciman was certainly extensively involved in the Western situation as above. In 1923, Gwynmead became owned by Sutherland again. MNL of 1923. LR of 1924/25 (in red). Gwynmead was sold, in 1929, to Rederi A/B Iris, of Stockholm, Sweden, C. Abrahamsen the manager, & renamed Virgo. A long gone Swedish page, available now in archive (here, search for Gwynmead) indicated that the vessel was sold for £10,350. And renamed Vigo, but I think that may be a typing mistake & should have read Virgo. In 1932, the vessel was registered at Mariehamn, Finland - same owner it would seem. I have read that in 1936 Virgo was acquired by Thos. Dunlop & Sons of Glasgow for resale to shipbreakers. Did that really happen, I wonder? I have previously recorded in this spot that Virgo arrived at the T. W. Ward Ltd. shipbreaking facilities at Grays, Essex, on Feb. 07, 1936, to be broken up. So far as I can see, however, the vessel arrived at Gravesend, London, ex Rouen, France, on Feb. 07, 1936. On the next day, i.e. Feb. 08, 1936, it was reported that Virgo, owned by Rederei A/B Iris, had been sold (here in red) to British buyers (presumably 'Ward') under the 'scrap and build' scheme. Can you provide more data? 146 Mersario 2443/3847 (N/G) tons Hull 363 121350 1906 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Jun. 09, 1906 & completed in Jul. 1906. Per 1 ('u-boat.net', with map location of 1917 sinking), 2 (account of 1917 sinking), 3 ('wrecksite.eu', Mersario), 3 (Tower Hill Memorial, Mersario). Mersario is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1907 thru 1917 (1916), always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. 106.8 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 350.4 ft., speed of 9 1/2 knots, signal letters HGQJ, 292 NHP per Lloyd's Register ('LR') or 316 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1917 are available via this page. Mersario was built for 'Steamship Mersario Co. Ltd.', with Joseph P. Maclay or 'Maclay & McIntyre' the managers, all of Glasgow. LR of 1907/08. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record T. Finnie as the vessel's captain in 1912/13 & 1914/15. E. (apparently Elias) J. Lloyd was noted to be the vessel's captain in 1917/18. On or prior to Jan. 14, 1915, Mersario was sold (in red). Apparently to 'Reid Steamship Co. Ltd.' ('Reid'), of London, with William S. Reid her manager, soon, I gather, 'Reid, Rigg & Thoe Ltd.' The vessel continued to be registered at Glasgow. Reid were still the vessel's owners when, on or prior to Oct. 14, 1916, all the issued & outstanding shares of Reid were acquired by 'The Stathe Steamship Company, Ltd.' ('Stathe'), of Cardiff, Wales - which company was managed by J. (John) Sidney Rees & Wilfred K. Griffin, also of Cardiff.  This contemporary news report relates. Ther was a similar transaction on or prior to Jun. 16, 1917, when 'T. H. Griffiths & Co. (Depots), Ltd.' (Griffiths'), of Cardiff & also of London, prominent coal exporters with coal depots in Spain, acquired the management interests of Rees & Griffin in both Stathe & Reid. So Griffiths became the managers of Mersario, still registered in the name of Reid. As per this contemporary news report. LR of 1917/18. On Sep. 16, 1917, Elias Lloyd in command, the armed Mersario left Barry, Wales, with a cargo of coal & coke, bound for Italy. At 11:15 a.m. on Oct. 01, 1917, while in the Atlantic, zig-zagging its way eastward & 86 miles off the coast of Morocco, Mersario was hit by a single torpedo fired by U-39, the much decorated Kapitänleutnant Walther Forstmann in command. At 35.39N/07.53W, 86 miles WxN of Cape Spartel. Now Aled Williams, who lost his great nephew in the attack, (William T. G. Jones ('Jones'), a seaman), indicates at link 2, i) that Mersario was rather lost at (nearby) 35.40N/7.38W & ii) that the ship was rather en route to Alexandria, Egypt. Mersario sank in 3 minutes, & turned turtle as she sank. One seaman was killed by the explosion & Jones & one other went down with the ship. U-39 surfaced, took R. Chadwick, 3rd engineer, aboard for questioning, & released him on some wreckage, from which he was rescued by the surviving crew who had taken to a lifeboat. Early the next day, the Mersario survivors were rescued by La Somme, a French steamer (built in 1897 by 'Blumer' as City of York), & landed at Gibraltar. One of the Mersario survivors, returning to U.K. aboard Manchuria, had the misfortune, I read, of being torpedoed a second time, when that ship was hit on Oct. 17, 1917, with the loss of 26 lives. He wasn't so lucky the second time around & was one of the 26 lost. Can you provide more data? An image? 147 Newbiggin 2443/3836 (N/G) tons Hull 365 122850 Frankier Tuskar Light 1906 A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Jul. 06, 1906 & completed in Aug. 1906. Per 1 (Lloyd Royal Belge, Frankier), 2 (Court of Inquiry report into 1915 grounding). Available data is quite limited. Newbiggin is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1907 thru 1932 (1931), initially registered at Newcastle, later at London in 1915 & at Cardiff, Wales, from 1923. As Newbiggin thru 1915, as Frankier from 1916 thru 1923 & as Tuskar Light from 1924. 106.8 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 350.4 ft., speed of 9 1/2 knots (or 8 knots), signal letters HGTL, at the end GMSR, 295 NHP (per Lloyd's Register) or 316 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1932 are available via this page. Newbiggin was built for The Newcastle Steamship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, with John J. (James) Forster, from 1915, John J. Forster & Charles M. Forster, her managers. In 1915, Newbiggin was sold to 'Brys & Gylsen Ltd.' (LR of 1914/15, in black) of London, Arthur F. Brys her manager, & renamed Frankier. The vessel was transferred, so I read, in 1918, to 'Lloyd Royal Belge (Great Britain) Ltd.' of London with Henri M. Gylden her manager. With no change of vessel name. On Dec. 07, 1915, Frankier left Portland, Maine, U.S.A., for Dunstan (Northumberland, I think, near Alnwick), via Louisburg, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada (for bunkers) with 215,000 bushels of grain, a crew of 27 & John Trattles in command. On the morning of Dec. 10, 1915, the vessel grounded at a point 4 miles S. of Cranberry Light (2.7 km. off the coast at Canso, Nova Scotia). The vessel, making water fast, was got off & made its way safely to Louisburg. Her forepeak & holds 1, 2 & 3 were reported to be all full of wtaer. After temporary repairs had been effected, Frankier left Louisburg for Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, arriving there on Dec. 17, 2015 under the escort of Coban a steamship. These contemporary news reports relate. An investigation was conducted into the vessel's grounding - in Halifax on Mar. 02 & 03 1916. I invite site visitors to read the report of such investigation via link 2. The Court suspended Captain Trattles certificate for a 3 month period & suspended also the certificate of Thomas George, the vessel's mate - in his case for a two month period. In 1923, Frankier was sold to Bristol Channel Steamers Ltd., of Cardiff, with Sir James German or J. German & Co. her managers, & renamed Tuskar Light. Lewis Lougher or Lewis Lougher & Co. Ltd., of Cardiff, became her managers in 1926. On May 12, 1932, Tuskar Light arrived at Bilbao, Spain, to be broken up. The Tuskar Light is a lighthouse on the SE tip of Ireland, located about 7 miles off the coast of County Wexford near Rosslare & Wexford. They started to built it in 1812 - it has been operating since 1815 - the scene of a truly astounding number of wrecks near the lighthouse over the years. For such a significant; lighthouse the available images are modest. But  this image shows it well. Need help! 148 Newbridge 2397/3737 (N/G) tons Hull 358 123648 1906 A steel 'turret' steamer, a collier. Which was launched on Apl. 27, 1906 & completed in May 1906. Christened by Mrs. John Temperley. Per 1 (data, Newbridge), 2 (scuttling, 80% down, search for Newbridge), 3 (scuttling, para. #3 & 4), 4 (scuttling with map of Rufiji estuary), 5 (Wiki page, Königsberg), 6 ('wrecksite.eu', Newbridge, with a fine image of the ship's bell). Newbridge is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1907 thru 1917 (1916), always registered at London. And always owned by The Temperley Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. of London. LR of 1914/15 (in red). The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record B. Thomas as the vessel's captain in 1906/07, J. F. Notman in 1907/08, E. Dilby in 1908/09 & W. A. Willett in 1912/13 & 1914/15. 104.3 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 342.1 ft., speed of 9 knots, signal letters HGJN, 300 NHP (per Lloyd's Register) or 313 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists thru 1914 are available via this page. Link 6, i.e. 'wrecksite.eu', tells us that the vessel 'was ordered by Edward Nicholl & Co. of Cardiff in October 1905 for £34,000 but in February 1906 was requisitioned by the builders while still under construction and resold for £38,000'. How interesting - that Doxford would negate a sale agreement & sell the subject vessel to another party at a higher price. The word 'requisition' usually relates to the action of a Government. It would be good to know the source for that data & learn the full story. Lots of detail about Edward Nicholl & Co. can be found in the site listing re Eaton Hall, available here. Newbridge was delivered then to The Temperley Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., of London, with John Temperley thru 1910 then Joseph Temperley, or J. Temperley & Co. her managers. But not included in the partial list of 'Temperley' ships here. In Oct. & early Nov. 1914, SMS Königsberg, a German cruiser, was, as a result of a serious engine failure, blockaded in the Rufiji Estuary, German East Africa (S. of modern-day Dar es Salaam, Tanzania). Newbridge was ordered by the Admiralty to be scuttled to block her escape. Newbridge, together with a small fleet of vessels including a ship armed with two torpedoes (in case the scuttling was unsuccessful) moved upstream. Newbridge was successfully scuttled, on Nov. 11, 1914, in Ssuninga (or Simba Uranga) channel. The Newbridge crew was rescued by Duplex but 3 lives were lost. So far, an image of the vessel has not emerged. But we do have, thanks to the folks at link 6, an image of Newbridge's ship's bell. I presume that before it became a blockship someone removed the bell. WWW data about the vessel is most limited. Can you add anything? 149 Nonsuch 2443/3825 later 2417/3805 (N/G) tons Hull 359 123642 Clearway Efstathios Werner Kunstmann Hermann Fritzen 1906 Nonsuch? The name means unrivalled or without equal. A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched (in red) on Apl. 12, 1906 & completed in May 1906. I have read that she was the very first cargo ship to be fitted with wireless telegraphy. And read, also, that the crew's quarters were uniquely furnished with an unusual degree of luxury. Read on! Per 1 (National Maritime Museum re builder's model), 2 (image, Hermann Fritzen), 3 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, 1944/45, Hermann Fritzen), 4 (a Liverpool Nautical Research Society reference to the vessel, in red). Do not miss:- 5 (a delightful H. Croker article about Nonsuch, thanks to the folks at 'themarconifamily' & an edition of 'The Mariner', the journal of The Marconi International Communications Co. Ltd. - ex here). Nonsuch is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1907 thru 1925, always registered at London. Listed as Nonsuch thru 1914 & as Clearway thereafter. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record C. Pickthorse as the vessel's captain in 1912/13 & 1914/15, & J. E. Dye from 1917/18 thru 1919/20. 350.5 ft. (106.83 metres) long perpendicular to perpendicular, later 349.4 ft., speed of 9 1/2 (or 8 1/2) knots, signal letters HGFV later JBHG & DATB, 310 NHP (per LR) or 349 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists thru 1924 are available via this page. Nonsuch was built for Bowles Brothers ('Bowles'), of London with George F. S. (Frederic Stewart) Bowles & Geoffrey T. (Tatton) Bowles her managers. They were the two sons of Thomas Gibson Bowes (1841/1922), a truly accomplished gentleman, a noted Member of Parliament & the founder of both 'Vanity Fair' & 'The Lady'. In late Aug. 1911, the vessel was transferred to the just incorporated Bowlines Ltd. of London, with Geoffrey T. Bowles or Bowles her managers. The Bowles family were major shareholders in Bowlines. Link 5 includes the following text:- 'Her forecastle was furnished with every amenity for the comfort of the crew, unheard of in those days, providing sailors and firemen with bedding, reading lights, washbasins and bathrooms and messrooms with runners on the decks. Why, even the captain himself on all tramp steamers was expected to provide his own bedding and all sailors had ever known was a donkey's breakfast, a sack of straw for which the boarding masters charged them five shillings. You see, Gibson Bowles was a wealthy man and his wife had long had revolutionary ideas for bettering the poor sailors' living conditions. The Nonsuch sailed on her maiden voyage with a full cargo of coal for Buenos Aires. When she returned, some months later, with a cargo of bulk grain, her owner and his wife were horrified to find the accommodation stripped of all fittings and in a fllthy and deplorable state. All the bedding, the fancy reading lamps, everything detachable had been sold by the crew for money with which to buy vino and canya, native wine and raw spirits. Even the baths and those articles which could not be removed had been damaged and ill used beyond repair. Mrs Bowles wept, Gibson Bowles hid his face in shame, other shipowners jeered 'l told you so'. I have read the above account described as being a yarn, i.e. an imaginative, or exaggerated story. I have tried to see whether its accuracy can be proven. Nonsuch was surely equipped to provide a degree of comfort for its crew that was unexcelled in its time. This contemporary news report relates. The vessel's first voyage was indeed to Buenos Aires, leaving Sunderland on May 26, 1906 & arriving at Buenos Aires on or about Jun. 26, 1906. With 'Alston' in command, it would appear. The vessel loaded timber & phosphates rather than grain & on or about Oct. 08, 1906 sailed from Pensacola, Florida, for Dunkirk, France, arriving back at Shields on Nov. 12, 1906 ex Dunkirk. The voyage was quite eventful. On Sep. 29, 1906 the vessel was reported to be ashore at Pensacola when a hurricane hit the area - a hurricane which forced 20 ships to be thrown ashore in the Gulf of Mexico. I think that the vessel was, in fact, at dockside at Pensacola at the time but it was damaged when the roof of a wharf was blown off & landed on Nonsuch's deck. Modest damage resulted it would appear. At St. Lucia, the vessel tried to anchor in what the charts indicated was 10 fathoms of water. Their chain & anchor vanished however - into a deep, unmarked, submarine volcano. Did her crew trash the interior of the vessel? I have seen no report that so suggests. If it did happen, it would surely, I believe, have been most newsworthy & widely reported in the press at the time. A contemporary news report about the above voyage. A tiny matter - Thomas Gibson Bowes did not have a wife in 1906 as indicated above, his wife (Jessica) having died in childbirh in 1887. He did later father three children via Rita Shell, his children's governess, but so far as I can see they never married. Such a relationship would surely have been held private at the time. Rita Shell later became Rita Stewart and became the editor of 'The Lady'. On or prior to Dec. 23, 1913, Nonsuch was sold to Anglo-Oriental Navigation Co. Ltd., of Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, with Sir David Yule or A. Yule & Co. the managers, & renamed Clearway. See LR of 1914/15, in red. Andrew Yule was, I read, a Bengal, India, colliery owner - the vessel operated under the Bengal Coal Company name. Clearway was, I read, laid up at the end of 1921 as a result of the shipping slump & worldwide recession, & her crew were paid off. Link 5 picks up the story, but seems to omit the fact that in 1920 or 1921, Edwards Steam Ship Co. Ltd., of Calcutta, acquired the vessel, with Lionel Edwards of Calcutta or Villiers Ltd., her managers. Per LR of 1921/22. Still registered at London. 'Made fast to a rotting wharf at the far end of Kidderpore docks (Calcutta), rusting away and collecting a layer of coaldust and dirt, over-run by rats and infested with malarial mosquitoes, it seemed that the end had come for the old Nonsuch. A sorry end for a ship which had started life with such noble hopes, a pitiful end, unwept, unhonoured and unsung. She lay there for a long time and then, unexpectedly, a Greek firm bought her and put her back in trade under the Greek flag. This saved her from the breakers' yard and kept her in service for a few more years until the great world depression, when even the Greeks gave up the struggle and the Efstathios, as they had renamed her, was laid up, among hundreds of other idle ships in one of the big Continental ports. Clearway must have been laid up on the Hooghly river at Calcutta for about 3 1/2 years. Since in Feb. 1925, Clearway was sold, for £8,250, to S. E. Ambatielos, of Argostoli, Greece, & renamed Efstathios. And on or prior to May 16, 1925, the vessel was sold again, for about £21,000, to Wilhelm Kunstmann, of Stettin, then Germany now Poland, & renamed Werner Kunstmann. (LR of 1924/25 confirms). Per this contemporary news report. Link 5 tells us that Herr Werner Kunstmann bought her for his own use & had her cleaned up and restored to better than new condition. Note that the vessel was not Greek owned for the long period noted in the above text. It was Greek owned for a few months only. I read that on Mar. 15, 1937, during dense fog, Werner Kunstmann was in collision with & sank Maria Clausen, a 324 ton German vessel, N. of the island of Fehmann in the Baltic. The entire crew of Maria Clausen were taken aboard Werner Kunstmann. In 1938, Werner Kunstmann was sold to 'Johs. Fritzen & Sohn vorm W. Kunstmann', (have also read 'Johs. Fritzen & Sohn vorm. Lexzau, Scharbau & Co.'), of Stettin, & renamed Hermann Fritzen. And in 1949, the vessel was sold to Johs Fritzen & Son., of Emden, with no change of vessel name, Hermann Fritzen apparently sank in the harbour at Hamburg, Germany, on Nov. 04, 1944, as the result of an air raid by U.S. 8th Air Force bombers. But in 1949, (how interesting!), the vessel was raised, repaired & returned to service. Apparently what had happened was that Captain H. J. Chubb, of West Kirby (Merseyside), was stationed in Hamburg in 1946 and one day, in his motor boat, he spotted a turret deck steamer sunk in shallow water & in very bad order indeed. Captain Chubb had, it would seem, known Nonsuch in her early days & he recognised the hulk. As a result of his report, Hermann Fritzen was raised, repaired & returned to her owners - Johs Fritzen and Sohn of Emden. During the last 15 months of her life, Hermann Fritzen was used as a grain-store ship at Emden. On May 04, 1959 it was reported (in red) that the vessel had been sold to be broken up. I have read, however, that on Apl. 24, 1959, Hermann Fritzen had arrived at the Hamburg ship breaking facilities of Eckhardt & Co. to be broken up. And was actually broken up in the period of July/September 1959. Can you add anything? 150 Oxelösund 1157/2061 (N/G) tons Hull 350 4515 1906 A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Dec. 22 or Dec. 23, 1905 (have read both) & completed in Jan. 1906. An ore carrier. Per 1 (image, Oxelösund). About 89 metres long (85.6 metres between perpendiculars), 280.8 ft., speed of 9 1/2 knots, signal letters JPQR, 208 NHP engines by W. Doxford & Sons of Sunderland. Oxelösund was built for 'Oxelösunds Rederiaktiebolaget A/B' (Percy Tham AB, the manager), of Oxelösund, Sweden. LR of 1907/08, in red. On Nov. 13, 1911, in Alexandra Dock, Hull, Oxelösund, en route from Rotterdam to Hull, was in collision with Percursor, a London dredger. Percursor had her bridge smashed & suffered other damages. The damage to Oxelösund was modest. On Jul. 28, 1914, Oxelösund picked up the abandoned & disabled Cedia, a Finnish barque loaded with wood that had been en route from Lovisa to Aarhus - and towed it into Oxelosund. A second news report noted that Cedia was rather a Russian schooner & that her crew had been landed at Westervik (Västervik), Sweden. On Jun. 19, 1916, while en route from Holmsund to Northfleet, Kent, with a cargo of wood pulp, Oxelösund capsized at Gefle Bay (92 miles NNW of Stockholm), Sweden. One man was drowned, I read. I have not read the circumstances, however Björn Waldenström advises that the cause was never determined & the Oxelösund wreck has never been found. WWW data is most limited. A old Christmas card from Oxelösund, on the Baltic Sea, that you will enjoy. Can you add anything? 151 Ryall 2563/4107 (N/G) tons Hull 368 122860 Roland Henrik Lund 1906 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Sep. 22, 1906 & completed in Oct. 1906. Christened by Mrs. Wilkinson of Newcastle. Per 1 (Norwegian data ex here - Ref #107), 2 ('uboat.net', sinking, Henrik Lund, with map location of loss, 3 (U-151), 4 (page, Henrik Lund, with data in Norwegian & English).  Ryall is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1907 thru 1913, always registered at Newcastle. And always owned by The Red "R" Steamship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle. 106.7 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 350.1 ft., signal letters HJLK, 310 NHP (per Lloyd's Register ('LR') or 330 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists thru 1913 are available via this page. Ryall was built for Stephens, Sutton & Stephens of Newcastle. But was registered in the name of The  Red "R" Steamship Co. Ltd. of Newcastle, with Daniel Stephens or Stephens, Sutton & Stephens, of Newcastle, the owners & managers. LR of 1907/08, in blue, C. Dingle then her captain. On or before Jul. 24, 1913, Ryall was sold (in blue) to 'Ångfartygs-AB Tirfing' (Broströmskoncernen or Dan Broström or Axel Brostrom & Sons, the managers), of Göteborg/ Gothenburg, Sweden, & renamed Roland. In Jan. 1916, the vessel was sold to 'A/S D/S Henrik Lund', Willy Gilbert the manager, of Bergen, Norway, & renamed Henrik Lund. On Jun. 10, 1918, while en route from Baltimore to Buenos Aires with a general cargo including coal, Henrik Lund was torpedoed (or maybe hit by an explosive device instead) & captured & scuttled by U-151, Korvettenkapitän Heinrich von Nostitz und Jänckendorff in command, off the coast of North Carolina, U.S.A. At 36.30N/71.29W. I needed help with the Norwegian text at Link 1. But Björn Waldenström years ago kindly advised (thanks!) that it states that Henrik Lund was en route from Norfolk, Virginia, to Rio de Janiero, with a cargo of coal & that the lifeboats were tied together with those from Vindeggen (also sunk) until they encountered the Danish Brosund, which took the crew members to New York. Can you help with more data? 152 Ryton 2582/4136 (N/G) tons Hull 351 122838 Hogland Dampfem Erika Fritzen 1906 Ryton? A village a little to the W. of Newcsatle & Gateshead. A steel 'turret' steamer whuch was launched on Dec. 12, 1905 & completed in Jan. 1906. Per 1 (data, in Norwegian, Dampfem), 2 (data & image, builder's style model, Ryton, Lot #114, sold by Charles Miller Ltd. on Jul. 17, 2008 for £4,340), 3 (German page, Nov. 29, 1940 - ref. to an emergency call from Erika Fritzen, of meaning now clear as a result of a full page translation), 4 (Wiki page, Dampfen, with images), 5 ('wrecksite.eu', Erika Fritzen), 6 (page, Dampfen, with data in Norwegian & English). Ryton is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1906 thru 1913, always registered at Newcastle. And always owned by The Red "R" Steamship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record F. H. Swaffin as the vessel's captain in 1907/08 & 1908/09, & G. A. Rouch in 1912/13. LR lists the vessel as a 1905 vessel. About 111 metres long overall, 106.7 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, 350.2 ft., speed of 8 1/2 or 9 knots, signal letters HFKC, later JTMS (as Hogland), LDHT (as Dampfen) & KQRN (as Erica Fritzen), 310 NHP (per LR) or 330 NHP (per MNL) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1913 are available via this page. Ryton was built for Stephens, Sutton & Stephens of Newcastle. But was registered in the name of The Red "R" Steamship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, with Daniel Stephens, or Stephens, Sutton & Stephens, the vessel's managers. LR of 1907/08, in red. On or prior to Jul. 24, 1913, Ryton was sold (in red) to 'Ångfartygs-AB Tirfing' (Axel Brostrom & Son), of Göteborg /Gothenburg, Sweden, & renamed Hogland. Sold for £35,500 I read. In 1917, Dan Broström became the manager. I note that having sold Ryton as just noted, 'Red R' bought a new vessel & named it Ryton - a 2505/3991 (N/G) ton steamship buit in 1913 by Blyth Shipbuilding & Dry Docks Company, ON 133545. MNL of 1915. In Feb. 1924, Hogland was sold to 'Rederi A/S Damp', (Arth. H. Mathiesen), of Oslo, Norway' & renamed Dampfem. And in 1926, was sold to 'A/G fur Handel & Verkehr' or 'Johs. Fritzen & Sohn', of Emden, Germany, (Lexzau Scharbau & Co., the managers), & renamed Erika Fritzen. In 1938, the owners were restyled as 'Johs. Fritzen & Sohn, vorm. Scharbau & Co.' I am advised that during WW2, Erika Fritzen was engaged in shipping coal between Norway & Germany. On Nov. 28, 1940, Erika Fritzen, apparently in the North Sea off the German island of Borkum, issued a distress call. Hindenburg a motor lifeboat based at Borkum with a crew of 6 went out in response. Hindenburg never returned so all 6 of her crew were presumed drowned. Modest related debris came ashore on the coast of Borkum. Link 6 advises that on Jun. 06, 1944, when at Emden, Erika Fritzen was damaged in a bomb attack. On Feb. 25 or 26, 1945, Erika Fritzen hit a mine said to have been laid by British (RAF) aircraft. And sank N. of Warnemünde on the German Baltic coast. At 54.23N/11.59E. 13 crew members died as a result. Can you help with more data? 153 Admiraal de Ruijter 3550/5545 (N/G) tons Hull 389 Afrika 1907 A steel 'turret' steamer that was launched on Mar. 16, 1907 & completed in May 1907. Per 1 (Müller as ... 'Admiraal de Ruyter'), 2 (data & image), 3 (fine archived image), 4 (Dutch site, now in archive). 118.9 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 390.0 ft. later 386.3 ft., speed 9 1/2 (or maybe 10 1/2) knots, signal letters NBHM, later KQSG, 291 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland. Had 5 holds & 26 loading booms. Admiraal de Ruijter was built for 'Wm. Müller & Co.', (or 'W. H. Müller & Co's Algemeene Scheepvaart Maatschappij') of Rotterdam. Lloyd's Register ('LR') of 1914/15. So far as I can see, LR continued to record 'Muller' as the vessel's owner thru 1926/27, i.e. it looked thru the matters contained in the next two paragraphs. Per LR, De Witt was the vessel's captain in 1908/09 & W. Knop her captain from 1912/13 thru 1919/20. The vessel was in the Black Sea when WW1 commenced. On Mar. 10, 1915, Admiraal de Ruijter became Naval Transporter No. 1 of the Russian Black Sea fleet. On Jun. 27, 1918, the vessel was seized by the Germans at Novorossiysk, in Southern Russia, on the Black Sea. It was returned to Wm. Müller & Co. in Nov. 1918. This vessel has been site detail listed for a great many years. In Jul. 2026, as the listing is updated, I cannot recall where I spotted the data in the above two paragraphs. However it was reported, from Novorossisk (Novorossiysk, a Black Sea Russian port) on Oct. 31, 1914, that Turkish warships had bombarded the city & caused much damage to the harbour & shipping. On Oct. 29, 1914 I believe. Admiraal de Ruijter was in port at the time but was not hit. It would seem, however, that the vessel had been detained in Novorossisk from Jul. 1914 & was released on or prior to Nov. 02, 1918. As per this news report. I have not yet found any newspaper references to what happened to her in her 4 years of detention. But did note a report which stated that 'the Russian Government is paying a reasonable indemnification'. In 1927, Admiraal de Ruijter was sold to "Atlas" Reederei AG', of Emden, Germany & renamed Afrika. LR of 1932/33. I read that in Mar. 1933, Afrika was sold for scrapping - to Deutsche Werft A.G., of Finkenwarder, Germany. WWW data re the vessel is most limited. Can you help with additional data? 154 Blötberg 3102/4835 (N/G) tons Hull 387 Blommersdijk 1907 Blötberg? The vessel was acquired for the transport of iron ore from the Oxelösund area of Sweden. The vessel name derives from the Swedish village of Blötberget, where ore was mined, located 150 miles  NW of Oxelösund. A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Feb. 15, 1907. The vessel must have been completed in Mar. 1907 because on Mar. 27 or 29, 1907 (both dates are recorded), the vessel left Shields for Rotterdam. Per 1 (Batavier Line, Blötberg), 2 [Holland America Line, Blommersdijk (1)], 3 (image Blommersdijk & Dutch text), 4 (image Blötberg),  5 ('u-boat.net', sinking, Blommersdijk, with map location of loss), 6 (U-53), 7 (ship's model & data), 8 ('Wiki', re Blommersdijk), 9 (extensive detail, Blötberg, with 4 images & detailed history of her sinking). 394.4 ft. long (120.21 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, 125.58 metres long overall, speed of 10 knots, signal letters NHBJ, later said to be NHBK (the webmaster thinks that is doubtful), 291 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record DeJonge as the vessel's captain in 1907/08 & 1908/09, & D. de Witt in 1912/13 & 1914/15. LR of 1914/15. Blötberg was built for 'Wm. Müller & Co.' (per LR of 1907/08) or 'W. H. Müller & Co's Algemeene Scheepvaart Maatschappij' (per LRs of 1908/09 thru 1914/15) of Rotterdam. i.e. Batavier Line. One & the same owner, it would appear. Some Blötberg operational history:- i) It was reported from Gothenburg, Sweden, on Nov. 09, 1908, that Blötberg, en route to Stockholm, when off Hanstholm, Skagerak, Denmark. had taken in tow Oberon (likely built at Amsterdam in 1890) whose propeller shaft had broken. And towed her to Gothenburg. ii) On Jul. 11, 1909, en route from Oxelösund to Rotterdam with a cargo of copper ore, Blötberg went aground on Lillesand, S. of Amack. It was floated off on Jul. 14, 1909 after the discharge of much of her cargo. The vessel suffered extensive damage & proceeded, after repairs, on Jul. 18, 1909. The matter was the subject of an Oct. 1909 Inquiry by the Maritime Court of Amsterdam at The Hague, which found that the accident was not due to the carelessness of her captain (D. de Witt) but the Court was certainly critical of him. iii) On Jul. 29, 1910, Blötberg, en route from Luleå to Rotterdam with ore, collided with Stettin (a Norwegian steamship built at Newcastle in 1873 as Hydra) off Ystad. Blötberg put into Kiel (I think) for temporary repairs - Stettin proceeded. iv) On Jan 28, 1913, Blötberg collided, in the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal, now the Kiel Canal, with a mud barge. Both vessels were damaged, the mud barge extensively so. In Mar. 1915, the vessel was painted a bright scarlet at the waterline below a band of yellow conspicuously marked 'Nederlands' in letters 10 ft. tall - said to be 'a brilliant spectacle' - to avoid being attacked by German submarines (Holland being neutral in WW1). Per this contemporary New York Times report. On Jan. 27, 1916, Blötberg was sold to 'Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij' (Holland America Line) also of Rotterdam & renamed Blommersdijk. Grangesberg, built in 1903, was similarly sold at a combined price of about £500,000. These contemporary news reports - 1 (in red) & 2 - relate. On Oct. 08, 1916, while en route from New York to Rotterdam (via Kirkwall, Orkney Islands) with a cargo mainly of grain, & 5 miles E. of Nantucket Shoals Lightship, Blommersdijk was torpedoed and/or shelled & sunk by U-53, Kapitänleutnant Hans Rose in command. At 40.40N/ 69.36W. The vessel was a neutral vessel with a crew, I read, of 42. It would seem that U-53 gave notice & the Blommersdijk crew were able to take to the boats. The crew were rescued by U.S. Destroyer Benham. The vessel sank stern first with the bow awash, was a menace to navigation, & may well have been blown up by Androscoggin which was sent out to take care of the navigational hazard. In late Nov. 1916, Germany declared willingness to pay damages re the ship & her cargo of grain, with other items to be submitted to a 'prize court'. This contemporary news report relates. My words above do not advise exactly how Blommersdijk was sunk there being many WWW versions of how it was accomplished. I think that you will find the circumstances to be most interesting. In 1916, the United States was neutral in WW1 as was Holland. On Oct. 07, 1916, U-53 made a short, 2 1/2 hours only, goodwill visit to Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A.. During which time lots of Americans both boarded & toured U-53, which then left that port to attack allied shipping in international waters off the U.S. coast. She sank 5 vessels in the waters off Nantucket on Oct. 08, 1916. Strathdene, a 2790/4321 (N/G) ton Glasgow, Scotland, registered steamship, was the first - hit by torpedo at 7:43 a.m. & sunk by cannon fire just after 8.00 a.m. Chr. Knudsen, a 2489/3878 ton Norwegian steamship, was next, hit by torpedo & sunk by a second at 10.54 a.m. Next was West Point, a 2413/3847 West Hartlepool registered steamship - she was boarded & sunk by explosive charges. Blommersdijk was stopped at 4.45 p.m. but U-53 submerged when U.S. destroyers approached. 20 minutes later, when the Blommersdijk captain was aboard U-53 with his papers, & U-53 was literally surrounded by U.S. destroyers, Stephano, a 2144/3449 Liverpool registered steamship, appeared in the distance & was stopped. Amazingly 16 U.S. destroyers surrounded U-53 & the two stopped ships. Even more amazingly, one of the destroyers was requested to move aside & did so promptly so U-53 could attack Blommersdijk - which was then hit by a torpedo but did not sink. A second torpedo was fired at 7.20 p.m. & Blommersdijk sank at 9.00 p.m. U-53 then turned her attention to Stephano, which was boarded & explosive charges detonated. It too did not immediately sink but was despatched by U-53's very last torpedo. The role of the U.S. Navy that day? The U.S. was not then a participant in WW1. They were observers only, sent to sea to save from drowning the passengers of however many ships U-53 sank that day. All five sunk ships as they are recorded in LR of 1914/15. A busy day at the office for U-53! How do I know of all of this? From a fine article by Thomas J. Hajewski prepared from Kapitänleutnant Rose's own war logbook, published in the winter 1990 edition of 'Sea History' - WWW available here. Part I is here. Also available to us today is an Oct. 24, 1916 report of the events of Oct. 08, 1916 as recorded by the Boston Navy Yard - detailing the activities of U-53 in the waters off Nantucket. WWW available via this page. That report states as follows, re Blommersdijk. 'No shots were heard to be fired at this vessel and indications are that she was sent to the bottom by opening her seacocks and she disappeared at 11.10 p.m. in plain view of about 4 destroyers and the Light Vessel'. The data is in conflict. And there are other, widely differing reports of exactly what happened. The webmaster's inclination is to accept the words of Kapitänleutnant Rose. But site visitors will come to their own conclusion. Can you add anything? Another image? 155 Clan Buchanan 3288/5212 (N/G) tons Hull 335 (number seems out of sequence) 124232 1907 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Sep. 24, 1907 & completed in Oct. 1907. Per 1 [Clan Line, Clan Buchanan (2)], 2 (origins of Clan Line), 3 (submarine attack in 1916). 121.9 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 400.1 ft., speed of 11 knots, signal letters HLQT, later GQLP, 413 NHP (per Lloyd's Register ('LR') or 504 NHP (per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL')) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1933 are available via this page. Clan Buchanan is MNL listed from 1908 thru 1934, always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record C. E. Darling as the vessel's captain in 1908/09, A. W. Simpson in 1912/13 & 1914/15, W. M. Porterfield in 1917/18 & J. N. Gray in 1918/19. Normally it is neat & tidy as to who owns a particular vessel. Not so tidy in this case. Clan Buchanan was owned, per LR thru 1928/29 for sure, by Cayzer, Irvine & Co. of Glasgow. As per LR of 1917/18 (in black). And then by 'The Clan Line Steamers Ltd. with Cayzer, Irvine & Co. her managers. The 'confusion' is how MNL recorded her ownership. They record The Clan Line Steamers Ltd., as her owners in 1908, Sir Charles W. Cayzer from 1909 thru 1915, The Clan Line Steamers Ltd. from 1916 thru 1934. With Thomas Barr her manager thru 1928 & Fred Bedford from 1929. To add to the confusion, I learn that 'The Clan Line of Steamers Limited', of Glasgow, became 'Cayzer, Irvine & Company, Limited' in 1907. A little Clan Buchanan operational history that the webmaster happened to spot:- i) The vessel's maiden voyage was to Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) arriving there on Dec. 06, 1907 ex the Clyde. ii) Likely in late Aug. 1908, the vessel arrived at Barry Roads, Wales, via Falmouth, ex Portland, Oregon, with a cargo of grain. In heavy weather, she broke free from her anchors & drifted onto Cardiff Sands. Four tugs assisted her to get off. It was stated that Clan Buchanan was not damaged - but on Aug. 30, 1908 the vessel left for nearby Cardiff in tow. iii) On or about Oct. 07, 1911, entering Hamburg, Germany, ex Chittagong, Bangladesh, Clan Buchanan collided with Anna, a coaster, & also with a barge. Anna was extensively damged while the barge had only minor damage. Little damage to Clan Buchanan it would appear. iv) On Nov. 12, 1916, Clan Buchanan was attacked by gunfire from a German submarine off Cape Ortegal (NW Spain on Bay of Biscay) but 'escaped'. The related text at link 3 is very short - 'Clan Buchanan, 5,212/1907, Clan Line Steamers (Cayzer, Irvine), Glasgow, armed. U-boat gun attack, saved by own gunfire (H/ms)'. It would seem that Clan Buchanan was defensibly armed & that the ship fought off the attacking submarine with her gun or guns - likely mortars. v) On Dec. 03, 1926, lying at Queen's Dock, Glasgow, fire broke out in the vessel's bunkers. Extinguished by the fire brigade. vi) On Jan. 21, 1928, leaving Middlesbrough Dock, Clan Buchanan fouled & damaged Matheran, a Thos. & Jno. Brocklebank Ltd. steamer. vii) On Jan. 09, 1932, a fire occurred in the cabin of Clan Buchanan while in the S.W. India Dock at London. The article that I read first said that interior & fittings were badly damaged & then said that the damage was slight. On or prior to Oct. 03, 1933, three vessels (including Clan Buchanan & Clan Sinclair) were sold (in red) for demolition for £15,000 (total price) to Hughes, Bolckow Shipbreaking Co. (or Hughes, Bolckow Co. Ltd.) of Blyth, Northumberland (NE of Newcastle upon Tyne). Arthur R. (Robert) Cossar was her captain of her final voyage, her captain since 1931. The vessel's final voyage was from Cochin (now Kochi, Kerala State, SW India) to London via Port Said. It arrived at London on Oct. 09, 1933, left for Dunkirk & Calais on Oct. 13, 1933, & arrived at Blyth on Oct. 29, 1933. I presume that break up would have commenced soon thereafter. WWW data is quite limited. It would seem that another Clan Buchanan, a barque, was sunk by gunfire from a German submarine in 1917. Can you help with additional data? 156 Clan Sinclair 3291/5215 (N/G) tons Hull 333 (number seems out of sequence) 124222 1907 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Aug. 28, 1907 & completed in Oct. 1907. Per 1 [Clan Line, Clan Sinclair (2)], 2 (origins of Clan Line), 3 (submarine attack in 1917, search for Clan Sinclair), 4 (U-43). 121.9 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 400.1 ft., speed of 11 knots, signal letters HLMT, later GQLJ, 413 NHP (per Lloyd's Register ('LR') or 504 NHP (per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL')) engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists thru 1933 are available via this page. Clan Sinclair is MNL listed from 1908 thru 1934, always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. The webmaster has accessed a number of LR editions. They record W. N. Oliver as the vessel's captain in 1908/09, D. S. Smith from 1912/13 thru 1917/18, W. Wright in 1918/19 & F. T. Mee in 1919/20. Normally it is neat & tidy as to who owns a particular vessel. Not so tidy in this case. Clan Sinclair was owned, per LR thru 1928/29 for sure, by Cayzer, Irvine & Co. of Glasgow. As per LR of 1917/18 (in red). And then by 'The Clan Line Steamers Ltd. with Cayzer, Irvine & Co. her managers. The 'confusion' is how MNL recorded her ownership. They record The Clan Line Steamers Ltd., as her owners in 1908, Sir Charles W. Cayzer from 1909 thru 1916, The Clan Line Steamers Ltd. from 1917 thru 1934. With Thomas Barr her manager thru 1928 & Fred Bedford from 1929. To add to the confusion, I learn that 'The Clan Line of Steamers Limited', of Glasgow, became 'Cayzer, Irvine & Company, Limited' in 1907. A little Clan Sinclair operational history that the webmaster happened to spot:- i) In early Mar. 1914, Clan Sinclair went aground in the River Clyde & while aground was struck by Vanguard a tug. Vanguard was run onto the bank to prevent her sinking, ii) On Oct. 14, 1915, fire broke out in the vessel's bunkers when at Tilbury Dock, London. Soon extinguished. iii) In 1917, Clan Sinclair was requisitioned by the British Government for service during WW1. The vessel was returned to its owners in 1919. iv) On Apl. 18, 1917, Clan Sinclair was attacked by gunfire from a German submarine in the North Atlantic but survived the attack. The related text at link 3 is very short - 'Clan Sinclair, 5,215/1907, Clan Line Steamers (Cayzer, Irvine), Glasgow, armed. Torpedo/gun attack, torpedo missed, saved by own gunfire (H/ms)'. Which text, forgive me, does not tell us very much. 'Clan, Houston, Turnbull Martin & Scottish Tankers', written by Duncan Haws & published in 1997 would appear to provide much more detail, but the volume is not available to me. This related Google data snippet seems to state, however, that the vessel was en route from Cape Town to Liverpool when it was attacked by U-43, which surfaced & fired 8 shots. Torpedoes also? It would seem that Clan Sinclair was defensibly armed & that she fought off the attacking submarine with her gun or guns - likely mortars. Via link 4 a list of ships hit by U-43 is available but it does not include vessels attacked but not sunk. Need help with the matter! v) On Mar. 03, 1925, Clan Sinclair outward bound from Glasgow for Liverpool was struck by Aranmore (probably the one built at Leith in 1920)when opposite Yarrow's Basin. (the report stated Arranmore). Clan Sinclair was apparently not damaged - Aranmore had to return to Glasgow with her stem twisted badly to starboard. vi) On Mar. 02, 1933, the vessel left Milford Haven, Wales, after the repair of propeller damage was completed. vii) On Jul. 04, 1933, arriving at Glasgow from Port Sudan (W. coast of Red Sea), Clan Sinclair lost one propeller blade & damaged one also. viii) On Nov. 16, 1933 en route from Rotterdam to Antwerp, Belgium, Clan Sinclair went aground in the river Scheldt near Walsoorden (NW of Antwerp). Assistance  was provided & she was floated off & proceeded. On or prior to Oct. 03, 1933, three vessels (including Clan Sinclair & Clan Buchanan were sold (in red) for demolition for £15,000 (total price) to Hughes, Bolckow Shipbreaking Co. (or Hughes, Bolckow Co. Ltd.) of Blyth, Northumberland (NE of Newcastle upon Tyne). The vessel's final voyage, under the command of Evans I believe, was from Mangalore (left Oct. 06, 1933) & Malabar (both SW coast of India) to London where it arrived at Tilbury Dock on or about Nov. 07, 1933. Clan Sinclair went on to Antwerp (see above re her grounding in the Scheldt). On Nov. 30, 1933 it was reported that the vessel had by then arrived at Blyth to be broken up. I presume that actual break up commenced soon thereafter. WWW data is quite limited. Can you help with additional data? 157 Claveresk 2441/3829, later 2443/3835 (N/G) tons Hull 379 123802 Renfrew Ulversmead Mari Houstone Lake Neuchatel laid down as Billiter Buildings 1907 A steel 'turret steamer' which was launched I have read, as Claveresk, on Jan. 30, 1907 & completed on or in the week prior to Mar. 09, 1907. Per 1 ('Skanfil', of Norway, image, Claveresk, the source of the top image at left), 2 (data & model image etc., Christies, Claveresk, model sold on May 26, 2004 for GBP 13,145), 3 (1918 lawsuit), 4 (B. J. Sutherland, Claveresk), 5 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, 1930/31 thru 1939/40, Mari/Houstone/Lake Neuchatel). 350.4 ft. (106.80 metres) long perpendicular to perpendicular, later 350.0 ft., speed of 9 (or 8) knots, signal letters HKGP, later MBVG, later EAGO, later GDGN, 310 NHP, later 342 NHP (per LR) or 339 NHP (per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. So far as I can see, the vessel is MNL listed as follows:- As Claveresk from 1908 thru 1919, initially registered at London, from 1911 at Newcastle. As Renfrew in 1920 & 1921, registered at London in 1920. As Houstone in 1938, registered back at London in 1937. As Lake Neuchatel in 1939 & 1940. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record W. Harding as the vessel's captain in 1907/08, W. H. Seldon in 1908/09, R. W. Taylor in 1912/13, T. A. Triggs in 1914/15 & 1917/18 & W. E. Carr in 1918/19 & 1919/20. The vessel was, I understand, laid down as Billiter Buildings for J. Sunley & Co. ('Sunley'), of London, a ship brokerage firm which had been established in the late 1850s by John Sunley, but had been taken over in or about 1893 by G. W. Wilkinson & W. H. Jones. Sunley, in Jun. 1906 agreed to buy six turret ships from 'Doxford', including, it would seem this vessel. The Doxford launch list on this site contains no ships initially owned by Sunley. Why? Because in late 1907 Sunley went into bankruptcy said to be 'due to the failure of an insurance company to carry out a contract'. So Sunley's interest in Billiter Buildings had to be sold & was acquired by Edmund Haslehurst & Co., ship & insurance brokers of London, who had Claveresk registered in the name of Claverhill Steamship Co. Ltd., with E. Haslehurst & Co. the managers, or per MNL Martyn J. Hewlett. LR of 1907/08 (in red). The cost of Claveresk was about £42,000. On Dec. 04, 1908, Claveresk, en route from Cardiff, Wales, to Bombay (now Mumbai), India, ran aground about 600 yards off Suakin Harbour in NE Sudan. Per this contemporary news report. With a part of her hull resting on sharp coral rocks, indeed suspended amidships. On Dec. 08, 1908, having discharged a portion of her cargo into lighters, the vessel was got off & taken into the harbour at Suakin & there grounded again for a short time. After temporary repairs, the vessel left for Bombay on Dec. 12, 1908. Where major repairs to the vessel proved to be necessary (in red). A Court of Inquiry into the matter was held at Bombay on Jan. 14, 15 & 18, 1909. I wonder what it concluded? I have not been able to locate the report of that Court of Inquiry, the receipt of which was acknowledged in the London Gazette of the time. On or about Jan. 21, 1909, the management of Claveresk (& Claverley) was transferred to B. J. Sutherland & Co., of Newcastle. On or prior to Feb. 04, 1909 (in red), Claveresk (& Claverley also) was sold to A. Munro Sutherland of Newcastle for £30,000 - & the vessel soon became registered in the name of 'Sandhill Steamship Company', with B. J. Sutherland & Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, or Arthur M. (Munro) Sutherland her managers, with no change of name. The vessel was soon registered in the name of B. J. Sutherland & Co. Ltd. While on or prior to Feb. 18, 1909, Claverhill Steamship Co. Ltd. went into voluntary liquidation. Per MNL from 1912 thru 1919 & per LR of 1914/15, in blue. On Jun. 16, 1911, when at Bombay (Mumbai), India, its cargo of coal caught fire. It would seem that the vessel went aground in the Suez Canal in early Aug. 1911. In 1913, the vessel was chartered, by 'Sutherland Steamship Company Ltd.', 'for about 5 years' to 'Earl Line Steamship Co.', of Pennsylvania, U.S.A. In Dec. 1916 it was reported that the vessel had completed her 50th voyage between America & the West Indies carrying coal & iron ore. On Jan. 25, 1917, Claveresk was requisitioned by the Admiralty, for WW1 service. In 1918, a significant court case resulted, which case ruled that the Admiralty requisition had legally terminated the 1913 charter. Sutherland did, in 1919, change her name to Renfrew, when that name became possible. In Feb. 1920, the vessel was sold again, for £130,000, to 'Western Counties Steamship Co.' ('Western'), of Cardiff, Wales, E. Edwards Sons & Co., or Edgar Edwards of Cardiff, her managers, & renamed Ulversmead. While the above statement is true it does not state what really happened. In the very early days of Feb. 1920, Western agreed to acquire Sutherland's then entire fleet of eleven vessels for a total price of £1,825,000, including Renfrew which was included in the purchase at a value of £130,000. This contemporary news report relates. My understanding is that Western proposed to pay for their purchase by raising £1,000,000 in new Ordinary capital and by assuming a Sutherland mortgage for £900,000, intending to soon sell three of the older vessels & reduce the mortgage by an anticipated £370,000. The heavily oversubscribed share issue was a success, largely acquired by prior shareholders of Western. Three of the eleven vessels were sold in Apl. 1920 - to The Anglo-Celtic Shipping Company, Ltd. of Cardiff for a total of £375,000 i.e. Caithness (£145,000), Dumfries (£120,000) & Inverness (£110,000). This prospectus advertisement relates. The later failure of Western is truly astonishing. And the related transactions are, to me at least, most complicated. Freight rates took a large tumble as a result of a world wide recession & a shipping slump. Western became unable to pay the insurance premiums on its fleet vessels. In May 1921, a receiver/manager was appointed by Chancery Division on behalf of the Western debenture holders whose security was fixed by way of mortgages on the various ships. On Aug. 24, 1921, eight of the Western fleet vessels were sold by public auction at the Baltic Exchange in London. Ulversmead (previously Renfrew) was one of such ships. The vessel, which had been acquired for £130,000 so very recently, & was then lying at Barry, Wales, was sold at such auction for either £6,100 or £61,000 only. Both values were reported. To Compania Nivera Amaya of San Sebastian, Spain, per this contemporary news report - in green. Vessels which had sold for £30 per ton were sold for £1 to £5 per ton only. E. Edwards & Sons went into voluntary liquidation. It would seem that Ulversmead was undergoing overhaul when sold. It was sold for either £6,100 or £61,000 to Spanish buyers, i.e. Cia. Naviera Amaya of Bilbao, Spain, with 'C. de Zabala', the managers, & renamed Mari. The vessel was moved to Spain & the overhaul was completed there. The vessel was registered at Callao, Peru, & was transferred to Spanish registry in 1926. LR of 1921/22 (both in red). The condition of the vessel at the time of sale was surely an important factor in its sale price. I suspect that £6,100 was the correct value. Does anybody know for sure? Neither price, however, seems particularly likely. I say that in part because Elgin, covered here on this page, a vessel of similar size, one year older but without apparent condition issues, sold for £23,000. This contemporary newspaper report may help site visitors better understand the situation. This Australian report also relates. In 1937, Mari was sold to 'Phoenix Shipping Co. Ltd.', of London, & renamed Houstone. MNL of 1938. With Cyril Pinder her manager. The vessel was sold for the last time, in 1938, to 'Charles Strubin & Co. Ltd.', of London, & renamed Lake Neuchatel. MNL of 1939. With James E. Gardner her manager In 1939, Lake Neuchatel was purchased or maybe requisitioned by the British Government & on Oct. 21, 1939, was sunk/scuttled as a block ship at Kirk Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands. At 58.53.24N/ 002.53.54W. That was not quite the end of the story. She was salvaged in Jun. 1948, by Metal Industries Ltd., & was towed to Troon, Scotland, to be broken up. Can you add anything? 158 Claverley 2441/3829 (N/G) tons Hull 383 123839 laid down as Billiter Square 1907 A listing in progress of revision. A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Apl. 12, 1907 & completed in May 1907 - first registered on May 21, 1907. Per 1 ('uboat.net', 1917 sinking), 2 (UB-38), 3 (Court of Inquiry report into Oct. 1913 grounding), 4 (submarine attack in 1917, search for Claverley), 5 & 6 ('wrecksite.eu' re Claverley). 106.7 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 350.1 ft. long, speed of 10 knots, signal letters HKRS, 310 NHP (per Lloyd's Register ('LR')) or 339 NHP (per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists are available via this page. The vessel is MNL listed from 1908 thru 1917 (1916), initially registered at London, but registered at Newcastle from 1911. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record J. Scott as the vessel's captain in 1907/08 & 1908/09, N. I. C. Kragh in 1912/13 & 1914/15 & H. Jones in 1917/18 & 1918/19. The vessel was, I understand, laid down as Billiter Square for J. Sunley & Co. ('Sunley'), of London, a ship brokerage firm which had been established in the late 1850s by John Sunley, but had been taken over in or about 1893 by G. W. Wilkinson & W. H. Jones. Sunley, in Jun. 1906 agreed to buy six turret ships from 'Doxford', including, it would seem this vessel. The Doxford launch list on this site contains no ships initially owned by Sunley. Why? Because in late 1907 Sunley went into bankruptcy said to be 'due to the failure of an insurance company to carry out a contract'. So Sunley's interest in Billiter Square had to be sold & was acquired by Edmund Haslehurst & Co., ship & insurance brokers of London, who had Claverley registered in the name of The Claverley Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., with E. Haslehurst & Co. the managers, or per MNL Martyn J. Hewlett. & Edmund Haslehurst. LR of 1907/08 (in blue). The cost of Claverley? About £42,000. Claverley Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. went into voluntary liquidation on or prior to Feb. 18, 1909. On or about Jan. 21, 1909, the management of Claverley (& Claveresk) was transferred to B. J. Sutherland & Co., of Newcastle. On or prior to Feb. 04, 1909 (in red), Claverley (& Claveresk also) was sold to A. Munro Sutherland of Newcastle for £30,000 - & the vessel soon became registered in the name of 'Sandhill Steamship Company', with B. J. Sutherland & Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, or Arthur M. (Munro) Sutherland her managers, with no change of name. The vessel soon became registered in the name of B. J. Sutherland & Co. Ltd. Per MNLs from 1912 thru 1917 & per LR of 1914/15, in black. At 5 a.m. on Mar. 31, 1911, the vessel grounded on North Beach near Perim (SW coast of Yemen at S. entrance to the Red Sea). The vessel floated off 2 1/2 hours later with the rising tide & proceeded to Perim. Also in 1911, when at Bombay (Mumbai), India, the vessel's cargo of coal caught fire at about noon on May 30, 1911. It took a while to put the fire out. By Jun. 16, 1911, all of its cargo had been unloaded & loading commenced.  On Nov. 29, 1912, the vessel, under the command of Captain Charles Kragh, left Cardiff, Wales, on a long voyage - which took the vessel initially to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, then via the Suez Canal to the eastern seaboard of the United States, south around Cape Horn & eventually to Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. With many stops along the way. At Portland it loaded a cargo of about 5,420 tons of grain & left on Sep. 13, 1913 for Limerick, Ireland, with a crew of 31 all told. Soon after 5:17 a.m. on Oct. 28, 1913, while navigating the Patagonia Channel, at the southern tip of South America, the vessel ran aground. Per this Nov. 06, 1913 news report on Long Island, in the Smyth Channel, at the western entrance to the Straits of Magellan. Water filled No. 1 hold & the fore peak & later in the day a strong gale with high seas caused further problems. Help was summoned via Magelhanas, a passing steamship, & on Oct. 31, 1913 three vessels arrived to help - Lovart, Alejandro & Ultima Esperanza, all likely salvage steamers. On Nov. 02, 1913 the vessel was floated off & made her way to Fortune Bay & later to Punta Arenas arriving there on Nov. 09, 1913. After temporary repairs were effected she eventually left Punta Arenas on Dec. 14, 1913 to resume her voyage to Limerick. From Mar. 26 thru 31, 1914, an Inquiry was held at Newcastle into the above grounding. Captain Kragh was reprimanded for proceeding at full speed without ascertaining & verifying the vessel's position. Herbert Olsen, just 22 years old, who had been the vessel's acting 1st officer, was reprimanded also for mutilating & destroying the vessel's log books. The extensive report of the Court of Inquiry is available here. It is interesting reading. On Aug. 20, 1917, while defensively armed & en route from the Tyne to Genoa, Italy, with a cargo of coal, Claverley was torpedoed by UB-38, Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Amberger in command, 4 miles SE of Eddystone Lighthouse, 9 miles SW of Rame Head in Cornwall. 10 lives were lost, lists of their names are available via two of my links. The captain survived. Link 4 above advises as follows re Aug. 20, 1917:- CLAVERLEY, 3,829/1907, Sutherland SS Co, Newcastle, armed, 10 crew, Mr N Kragh, Tyne for Genoa with coal. Torpedoed by UB.38 (Wilhelm Amberger), sank 4 miles SE of the The Eddystone, off Plymouth (wi - in 50.08.37N, 04.10.21W); 10 lives lost (H/L/te/un/wi) A large wreck, I read years ago, lies in 66 metres of water at 50.08N/04.10W - known locally as the 'The Carrier'. Does it relate? A long expired website ('southwestmafia'), here in archive, refers to Claverley turning turtle & floating until sunk by shellfire from a British ship. The wreck of Claverley may not yet have been properly located. WWW data about the vessel is limited. Can you add anything? 159 Galavale 2441/3830 (N/G) tons Hull 381 124172 Renfrew laid down as Billiter House 1907 A 'turret steamer', which was launched, as Galavale, on Feb. 28, 1907 (in red) & completed in Apl. 1907. Per 1 ('uboat.net', Renfrew sinking), 2 [B. J. Sutherland, Renfrew (2)], 3 (image, Galavale), 4 (1910 cyclone). 350.0 ft. long (106.7 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 8 knots, capacity for 12 passengers, signal letters HKLM, 310 NHP (per Lloyd's Register ('LR')) or 339 NHP (per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists are available via this page. The vessel is MNL listed from 1908 thru 1917 (1916), always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. Owned thru 1916 by The Vale Steamship Co. Ltd., of Glasgow, with Andrew Crawford her manager. MNL of 1917 records her then owner as being The Irismere Steamshipping Co. Ltd, of Newcastle, with Arthur M. Sutherland her manager. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record E. Scearf, as I read the text, as the vessel's captain in 1907/08, 1908/09 & 1912/13, A. Hunter in 1914/15 & J. Hill in 1917/18. The vessel was, I understand, laid down as Billiter House for J. Sunley & Co. ('Sunley'), of London, a ship brokerage firm which had been established in the late 1850s by John Sunley, but had been taken over in or about 1893 by G. W. Wilkinson & W. H. Jones. Sunley, in Jun. 1906 agreed to buy six turret ships from 'Doxford', including, it would seem this vessel. The Doxford launch list on this site contains no ships initially owned by Sunley. Why? Because in late 1907 Sunley went into bankruptcy said to be 'due to the failure of an insurance company to carry out a contract'. So Sunley's interest in Billiter House had to be sold - to 'A. Crawford Barr & Company' or 'Andrew Crawford & John C. Barr', of Glasgow, who registered the vessel in the name of newly incorporated The Vale Steamship Co. Ltd. Galavale, was first registered on Apl. 02, 1907. LR of 1907/08. The vessel was chartered, in Aug. 1907, to carry heavy steam turbines & machinery & also a 50-ton gun from the Tyne to Japan. Its hatchways had to be modified in dry-dock to be able to load such cargo. I previously have also noted in this spot that the vessel was chartered for the carriage of salt to Montevideo, Uruguay. In late Nov. 1907, when at Nagasaki, Japan, fire broke out aboard the vessel en route from Middlebrough & Antwerp. Its then cargo was fish manure. On Mar. 22, 1909, the vessel parted from her anchors & touched bottom in Maulmain River (now Mawlamyine, Burma (Myanmar). In early Jan. 1910, Galavale, en route from Mauritius to Bombay with a cargo of sugar, was damaged in a cyclone off Mauritius, but made it back to Mauritius 'in a terrible state' having lost one man overboard & suffered extensive damage. The vessel would seem to have rather gone on to Kurrachee - since on Feb. 22, 1910 it went aground at the Kudi mouth of the River Indus, 16 miles SSE of Kurrachee, about 4 miles from the wreck of Nithdale, but got off unassisted & undamaged. A 1914 court case involving Cardiff Hall - I read that the vessels had collided off Grays, Essex, on Dec. 18, 1914. On Apl. 14, 1915 the vessel was requisitioned for WW1 service. In 1917, Galavale was sold to 'Irismere Steam Shipping Company Ltd.', B. J. Sutherland & Co. Ltd., of Glasgow, the manager, & renamed Renfrew. This contemporary news report, though it has the vessel name wrong, clearly relates. LR of 1917/18 (in red). On Feb. 24, 1918, while en route from Bilbao, Spain, to Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, with a cargo of iron ore, Renfrew was hit by a torpedo fired by U-91, Kapitänleutnant Alfred von Glasenapp in command, when 8 miles SW of St. Ann's Head, near Milford Haven, St. George's Channel. The vessel sank. 41 (or maybe 40) lives were lost including the Captain (his name?). Have not read the circumstances. The WWW record for this vessel is limited. James Smith has kindly provided this 'pdf' study of the vessel's history, which includes details of its WW1 service as a Collier Transport. A volume entitled The 'Vales' of Glasgow, privately printed by the company in 1955, covers the 1895/1955 history of Vale Steamship Co. Ltd. - 85 pages. A rare volume. Maybe it references Galavale? Thanks to e-Bay University, I find that such volume does contain an image of Galavale. Such image is the 3rd image at left. Can you help with additional data? 160 Garfield 2442/3838 (N/G) tons Hull 374 125423 1907 A steel 'turret' steamer, a collier, which was launched on Apl. 30, 1907 & completed in Jul. 1907. First registered on Jul. 13, 1907. Per 1 (sinking ref., 15 January 1917, search for Garfield), 2 ('u-boat.net', sinking, Garfield), 3 ('wrecksite.eu'). 350.2 ft. long (106.74 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters HLBR, 292 NHP (per Lloyd's Register ('LR')) or 316 NHP (per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists are available via this page. The vessel is MNL listed from 1908 thru 1917 (1916), always registered at Newcastle. And always owned by The Northern Petroleum Tank Steamship Co. Ltd. of Newcastle with Charles S. Hunting her manager. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record G. G. Gaine as the vessel's captain in 1908/09 & J. Evans in 1912/13 & 1914/15. Garfield was built for 'Norwick Steamship Company Ltd.', of Newcastle, (Hunting & Son, ('Hunting') or Hunting Bros. her managers), which company (Norwick) i) was incorporated to own Alnwick (built at Newcastle in 1894) & Garfield & ii) was wound up in 1911. In or about 1908, Garfield was sold, more likely transferred, to another Hunting company, i.e. 'The Northern Petroleum Tank Steamship Co., Ltd.', with Hunting as managers. MNLs re 1910 & 1915. On Jan. 15, 1917, defensibly armed, & en route from Barry, Wales, to Port Said, Egypt, via Malta, with a cargo of coal & oil, Garfield was torpedoed & sunk by U.39, Kapitänleutnant Walter Forstmann in command, 60 miles off Alexandria, Egypt. At 36.05N/19.57E. But that data seems to be suspect since such location is not 60 miles off Alexandria - rather off the SW coast of Greece. No lives were lost but the master was taken prisoner & transferred to the Salzerbad POW camp, in Austria. This contemporary newspaper article says that the captain's name was J. Evans. John Evans it would seem. WWW data is quite limited. Can you help with additional data? 161 Garryvale 2455/3908, later 2903/4067 (N/G) tons Hull 386 124236 launched as Westra 1907 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Sep. 10, 1907 & first registered on Oct. 28, 1907. Per 1 (data & images, Garryvale, but only thumbnails today available), 2 (Lloyd's Register entries 1930 thru 1937, Garryvale), 3 (not to be missed, data & 4 pages of images of & related to Garryvale), 4 ('pdf', 'Meccano Magazine' of Jan. 1937 with cover image of Garryvale at the Bowater's Mersey Paper Mills Ltd. wharf on the Manchester ship canal - available by a link ex link 3). 106.6 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 349.8 ft., signal letters HLRT, later SRNQ, 292 NHP (per Lloyd's Register ('LR')) or 316 NHP (per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record W. H. McClure as the vessel's captain from 1908/09 thru 1912/13, G. E. Patterson in 1914/15 & J. W. D. Kearney from 1917/18 thru 1919/20. The vessel is MNL listed from 1908 thru 1923, always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. The webmaster has read that the vessel was launched as Westra for 'Japp & Kirby', ship brokers of Liverpool & London. The webmaster has not spotted any contemporary news reports to confirm such matter but did spot that on Oct. 04, 1907, 'Westra Shipping Company' was incorporated to 'acquire from Japp & Kirby a steamship to be called Westra or otherwise'. Ownership arrangements must have changed quickly because on Dec. 03, 1907, Garryvale, stated to have been built for A. Crawford, Barr & Co. of Glasgow, had her trial trip. The vessel would appear to have been delivered as Garryvale for The Vale Steamship Co. Ltd., Andrew Crawford & John C. Barr & Co. or A. Crawford, Barr & Co. or John C. Barr her managers - of Glasgow. The managers' name was, I have read, restyled in 1916 as Barr, Crombie & Son though neither LR or MNL notes such change. LR of 1908/09 (in red). In the final quarter of 1916, i.e. the quarter from Oct thru Dec. 1916, Garryvale was sold, per LR, for £87,500. Apparently to Dawson Bros. & Rowan, also of Glasgow, with no change of vessel name. LR of 1917/18. On Nov. 13, 1916, Garryvale, arriving at Le Havre, France, from Sydney & Table Bay, collided with the quay, both sustaining & causing damage. In 1919 or 1920, the vessel was sold again, to H. W. West of Glasgow but soon was registered in the name of 'British Transoceanic Steamship Co. Ltd.', with H. W. West her manager, all of Glasgow. LRs of 1919/20 & 1921/22. In 1922 or 1923, Garryvale was sold to Suomen Valtamerentakainen Kauppa Oy ('Suomen'), of Helsinki (Helsingfors), Finland, Kristian Hansen (note) the manager. Timo Sylvänne advised years ago (thanks!) that Suomen later went bankrupt necessitating the further sale of the vessel. So in 1929, the vessel was sold or transferred for the last time, to Rederi A/B Garryvale, also of Helsinki, with Kristian Hansen her manager. Garryvale was in collision a couple of times in Nov. 1931. On Nov. 18, 1931, Burbo a sand hopper/ dredger collided with Garryvale then outbound from Eastham (Manchester Ship Canal), when off Herculaneum Dock, in Liverpool. Burbo suffered bulwark & rail damage. And on Nov. 23, 1931, during fog, Zuid Beijerland, a 396 ton Dutch motorship built in 1929, collided with Garryvale in the River Ribble at Preston. Zuid Beijerland suffered bow damage as a result. These (1 & 2 in blue) contemporary reports relate. Garryvale, en route from Narvik, Norway, to the Tees with a cargo of iron ore, was stranded on Jan. 30, 1939, 2 miles SE of South Gare, at the mouth of the River Tees. The vessel was re-floated, but, on Apl. 06, 1939, Garryvale arrived at the T. W. Ward ship breaking facilities at Inverkeithing, Moray Firth, to be broken up. It would seem that a later, 1942 built, vessel of the identical name, was owned by 'Andrew Crawford'. No WWW references to the company that I can find but a volume entitled The 'Vales' of Glasgow, privately printed by the company in 1955, covers the 1895/1955 history of the company - 85 pages. A rare volume. Maybe it references Garryvale? A number of earlier links to related data have died. Can you help with additional data? 162 Koromiko 1541/2479 (N/G) tons Hull 390 117599 Yu Ping 1907 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Nov. 15, 1907 & completed later that month. Per 1 (c. 1907 image - Queensland Digital Library), 2 [Union Steamship, Koromiko (1)], 3 (NZ visits), 4 (image). 95.2 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 312.3 ft., speed of 10 knots, signal letters TVSB, later VPBD, 241 NHP (per Lloyd's Register ('LR')) or 313 NHP (per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record C. Cliff as the vessel's captain in 1907/08 & 1908/09, J. M. Drewette in 1912/13, H. S. Wheyborn in 1914/15 & J. Baldwin in 1917/18 & 1918/19. The vessel is MNL listed from 1909 thru 1936, initially registered at Dunedin, New Zealand, but registered at Hong Kong from 1928. Koromiko was built for 'Union Steamship Company of New Zealand Ltd.', of Wellington & Dunedin, NZ, & of London, & registered at Dunedin. The vessel visited Auckland, New Zealand, as Koromiko, 10 times between Jul. 19, 1924 & Sep. 08, 1926. Used on the trans-Tasman trade. On or prior to Sep. 08, 1928, the vessel was sold, to buyers from Hong Kong. Per this contemporary news report. Apparently to 'Shun Hong Steam Ship Co.', of Hong Kong, Messrs Williamson her managers. MNL of 1929. I read that the vessel was sold again, on or prior to Dec. 13, 1936, to Chinese buyers. Per this contemporary news report, in red. Apparently to 'Yu Chung Steamship Co.', of Shanghai, China, & renamed Yu Ping. In Dec. 1941, Yu Ping capsized & sank (or half sank), at Hankow on the Yangtze River, China, & at the end of WW2 was determined to be a total loss. This image, ex 'NZ Company of Master Mariners' of Sep. 2010, relates. Can you add anything? 163   Redbridge 2444/3834, later 2398/3792 (N/G) tons Hull 385 123841 Amerika laid down as Billiter Street 1907 A steel 'turret' steamer that was launched on May 09, 1907 & first registered on May 27, 1907. Per 1 (data Redbridge), 2 (Lloyd's Register data, Amerika, 1930/31 thru 1934/35, ex 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll'). 350.0 ft. long, (106.7 metres), perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 8 1/2 or 9 knots, signal letters HKSF, later KQNG & DFYS, 310 NHP (per Lloyd's Register ('LR')) or 339 NHP (per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists are available via this page. The vessel is MNL listed from 1908 thru 1923, always registered at London. Just a few captain's names are recorded in LR - J. C. Vasey in 1917/18 & 1918/19 & J. H. McNeill in 1919/20. I understand that the vessel was laid down as Billiter Street for J. Sunley & Co., of London, a long established ship brokerage firm which had, in Jun. 1906, agreed to buy six turret ships from 'Doxford', including, it would seem this vessel - but ran into financial difficulties in 1907. So in 1907, & renamed as Redbridge, the vessel became a fleet vessel of Temperley Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., also of London with J. Temperley & Co. or John later Joseph Temperley her managers. But not included in the partial list of'Temperley' ships available here. I read with interest that Redbridge assisted in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that demolished 90% of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy, in the early morning of Dec. 28, 1908. 7.5 on the Richter scale, with the epicenter in the Messina Strait between Sicily & mainland Italy. A 40 ft. tsunami followed. As many as 200,000 people may have lost their lives throughout the region. Can anybody tell us more about what Redbridge actually did relative to that earthquake? So far the webmaster has not found any news reports. On May 12, 1923, the vessel was reported to have been sold to German interests. Apparently to Messrs. Schulte & Bruns. LR of 1922/23. LR of 1924/25 would seem to be the first edition of LR to record the vessel as owned by 'Atlas Reederei A.G.', of Emden, Germany, (Schulte & Bruns the managers) & renamed Amerika. Amerika was broken up by 'Bremer Vulkan' at Vegesack (or Bremer-Vegesack), Germany, in Q2 of 1934. Glad to have the data I do have. But WWW data about vessel is most limited. James Smith has kindly provided this 'pdf' study of Redbridge's history, which includes detail of its WW1 service as a Collier Transport. Can you add anything? An image? 164 Grindon Hall 2365/3712 (N/G) tons Hull 398 128482 Gregorios 1908 A 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Jul. 29, 1908 & first registered, at Cardiff, on Aug. 18, 1908 (scroll to #128482). Per 1 (1915 fire), 2 (superb builder's model of Grindon Hall, thanks to the kindness of 'Art Gallery Voûte', of Schiedam, The Netherlands - do drop by), 3 (the model name plate ex link 2). The webmaster finds it distressing that all four of his earlier links to external data no longer work, presumably because the sites no longer exist or because they are now behind a pay wall. 342.2 ft. (104.30 metres) long perpendicular to perpendicular, signal letters HNBK, speed of 10 knots, with 300, per Lloyd's Register ('LR'), or 313 (per the Mercantile Navy List ('MNL'), NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record D. Owen as the vessel's captain in 1912/13, E. Davies in 1914/15 & W. M. Brewis from 1917/18 thru 1919/20. Grindon Hall was built, at the cost of £34,500, for Edward Nicholl, but registered in the name of 'Grindon Hall Steamship Co. Ltd.' of Cardiff, (Edward Nicholl & Co. the major owners). The vessel is MNL listed from 1909 thru 1915, initially registered at Cardiff, but at London from 1912. With Edward Nicholl & Ivor D. Griffin, her managers.  And also MNL recorded later on as noted below. The principal of Edward Nicholl & Co., i.e. Edward Nicholl (1862/1939), later became Sir Edward Nicholl (the volume at such link includes an image of this Grindon Hall, now visible at left). To replace the vessel of identical name lost in 1907. The vessel's first two voyages were to the Black Sea (see below), under Captain S. H. Mathias. On Feb. 07, 1915, while en route from Havana, Cuba, to London, Grindon Hall put into Norfolk, Virginia, with a fire in her hold. On or prior to Sep. 16, 1915, Grindon Hall was sold to British buyers (C). I gather to 'Leadenhall Steamship Company Limited', of London, with William McAllum or William McAllum & Co. her managers, with no change of vessel name. MNLs of 1916 thru 1920. LR of 1917/18. Years ago, I read that on Oct. 21, 1916, Captain Brewis in command, Grindon Hall was 'wrecked' on Salcombe Beach (near Sidmouth in E. Devon, U.K.), in a terrific gale, the crew surviving due to the efforts of E. Bonner & 'Gent' Yeo. 'W. F. Yeo' was awarded the Sea Gallantry Medal, a most prestigious medal indeed, for his part in that rescue - in addition to a Royal Humane Society Medal. To the webmaster at least, the immediately prior paragraph looks to be inaccurate. Why do I say that? Because on Nov. 10, 1916, a Friday, 'The Bridport News ...' of Bridport, Dorset, published a substantial article about Grindon Hall & the terrific storm which was stated to have occurred 'during Saturday night'. And continued the next day. That would appear to date the storm to Nov. 04/05, 1916 rather than to Oct. 21/22, 1916. The article names the vessel's captain as being 'Druce', rather than Brewis. You can read such article here. While I cannot tell you what next happened, Grindon Hall was not in fact 'wrecked' that day in 1916. It clearly was later re-floated & repaired. I cannot tell you either where or when. In 1920, the vessel was sold to 'D. (Denis) Anghelatos', of Argostoli, Greece, & renamed Gregorios. On Feb. 26, 1921, the vessel was scuttled off Sabinal Point (which seems to be close to Almeria in southern Spain) - in an attempted insurance fraud, no less. Perhaps after hitting a mine while en route from Cephalonia & Philippeville to the Tyne with a cargo of ore. 'Scuttled with the connivance of her owners'. A brief reference ex 'Cases and Materials on Marine Insurance Law' by Susan Hodges, published in 1999. Can anybody tell us more about that insurance fraud? The webmaster wishes to thank Barry Quest, of Horrabridge, Devon, for his major assistance re this listing. Barry's grandfather, John D. (David) Carnegie (1871/1917), served as 2nd Engineer aboard Grindon Hall from Aug. 30, 1908 (its maiden voyage) thru Apl. 02, 1909 & made two voyages to the Black Sea, likely returning with grain. He also served, I see, aboard other Sunderland built vessels, i.e. Duchess of York, Eaton Hall, & Intent of Westoll Line. A most interesting (large) image of John Carnegie's Discharge Book, can be seen here, thanks to Barry's kindness. Can you add anything! Another image? 165 Haigh Hall 3069/4809 (N/G) tons Hull 397 128481 1908 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Jun. 16, 1908 & first registered, at Cardiff, Wales, on Jul. 20, 1908 (scroll to #128481). Per 1 (Wikipedia, U-28), 2 (capsule history, Cardiff Hall Line, ex here). 360.1 ft. long, signal letters HMTN, speed of 9 knots, 310 (per Lloyd's Register  (LR') 342 per Mercantile Navy Lists ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland. Crew lists are available via this page. 'Tramp Ships: An Illustrated History' by Roy Fenton, first published in 2013, tells us that the vessel was of an unusual design - 'In another iteration of the turret design, Haigh Hall of 1908 has what was for the time an unusual layout. Of her five cargo holds, one splits the bridge and accommodation around the engine room casing, while abaft of this is what would appear to be a bunker hatch. Like Countess Warwick, she has a forecastle and poop but no bridge deck.' Was initially owned by E. Nicholl & Co. who registered the vessel in the name of The Haigh Hall Steamship Co. Ltd. with Edward Nicholl & Ivor D. Griffin serving as her managers, both of Cardiff. The vessel is MNL listed from 1909 thru 1917. Initially registered at Cardiff, the vessel became registered at London in 1912. LR of 1912/13 (in red). I read that in May 1917, the 'Cardiff Hall Line', i.e. Edward Nicholl & Ivor D. Griffin's shipping company/line, was sold to Hansen Shipping Company, a newly formed Cardiff company owned by Sven. W. Hansen & A. C. Vyvyan Robinson. 8 ships, including Haigh Hall, were effectively transferred to the new company as a result of the transaction. It is clear, based upon LRs of 1917/18 & 1918/19 & other data, that 'Hansen' did not buy Haigh Hall itself. Rather he bought the company i.e. Haigh Hall Steamship Co. Ltd. that owned it. In those editions Hansen is recorded as the managers of the vessel still owned by Haigh Hall Steamship Co. Ltd. This contemporary news report relates. The per share offer referred to in that report was improved a few days later. Per LR, G. P. Davison was the vessel's master in 1910/11, D. O. Owens in 1912/13, W. O. C. Whall in 1914/15 & D. J. Bowen in 1917/18 & 1918/19. Per other sources T. James in Jul. 1909, 'Agnew' in 1914, 'Whall' thru Oct. 1914, Thomas Griffith in 1915. Some of the vessel's operational history. In late Aug. 1908, the vessel arrived at Venice, Italy, ex Newcastle & was in collision there with Wotan, a German steamer. Both vessels were damaged as a result. Thanks to 'Welsh Newspapers Online' we can track some of the vessel's movements thru 1910 at least. On Nov. 11, 1908, the vessel arrived at Rotterdam ex Oran, Algeria, went on to Cardiff likely to load a cargo of coal & soon departed for Port Said, Egypt. It left Port Said on Jan. 01, 1909 bound for 'Nicolaief' (now Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Black Sea), arrived there on Jan. 10, 1909 & left on Jan. 17, 1909 for Rotterdam, likely with a cargo of grain. Similar voyages arrived at Rotterdam ex Nicolaief on Apl. 12, 1909 & on Jun. 26, 1909. On Aug. 07, 1909 the vessel arrived at Novorossisk (now Novorossiysk, Black Sea, Russia) & left that port for Hamburg, Germany, on Aug. 23, 1909. The vessel left Bombay (now Mumbai, India) in late Dec. 1909 & also on May 04, 1910, in both cases bound for Port Said. It arrived at Hull on Jun. 12, 1910 & on Jul. 26, 1910 left Ancona, Italy, for Constantinople (now Istanbul). Ex Trove, a single voyage to Australia it would seem. On Dec. 16, 1913 the vessel, Agnew in command, left Buenos Ayres, Argentina, for Western Australia, in ballast. Have not spotted when it arrived there, however on Feb. 07, 1914 the vessel left Geraldton (N. of Perth) for the U.K. via Fremantle with a cargo of 41,444 bags of wheat. I read (must enlarge to read) in 'Seaman's Journal' that in 1916, the vessel discharged 7,205 tons of wheat at Naples, Italy, in 34 1/2 hours, a feat then claimed to have been a world record! What finally happened to Haigh Hall? In the early evening of Jun. 30, 1917, while en route from Bombay to Naples with a cargo of wheat, the vessel was sunk by a single torpedo fired by SM U-28, an Austro-Hungarian U-27 class submarine, when 40 miles E. of Malta. I believe at 36.12N/15.24E. I have read that there was no loss of life; I have not read the name of her then captain. U-28, on its very first sortie having only been commissioned on Jun. 26, 1917, was under the command of Linienschiffsleutnant Zdenko Hudeček. U-28 was the most successful of the Austro-Hungarian U-27 class submarines - it sank 10 ships of 44,743 tons during the balance of WW1 & damaged five other vessels. Is there anything additional you can add? #2242 166 Penrose 2463/3882 (N/G) tons Hull 396 124608 Adelfotis 1907 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on Apl. 14, 1908, completed in Jun. 1908 but registered, at Falmouth, Cornwall, on Oct. 30, 1908 (scroll to #124608). Per 1 (Southampton City Council, Lloyds Register ('LR') data 1930/31 thru 1934/35, Adelfotis). 350.0 ft. long, signal letters HMQK later JGSP, speed of 9 1/2 knots, 292 per LR or 314 per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, Many Penrose crew lists are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record J. Steer as the vessel's captain in 1912/13, J. Colman in 1914/15 & T. Colman from 1917/18 thru 1919/20. Penrose was initially owned by R. B. Chellew, who had the vessel soon registered in the name of 'Penrose' Steamship Co. Ltd. of Truro, Cornwall, with Richard B. Chellew, also of Truro, her manager. Per MNLs of 1909 thru 1920. LR of 1912/13 (in red). The registration date listed above (Oct. 30, 1908) is suspect. Normally that date would be the date of first registration. I suspect, however, that the vessel was initially registered elsewhere, probably at Sunderland though I have spotted no proof of that. Certainly the vessel was in service long before Oct. 1908. As you can next read. Miramar used to tell us, years ago now, that Penrose was completed in Jun. 1908. On Jul. 15, 1908, the vessel left the Tyne for Marseilles, France, arriving there on Jul. 27, 1908. It left Marseilles on Aug. 04, 1908 bound for 'Nicolaief' (now Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Black Sea), arriving there on Aug. 13, 1908, likely to load a cargo of grain. The vessel returned to Hamburg, Germany, arriving there on Oct. 23, 1908. And then left for Barry Roads, Wales. All before the stated date of first registration. Hopefully more voyage history soon. I read that from Apl. 1916 thru Apl. 1919 Penrose served the Royal Navy and the Indian Government as a collier & general transport vessel. In Jan. 1920, Penrose became owned by R. B. Chellew Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. ('ChellewSteam') with R. B. Chellew or Frank Shearman serving as her manager, all of Truro. LR of 1919/20 (in red). I have, however read, that the Penrose Steamship Co. was restyled in 1919 as ChellewSteam & that in 1920 that company (not the vessel itself) was sold to Frank Shearman. MNLs of 1921 thru 1927. In Nov. 1927, J. N. Goulandris, of Andros, Greece, acquired the vessel, registered it at Andros & renamed it Adelfotis. LR of 1927/28 confirms the above. On Sep. 21, 1934 Adelfotis arrived at the ship breaking facilities of P. & W. MacLellan Ltd. of Bo'ness (i.e. Borrowstounness, Firth of Forth, Scotland), to be broken up. Note that LR of 1934/35 i) lists the vessel as British owned again - by A. H. Smith & ii) states that the vessel was 'broken up'. A 'Fairplay' 1934 reference to the vessel, then lying in the Blackwater (River Thames) records the vessel being sold in Jul. 1934 for £4,000 to A. H. Smith of London & then further sold to Scottish ship breakers for £4,250. Is there anything additional you can add? #2243 167 Walkure (correctly Walküre) 2475/3932, later 2403/3836, 3121/4169 & 2609/4159 (N/G) tons Hull 395 214028 (U.S., later) Republic Normanna 1908 A steel 'turret' steamerwhich was launched on Dec. 19, 1907 & completed in Mar. 1908. Which had a most eventful life. Per A (e-Bay image, Walküre) capsized in Barry Docks in 1908), 1 (partial vessel history, 50% down Normanna), 2 (extensive data re Aug. 1908 capsize at Barry Docks, with many images), 3 (Jul. 23 1909 arrival in New Zealand), 4 (image La Zélée), 5 (image, Normanna), 6 & 7 (Walküre at Tahiti). 106.4 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 350.2, later 349.1 ft. long, speed of 10 knots, signal letters RPTW, later LFQT, 310 NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd., of Sunderland. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record G. Baake as the vessel's captain from 1908/09 thru 1914/15, C. Watts in 1917/18 & 1918/19 & J. Anderson in 1919/20. Walküre was built, at the cost of U.S. $210,138, for 'Rederi A. G. Oceana', ('Oceana'), H. H. (Hans Heinrich) Schmidt the managers, both of Hamburg, Germany where the vessel was registered. LR of 1912/13 (in red). Interestingly, Haldor Virik acquired Oceana in late 1909 & 15 years later, in 1924, he acquired Walküre, then named Republic. In early Aug. 1908, the vessel, under the command of Captain Daate (though LRs of 1908/09 etc. list her captain as being G. Baake), was en route from Stettin (Szczecin), then Germany now Poland, (inland from the Baltic) to Durban, Natal, South Africa, with a cargo of deals, carried both in the vessel's holds & upon the vessel's deck. The vessel put into Barry Docks, S. Wales, to take on board 1,500 tons of bunker coal. Much of that coal having been placed into her holds, the vessel suddenly lurched to port, spilling her deck cargo & forcing a massive 40 degree list to port. Do see images 4 & 5 at left. The vessel's interior became badly flooded. Total capsize was prevented by her masts catching on Trevessa, a 3,566 ton steamship owned by Hain Steamship Co. Ltd. of St. Ives. Had that not occurred it seems likely that many aboard Walküre would have lost their lives. The cargo had to be unloaded, of course and/or gathered into rafts. With difficulty the water was pumped out of her holds, & with the assistance of as many as 6 locomotives & two tugs, Windsor & Lady Salisbury, she was gradually righted in the following days. The capsizing took place on Aug. 13, 1908. You can read extensively about the history via link 2 or at these contemporary newspaper accounts (A, B, C & D). A major event indeed in the history of both the vessel & of Barry Docks. A puzzle is the newspaper reference to the voyage originating (as I read it) in Kovda, which seems to be on the White Sea in the far N. of Russia, S. of Murmansk. I read that Walküre was repaired at Cardiff's Channel Dry Docks, at a cost of £2,500. On Aug. 12, 1914, while loading phosphates, the vessel was captured by La Zélée, a 337 ton, barque rigged, French gunboat, at Makatea, (or at Port Lemao), a small phosphate island, near to & N. of Tahiti. The vessel became a French prize & was towed to Papeete, Tahiti. On Sep. 22, 1914, Papeete was shelled by Scharnhorst & Gneisenau, both German cruisers. Walküre was mistaken for a French merchantman & was shelled & modestly damaged by Scharnhorst, (many references say she was sunk but I think not). The French scuttled the vessel in 54 ft. of water, to ensure it was not recaptured by the Germans. The wreck was sold a year later, in Dec. 1915 perhaps, for U.S. $29,000, where she lay, to John A. Hooper ('Hooper'), (a lumberman, as was Christensen his partner), of San Francisco, U.S.A., & in Mar. 1916 was re-floated & towed to Hawaii, where she was reconditioned for her trip to San Francisco, under her own steam & with a full cargo. Became 3,836 gross tons, registered at San Francisco. Walküre was renamed Republic in 1916. And on or about May 05, 1916, the vessel was sold by Hooper to Chile Steamship Company, Inc., of New York, for approx. U.S. $1,000,000, at a substantial profit. Owned by 'Chile Exploration' & 'Braden Copper', & acquired to carry copper from Chile to New York. No change of name. Have also read other sales values - U.S. $825,000 & $1,200,000 - but I suspect that U.S. $825,000 is the correct value. LR of 1917/18. In 1924, Republic was sold to Haldor Virik, of Stavanger, Norway, & renamed Normanna. LR of 1924/25 (in red). On Feb. 21, 1925, while en route from Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden, to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with a cargo of wood pulp, Normanna caught fire off Tenerife, Canary Islands. Have not read the circumstances. Major damage - the vessel was flooded & beached. On Jun. 19, 1925, the vessel was re-floated, presumably inspected & sold as a result to ship breakers. On Aug. 17, 1925, the vessel arrived, under tow, at Rotterdam, to be broken up. There are a great many WWW data sources re Walküre at Tahiti not referenced above. But ... need even better and/or additional images of Walküre at Barry in 1908. 168 Dalemoor 2572/4124 later 2578/4090 (N/G) tons Hull 410 129054 Dalemead Ruth Dekade Jacobus Fritzen 1909 A steel 'turret' steamer, which was launched on Sep. 30, 1909 & completed in Nov. 1909. Christened by Margaret Runciman, the young daughter of Sir Walter Runciman. Per 1 (extensive Danish page re sinking, 2 images, alas with logos), 2 (Fritzen), 3 (Southampton City Council, Lloyds Register ('LR') data 1944/45, Jacobus Fritzen), 4 ('uboat.net' - D2-Narodovolyets). 350.0 ft. (about 112 metres) long, signal letters HQBM, speed of 8 knots, 310 per LR or 349 per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, many crew lists, thru 1922, are available via this page. The vessel is MNL listed from 1910 thru 1923 - as Dalemoor thru 1920 & as Dalemead thereafter, always registered at London. Dalemoor was built for Moor Line Ltd., of London with Sir Walter Runciman or W. Runciman & Co., of Newcastle, her managers. On Dec. 15, 1914, when at Bombay (now Mumbai), India, Dalemoor's coal caught fire. It took five days to extinguish the fire - major damage to the vessel resuted. In Dec. 1919, the entire W. Runciman & Co. fleet, 13 vessels including Dalemoor, was sold to Western Counties Shipping Co. Ltd. ('Western') of Cardiff, with Edgar Edwards or E. Edwards & Sons Ltd. her managers. Western, on Mar. 03, 1920, noted in a prospectus that Dalemoor was then worth £155,000. Western renamed the vessel Dalemead. Western faced enormous financial difficulties referred to many times elsewhere on this page - due to a world wide recession & shipping slump. I believe that early in 1922, F. V. Eberhardt & Co. ('Eberhardt'), of London & Antwerp, acquired Dalemead. It seems clear that Eberhardt purchased a total of 8 vessels of the Western fleet - at very low prices indeed. This contemporary news report relates. And later in 1922, on or prior to Apl. 05, 1922 the vessel was sold again. To Karck & Knott, also of London. Per MNL of 1923, George S. Karck of Middlesex, London, with Sidney R. Gilbert her manager. A little before 10 p.m. on Mar. 12, 1923, Dalemead was at anchor in the River Thames, London, lying off the Blackwell Point Dry Dock. King City, a vessel owned by St. Just S.S. Co. Ltd. of Bideford, & managed by Sir William Reardon, Smith & Sons Ltd., of Cardiff, collided with her. A lawsuit resulted & King City was held to be solely at blame. King City was built by 'Bartrams', at Sunderland in 1905 - as Quarrydene. The Liverpool Journal of Commerce advised, on Mar. 17, 1923, that Dalemead (Pearlmead also) had been sold to German owners. Apparently to Emder Reederei AG, of Hamburg, Germany, & renamed Ruth. And sold again, in 1926, to 'Riberena del Plata', apparently of Argentina as per this contemporary news report. And renamed Dekade. In 1926, Dekade was sold to 'Johs. Fritzen & Sohn', of Emden, Germany, (Lexzau Scharbau & Co., the managers) & renamed Jacobus Fritzen. LR of 1926/27. On Oct. 14, 1942, while defensively armed & returning from Sweden to Germany with a cargo of iron ore, Jacobus Fritzen was torpedoed (2 torpedoes, the first missed) by Soviet submarine Narodovolets (D-2) (Captain Lindenberg) & sunk, S. of Ystad, Sweden, & N. of Kap Arkona, E. Germany. The torpedo shots were about 6 hours apart. I have read that one crew member was killed & 3 were injured. The wreck, partially buried in the seabed, lies in 42 metres of water at 55.10.115N/13.38.381E. A wreck site today. D2 (Narodovolets until 1934, name means 'People's Will') was decommissioned on Mar. 05, 1987, & now is in a museum at Leningrad/St. Petersburg, Russia. There are many WWW sites in Danish & Russian re Jacobus Fritzen, which sites refer to 'Decade' rather than Dekade. It is quite possible that the above text needs correction. Anything to add? Or correct? 169 Inland 1399/2294 (N/G) tons Hull 402 5047 Särimner Ulla Vindö 1909 A steel 'turret' steamer which was launched on May 20, 1909 & completed in Jun. 1909. Per 1 (page in Swedish with image), 2 (Southampton City Council, Lloyds Register ('LR') data 1933/34 thru 1940/41, Särimner), 3 (LR of 1941/42, Särimner/ Ulla), 4 (LRs of 1941/42 & 1942/43, Ulla & Vindo), 5 (LRs of 1943/44 & 1945/46, Vindo). 290.1 ft. (88.42 metres) long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 9 1/2 knots, signal letters JRPT, later SKQA, OPEI & SFCT, 225 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd., of Sunderland. Inland was built for Axel Brostrom & Son of Gothenburg, Sweden, who registered it in the name of 'Angfartygs A/B Tirfing' or 'AngfAktieb Tirfing', with Axel Brostrom & Son, her managers. Dan Brostrom was later her manager. And in 1926, S. G. Janson became the vessel's manager. LRs of 1912/13 & 1924/25. LR of 1910/11 lists R. H. Thelin as the vessel's then captain. LRs of 1912/13 thru 1917/18 list A. B. Arvidsson with O. A. Ryberg in 1918/19 & O. A. Ryber (no 'g') in 1919/20. Inland was sold, in 1934, to 'Rederi AB Suecia', of Stockholm, Sweden - LR of 1935/36. With J. Larsson of Stockholm, her manager. And renamed Särimner. The vessel was transferred in 1939 (or 1940) to 'Lemlands Rederi AB', of Åland (a Swedish speaking Finnish archipelago in the Baltic Sea), Alb. Jansson her manager & registered at Lamland, later at Mariehalm, both Finland. And in 1942 renamed renamed Ulla. The vessel was sold or transferred in 1942 to 'Rederi A/B Suecia again, with Bengt Carlsund her manager. Later in 1942, the vessel was sold to 'Rederi AB Rex' of Stockholm, with K. M. Kallstrom her manager & renamed Vindö. Ragnar Kallstrom was later her manager. The ownership & manager details are confusing & may well need correction. It would seem that at an unknown date in 1947, Vindö went ashore at Brunnoy-sund, while en route from Narvik to Middlesbrough. I am unable to provide any details. In May 1954, Vindö, en route from Sunderland to Vasteras, foundered at its moorings at Södertälje, Sweden. It was subsequently raised, & on May 01, 1958, the vessel arrived at Ystad, Sweden, to be broken up. At the shipbreaking yard of 'Carl Persson & Sonner', I read. Thanks go to Andrew Collins for his assistance in the translation of the Swedish text. Anything to add? 170 Atland 2700/5029, later 2639/5208 (N/G) tons Hull 412 5137 1910 A steel 'turret' steamer, indeed the last & the biggest of them all. Which was launched on Apl. 28, 1910 & completed in Jun. 1910. Per 1 (trials, Jun. 15, 1910, ex Marine Engineer ... 1910/1911), 2 (page in Swedish with 2 images), 3 (Norwegian archived page with images - most of which were not archived - the translated text is here), 4 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Atland, 5 (convoy WN.407), 6 (builder's model sold for GBP 21,700 on Apl. 30, 2014 by Charles Miller Limited, of London), 7 (Southampton City Council, Lloyds Register ('LR') data 1930/31 thru 1944/45, Atland), 8 ('wrecksite.eu', extensive data, incl. wreck details, names of 5 who were lost), 9 (do not miss this superb image, available, enlarged by the webmaster, at bottom left), 10 (fine images & interesting read), 11 (search for Carso or Tana. The page states, as I read it, that Carso had been renamed Empire Tana in 1941, but per this page, it became Empire Tana late in 1943, presumably after the collision referenced below). 388.9 ft. long (118.54 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 11 (or 13) knots, signal letters JSBM, later SHYA, 320 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland. The vessel attained a speed of 12 1/4 knots on her trial voyage measured mile. LR of 1912/13 lists B. H. N. Willqvist as the vessel's then captain. LR of 1914/15 lists E. Svensson, LRs of 1917/18 & 1918/19 list H. B. Arvidson, while LR of 1919/20 lists A. B. Arvidson. Atland was built to the order of Dan Broström of Gothenburg, Sweden, who soon registered the vessel in the name of 'Angfartygs A/B Tirfing', also of Gothenburg, with Axel Broström & Son her initial managers. LR of 1912/13. In 1917, Dan Broström became the manager, in 1926, S. G. Janson, & in 1933, T. E. J. : son Broström (LR of 1934/35. What does that mean?). 56 WW2 convoy references, so far as I can see, including at least 9 voyages across the N. Atlantic carrying iron ore or phosphates, service to West Africa (Freetown) & many coastal U.K. voyages. On Mar. 05, 1943, the vessel left New York City for the U.K. in 60 ship convoy SC.122 with a cargo of iron ore. Having safely crossed the N. Atlantic ocean, on Mar. 24, 1943, the vessel joined convoy WN.407 from Loch Ewe (NW Scotland) to Methil (Firth of Forth, Scotland). I should note that Atland had left Sierra Leone, West Africa, on Dec. 31, 1942 & travelled west to Trinidad & then via Key West, Florida, up the east U.S. coast to New York. So her route, intended ultimately for London, necessitated her crossing the N. Atlantic twice - first westbound & then eastbound. On Mar. 25, 1943, the vessel, en route then from Pepel, Sierra Leone, to London with a cargo of iron ore, was in collision with Carso (6149 or 6275 tons, built in 1923 at Trieste, Italy) off the E. coast of Scotland, at 57.28N (or 57.30N)/1.40W, about 8 miles E. of Peterhead lighthouse. In conditions of heavy snow & presumably poor visibility. Collided? I have read that Carso unfortunately rammed Atland. Carso was towed to Leith, while Atland quickly sank with the loss of 19 lives including Captain Wilhelm Löthman. Can anyone tell us the detail circumstances? Link 3, translated from the Norwegian, tells us that during a course change off NE Scotland, the signals were misinterpreted by Carso, the ship closest to Atland, whereupon it collided with Atland. Such text also stated that the final Atland voyage originated at Pepel, i.e. Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa. Roger Mathison advises (thanks!) that the wreck lies about 4 miles off Peterhead, is at a depth of 68 metres & is dived but infrequently so. Roger has provided a 'sidescan' image of the wreck (at left), created, I believe, by a sonar device which emits sonar pulses which reflect back from the ocean floor. Anything to add? Or correct? Charles Miller Limited advise us (thanks!) that Carso (a captured Italian cargo ship) went on to achieve fame of a sort by being scuttled on the 9th June, 1944 to form part of the Mulberry Harbour used by the Allies for the Normandy Landings, and was eventually broken up in 1947. Can you add anything additional? Or correct the above text in any way. 171 Moorlands 2281/3600 (N/G) tons Hull 418 131831 1910 A steel cargo ship which was christened by Miss Mabel Smales at her launch on Aug. 09, 1910 & was completed in Sep. 1910. Her trial trip was held on Sep. 02, 1910. Per 1 (launch ref. at p.108 of a large 'pdf' file - text now available at left), 2 ('uboat.net', sinking, Moorlands), 3 ('wrecksite.eu', data & history, incl. the names of those who were lost), 4 (extensive data about UB-88). 356.5 ft. long, 108.7 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 50.2 ft. beam. signal letters HRNP, 331 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd., of Sunderland, crew lists are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record C. R. Hird as the vessel's captain in 1912/13, A. R. Rust in 1914/15, C. R. Hird again in 1917/18 & A. R. Rust once again in 1918/19. The vessel is MNL listed from 1911 thru 1918. Always registered at Whitby (N. Yorkshire, E. coast of U.K.) & owned per MNL by 'The Eske (or Esk) Side Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.' of Whitby. Such owner name is imperfect as per the next paragraph. With Charles Smales & Harold W. (Wakefield) Smales always her managers. MNL does not record her 1918 ownership by 'Mitre Shipping Co. Ltd.', also of Whitby. Moorlands was built for 'Charles Smales & Son', of Whitby but was soon registered in the name of 'The Eskside Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.' also of Whitby. As is confirmed by the documentary data (incl. a survey document) available here thanks to Lloyd's Register Foundation. LR of 1912/13, in red. It would seem that the vessel was damaged in early 1918 - repairs were conducted apparently at Cape Town, South Africa. In Jun. 1918, when the vessel was sunk, 'Mitre Shipping Co., Ltd.', of Whitby, 'Houlder, Middleton & Co. Ltd.', the managers, were, I read, the vessel's owners. Confirmed by LR of 1917/18, in red. At 11:50 p.m. on Jun. 24, 1918, the vessel, defensibly armed, carrying 5,800 tons of iron ore from La Goulette, the port of Tunis, Tunisia, to Middlesbrough, was hit, below the waterline on the starboard side, by a torpedo fired by German submarine UB-88, Oberleutnant zur See Reinhard von Rabenau in command. While in a 20 vessel convoy (its number?) headed south. Hit S.E. by E. of Whitby. The ship sank in 6 minutes & 10 of the 38 aboard (all told, incl. a pilot), lost their lives. Lordship, a convoy escort vessel, picked up the 28 who survived & landed them at Bridlington. In retaliation, convoy escort vessels attacked UB-88 with depth charges, but it survived the attack. A famous submarine, apparently, the UB-88 (A, B, C). The webmaster has not spotted the name of the vessel's captain at the time of loss. There would seem to be two likely names - C. R. Hird or alternatively A. R. Rust - see data above. The dive website which previously provided much of the wreck detail is long gone & I did not retain the link. It informed me, I believe, that the wreck, lying in 52 m. of water, was identified by the name on the wheel boss. The wreck location? It may be at approx. 54.29.29N/0.31.48W. Can you confirm that and/or otherwise advise? Do correct me as required! An image of the ship would be most welcome for inclusion in this listing. 172 Windsor Hall 2339/3693 (N/G) tons Hull 414 128516 1910 A steel cargo ship which was launched on Jul. 27, 1910 & completed in Aug. 1910. Per 1 ('uboat.net' sinking, Windsor Hall), 2 ('UB-66'), 3 (modest launch ref. at p.68 of a large 'pdf', text now available at left), 4 (capsule history, Cardiff Hall Line, ex here), 5 (names of the 27 Windsor Hall crew members who were lost), 6 (British merchant vessels lost in WW1, Windsor Hall), 7 ('wrecksite.eu'). 105.2 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 345.0 ft., speed of 9 1/2 knots, signal letters HRMP, 277 per LLoyd's Register ('LR') or 315 per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists, thru 1917, are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record T. James as the vessel's captain in 1912/13 & 1914/15 & H. H. Godwin in 1917/18. Windsor Hall is MNL listed from 1911 thru 1918, initially registered at Cardiff, but at London from 1912. Windsor Hall was built for Edward Nicholl & Co. of Cardiff, Wales, at the cost of £31,500. The principal of Edward Nicholl & Co., was Edward Nicholl (1862/1939) who later became Sir Edward Nicholl (lots of references to the vessel in the volume at the link). 'Nicholl' had the vessel registered in the name of 'Windsor Hall Steamship Co. Ltd.', one of the 'Cardiff Hall Line' companies, with Edward Nicholl & Co. or Edward Nicholl & Ivor D. Griffin her managers. On May 23, 1917 it was announced that the entire Cardiff Hall Line fleet - 8 vessels incl. Windsor Hall, had been 'essentially' sold to Hansen Shipping Company, Ltd. or maybe Hansen Steam Shipping Company Ltd. (principals Sven W. Hansen & A. C. Vyvyan Robinson), of Cardiff (or London). I say 'essentially' because they did not buy the fleet vessels themselves, rather they bought the many individual ship owning companies which owned those vessels. So both before & after the transaction. Windsor Hall was technically owned by Windsor Hall Steamship Co. Ltd. LR of 1917/18, in red. With Hansen Bros. Ltd. or Sven W. Hansen her new managers. This contemporary news report relates. The per share offer referred to in that report was improved a few days later. On Jan. 17, 1918, when still technically owned by 'Windsor Hall Steamship Co. Ltd.' but effectively owned by 'Hansen Brothers Limited', Windsor Hall defensively armed, en route from Karachi, Pakistan, to Marseilles, France, via the Suez Canal, with a cargo of grain (mainly barley), was hit by a torpedo fired by UB-66, Kapitänleutnant Fritz Wernicke in command, 45 miles NW of Alexandria, Egypt. I read that the barley was intended to feed the horses on the Western Front. 27 crew members were lost. The Captain was, I read, taken prisoner aboard the submarine. There are many unanswered questions. I have not spotted the Captain's name. What later happened to him? How big was the crew? Were there survivors? Who rescued them if there were survivors other than the captain? I direct site visitors to this page which specifically relates to the loss of Windsor Hall. It provides an extensive article, published in the 'Liverpool Echo' on Apl. 20, 1920, that states that Dan Owen was the vessel's captain that fateful day. That article, or articles virtually identical, were published all over the U.K. in the following days. This article is rather easier to read. The Windsor Hall crew apparently took to ship's boats. From one of them Captain Owen was forced to surrender & taken aboard UB-66. At a 1920 London Probate Court hearing, it was stated that Captain Owen was presumed to have been murdered. The Court agreed & issued an order presuming the captain's death on or since Jan. 17, 1918. Now neither article really refers to the fate of the crew who would appear to have been left in their boats when the submarine vanished into the night. What happened to them all? Did none of them make it to safety? Did all 27 crew members drown? A further puzzle is a submission low on that linked web page from MOL a guest. Which seems to state that Windsor Hall's captain that day was rather Daniel Hall, MOL's great grandfather. It would seem that such naming was a 'typo' but a strange 'typo' indeed, in the context. Can you add anything additional? An image? 173 Cairngowan 2561/4017 (N/G) tons Hull 437 129782 1911 A steel cargo ship which was launched on Oct. 05, 1911 & completed in Dec. 1911. Per 1 [Cairn Line, Cairngowan (2)], 2 ('uboat.net', sinking, Cairngowan), 3 (U 69), 4 (Christie's, builder's model of Cairngowan & Cairndhu, sold on Nov. 19, 2003 for GBP 21,150), 5 (sunk in 1916), 6 (extensive 'pdf' history of Cairn Line - by Gilbert T. Wallace). 112.8 metres long, perpendicular, maybe 118 metres long overall, 370.0 ft., speed of 10 or 11 knots, signal letters HTSK, 292 per LLoyd's Register ('LR') or 380 per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists, thru 1916, are available via this page. The vessel is MNL listed from 1912 thru 1916 only, always registered at Newcastle. Per LR of 1912/13, J. D. Gibson was then her captain, J. O. Band in LR of 1914/15. Cairngowan was built for The Cairn Line of Steamships Ltd., i.e. Cairn Line, with Cairns, Noble & Co., later Cairns, Noble & Co. Ltd. or William J. Noble and Thomas R. Cairns her managers. On Apl. 20, 1916, while en route from Liverpool to Newport News, Virginia, with a cargo of coal, with J. Band in command & a crew of 33, the unarmed vessel was attacked by U 69, Kapitänleutnant Ernst Wilhelms in command, with no warning given. The vessel was first captured, & then sunk by gunfire when 55 or 60 miles W. by N. of Fastnet Rock (SW tip of Ireland). At 51.18N/11.00W. No lives were lost. The webmaster has not spotted how the crew were all saved. Can you tell us? WWW data is most limited. Can you add to the above? Your contribution would be most welcome. 174 Monkshaven 2097/3357, later 2093/3366, 2086/3368 & 2436/3368 (N/G) tons Hull 428 131833 Remenham Mikage Maru No. 11 1911 A steel cargo ship which was launched on Mar. 17, 1911 & completed in Apl. 1911. Christened by Miss Gertrude Smales. Per 1 (Watts, Watts & Co.), 2 (Southampton City Council, Lloyds Register ('LR') data 1930/31 & 1931/32, Mikage Maru No. 11), 3 ('wrecksite.eu', Mikage Maru No. 11). 102.0 metres long perpendicular to perpendicular, 334.5 ft., speed?, signal letters HSLN, later THVK, 310 per LLoyd's Register ('LR') or 300 per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists, thru 1926, are available via this page. The vessel is MNL listed from 1912 thru 1926, initially registered at Whitby, but at London from 1924. As Monkshaven thru 1924 & as Remenham in 1925 & 1926. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record J. E. Milburn as the vessel's captain in 1912/13, Mitchelson in 1914/15, W. T. Hesselton in 1917/18 & A. Purbis in 1919/20. Monkshaven was built for 'Eskside Steam Shipping Company Limited', with 'C. Smales & Sons', ('Smales') or Charles Smales & Harold W. Smales, also of Whitby her managers. LR of 1912/13, in red. It would seem that Smales owned an earlier vessel of the name, built in 1882. Some operational details that the webmaster happened to spot. On Feb. 28, 1914, en route from Sulina (Romania, Black Sea, at the mouth of Sulina branch of the Danube River) to Kallundborg (today's Kalundborg, Denmark, located W. of Copenhagen) with a cargo of maize, under the command of 'Milburn', Monkshaven grounded while entering port. It floated off, was surveyed & found to be tight. The news report was from Randers, Denmark (Jutland peninsula), but I think it likely that the grounding was at Kalundborg. The vessel left Kalundborg for the Tyne on Mar. 04, 1914. On May 06, 1914, Monkshaven tried to put into port at Sydney, Cape Breton, Canada, but was unable to do so since the port was blocked with ice. The vessel rather went to nearby Louisburg, soon left via Sydney for Quebec City. And retuned safely to the U.K. Just after noon on Aug. 23, 1914, en route from Sydney to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with a cargo of coal, Monkshaven ran ashore, at full speed, in the St. Lawrence River. On Roix Shoal, about 1 mile from Ste. Felicite, Quebec, near Matane. The vessel was, at the time, under the command of Captain Milburn & had a crew of 25. The weather conditions were fine & clear, the sea was calm. The vessel's fore peak & forehold were full of water & water was entering the engine room. The vessel was floated off & beached. These contemporary news reports relate - 1 & 2. An Inquiry into the grounding was held at Quebec City on Sep. 11, 1914. Such Inquiry determined that there was lots of blame to go around - the Master (John Edward Millburn), the Chief Officer (Peter Gaigne) & the 2nd Mate (Ralph Wood Thoburn) were all censured. i.e. all were warned about their actions (or lack of them) but their licences were not effected. A news report re such Inquiry. Monkshaven was unloaded, salvaged, drydocked & repaired. And on or about Sep. 16, 1914 she was returned to service. There were two changes of ownership, with no change of vessel name, i) to Austin Friars Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., of Whitby, with Houlder, Middleton & Co. or John R. Wells her managers - per LR of 1917/18 & MNL of 1919. Such sale was on or prior to Jan. 14, 1918 - Monkshaven was one of three 'Eskside' vessels which were sold. ii) to Rhondda Merthyr Shipping Co. Ltd. ('Rhondda'), of Cardiff, Wales, (but vessel remained registered at Whitby) with John A. Thompson later Cyrus J. Evans her manager, per LRs of 1919/20 thru 1922/23 & MNLs of 1920 thru 1924 (1923). Rhondda acquired the vessel, on or prior to Jul. 09, 1919, for £137,500. Rhondda would seem to have been owned by Federated Coal & Shipping Co. Ltd. of Cardiff A collision that took place between those two sales. On Jan. 16, 1919, Monkshaven was at anchor in No. 1 Barry Dock, Wales, when she was run into by Eftichia Vergotti, a Greek steamship that was built, as Asiana, at Hartlepool in 1909 & was then under charter to the U.K. Government. Monkshaven suffered plate damage on her starboard side. On or prior to Sep. 06, 1924, the vessel was sold to 'Britain Steamship Company Ltd.' ('Britain'), of London, with Watts, Watts & Co., or Sir Fenwick S. Watts, also of London, the managers & owners also - gentlemen named 'Watts' were directors of Britain. And renamed Remenham. MNL of 1926. In 1926, the vessel was sold again, to 'Muko Kisen K.K.' of Takasago, later of Mikago, Japan, & renamed Mikage Maru No. 11. On Aug. 08, 1932, the vessel ran dangerously aground at Sakhalien (a very large Russian Island in the North Pacific, N. of Japan. A steamer was sent to assist. It would seem that the vessel ended up as a wreck though I have not been able to read anything of the detailed circumstances.  Can you add to the above? Your contribution would be most welcome. 175 Orangemoor 2576/4134 later 2561/4079 (N/G) tons Hull 423 132552 Orangemead Bogen Brask 1911 A steel 'turret' steamer cargo ship which was launched on May 16, 1911 & completed in Jun. 1911. Per 1 (Norwegian page, Brask, 2 images), 2 (extensive page, 2 images Brask, crew list), 3 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Brask. But beware the result - not only Brask is on the page), 4 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll' shipdata', Lloyd's Register ('LR') data 1930/31 thru 1940/41, Brask), 5 ('Wiki', Luigi Torelli), 6 (Luigi Torelli), 7 ('wrecksite.eu'). 106.7 metres long, 350.8 ft., signal letters HSWB, later WNPV as Bogen, LFCQ, LCFJ & LSFJ as Brask, speed of 10 1/2 knots, 310 per LLoyd's Register ('LR') or 349 per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists, thru 1921, are available via this page. The vessel is is MNL listed from 1912 thru 1922, as Orangemoor thru 1921 & as Orangemead in 1922, always registered at London. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record C. S. Moffett as the vessel's captain in 1912/13 & 1914/15, W. M. Griffiths in 1917/18 & L. Arthur in 1918/19 & 1919/20, Orangemoor was built for Moor Line Ltd., of Newcastle. With W. Runciman & Co. or Sir Walter Runciman her managers. The vessel was damaged at Dunkirk Harbour on Sep. 02, 1917 by German aircraft and/or Zeppelins. On Sep. 17, 1917 a torpedo fired at the vessel missed its target. In 1920, the vessel was sold to Western Counties Shipping Co. ('Western') of Cardiff, with Edwards, Sons & Co. or Edgar Edwards her managers, & renamed Orangemead. Western faced enormous financial difficulties referred to many times elsewhere on this page - due to a world wide recession & shipping slump. I believe that early in 1922, F. V. Eberhardt & Co., of London & Antwerp, acquired Orangemead. And later that same year, the vessel was sold again. To George S. Karck or Karck & Knott, also of London. Certainly they both were the vessel's managers. LRs of 1921/22 & 1922/23. The vessel was sold in 1922, to 'Skibs A/S Bogen (H. Waalman)' of Tønsberg, Norway, & renamed Bogen. Lars Jørgensen, of Tønsberg, became the manager in 1924. The vessel was sold, in May 1925, to 'A/S Brask', Nilssen & Sønner the managers, of Oslo, Norway, & renamed Brask. And sold again, in Jan. 1940, to A/S Start, Erling Mortensen the manager, of Oslo, with no change of vessel name. 10 WW2 convoy references including at least 2 North Atlantic crossings. Extensive convoy duty in early WW2, carrying iron ore or coal. On Jan. 10, 1941, the vessel left Oban, Scotland, for Durban, South Africa, in ballast, in convoy OB 272. It later separated from the convoy & on Jan. 15, 1941 was sunk by a torpedo fired by Italian submarine Luigi Torelli, Captain C. F. Longobardo in command. At 52.45N/23.59W in N. Atlantic about 1,000 miles W. of Ireland. The vessel sank in just 3 minutes. Survivors clung to debris & then climbed aboard a lifeboat which had floated free. 12 lives were lost, including Gustav Røkenes, the Captain, & 20 were saved. The lifeboat made it to the abandoned Nemea (also in convoy OB 272 & also attacked by Luigi Torelli) which they boarded but returned to the lifeboat on a long line overnight for fear of attack. On Jan. 16, 1941, they & 18 Greek survivors of Nemea, sent out an SOS, started Nemea's engines & tried to reach Ireland (the Azores was attempted but it proved impractical). Overnight again in the boats. Rockets were fired & survivors were rescued by HMS Highlander on Jan. 17, 1941 & landed at Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Need help with Norwegian text. Can you add anything? 176 Tellus 4131/7395 (N/G) tons Hull 417 Elizabeth IV 1911 A steel cargo ship, which, when built, was the largest cargo steamship in the world. Which was launched on Jan. 03, 1911 & completed in Mar. 1911. Per 1 [Wilhelmsen, Tellus (2)], 2 (U-34), 3 (page in Norwegian & English, Tellus, 4 (iceberg, Apl. 30, 1914). 445.0 ft. long overall, 135.6 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 10 knots, signal letters MGKQ, 412 NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland. Tellus was built, at the cost of NOK 1,125,165.39, but for exactly whom is difficult. A Doxford build list, available to the webmaster, indicates that it was built for 'Wilhelmsens D/S' with Wilh. Wilhelmsen the manager, both of Tønsberg, Norway. An expired link referred only to Wilhelmsen. However John Bage's old build list references 'Wabana S.S. Co. Ltd.' as the owner, which I think means 'Wabana Steamship Co. Ltd.' ('WabanaSteam'), of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. I had thought that that company was owned by Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Company, re the iron ore deposit named Wabana, at Bell Island, Newfoundland, Canada. Is it possible that Wilhelmsen, in fact, owned WabanaSteam? While Miramar used to state, years ago, that the initial owner was 'A/S Wabanas D/S' of Tonsberg, Norway, with Wilhelmsens D/S, also of Tonsberg, becoming the owner in 1913. The Lloyd's Registers of those years used not to be available to the webmaster, alas. But ... LR of 1912/13 is now available which lists 'Akties. Wabanas Dampskibs-kompani', of Tonsberg, with W. Wilhelmsen the manager. While LR of 1914/15 lists Wilhelmsens Dmpsk.Selsk, with unchanged managers. C. Anderson was noted by LR to be the vessel's captain in 1912/13 - J. Jörgenson in 1914/15. On Apl. 30, 1914, en route from Rotterdam to St. John's, Newfoundland, the vessel struck an iceberg. The vessel's forepeak & bow were damaged & a new propeller was required. In Nov. 1915, while en route from New York to Vladivostok, Russia, the vessel ran ashore at Nemuro, near Yokohama, Japan. The vessel was re-floated in early Jan. 1916, arrived at Hanasaki, Japan, on Jan. 22, 1916, & on Feb. 04, 1916 arrived at Shanghai, China, for repair. Later in 1916, the vessel was sold to 'A/S Elizabeth IV', of Drammen, Norway, O. Wikberg (or Wikborg) the manager, & renamed Elizabeth IV. On Sep. 08, 1916, while en route from Paseroean (Pasoeroean), Java, Indonesia, to Marseilles, France, with a cargo of sugar, the vessel was captured by submarine U-34, Kapitänleutnant Claus Rücker in command. U-34 was, I read, the 4th most successful German submarine in WW1, sinking 119 ships & damaging 5 more. Claus Rücker was responsible, in his career, for 88 ships sunk & 3 more damaged. Elizabeth IV was scuttled with explosive charges. At 41.14N/6.24E, in the Mediterranean, W. of Sardinia or NE of Menorca (Minorca). With no loss of life. Anything you can add? An image, perhaps? 177 Bridgeport 3380/6104 (N/G) tons Hull 446 135126 1912 A cargo ship, a collier, which had a very short life indeed. The vessel was launched on Jul. 04, 1912, completed in Aug. 1912 & lost in Nov. 1913. The vessel i) was christened by Mrs. Newson, of London, ii) had its fully loaded trial trip (in red) on Aug. 19, 1912 & attained a sustained speed of 12 knots. Per 1 (see Bridgeport), 2 (also see Bridgeport, 10% down). 135.0 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 443.0 ft. speed of 11 knots, signal letters HWMN, 448 per LLoyd's Register ('LR') or 582 per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists, for 1913 only, are available via this page. Bridgeport, which was registered at London in 1912, was owned by Bridgeport Steamship Co. Ltd., of London, with Brown, Jenkinson & Co., also of London, her manager. MNL of 1913. LR of 1912/13, the only LR edition that records the vessel, notes that W. H. Norcott was the vessel's then captain. In 1912, the vessel was chartered to Dominion Coal Co. of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada. On Apl. 16, 1913 the vessel was in Palmer's Dock at Hebburn (River Tyne) for extensive bottom repairs. On Nov. 01, 1913, the vessel left Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, for Montreal, Quebec (both Canada) with a cargo of coal. Under the command of Captain Olsen, with a Norwegian & Chinese crew, 42 in number. Bridgeport would normally have arrived at Montreal four days later, but the vessel did not arrive & was never heard from again. It would seem to have been lost before entering the St. Lawrence River. This contemporary news report relates. Bridgeport is stated in the many news reports to have then been valued at £64,000, which would seem to be the sum for which she was insured. Anything you can add? An image, perhaps? 178 Cardiff Hall 2541/3994 (N/G) tons Hull 444 135131 1912 A steel cargo ship which was launched on Jul. 26, 1912 & completed in Aug. 1912. Per 1 ('irishwrecksonline' wreck data, but the reported builder & owner names are incorrect, Cardiff Hall), 2 ('wrecksite.eu', sinking, image, Cardiff Hall), 3 (painting, Cardiff Hall), 4 (capsule history, Cardiff Hall Line, ex here). 106.7 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 350.0 ft., speed of 9 or 10 knots, signal letters HWMD, 241 per LLoyd's Register ('LR') or 291 per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists, thru 1924, are available via this page. The vessel is is MNL listed from 1913 thru 1925, always registered at London. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record J. Dyasen as the vessel's captain in 1914/15 & J. V. Reed from 1917/18 thru 1920/21. The WWW available data re this vessel is, to the webmaster at least most confusing. Link 1 tells us, incorrectly, that the vessel was built by 'W. A. Young & Co.' So far as ownership was concerned, I have read many things. I believe, however, that the vessel was built for Edward Nicholl & Co. of Cardiff, who had it registered in the name of 'Standish Hall Steamship Co. Ltd.', of Cardiff, a single ship company the major owner & manager of which was 'Edward Nicholl & Co.' With, as managers, Edward Nicholl and Ivor D. Griffin. The principal of Edward Nicholl & Co. was Edward Nicholl later Sir Edward Nicholl ('Nicholl'). I understand that there were many such single ship companies so owned, & collectively they were known as the Cardiff "Hall" Line. On May 23, 1917 it was announced that the entire Cardiff Hall Line fleet - 8 vessels incl. Cardiff Hall, had been 'essentially' sold to Hansen Shipping Company, Ltd. or maybe Hansen Steam Shipping Company Ltd. (principals Sven W. (Wohlford) Hansen & A. C. Vyvyan Robinson), of Cardiff (or London). I say 'essentially' because they did not buy the fleet vessels themselves, rather they bought the many individual ship owning companies which owned those vessels. So both before & after the transaction. Cardiff Hall was technically owned by Standish Hall Steamship Co. Ltd. Per LR of 1917/18, in red, & MNL of 1918. With Hansen Bros. Ltd. or Sven W. Hansen her new managers. This contemporary news report relates. The per share offer referred to in that report was improved a few days later. Now it is clear that such ownership arrangements were later further changed. In Cardiff Hall's case, both MNL & LR soon recorded that The Hansen Shipping Company Ltd. ('Hansen') had become the direct owner of Cardiff Hall. LR of 1921/22 & MNLs of 1919 thru 1924. On Oct. 14, 1924, it was reported that the then eight steamers of the Hansen fleet had been sold. Per this rather complicated contemporary news report. As I read such report, three of the eight vessels were coasting steamers built by a Hansen company (Hansen Shipbuilding and Shiprepairing Co. Ltd. of Bideford) in 1921 & 1923. They, i.e. Hubbastone, Monkstone & Runnelstone, were sold at about the end of Sep. 1924 for a total of £46,500 - but such vessels are not the subject of this Sunderland related website. Two of the eight, i.e. Eaton Hall & Whateley Hall, both built by Doxford, were acquired by Messrs. Young & Gillett of London but immediately resold to Messrs. Richards Langstaff & Co. Ltd. of London & Cardiff, managers of Sollas Lines Ltd., for a combined price of £18,800. I gather, however, that Richards Langstaff & Co. Ltd. were also managers of Monument Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. Which leaves us with the final three vessels, i.e. 'our' Cardiff Hall, Clifftower (built at Sunderland by J. Blumer in 1917), & Rounton (built by W. Gray & Co. Ltd. at Hartlepool in 1894), all taken over by Messrs. W. A. Young and Co., managers of the Wraith Steam Shipping Co. Ltd - for a total price of £76,500. I note that the five vessels covered in the immediately above two paragraphs, vessels sold for the total sum of £95,300, had been earlier purchased by Hansen for approx. £500,000. What a stunning drop in values! LR of 1924/25 (top item) tells us that Cardiff Hall was then owned by Wyn Shipping Co. Ltd. with W. A. Young & Co. her managers. Which data is confirmed by MNL of 1925 which records Wyn Shipping Co. Ltd. of London as the vessel's owner with William A. Young & Lawrence E. Gillett as her managers. So it would seem that at the time of the vessel's loss it was not owned by Wraith Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., but rather by Wyn Shipping Co. Ltd. of London. On Dec. 07, 1924, Cardiff Hall left Buenos Aires, Argentina, for Cork, Ireland, via St. Vincent, with a cargo of 6,000 tons of maize ex Rosario, Argentina, valued at £70,000. David John Bowen, 52 years of age, was in command, with 29 aboard, all told. On Jan. 13, 1925, approaching Cork, Ireland, she encountered a major gale. I suspect those words no not reflect the magnitude & intensity of that storm. Cardiff Hall was not able to make way in the fierce conditions, & was driven by the winds onto the shore. She struck Shoota or Shoonta Rock, W. end of Trevara Bay, Seven Head Rocks, Clonakilty Bay, County Cork, at a site that sounds grim - rocks, backed by cliffs 150 ft. high. The vessel broke her back & disappeared in about 15 minutes. I am not sure where that 15 minute reference originated. Why do I say that? All of this happened late on Jan. 13, 1925 in darkness & likely with no witnesses. Also because all 29 aboard were lost so there was no survivor to relate what happened. Only two bodies were ever found, I read, one of those bodies being the captain's. A 2 ton portion of the vessel's keel ended up on a ledge 40 ft. above the sea & is still there today. The cargo was strewn everywhere including the top of the cliffs. Recently, the ship's anchor was recovered & is now a memorial to the wreck at nearby Butlerstown. I note that the body of Captain Bowen was one of the two bodies that were recovered. Sad to report that his only son, Trevor Bowen, A.B., was also aboard & lost his life too. This image relates. The disaster was extensively covered in the press of the time, but, with so many articles available, it is difficult to select one to provide to site readers. So far as I can see, very few of the articles tell you who owned the vessel at the time of its loss. Those that do refer to the vessel being owned by Wraith Steam Shipping Co., in turn owned by W. A. Young & Co. This enormous contemporary news report will be of interest to site visitors. There are some interesting events in the vessel's life but the details elude me. One such event relates to the vessel, at an unknown date, operating under sealed Admiralty orders, travelling without lights, in collision with another vessel similarly 'dark', maybe in the Mediterranean. I think other lawsuits. A dive site today, though little remains, I gather, located in 15 metres of water. Anything you can add? Or correct? Her WW1 service? Another image, perhaps? 179 Clan Macrae 3166/5058, many later tonnages incl. 4048/6479 (N/G) tons Hull 429 133005 Banffshire 1912 A steel refrigerated cargo ship which was launched (in red) on Nov. 21, 1911 & completed in Jan. 1912. The vessel was christened by Lady Cayzer. Per 1 [Cayzer, Irvine, Clan Macrae (2)], 2 [Turnbull, Martin, Banffshire (2)], 3 ('u-boat.net', Banffshire sinking, image, with map location of loss), 4 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Banffshire), 5 (data, Clan Macrae, 55% down, image as Banffshire), 6 (Clan Line, data 60% down, search for 'Zanzibar'), 7 (image & a little data, some captain names), 8 (extensive operational details, Clan Macrae, 9 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll' shipdata', Lloyd's Register ('LR') data 1932/33 thru 1943/44, Banffshire), 10 (image, Banffshire, ex Allan C. Green collection at the State Library of Victoria, Australia). 131.1 metres long, 430.0 ft., speed of 14 knots, signal letters HVDP later GNZM, from 1930, 496 per LR or 670 per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists, thru 1938, are available via this page. A turbine was added to the vessel in 1931. The vessel is MNL listed from 1913 thru 1940 (the last year available), always registered at Glasgow, Scotland. As Clan Macrae thru 1920 & as Banffshire thereafter. Clan Macrae was built for The Clan Line Steamers Ltd. of Glasgow, a Cayzer, Irvine & Co. company. The vessel's MNL recording is a little stange. In 1913, the vessel's owner is MNL reported as being The Clan Line Steamers Ltd. with Thomas Barr her manager - while MNLs of 1914 & 1915 rather report Sir Charles W. Cayzer as the vessel's owner, again with Thomas Barr. MNLs of 1916 thru 1920 revert to The Clan Line Steamers Ltd. with Thomas Barr. It would seem, however, that LR consistently, thru 1919/20, recorded the vessel as being rather owned by Cayzer, Irvine & Co. Ltd. - with R. Stirling her captain in 1912/13, A. Weir in 1914/15, D. E. Smith in 1917/18 & J. G. Cowie in 1918/19 & 1919/20. LR of 1914/15 (in red). I read that in Sep. 1914, the vessel aided the crew of HMS Pegasus, sunk at Zanzibar by the German cruiser Königsberg. And in Oct. 1914, the vessel towed HMS Chatham off Leven Rocks near Kilindini, Mombasa. In Mar. 1915, Clan Macrae was chased by a submarine when off Liverpool Bar Light Vessel but escaped. In 1920, the vessel was sold to Turnbull, Martin & Co., registered in the name of Scottish Shire Line Ltd., of Glasgow, from 1926 of London, & renamed Banffshire, with James Caird thru 1927, then John Paterson her managers. LR of 1921/22, in red. I have read that in 1932 (and also in 1937) the vessel was 'transferred' to 'British and South American Steam Navigation Co. Ltd.' ('British') (Houston Line managers?) 1937 looks to be correct. With Harold J. McCarraber thru 1939 & then Robert G. Parry her managers. The vessel does not appear in the Houston/British fleet list here. May have served on the U.K. to Australia route. 28 WW2 convoy references, including 3 eastbound voyages across the N. Atlantic. There must, clearly, have been W. bound voyages but I cannot spot them. Also service to West Africa (Freetown, Sierra Leone), & to South Africa (Cape Town, Durban, etc.). There were also a great many independent voyages also, including voyages into the Indian Ocean. On Sep. 29, 1943, while en route from Colombo, Ceylon, to the U.K. via Aden with a cargo of coconut oil, copra, plumbago (i.e. graphite, I believe), rubber & tea, with Herbert Evans in command, the vessel was sunk by a torpedo fired by U-532, Fregattenkapitän Ottoheinrich Junker in command. At 9.26N/71.20E, 380 miles SW of Mangalore (i.e. N. of the Maldives). A complement of 100, one life lost. All of the 99 survivors were picked up by Indian minesweeper HMIS Rajputana & landed at Colombo. I suspect that at some point in its life the vessel was extensively modified - to become 6479 gross tons. Can you add anything? 180 Herman Sauber 1579/2913, later 1613/2948 & 1829/2966 (N/G) tons Hull 439 143281 (later) 1912 A steel self-trimming collier, which was launched on Feb. 29, 1912 & completed in Jun. 1912. The vessel was christened by Mrs. Howard Catcheside (presumably the wife of the new owner's British agents). Per 1 ('Marine Engineer', 'pdf' available, launch data & image at p.355 - article now at left), 2 & 3 (both Reederei Sauber Gebr.). Data, many images of the vessel's coal delivery equipment & a plan was published in 'Shipbuilding & Shipping Record' of Sep. 04, 1913. 95.7 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 314.0 or 315.0 ft. long, (Lloyd's Register ('LR') is inconsistent), speed of 10 knots, signal letters RSJB when German owned, later KBND, later RSJB again, 195 (in 1921/22 & 1922/23 242) per LR or 195 per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') NHP engines by William Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists of 1920 thru 1922, are available via this page. It seems clear that Doxford's arrangement with 'Sauber Gebr.' were to buy from Sauber a vessel of identical name, built at Lubeck, Germany in 1904, & to sell to Sauber this new vessel of identical name. Doxfords sold the earlier vessel, on or prior to Feb. 08, 1912, for £16,000. The vessel was designed with discharging gear that permitted 3,750 tons of coal to be discharged in 6 hours using only 6 men (800 tons per hour). It would seem that the vessel was later modified & stiffened to permit the transport of ore during WW1. And the rate of discharge was increased to 1,200 tons per hour. On Jun. 07, 1912, the vessel, under the command of Captain Luhrs (J. Lührs, I believe), arrived at Seaham, County Durham, to load coal for her maiden voyage to Hamburg. J. Lührs would seem (LR) to have been the vessel's captain from 1914/15 thru 1918/19 & clearly was her captain far earlier than 1914/15. Herman Sauber was built for 'Sauber Gebr.' ('Sauber'), coal merchants & shipowners, of Hamburg, Germany, (T. H. Catcheside & Co., of Newcastle, their U.K. agents) for their Hamburg trade. 'Gebr.' is a contraction of 'Gebrüder', German for 'brother' or 'brothers'. Sauber (or Sauber & Co.) owned, over time, at least 5 vessels of the name. I read that on or about Jun. 10, 1919, Herman Sauber became under the control of The Shipping Controller of London, with T. L. Duff & Co., her managers. MNLs of 1920 & 1921, however, list Robert S. Gardiner of Pelton Steam Ship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, as her then manager. LR of 1919/20, in red, confirms the Pelton association. LR of 1920/21 notes that J. Carmichael was the vessel's then captain. In or about 1921, at exact date unknown, Lowlands Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. of Newcastle, became the vessel's registered owners with John Crass or J. Crass & Co., of London, her managers. Per MNL of 1922. And LR of 1921/22. It would seem that early in 1922, Herman Sauber was returned to 'Sauber Gebr.' of Hamburg ownership - per LR of 1922/23, in red - which edition of LR also advises that the vessel had gone missing - 'Missing since 10, 22'. What had happened? On Oct. 30, 1922, Herman Sauber left the Tyne for Hamburg with a cargo of coal. It was never seen again. I have read a U.K. news report dated Nov. 08, 1922 that stated that Herman Sauber had not arrived at Hamburg & that there were fears for her safety. A second report, dated Nov. 13, 1922, stated that Herman Sauber was a total loss. I could spot no later reports. I mention the above because link 2 above refers to Herman Sauber being lost in 1922 with the following words translated from the German - 'The steamer Herman Sauber was also lost in 1922. Northwest of Heligoland, near the howling buoy Sellbrunnen, the ship went over the cliffs on a hurricane night in November. No one from the crew could be saved.' It seems likely that that translation might be improved. How many lives were lost? Who was her captain at the time? Was there wreckage found? If they were pieces of wreckage found, it would be incorrect to say that the vessel had gone missing. Answers to those questions may well be available via German newspaper archives. That experience was similar to an earlier Sauber vessel of similar name (Hermann Sauber) which sailed for Hamburg in 1878 & also was never seen again. It is possible that more data might be provided in 'Sauber Gebr. 1839-1939', published in German in 1939 (an English version of 24 pages was published also). A volume most expensive to acquire & even more with shipping costs added on. Anything you can add? An image, perhaps? 181 Gifford 3197/5119 (N/G) or 4988 or 5060 or 5213 tons Hull 456 133145 Gifhorn Sperrbrecher 9 Gifford Sheaf Mount Eftychia Guidonia Plaudit 1913 A steel cargo ship which was launched on Jul. 08, 1913 & completed in Aug. 1913. I think this vessel had the most names in its lifetime of the vessels so far listed on site. A few differences in the data. Per 1 ('uboat.net', extensive detail re sinking, Plaudit, with map location of loss), 2 [Bank Line, Gifford (3)], 3 (New Zealand data), 4 (brief summary data, Gifford, near page bottom), 5 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll' shipdata', Lloyd's Register ('LR') data 1930/31 thru 1943/44, Plaudit), 6 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll' shipdata', Lloyd's Register ('LR') data 1944/45, Plaudit). 434.2 ft. (approx. 133 metres) long overall, 420.0 ft. or 128.0 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 11 knots, signal letters JCTW later GBPW, JHLC & SVAL (as Eftychia), IBWT (as Guidonia), HPXP (as Plaudit), 577 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Limited of Sunderland, crew lists of 1914 & of 1919 thru 1930 are available via this page. The vessel is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1914 thru 1930, registered at Glasgow, Scotland in 1913 & at Newcastle from 1919. As Gifford thru 1919 & as Sheaf Mount thereafter. Gifford was built, for Gifford Ltd., of Glasgow, with Andrew Weir & Co. or William Weir her manager, or maybe for Andrew Weir & Co./Bank Line. Even though MNL listed the vessel continuously from 1914, the vessel was interned, at Hamburg, Germany, on the outbreak of WW1 in 1914. In 1917, the vessel, then owned by the German Navy, was renamed Gifhorn. In 1917 it was renamed Sperrbrecher 9, again for the German Navy. I read that in Dec. 1918, the vessel was released to the vessel's insurers & in Feb. 1919 became owned by Standard Steam Ship Owners War Risks Association Ltd. And renamed Gifford. Gifford was sold, in Apl. 1919, to W. A. Souter & Co. Ltd., registered in the name of Sheaf Steam Shipping Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, & renamed Sheaf Mount. With William A. Souter her manager. After 10 years of such ownership, Sheaf Mount was sold again, in or about 1930, to G. Vergottis, of Argostoli, Greece, & renamed Eftychia. I read that on Jul. 02, 1932, Eftychia stranded at Cape San Vito, Sicily, while en route from Danzig (i.e. Gdańsk) to Venice with a cargo of coal. Divers examined the ship. Much of her cargo was unloaded & multiple attempts were made to refloat her. A fire added to the problems, a fire which erupted, I believe, in the ship's cargo which had been landed on shore. On Jul. 27, 1932 it was reported that she had been refloated. She was taken to Palermo with leakage which was able to be controlled. The vessel suffered some damage but it does not sound as though that damage was particularly great - bottom dented, rivets missing, stern frame damaged etc. It would seem that the vessel may have reloaded its cargo & proceeded to Venice. I cannot tell you where she lay idle - Venice perhaps - but apparently she did lay idle for the next 5 years. In 1938, the vessel was sold to Achille Lauro, of Naples, Italy, & renamed Guidonia. In Jun. 1940, Guidonia arrived at Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A., was detained & laid up. On Apl. 23, 1941, the vessel was taken over by the U.S. Government & on Sep. 25, 1941 was assigned by the U.S. War Shipping Administration, to South Atlantic Steamship Co., of Savannah, Georgia. On Oct. 08, 1941, the vessel was renamed Plaudit, registered at Panama.  I note, however, that LRs from 1940/41 thru 1943/44 consistently record the U.S. Maritime Commission as the vessel's registered owner. On Nov. 08, 1942, proceeding unescorted & under the command of Axel Pedersen, the vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by U-181, Kapitän zur See Wolfgang Lüth in command, off Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The vessel was en route from Colombo (then Ceylon, now Sri Lanka), to U.S.A. via Cape Town, with a cargo of rubber, manganese ore, jute, tea, etc. At 36.00S/26.32E. U-181 fired until the ship sank. Most of the 49 aboard abandoned the ship, but 3 lives were lost. The survivors were picked up by South African trawler HMSAS Africana & via RAF crash boat Navigator  were landed at Port Elizabeth. Can you add anything? An image, perhaps? 182 Harlow 4108/6550, later 5437/8384 (N/G) or 8459 tons Hull 453 135222 Gernis Noorderdijk Provvidenza 1913 A steel cargo ship which was launched on Mar. 12, 1913 & completed in May 1913. Per 1 [Holland America Line, Noorderdijk (2)], 2 (Roland Line, Gernis), 3 (Thos. & Jas. Harrison, but Harlow not referenced), 4 & 5 (Truant), 6 ('Southampton City Council/Plimsoll' shipdata', Lloyd's Register ('LR') data 1930/31 thru 1945/46, Provvidenza), 7 (LR data re 1932/33), 8 ('u-boat.net' sinking of Provvidenza, scroll to Sep. 22, 1940). 148.13 metres (470.0 ft.) long, 143.3 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 12 knots, signal letters JCGN, later QKJV (as Gernis), PNBD (as Noorderdijk), 723 (MNL says 724) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Limited of Sunderland, crew lists of 1913 & 1914 only are available via this page. The vessel is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed in 1914 only, registered at London in 1913. MNL records Charles W. Harrison as the vessel's managing owner. Harlow was built for J. & C. Harrison Ltd., of London, i.e. 'Harrison Line'. As per LR of 1912/13, in the supplement, with J. Johnson noted to be her then captain.  On Jan. 20, 1914, the vessel was sold to 'Roland Linie Aktien Gesellschaft', of Bremen, Germany (Roland Line), & renamed Gernis. LR of 1914/15, which notes that Henken was her then captain. The vessel was interned in 1914 at Sabang, Aceh, Indonesia, & laid up there until 1918. On Oct. 28, 1918, the vessel became owned by the Netherlands as a war reparation. On Nov. 22, 1918, the vessel became owned by 'Nederlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij' (Holland America Line) of Rotterdam & renamed Noorderdijk. LR of 1922/23. The vessel's first voyage for Holland America Line commenced only on May 18, 1920. Used on the Rotterdam to New York service. On Jan. 13, 1932, it was reported (Liverpool Journal of Commerce) that Noorderdijk had been sold to Italian buyers. I earlier noted in this spot that the vessel was sold on Dec. 16, 1931, to Fratelli Rizzuto (Rizzuto Bros.), of Naples, Italy, & renamed Provvidenza, (sometimes referred to as Providenza). On Aug. 10, 1939, it was reported that Provvidenza was ahore at Cuxhaven, Germany, while en route from Bona (Algeria) to Danzig (i.e. Gdańsk). Wikipedia tells us that on Sep. 13, 1939, Ronda, built in 1937 at Bremen, Germany, struck a mine & sank in the North Sea off Terschelling, Friesland, Netherlands, with the loss of 17 of the 37 people aboard (14 crew and 3 passengers). Provvidenza rescued the 20 survivors (16 crew & 4 passengers). On Sep. 22, 1940, while en route from Naples to Cagliari, Sardinia, in ballast, Provvidenza was torpedoed & sunk by Truant, a T or Triton Class British submarine (N68), 3 1/2 miles from Punta Imperatore, Ischia (Istrië), near Naples, Italy. One crew member died & 12 were injured. I read that the survivors were rescued by Regina Elena a pilot vessel. Can you add to or correct the above? Another image? 183 Südmark 3176/5113 later 3205/5182, 4970/6579 & 4114/6579 (N/G) tons Hull 455 136793 (later) Huntscraft Clan Mackay 1913 A steel cargo ship which was launched (in red) on Jun. 03, 1913 & completed in Jul. 1913. Per 1 (1914 capture by Black Prince), 2 & 3 (Clan Line, Huntscraft), 4 (wreck ref., Clan Mackay), 5 (Hamburg-American, Sudmark), 6 ('uboat.net', 1918 torpedo), 7 (UB-57), 8 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, Clan Mackay, 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', 1930/31 thru 1934/35), 9 (origins of Clan Line), 10 (cargo in 1914 fire), 11 (data, search for Clan Mackay). 420.0 ft. long (128.0 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 11 knots, signal letters RSWT (as Südmark), JKGF & GQMX (from 1930), 577 thru 1919 & 278 thereafter per Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') but always 577 per LR NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, a great many crew lists are available via this page. The vessel is MNL listed from 1916 thru 1934, registered at London in 1915 (on Feb. 23, 1915) & at Glasgow, Scotland, from 1920. As Huntscraft thru 1920 & as Clan Mackay thereafter. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record J. Harberg as the vessel's captain in 1914/15, A. M. Dermand in 1917/18 & E. G. Hughes from 1918/19 thru 1920/21. Südmark was built for 'Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft', i.e. 'Hamburg-Amerika Linie' or HAPAG, of Hamburg, Germany. LR of 1914/15. On Aug. 15, 1914, while en route from Yokohama, Japan, to Hamburg, via Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), the vessel was captured by HMS Black Prince in the Red Sea, & taken to Suez. Südmark had not been aware that war had broken out. Its cargo of tea, jute & coconuts was placed in an Alexandria, Egypt, warehouse, where it was unfortunately destroyed by fire in mid Oct. 1914. The cargo was valued at that time at U.S. $1 million - what an amazing sum in 1914! This U.K. contemporary news report confirms the loss, noted to be estimated at £200,000. The two numbers do equate! In 1914, £1 was worth about U.S. $4.93. In Sep. 1914, the vessel was requisitioned by The Shipping Controller (British Government) for WW1 service & in 1915 was renamed Huntscraft, with Harris & Dixon Limited, the managers. Registered in the name of The Admiralty. As a result probably of 'Prize Court' proceedings in London. It seems that the vessel evacuated troops from Gallipoli in 1915. Miramar used to advise years ago that in 1917, Harris & Dixon became the vessel's owners, (as Crown nominees, I read). And in 1918 Huntscraft became owned by the British Government with Union Castle Mail Steamship Co. Ltd. her managers. LR of 1917/18. Described as a 'large cattle boat' re a voyage carrying troops to Le Havre, France, in Jun. 1918 - so not a luxury trip across the channel! On Jul. 06, 1918, while in ballast & en route from Le Havre to Southampton, the vessel was hit by a torpedo fired by UB-57, Oberleutnant zur See Johannes Lohs in command, & disabled. 10 miles E. of St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight. The vessel was towed to Netley (nr. Southampton) for repairs. 6 lives were lost. Maybe involved in the rescue of allied forces from Russia? The vessel was sold, in 1919, to 'Cayzer, Irvine & Co. Ltd.' ('Cayzer'), of Glasgow, Scotland, & in 1920 was renamed Clan Mackay, the 4th vessel fleet vessel of the name. LRs from 1919/20 thru at least 1928/29 consistently record Cayzer, Irvine & Co. Ltd. as the vessel's registered owner (LR of 1922/23) but maybe from 1929 & certainly in 1932/33 rather record Clan Line Steamers Ltd. as her owner. While MNLs consistently thru to 1934 record Clan Line Steamers Ltd. with Thomas Barr thru 1927 & Fred Bedford from 1929 her managers.. On Oct. 19, 1934, while en route from Cairns, Queensland, Australia, to Montreal, Canada, via Cape Town, under the command of Captain D. McComish of Glasgow, the vessel was beached/wrecked on Carpenters Rock, Sierra Leone, 'in the morning mist'. Carrying a cargo of sugar. At 8.30N/13.18.45W. I read that the vessel was insured for £32,000 with insurance for the cargo likely placed in Australia. Clan Mackay struck the rock at 7.10 a.m. on Nov. 19, 1934 in a position described as 'perilous' but not one that endangered the lives of her crew. The vessel was beached with holds 1 & 3 filled with water. It soon settled down on a sand & clay bottom with only parts of the forecastle & bridge above water. Apparently with heavy under-water damage. Tugs were in attendance & divers were provided by HMS Dorsetshire. It soon became clear, however, that nothing could be done to save the vessel due to the lack of salvage facilities in the area. About three weeks later the Supreme Court at Sierra Leone held an Inquiry at Freetown, Sierra Leone, into the vessel's grounding - the captain has held to be not at fault. These contemporary news reports relate - 1 & 2. Can you add to or correct the above? Another image? 184 Tuscan Prince 3293/5275 (N/G) tons Hull 464 133543 1913 A steel cargo ship which was launched on Oct. 16, 1913 & completed in Dec. 1913. The 50th vessel built at Sunderland for Prince Line. The vessel was christened by Miss Barstow of Weston-super-Mare. Per 1 [Prince Line, Tuscan Prince (2)], 2 (image of wreck), 3 (Sea Gallantry Medals), 4 (wreck data 90% down), 5 (data, Tuscan Prince, ex here), 6 ('uboat.net', 1918 torpedo attack), 7 (wreck data). I note that Lloyd's Register Foundation kindly makes available many documents re Tuscan Prince, incl. extensive details about the vessel itself (bottom item available) & also this page which has numerous press cuttings re the vessel's loss in 1923. 420.0 ft. (approx. 133 metres) long, speed of 12 knots, 13 knots on her sea trials, signal letters JDPR, 577 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists thru 1922 are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of Lloyd's Register ('LR') editions. They record M. W. Burwash as the vessel's captain in 1914/15, W. Elias in 1917/18 & A. Suddaty in 1920/21. The vessel is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1914 thru 1923, always registered at Newcastle. Tuscan Prince was built for Prince Line Ltd., of Newcastle, of London from 1920, with J. (James) Knott her initial manager, but later, certainly from LR of 1917/18, Furness, Withy & Co. Ltd. her managers. MNL rather records James Knott as the vessel's manager thru 1916, then Herbert E. Waddell thru 1920 & Norman Stockdale in 1922 & 1923. LR of 1914/15 (in red). On Aug. 05, 1918, defensively armed, the vessel was torpedoed by UC49 & holed in the English Channel, 8 miles from Dungeness, but made it to port. 2 died in the attack. I have read that the vessel was laid up at Dartmouth for a very long time. And that when it left Dartmouth, in late 1922, it had new engines & machinery. Those new engines were built by North Eastern Marine Engineering Co. Ltd., of Newcastle, & installed in 1919. LR of 1922/23 (in red). At about 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 15, 1923, while en route from the Tyne to Vancouver, British Columbia ('BC'), via Antwerp, & carrying a cargo of pig iron & railway lines (rails?), Tuscan Prince was wrecked during the great winter storm of Feb. 14/15, 1923, off the BC coast. James Chilvers was the vessel's captain at the time, with a crew of 43 all told. Tuscan Prince was not the only vessel to suffer as a result of those gales - I have read that four or five other vessels were impacted, including Nika (burned), Santa Rita (wrecked), & Coolcha. The first news reports, based upon a distress signal sent out by Tuscan Prince before the wireless failed, thought the vessel had foundered near Cape Flattery, Washington. The wrecked vessel was spotted by Japanese fisherman who reported her exact location to authorities. Tuscan Prince arrived at San Francisco on Feb. 09, 1923 & left on Feb. 11, 1923 on the final leg of its journey. It ran aground in a snow storm on the S. cliffs of Effingham Island (prev. Village Island), Barkley Sound, BC, at 48.51.267N/125.19.147W. A rugged coast - location is close to the West Coast Trail. Two crewmen tried to make it ashore in a ship's lifeboat which boat was destroyed on the rocks. One of those two crewmen (Golding) was hauled back on board Tuscan Prince but George E. Lobb, the boatswain, succeeded in scrambling ashore, made a line fast to a tree & so permitted the entire crew of 43 to make their way ashore by means of a line fired ashore by a 45 calibre line gun. Captain Chilvers was the last to leave the ship. Many years ago now, Bernard de Neumann (1943/2018), advised that 3 prestigious Sea Gallantry Medals in bronze were issued re the Tuscan Prince shipwreck, & quoted from the official Board of Trade award citation. Such medals were issued re George E. Lobb, the boatswain as noted above, & also re Samuel Fox & John Patrick Golding, both able seamen. Fox suffered a fractured rib, I read, for his efforts. The tiny island on which the crew were forced to land, just 100 yards long & 50 yards wide, was uninhabited, isolated, small, barren & covered in snow. In the bitter cold & drenching spray they remained on that island for 54 hours, or 3 days & two nights, until the Banfield lifeboat arrived to rescue them. They were able to get some provisions from the wreck (one biscuit & 2 ounces of canned meat per man) & huddled close together around a fire for relief from the terrible cold. The crew, all suffering from exposure, were taken off the rocks by the Bamfield lifeboat which transferred them over to Snohomish, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter - which landed them safely at Port Angeles in Washington State, U.S.A., across the water from Victoria, British Columbia. The now lone gone page at the WWW site of the Maritime Museum of BC, stated that the 2nd Engineer made it to shore with a rope & returned to rescue the ship's cat & her kitten. There were, however, I have read, three cats aboard - one of them was given to Snohomish, a second was given to the Prince Line agent at Seattle, Washington, & the third found a home with a Swedish Tuscan Prince crew member who lived at Middlesbrough, Yorkshire. 27 of the vessel's crew travelled by rail across Canada to St. John, New Brunswick, where they boarded steamship Metagama (built at Glasgow in 1915) bound for Liverpool. The other 16 crew members stayed in Vancouver to attend an Inquiry into the vessel's loss - an Inquiry which, I read, absolved the master & all ship's officers of blame. The situation was widely reported in the U.K. press. A couple of contemporary news reports - 1 & 2. The ship? Battered by the storm, it broke its back, lost both its rudder & propeller, suffered battered plates etc. etc. & was damaged beyond salvage. I earlier reported that most of the cargo was recovered - per link 5. By Salvor, I think. They did recover items that were above water, but I am unable, today, to confirm the extent of the recovery. The wreck is a dive site today. Can you help correct the above as necessary. Or provide another or a better image? Talking of images, I was initially delighted to see that the Alberni Valley Museum web site has a page about the Tuscan Prince wreck. With two images. But .... it is not worth your time to find & visit the site since the Museum finds it necessary to add large & intrusive logos across both images which, in my opinion at least, makes them both unworthy of your interest. 185 Roman Prince 3301/5284, later 3299/5291 (N/G) tons Hull 466 133549 Berwick Law Benlomond Chrysopolis 1914 A steel cargo ship which was launched on Jan. 13, 1914 & completed in Mar. 1914. Christened by Mrs. A. C. Turner of Walton-on-Thames. Per 1 (ref. to a 1920 painting of Roman Prince, by French artist Adam Eduard or Edouard), 2 [Ben Line, Benlomond (3)], 3 ('wrecksite.eu', Chrysopolis), 4 [Prince Line, Roman Prince (2)], 5 (image of Roman Prince, I think, ex an expired web site, enlarged at left), 6 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Benlomond 1932/33 thru 1935/36 & Chrysopolis in 1935/36), 7 (summary vessel data incl. dates of sale, ex here). The webmster notes that Lloyd's Register Foundation makes available, via this page, a great many documents re the vessel, incl. i) extensive details about the ship itself & ii) a page re the loss of Chrysopolis with many faded newspaper cuttings. I have difficulty in helping you get to the pages that I mention. 129.0 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 420.0 ft., speed of 12 knots, 13 1/4 knots at her sea trials, signal letters JDWV, later GLRT (from 1930) & SYSV (as Chrysopolis), 577 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists thru 1934 are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record C. B. Andersson as the vessel's captain in 1914/15, E. W. Chambers in 1917/18, J. G. Moonan in 1918/19, W. Elias in 1919/20 & G. D. Durrant in 1920/21. The vessel is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1915 thru 1934, initially registered at Newcastle, later registered at Glasgow (in 1927) & at Leith (Edinburgh) (in 1933). As Roman Prince thru 1927, as Berwick Law from 1928 thru 1933 & as Benlomond in 1934. Roman Prince was built for for Prince Line Ltd., of Newcastle, of London from 1920, with J. (James) Knott her initial manager, but later, certainly from LR of 1917/18, Furness, Withy & Co. Ltd. her managers. MNLs rather record James Knott as the vessel's manager thru 1916, then Herbert E. Waddell thru 1922 & Norman Stockdale from 1923 thru 1927. LR of 1914/15 (in red). A few Roman Prince operational matters the webmaster happened to spot. i) In Jul. 1916, en route from Karachi (then India now Pakistan) to Hull, the vessel's bunker coals caught fire & part of her cargo was damaged by steam. ii) On Nov. 15, 1919 the vessel arrived at Barry, Wales, for repairs, having collided with the quay while departing Le Havre, France. iii) In Dec. 1923, the vessel was chartered to carry relief supplies from Westerrn Australia to Japan. iv) On Aug. 07, 1926, en route from the U.S.A. to England, Roman Prince was damaged by a heavy storm. Steering gear & deck damage was repaired at Halifax, Canada. v) In early Nov. 1926, the vessel's steering gear broke down near the Skerries, Ireland, while en route from the Clyde to Hampton Roads (Virginia & N. Carolina).  The vessel was sold, in 1926 (or 1927), to Thomas Law & Co's 'Law Shipping Co.', of Glasgow, Scotland, & became Berwick Law. Link 7 tells us that the date of sale was Jan. 25, 1927. MNL tells us that William T. Law was the vessel's manager. Sold by Furness, Withy to rather acquire motorships. And was sold, on Mar. 09, 1933, or maybe on Mar. 11, 1933, to 'Ben Line Steamers Ltd.', of Leith, owned & managed by William Thomson & Co. & became Benlomond. LR of 1932/33 (in red). The vessel had been laid up at Amsterdam since Aug. 1932. And sold yet again, in 1935, on Aug. 07, 1935 I read, to Kassos Steam Navigation Co. of Syra, a Greek island, with 'Pneumaticos, Rethymnis, Yannaghas' of Piraeus, Greece, her managers, & renamed Chrysopolis. LR of 1935/36. On Jun. 09, 1936, Chrysopolis left Emden, Germany, for Tamatave (Toamasina), Madagascar, via Cape Town, South Africa, in ballast & with a crew of 33. I have not spotted the name of her then captain. About a week later, on Jun. 17, 1936, Chrysopolis went ashore off Cape Barbas, Senegal (but see below). At 22.20N/16.44W. In an exposed position it would seem - broadside on, under some cliffs, inside sunken rocks, with, I have read, the engine room & all of her holds full of water. A tug was requested from Dakar, while Kirkpool was requested to stand by should an emergency rescue of the crew prove to be necessary. I have not spotted what later happened re Kirkpool. Nor re the requested tug. The vessel was, I read, insured for £20,000 The vessel's master & wireless operator stayed aboard the grounded vessel while the remainder of the crew went ashore in a ship's boat. To live in tents for the next several days, constantly, it would appear, scared that they would be attacked by bands of marauding natives. On Jun. 22, 1936, a Chrysopolis SOS was heard by Temple Mead (built at Sunderland by 'Pickersgill' in 1928, H. M. D. Wyatt her master & L. W. Tucker her then chief officer), then 60 miles away. Temple Mead raced to the scene to find Chrysopolis being pounded by heavy seas. Temple Mead was unable to get close to the land due to shallow waters & dangerous reefs - so the crew rowed out, picking up, en route, the two left aboard the ship, thus leaving Chrysopolis, now in danger of breaking up, abandoned. It would seem a total loss. In due course Temple Mead landed the Chrysopolis survivors at Las Palmas, Canary Islands. These contemporary news reports relate - 1 & 2. Where place names are mentioned throughout the website, the webmaster routinely advises where those places are located. In that regard, I have noted above that Cape Barbas, where Chrysopolis was lost, is in Senegal. It would seem that certainly today, in 2026, Cape Barbas lies close to but to the N. of the Senegal border, in a disputed territory known as Western Sahara, defacto administered by Morocco. Do you have anything to add? 186 San Jeronimo 6200/10067, many later values incl. 7710/12028 (after conversion) & 7644/12398 (N/G) tons Hull 457 135314 Southern Empress 1914 A steel oil tanker which was launched on Dec. 13, 1913, christened by Mrs. Tanner, & completed in Feb. 1914. The largest vessel that had then ever been launched on the River Wear. A vessel which later, in 1928, became a whale factory ship. Per 1 (data & 5 images), 2 ('uboat.net', sinking & image, Southern Empress), 3 (image Southern Empress, the 2nd on the page), 4 (convoy SC-104, search for Southern Empress), 5 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Southern Empress), 6 (Eagle Oil Transport, 'Blue Peter' article, ex the old 'Sunderland Tugs' Facebook site), 7 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Southern Empress 1930/31 thru 1944/45), 8 (Wikipedia, Southern Empress), 9 (Wikipedia, San Jeronimo). I note that Lloyd's Register Foundation makes available a vast number of documents re the vessel, documents which include i) extensive & detailed specifications for the ship & ii) data re the vessel's 1928 conversion to a whale factory ship. 160.2 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 525.5 ft. long, 539.2 ft. overall, speed of 11 knots, signal letters JDSV, later VPRS & BCXW, 795 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, later 925 NHP engines also by Doxford, crew lists thru 1938 are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record H. McD. Young as San Jeronimo's captain in 1914/15, T. F. Beadon in 1917/18, & A. W. Skelley from 1918/19 thru 1920/21. The vessel is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1915 thru 1940 (the last 'crewlist' available), registered at London thru 1927 & at Stanley, Falkland Islands, from 1928. As San Jeronimo thru 1928, & as Southern Empress from 1929. San Jeronimo was built for The Eagle Oil Transport Co. Ltd., ('Eagle') of London (LR of 1914/15), at a cost of £155,000, to transport oil from the newly developed Mexican oil fields. I read that Eagle acquired 20 vessels for such trade from many shipbuilders around the U.K. - Doxford, so far as I can see, built just two of them - the other is San Nazario listed lower on this page. I have read that the vessel was identified as being a 'Shell' tanker - in that regard, Grace's Guide tells us that Shell took over the managment of Eagle in 1919. While Wikipedia tells us that Royal Dutch Shell acquired Eagle, the company - in so doing indirectly acquiring San Jeronimo, in 1919. MNL records Frank Rendall as San Jeronimo's manager from 1915 thru 1928. The vessel carried crude oil & white oil products. In 1917, the vessel's gross tonnage became 12028 tons as a result of modifications. On or prior to Apl. 07, 1928, the vessel was sold, for about £100,000, to 'The Southern Whaling & Sealing Co. Ltd., of London, converted into a whaling ship factory, & renamed Southern Empress. LR of 1928/29. Data at Lloyd's Register Foundation tells us that Smith's Dock Company, of Middle Docks, Middlebrough, Yorkshire, (River Tees), requested Lloyd's approval (1 & 2) on Jun. 13, 1928 for the vessel's conversion into a whale factory ship. Further that the conversion was completed in early Oct. 1928, with her revised tonnages becoming 7599/12153 (N/G). The modified vessel did not have a stern slipway or ramp to take whale carcasses aboard. Such a ramp was installed later. Active in Antarctic waters. The vessel must have been further modified in or about 1934 because LRs from 1935/36 record the vessel's Doxford engines as now being of 925 NHP. LR of 1938/39. 20 WW2 convoy references including at least 6 N. Atlantic crossings, & service to Port Said. In 1941, in Sep. 1941 I read, Southern Empress was sold to 'Christian Salvesen & Co.', of Edinburgh, Scotland, who registered it at Leith in the name of Sevilla Whaling Co. Ltd. LR of 1941/42, in red. On Oct. 13/14, 1942, while serving as a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tanker, part of convoy SC-104 & en route from New York to Glasgow with a cargo of fuel oil & 21 landing craft, Southern Empress was torpedoed (3 torpedoes in 2 attacks) & sunk by U-221, Kapitänleutnant Hans-Hartwig Trojer in command, about 400 miles S. of Cape Farewell (N.E. of St. John's, Newfoundland, at 53.40N/40.40W). 125 were aboard Southern Empress when sunk. 48 lives were lost (24 crew, 4 gunners & 20 passengers) including Captain Olaf Hansen (Charles Hocking states, however, incorrectly I believe, that he survived - his name is, I read, recorded on the Tower Hill Memorial ). The 77 survivors were picked up by Norwegian corvette HMS Potentilla (K-214), transferred to the Norwegian whale factory ship Suderøy & landed at Liverpool. Can you add anything? 187 San Nazario 6392/10064 later 7440/12029 from LR of 1920/21 (N/G) tons later 12667 tons Hull 459 136702 Thorshammer 1914 A steel oil tanker which was launched on Jun. 09, 1914 & completed in Sep. 1914. Christened by Mrs. Masters, wife of H. W. Masters a director of Anglo-Mexican Petroleum Products Company. San Nazario took over the record for the largest ship then built at Sunderland, taking over that distinction from San Jeronimo (covered above). The vessel later, in 1928, became a whale factory ship. And had a very long life indeed (58 years). Per 1 (data & 5 images), 2 (1941 raid on whaling fleet, search for Thorshammer), 3 (data, Thorshammer, incl. extensive detail re her WW2 service), 4 (Eagle Oil Transport 'Blue Peter' article, ex the old Sunderland Tugs Facebook site), 5 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Thorshammer 1930/31 thru 1945/46), 6 ('uboat.net', 1917 torpedo attack), 7 ('shipstamps.co.uk', re Thorshammer), 8 (1917 torpedo attack, search for San Nazario), 9 (data & many images, Thorshammer). I note that Lloyd's Register Foundation makes available a number of documents re the vessel, documents which include extensive & detailed specifications for the ship. 160.2 metres, 525.5 ft. long, later 526.0 ft., speed of 11 (or maybe 10) knots, 11 3/4 knots at her trial trip, signal letters JGFS, later LGVM & LCTJ, 795 NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists thru 1928 are available via this page. An oil burner, as I understand it. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record W. Catto as San Nazario's captain in 1914/15, H. J. Mitchell from 1917/18 thru 1919/20, & C. H. Williams in 1920/21. The vessel is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1915 thru 1928, always registered at London. As San Nazario. With, per MNL, Frank Rendall always her manager. San Nazario was built for 'The Eagle Oil Transport Co. Ltd.', ('Eagle') of London, at the cost of £155,000, to transport oil from the newly developed Mexican oil fields. I read that Eagle acquired 20 vessels for such trade from many shipbuilders around the U.K. - Doxford, so far as I can see, built just two of them - the other is San Jeronimo listed above on this page. I have read that the vessel was identified as being a 'Shell' tanker - in that regard, Grace's Guide tells us that Shell took over the managment of Eagle in 1919. While Wikipedia tells us that Royal Dutch Shell acquired Eagle, the company - in so doing indirectly acquiring San Nazario, in 1919. LR of 1919/20. The vessel carried crude oil & white oil products. On Oct. 15, 1917, the vessel was torpedoed by U-53 when 117 miles SW of Bishop Rock, Scilly Islands. At 48.24N/8.20W. While en route from Plymouth to Tampico, Mexico. The vessel was damaged, but survived, put back to Plymouth, & was repaired. The vessel was sold, on Jul. 23, 1928, to 'A/S Bryde & Dahls Hvalfangerselskap' of Sandefjord, Norway, converted (partially at Middle Docks & Engineering Co. Ltd. of South Shields and finished at 'Ankomst Framnæs mek. Værksted'?) into a whale oil factory ship & renamed Thorshammer. LRs of 1928/29 & 1932/33. Managed by 'A/S Thor Dahl', of Sandefjord. It would seem that a second funnel was added as a part of the conversion. The vessel was further rebuilt, (at 'Wilton-Fijenoord', of Rotterdam?), in 1931/32. A major event that Thorshammer was able to avoid. In Jan. 1941, the Norwegian whaling fleet was on the 'whale herding grounds' in Antarctic waters. In the largest single capture German raiders ever accomplished, 3 whale factory ships & 11 whale catchers were captured without bloodshed on Jan. 14, 1941 by German raider Pinguin. Prize crews were placed on board the many vessels, & the Norwegian crews were taken prisoner. Thorshammer was fortunate to avoid capture - she was approaching the area but was warned in time of the danger as you can read at link 2. The ship was repaired or refitted twice in the late 1940s, it would seem - by 'Framnæs Mekaniske Verksted' in 1948, & by Harland & Wolff at Liverpool in 1949 (I think, but am not sure, that is what the data says). On Sep. 06, 1962, the vessel was sold to 'SPA Cantieri, Navali' ('C.N. Santa Maria'?), of Genoa, (La Spezia), Italy, for £105,000, to be broken up. It may well be that the above text contains unintentional errors. Corrections & additional data are accordingly invited. 188 Lord Strathcona 4184/7335 (N/G) tons Hull 473 137447 1915 Lord Strathcona (1812/1914). A famous name indeed both in Canadian & British history (A), but too big a story to cover here. He died on Jan. 21, 1914, hence, I presume, the vessel's name. A steel cargo ship which was launched (in red) on Jan. 30, 1915 & completed in May 1915. Per 1 ('uboat.net', 1942 sinking, image, incl. map location of loss), 2 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Lord Strathcona), 3 (events, Sep. 05, 1942, now in archive with no images), 4 (7+ minute video of the wreck - after the advert runs!), 5 (Lloyd's Register ('LR') data, 'Southampton City Council/Plimsoll', Lord Strathcona, 1930/31 thru 1944/45), 6 (extensive data incl. modest general arrangement plans), 7 ('wrecksite.eu', 1942 wreck), 7 (fine Louis Claes image). I note that Lloyd's Register Foundation ('LRF') kindly makes available many documents relating to Lord Strathcona, including a 1925 auction notice. 137.1 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 455.0 ft., speed of 11 1/2 knots, signal letters JKTC, later VGJK & GMSK, 612 (per LR) or 613 (per MNL) NHP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons Ltd. of Sunderland, crew lists thru 1931 are available via this page. The webmaster was able to access a number of LR editions. They record W. L. Clibborn as Lord Strathcona's captain from 1914/15 to 1920/21. The vessel is Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') listed from 1916 thru 1940, initially, in 1915, registered at Liverpool, at Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from 1920, at London from 1930 & at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada from 1939. Owned thru 1916 by Lord Curzon Steamship Co. Ltd., from 1917 thru 1919 by The Century Shipping Co. Ltd., from 1920 thru 1928 by The Lord Strathcona Steamship Co. Ltd., & from 1929 by Dominion Shipping Co. Ltd. Lord Strathcona is stated, in the launch report available above, to have been built for Lord Curzon Steamship Co. Ltd. ('Curzon'), of Liverpool, with, per LR, J. Herron & Co., of Liverpool, her managers (or per MNL John Herron). I have read that Lord Strathcona was built for the St. Lawrence River, Canada, coal trade - further that long before the vessel was launched, Curzon had chartered the vessel to the Canadian company Dominion Coal Co. Ltd. ('Dominion'), by a contact which had been executed on Apl. 20, 1914 & 'corrected' to Jul. 24, 1914. Dominion had, I read, provided the very plans for the vessel's construction. The contract was for 10 seasons commencing in 1915, with options for further years thru to 1932. A 'season' in this context means the then summer St. Lawrence River shipping season of perhaps 6 or 7 months. The vessel was so chartered in 1916 but the U.K. Government requisitioned Lord Strathcona for WW1 service, to later release it in Jul. 1919 after WW1 was over. Such Government control clearly did not limit the ability of the vessel to be bought & sold. On Dec. 14, 1917 Lord Strathcona was acquired by The Century Shipping Co. Ltd., of London, with (per LR), Harris & Dixon Ltd. her managers or (per MNL) Frank E. Dixon & William H. Dixon & in 1919 William H. Dixon & Frederick W. Lund. LR of 1917/18. On Feb. 25, 1919, Lord Strathcona  became owned by The Steamship "Lord Lathom" Co. Ltd., of Liverpool, also managed by Harris & Dixon Ltd. And later that year, on Dec. 18, 1919, it became owned by The Lord Strathcona Steamship Co. Ltd., of Montreal, with T. (Thomas) Harling her manager, later T. Harling & Sons. I note in passing that there were two companies named 'Lord Strathcona'. The first such company acquired the vessel on Dec. 18, 1919 as stated above. But on Jun. 22, 1920 the vessel became owned by the second such company, newly incorporated in 1920.  It is important to note that the vessel's above stated charter arrangements were well known, & each subsequent owner had a legal responsibilty to honour those charter arrangements. Indeed the responsibility was contained within the agreement of sale to the 2nd The Lord Strathcona Steamship Co., & was accepted by them. In the MNL paragraph above, I noted that MNL records that The Lord Strathcona Steamship Co. Ltd. owned the vessel from 1920 thru 1928. LR of 1919/20. And that in 1929 the vessel became owned by Dominion Shipping Co. Ltd. - of Halifax. There must be a reason why MNL reported that data incorrectly. Dominion acquired the vessel indirectly in Oct. 1925. The Lord Strathcona Steamship Co. Ltd. declined to honour the charter agreement. To which position Dominion objected on Jul. 31, 1920. The whole matter became the subject of extended lawsuits. Initially in the Nova Scotia, Canada, court system but appealed all the way to the Judicial Council of the Privy Council in London. It would seem that The Lord Strathcona Steamship Co. Ltd. had borrowed by way of mortgage £70,000 from the British Steamship Investment Co. to buy the vessel (actually there were two mortgages). Such mortgages would seem later to have become owned by The Old Colony Trust Company ('Old Colony'). The Lord Strathcona Steamship Co. Ltd. became in financial difficulties, & became unable to pay their mortgage debt of about £45,000. On Jan. 01, 1925, Old Colony had the vessel arrested, & obtained an order to have the vessel appraised & sold. Such sale did not proceed immediately as a result of Dominion Coal Co. Ltd. intervening in the case to preserve their established charter arrangements. But, the vessel, then lying at Newport, Wales, was offered for sale, by order of the Admiralty, on Aug. 11, 1925. An auction notice thanks to LRF. I read that the high bid on Aug. 11, 1925 was for £37,000 (maybe £36,000) which offer was rejected by the Admiralty Marshal. The vessel was then offered for sale privately & sold on Oct. 09, 1925 or on Oct. 14, 1925 for £33,000. Apparently sold free of the charter arrangements. Acquired, I have read, by British Empire Steel Corporation Ltd., of Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. The vessel was apparently soon registered in the name of Dominion Shipping Co. Ltd., of Halifax, as per LR of 1926/27. I should note that in 1925 the values of ships were in a period of major decline, the worst decline in values in 40 or 50 years. The Lord Strathcona Steamship v. Dominion Coal law case is an important one in maritime law. Finding reports of that court case is not particularly easy, with data often behind pay walls. And, for reasons unknown, the related law books, even though now truly ancient, are not available via Google. There is one site, however, which provides full detail about the Nova Scotia case. A site that I sincerely thank. You can access that site here. This website is largely a shipping website & the webmaster is not a lawyer. The truly most complicated legal case details are, realistically, beyond the scope of this website. While I have tried to understand what happened legally, it is quite possible that my above text contains unintentional errors. I note, however, that the Liverpool Journal of Commerce published a series of extensive articles about the case from Oct. 06, 1925 thru Nov. 26, 1925 & also on Mar. 31, 1926. At the time of WW2, the vessel was still owned by Dominion Shipping Co. Ltd., of Montreal, Canada. 32 WW2 convoy references, all of which were Canada coastal (Saint John, St. John's, Halifax, Sydney, Corner Brook, Quebec) likely mainly carrying iron ore ex the Wabana mines at Bell Island, Newfoundland. But that number of convoys is suspect, since a number of the convoys included on the page are dated after the vessel had been sunk. On Sep. 05, 1942, Lord Strathcona, Charles Stewart in command with a crew of 43, was one of 5 vessels anchored at Wabana Roads, Bell Island, Conception Bay, Newfoundland, loaded with a cargo of iron ore bound for Sydney, Nova Scotia. At 4:46 p.m. that day, the vessel was struck amidships by 2 torpedoes fired by U-513, Fregattenkapitän Rolf Rüggeberg in command. At 47.35N/52.59W. There was a giant explosion & Lord Strathcona sank within 90 seconds. All of the crew were rescued by a Customs launch & landed at Lana Bay, Bell Island. U-513 had, half an hour earlier, also sunk Saganaga (built at Glasgow in 1935). I read that in manoeuvring in the shallow waters to make good its attack, U-513 hit the stern of Lord Strathcona & damaged its conning tower. But, while it was then attacked, it was able to make its escape. The wreck is still there today, lying in about 28 metres (have also read 120 ft.) of water, relatively well preserved by the cold waters. Preservation which is surely helped by the Canadian laws which state that no wreck artifact may be removed from a wreck site. I did spot a reference to the fact that a detailed builder's model of Lord Strathcona was sold on Oct. 02, 2021. I would welcome any site visitor providing details re that sale & perhaps an image of the model. Can you add anything? 189 HMS Norseman 1025 (or 1242) tons Hull 506 1916 A 'Repeat' Admiralty M Class destroyer, which was launched on Aug. 15, 1916 & completed in Nov. 1916. Per 1 (data re M Class, HMS Norseman), 2 (more M Class data), 3 (image), 4 ('Wiki', re HMS Norseman). 265.0 ft long, 273 ft. 4 in. long overall, 3 funnel, speed of 34 knots. F13. Armed with three 4-inch guns, one 2-pounder pompom anti-aircraft gun, two 21-inch torpedo tubes, with depth charge capacity, powered by Brown-Curtis steam turbines. I have read that they were supplied by Parsons Marine Turbine Co. Ltd. It would seem that HMS Norseman was active in the North Sea in 1917 & 1918 but was involved in no notable action. After WW1 ended the vessel was decommissioned. And was sold to be broken up at the Thomas W. Ward shipbreaking facilities at Grays, Essex, on May 09, 1921. WWW data is most limited. Anything that you can add? 190 HMS Octavia 1025 tons Hull 490 ordered as HMS Oryx 1916 A 'Repeat' Admiralty M Class destroyer, which was ordered in Nov. 1914, launched on Jun. 21, 1916 & completed in Nov. 1916. Per 1 (data), 2 (more M Class data), 3 ('Wiki', re HMS Octavia). The vessel was originally ordered as HMS Oryx, but her name was changed while in course of construction & she was delivered as HMS Octavia. 83.31 metres, 265.0 ft. long, 3 funnel, speed of 34 knots, complement of 76. Armed with three 4-inch guns, one 1-pounder pompom anti-aircraft gun, four 21-inch torpedo tubes, G71, powered by Brown-Curtis steam turbines. I have read that they were supplied by Parsons Marine Turbine Co. Ltd. Thanks to George Wood we are able to provide the 2nd image at left - which shows HMS Octavia (at right) on the Aberdeen Harbour Board's No. 3 pontoon dock at a date between Oct. 10, 1917 & Nov. 21, 1917 (in an Aberdeen Archives copyrighted image). For repairs to her stern, likely the result of a depth charge explosion. Bullfinch is at left in the image. I seem not able to find the image at what I believe is the new Aberdeen Archives website. It would seem that HMS Octavia was active in the North Sea in 1917 & 1918 but was involved in no notable action. After WW1 ended the vessel was decommissioned. And & was sold, on Nov. 05, 1921, to be broken up at the Granton Shipbreaking Co. Ltd., shipbreaking facilities at Granton Harbour, Edinburgh, Scotland. Available WWW data is most limited. Can you correct the above modest text or add to it? 191 HMS Orestes 1025 (or 1042) tons Hull 487 1916 A 'Repeat' Admiralty M Class destroyer which was ordered in 1914, launched on Mar. 21, 1916 & completed in Jun. 1916. Per 1 (M Class data), 2 ('Wiki', re HMS Orestes), 3 (more M Class data), 4 (Doxford build list). 265.0 ft long, 273 ft. 4 in. long overall, 3 funnel, speed of 34 knots, G61, armed with three 4-inch guns, one 2-pounder pompom anti-aircraft gun, two 21-inch torpedo tubes, depth charge capacity, powered by Brown-Curtis steam turbines. I have read that they were supplied by Parsons Marine Turbine Co. Ltd. On Feb. 01, 1917, HMS Orestes started to patrol off the coast of Cornwall. And later that month unsuccessfully attacked German submarine UC-65. On Mar. 12, 1917, the destroyer rescued survivors from HMS Privet after she had duelled with the German U-85 & both vessels had been fatally damaged. She attempted to tow the damaged Privet but that vessel sank off Plymouth Sound. HMS Orestes was later active in the North Sea & on the western approaches to the U.K. but was involved in no notable action. The vessel was placed in reserve in Oct. 1919 & later decommissioned. It was sold to be broken on Jan. 30, 1921 to W. & T. Burden, though I am unable to track where they were located. WWW data is most limited. 192 HMS Orpheus 1025 tons Hull 489 1916 A 'Repeat' Admiralty M Class destroyer, which was ordered in 1914, launched on Jun. 17, 1916 & completed in Sep. 1916. Per 1 (data), 2 ('Wiki', re HMS Orpheus), 3 (more M Class data). 265.0 ft. long, 273 ft. 8 in. long overall, 3 funnel, speed of 34 knots, complement of 80, H28, armed with three 4-inch guns, two 1-pounder pompom anti-aircraft guns, four 21-inch torpedo tubes, powered by Brown-Curtis steam turbines. I have read that they were supplied by Parsons Marine Turbine Co. Ltd. Sold to Fryer (who were they?) to be broken up on Nov. 01, 1921 & was broken up at Sunderland. WWW data is most limited. 193 Smolensk 2487 tons Hull 474 137507 Warszawa 1916 A passenger/cargo vessel. Per 1 (data in Polish), 2 & 3 (Wilson Line), 4 ('uboat.net', extensive Warszawa sinking data, image, Smolensk, map location of loss), 5 (U-559).6 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Warszawa). About 92 metres long, speed of 12 knots. Completed for Russian North-West Steamship Co. Ltd. in late Jul. 1915, but laid up until May 1916. In May 1916, the vessel was delivered to Thos. Wilson Sons & Co., 'Wilson Line', of Liverpool. In 1917, the vessel became an Ellerman's Wilson Line vessel upon Ellerman's acquiring Wilson Line. 'Ellerman's Wilson Line Ltd.' became the new owner's name in 1917. In 1930 (or maybe in 1929) the vessel became Warszawa, owned by 'Polish-British Steamship Co.', of Gdynia, Poland, or, in Polish, Polsko-Brytyjskie Towarzystwo Okrêtowe SA (Polbrit). From Nov. 1939 to Jun. 1940, the vessel transported Polish soldiers & refugees from Greece & Yugoslavia to Marseilles & Syria. She was then interned by Vichy-French authorities at Beirut, but escaped to Haifa & was used to transport British troops to Greece, Crete, & also to Tobruk, Libya. Just 6 WW2 convoy references, mainly in the Mediterranean. In late Dec. 1941, the vessel, T. Meissner in command, was heading a small convoy (AT.6) en route from Alexandria, Egypt, to Tobruk, when it was torpedoed, at 2:29 p.m. on Dec. 26, 1941 off Tobruk, by U-559, Kapitänleutnant Hans Heidtmann in command. A crew of 47, 5 gunners & 416 passengers (military personnel) were on board. The vessel was hit at 32.10N24.32E. 4 crew & 19 passengers were lost. The ship settled by the bow & was taken in tow by convoy escort vessel, HMS Peony, K40, a corvette, which took off all of the military personnel & a portion of the crew. At 7:30 p.m., Warszawa was hit by another torpedo & sank. The remaining crew were rescued by HMS Peony & landed at Tobruk. I am grateful for the data at 4. WWW translation of Polish is most difficult. But ... the above may well contain mistakes. I would welcome corrections. 194 General Church 6600 tons Hull 515 140423 Ekaterini Nicolaou Victoria Cantabro Castillo Oropesa 1917 A cargo ship. Per 1 (1918, torpedo), 2 (UB-49), 3 (Italian page, 1941 sinking, 45% down, Castillo Oropesa). 128.0 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, (420 ft.) speed of 11 1/2 knots. Built for Byron Steamship Co. Ltd., of London, 'M. Embiricos', the manager. On Feb. 04, 1918, while en route, in ballast, from Genoa, Italy, to St. John's, New Brunswick, Canada, the vessel was attacked by UB-49, Kapitänleutnant Hans von Mellenthin in command, (by torpedo, I presume) off Genoa. 2 lives were lost but the ship survived the encounter, in a damaged condition. In 1932, the vessel was sold to 'N. G. Nicolaou', & became Ekaterini Nicolaou. A number of ownership changes in 1938/9. Became Victoria in 1938, owned by 'A. G. Pappadakis & Co. Ltd.' of Piraeus, Greece, (or maybe London). Later that year the vessel became Cantabro, owned by the Spanish Nationalist Government. In 1939, the vessel became Castillo Oropesa, owned by the Spanish Government (Gerencia de Buques Mercantes para Servicios Oficiales?) In late 1941, the vessel travelled in ballast from Barcelona to Melilla, Spanish Morocco, (Mediterranean coast, eastern Morocco). On Nov. 08, 1941, while anchored in Spanish territorial waters at the mouth of the port of Melilla, the vessel was torpedoed & sunk by Italian submarine Dandalo. 3 indicates (I think) that the vessel was sunk by mistake. I have read snippets of data that suggests that may well not be so. No loss of life. I would welcome additions or corrections. 195 HMS Redoubt 1065 tons Hull 508 1917 An R Class destroyer. H68. Per Speed 36 knots, complement of 90. WWW data about the vessel seems to be non-existent. But the vessel was involved in a quite amazing aviation story, which merits being detailed at length. You should first know that the Germans used Zeppelins in WW1 to bomb London & for aerial reconnaissance with great effect & impunity. On Aug. 11, 1918, Redoubt took part in a raid on German shipping in the Heligoland Bight, off the Dutch coast. Redoubt towed a 'lighter' at a speed of 35 knots, a tiny flat topped barge if you will, which was carrying Flight Sub Lieutenant Stuart Douglas Culley, an American pilot, aboard a Sopwith Camel 2F.1 fighter. A patrolling Zeppelin (L-53) was sighted. The Camel took a run of just 5 feet, got airborne, climbed for an hour to 18,000 feet & using incendiary ammunition shot down the Zeppelin flying above him. Only one of the Zeppelin's crew survived after baling out. Culley, virtually out of fuel, with just one pint left, landed his aircraft in the sea alongside Redoubt & he and his aircraft were taken aboard using a derrick. He was the first, & probably the only, pilot to shoot down an enemy 'aircraft' having taken off from a towed vessel. Culley's Camel hung in the Imperial War Museum in London for many years (2 and 3). And may indeed still do so? Culley won the DSO - see link above. Commodore Reginald Y. (Yorke) Tyrwhitt, fleet commander I believe, was so impressed with Culley's heroic performance that he ordered the young flyer to stand on top of Redoubt's main gun turret while the rest of the fleet passed in review with all hands on deck to salute him. Vessel broken up Jul. 13, 1926. Loads of WWW references to the story. This is the best account I have read. Can anybody possibly provide more detail about the vessel? 196 HMS Umpire 1085 (or 1090) tons Hull 512 1917 A Modified (slightly bigger than the standard) R Class destroyer. Per 1 (data), 2 (Wikipedia ref. Umpire), 3 (Valetta, Malta, 1924 rescue of passengers). 84.1 metres long, speed of 36 knots, complement of 82. I have previously indicated that the vessel was F 26. I wonder now if that was true & if so the incorrect vessel is pictured at top thumbnail left. Instead H 10. Armament 3 4 in. guns & a single 2 pounder 'pom-pom', 4 21 in. torpedo tubes. An improvement (fuel economy) on the earlier M class destroyers. On Nov. 02, 1924, when at Valetta, Malta, the vessel rescued passengers of a small motorboat, in collision with HMS Calypso. Then H 10. WWW data about the vessel's service is non-existent. Can anybody possibly provide more detail about the vessel? On Jan. 07, 1930, the vessel was sold to be broken up at Charlestown (Firth of Forth, Rosyth, Scotland). 197 HMS Vega 1300 (or 1200) tons Hull 514 1917 An Admiralty V Class destroyer. Per 1 (V & W Class Destroyers), 2 ('uboat.net', Vega), 3 (HMS Vega, history). 309 ft. (95.1 metres) long, speed of 34 knots, armed with four 4 inch guns & four 20 mm anti-aircraft guns, complement of 125. Commissioned Dec. 14, 1917. The vessel was damaged in 1918. Was selected for conversion to an Anti-Aircraft Escort. Reconstruction to 'Fast Escort' completed on Nov. 28, 1939. Pennant number D52 changed to L41 upon completion. Or ... reconstructed in 1940 (completed Apl. 23, 1940), & became a Fast Escort (D52 changed to L41). Used during WW2 on North Sea convoy duties. Took part in the successful blocking of the Bruges Canal at Zeebrugge in May 1940, assisted at the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk & Le Havre in May 1940, & blockaded the harbour at Dieppe in Jun. 1940. On Nov. 11, 1940, the vessel hit a mine off Sunk Head (Harwich). Repairs were only completed on Nov. 14, 1942. The vessel was sold to 'BISCO' for breaking up ('Clayton and Davies') at Dunston (River Tyne) on Mar. 04, 1947. And arrived at Dunston, on Mar. 26, 1947 (or maybe the same date in 1948) for scrapping. Can you help improve this listing? 198 HMS Shamrock 1075 (or 905) tons Hull 524 1918 An S Class destroyer. HO6. Per 1 (S Class - armament at right), 2 (data & related images). 84.1 metres long overall, 276 ft., 80.8 metres perpendicular to perpendicular, speed of 36 knots, complement of 82 (or maybe 90). Built for the Royal Navy. The vessel perhaps should be included at 1? But is not. I thought she had seen service in WW1, but perhaps not. I now read that she was commissioned at Chatham on Oct. 11, 1919 for 'service in the 4th Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet' & 'was detached to the Mediterranean for a time in 1920. Was re-commissioned at Nore on Jun. 30, 1921, as an 'emergency destroyer, a tender to' Hecla (later Malcolm), 'with only engineering officers permanently attached'. On Nov. 17, 1927 'she paid off into Maintenance Reserve at Rosyth and in November 1930 she recommissioned at Portsmouth for service at Gibraltar. 'The vessel remained in the Mediterranean until late 1936. On Nov. 23, 1936, the vessel was sold, for breaking up at Milford Haven. Have read such sale was 'as part exchange for RMS Majestic'. Can anyone explain that? 199 Sutherland 5277 (later 5286) tons Hull 528 142711 Southmead Koolonga Caithness David Dawson Avon River launched as War Aspen 1918 A cargo ship. Per 1 (data & the wreck in 2007/2010?). 400.3 ft. (about 127 metres) long, 2 masts, speed of 11 knots. Launched for the British Government as War Aspen. But delivered to Sutherland Steamship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle (A. M. Sutherland the manager) as Sutherland, at a cost of £167,500. In earlier versions of this listing, I have referenced that Sutherland was sold, in 1920, to 'Western Counties Shipping Company Limited' ('Western'), of Cardiff, with Edgar Edwards or E. Edwards & Sons the managers, & renamed Southmead. While that statement is true it does not state what really happened. In the very early days of Feb. 1920, Western agreed to acquire Sutherland's then entire fleet of eleven vessels for a total price of £1,825,000, including Sutherland which was included in the purchase at a value of £280,000. This contemporary news report relates. My understanding is that Western proposed to pay for their purchase by raising £1,000,000 in new Ordinary capital and by assuming a Sutherland mortgage for £900,000, intending to soon sell three of the older vessels & reduce the mortgage by an anticipated £370,000. The heavily oversubscribed share issue was a success, largely acquired by prior shareholders of Western. Three of the eleven vessels were sold in Apl. 1920 - to The Anglo-Celtic Shipping Company, Ltd. of Cardiff for a total of £375,000 i.e. Caithness (£145,000), Dumfries (£120,000) & Inverness (£110,000). This prospectus advertisement relates. The later failure of Western is truly astonishing. And to me at least, most complicated. However freight rates took a large tumble & Western became unable to pay the insurance premiums on its fleet vessels. In May 1921, a receiver/manager was appointed by Chancery Division on behalf of the Western debenture holders whose security was fixed by way of mortgages on the various ships. On Aug. 24, 1921, eight of the Western fleet vessels were sold by public auction at the Baltic Exchange in London. Southmead was one of such ships. The vessel, which had been acquired for £280,000 so very recently, was sold at such auction for £60,500 only. To McIlwraith McEacharn Limited, (or McIlwraith, McEacharn Line Pty. Ltd.), of Melbourne, Australia, & renamed Koolonga. Per this contemporary news report, in black. Vessels which had sold for £30 per ton were sold for £1 to £5 per ton only. E. Edwards & Sons went into voluntary liquidation. The vessel was sold again, for £36,000 in 1929, to B. J. Sutherland & Co., of Newcastle & renamed Caithness. In 1935, the vessel was sold to Jubilee Shipping Navigation Co., of Newcastle, (Frank S. Dawson ('Dawson') the manager?) & renamed David Dawson. It was sold again, in 1936, to Avon Steamship Co. Ltd., of Bristol (M. Whitwill & Son the manager? - Whitwill was a director of Dawson) & renamed Avon River. Gross tonnage became 5286. Later in 1936, while en route from Montreal, Quebec, to Churchill, Manitoba, (both Canada), in ballast, the vessel ran into a severe gale with mountainous seas on Sep. 15, 1936. The engines failed, & on Sep. 16, 1936, the vessel was driven onto the W. coast of Mansel Island in Hudson Bay. At 62.06N/80.18W. No lives were lost, which is amazing considering how remote the site. The inquiry at Montreal determined loss was due to the weather conditions & attributed no blame to the vessel's officers & crew. Wreck still seemed to be there in 2007/2010? Can you correct or add to the above? 200 HMS Walpole 1300 (or 1100) tons Hull 518 1918 A V & W Class destroyer. Per 1 ('uboat.net', data, Walpole), 2 (extensive data incl. painting image, Walpole). 95.1 metres (312 ft.) long. Armed with four 4-inch guns; two 2-pounder pompom anti-aircraft guns; one machine gun; four Lewis guns & six 21-inch torpedo tubes. Speed of 34/35 knots, complement of 134. Commissioned Aug. 1918. D41. On Oct. 30, 1939, HMS Walpole & HMS Whirlwind scuttled with gunfire British merchantman Bronte (built in 1919 by A. McMillan & Son. Ltd. of Dumbarton - ON#140623), which had been torpedoed at 49.30N/12.15W, by U-34 on Oct. 27, 1939, 180 miles W. of Lands End. Walpole took aboard 42 Bronte crew members. On Mar. 08, 1940, the vessel picked up 78 survivors from the British merchant vessel Counsellor which hit a mine laid by U-30 close to Liverpool Bar Lightship, at 53.38N/03.23W. On May 13, 1940, the vessel evacuated personnel from IJmuiden, Holland. On Jul. 27, 1940, the ship was damaged by bombs from German aircraft while escorting a convoy off Dover. On Jan. 06, 1945, the vessel was mined off Vlissingen (Flushing), Holland. 2 crew were killed, & 5 seriously injured. While the vessel was towed back to Kent by HMS Rutherford, she was declared to be a constructive total loss, & was not repaired. Was sold to be broken up on Feb. 08, 1945 & broken up at the Thomas Ward Ltd. shipbreaking facilities at Grays, Essex. Anything you can add? 201 War Aconite 5329 (or 5299) tons Hull 529 142634 Trefusis 1918 A 'A' dry cargo ship. Per 1 (image, War Aconite), 2 (sinking, data & image), 3 (U-130, type in 130 at top left), 4 (U-410 & Trefusis about 75% down, p#51), 5 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Trefusis), 6 & 7 (Hain). 122.0 metres (perpendicular to perpendicular) & 412 ft. long, speed of 11 knots. Aconite? A poisonous plant, used in wartime to poison enemy water supplies. Built for the British Government (The Shipping Controller) as War Aconite, managed by W. Runciman & Co., of London. The vessel was sold, in 1919, to The Hain Steamship Company Limited ('Hain') of Cardiff & later London (but originally of St. Ives, Cornwall), renamed Trefusis & registered at St. Ives. Hain was then part of the 'Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company' group of companies. 59 WW2 convoy references, including 7 N. Atlantic crossings, service to W. Africa (Freetown), & U.K. coastal. On Feb. 28, 1943, the vessel left Gibraltar under the command of Captain Robert T. (Tyrer) Browne with a cargo of iron ore (ex Pepel, nr. Freetown, Sierra Leone) bound for Liverpool (& then to London it would seem). In convoy XK-2. A total complement of 47. The convoy was attacked by U-130 (4 refers to U-410, however. I wonder why.) & 4 convoy ships were sunk on Mar. 05, 1943, including Trefusis. At 43.50N/14.46W, NW of Lisbon, Portugal. 3 lives were lost. The survivors (including the Captain) were picked up by HMS Coreopsis, (a corvette), transferred to HMS Loch Oskaig (an armed trawler), & landed at Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Anything you can add? 202 War Stag 5249 (or 5175) tons Hull 525 142431 Tregonnell Iris 1918 A 'B' type cargo ship. Per 121.9 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, (400 or 413.5 ft.), speed of 11 (or 10 1/2) knots. Built for the British Government (Shipping Controller) as War Stag, with Watts, Watts & Co. Ltd., of London, the managers. The vessel was sold, in 1919, to Hain Steamship Company Ltd., of London (company previously was of St. Ives, Cornwall, until purchased by P&O in 1917) & renamed Tregonnell. Vessel often referred to as 'Tregonell', possibly incorrectly? The vessel served the Hull & Cardiff to New York route in the 1920-1923 period. It was sold, on Aug. 02, 1935, to 'Achille Lauro', (Flotta Lauro or Lauro Lines), of Naples, Italy, & renamed Iris. On Jun. 25, 1943, the vessel was bombed & sunk at Naples but later was salvaged (when I wonder?) & returned to service. Am grateful for a website that requests no links re that data. Have not been able to WWW read the circumstances. On Apl. 10, 1958, the vessel arrived at Spezia, Italy, to be broken up. Can you correct and/or add to the above? 203 HMS Whitley 1300 (or 1100) tons Hull 520 1918 A W Class destroyer. Per 1 (4 images, 20% down), 2 (re sinking), 3 ('uboat.net', data, Whitley), 4 (Wikipedia, V & W Class destroyers). Was initially intended to be named Whitby. 95.1 metres long, speed of 35 knots. Commissioned Oct. 1918. During 1919-20, the vessel served in the Baltic for operations against the Bolsheviks. The ship was placed in the Reserve Fleet by 1921 as part of the 9th Destroyer Flotilla at Rosyth & did not serve with the Fleet in the inter-war years. L23. Reconstructed by HM Dockyard Chatham, to 'Fast Escort' in Oct. 1938. D97. On May 19, 1940, the vessel was badly damaged by German aircraft & was beached between Nieuport & Ostend on the Belgian coast. It was pulled off the beach but due to its poor condition was intentionally sunk nearby by HMS Keith - in only 5 m. of water. Can you add to or correct the above? 204 HMS Velox 1300 tons Hull 516 1918 Admiralty V Class destroyer. Per 1 (with image), 2 (Wikipedia), 3 (data & image). 300 ft. long, speed of 34 or 35 knots, armed with (you can read it at 3. I have difficulty in summarising it). Complement of 110. D 34. Launched Nov. 17, 1917 & commissioned Apl. 01, 1918. Built with the ability to be converted into a minelayer within 24 hours. Was engaged in the Second Ostend Raid. Travelled to the Baltic Sea N. of Russia (does that make sense) during the Bolshevik revolution. Placed in Reserve due to economic conditions during the 1930s. The vessel was re-commissioned in 1939 & allocated for duty at Gibraltar. Saw service with the Atlantic Fleet, 1st Destroyer Flotilla. Took part in operations at Ostend & Zeebrugge. In 1940, Velox organised the embarkation/evacuation at Port Vendres & Sète, France, of Czechoslovak troops to Gibraltar. From Aug. 19/25, 1941, carried to Gibraltar a) the survivors (transferred from Campanula of Alva, sunk by German submarine U-559, & b) 8 survivors (transferred from Campanula) of Empire Oak, a tug, sunk by U-564. On Aug. 22, 1942 the vessel picked up 66 survivors from City of Wellington, torpedoed & sunk by U-506 SW of Freetown, Sierra Leone. In May 1944, the vessel was reconstructed & became a Long Range Escort. I-34. Reduced to 'Reserve' after VJ Day, placed on the 'Disposal List' in 1946 & sold to 'BISCO' on Feb. 18, 1947 for breaking-up by Metal Industries. In Nov. 1947, the vessel arrived, in tow, at Charlestown (Firth of Forth, Rosyth, Scotland) for breaking up. Corrections? 205 Comeric 6701 tons Hull 537 141917 Hampton Hill Mount Kyllene laid down as War Jasper 1919 A cargo ship. Per 1 [Bank Line, Comeric, (2)], 2 ('wrecksite.eu', sinking data), 3 (two Apl. 1938 Australian newspaper articles, ex 4 & 5), 6 (Board of Trade Report re Anglo Australian, 'pdf' available), 7 (Lloyd's Register data, 1930/31 thru 1937/38, ex 'plimsollshipdata.org', see left). The history of this vessel has been particularly difficult to WWW research - which is unfortunate because the story is a dramatic one. 125.8 metres long, perpendicular to perpendicular, 412.6 ft., speed of 11 knots, signal letters (late in life) KOHN, GBTD & SVUQ, 619 HP engines by Wm. Doxford & Sons. Laid down as War Jasper for the British Government (Shipping Controller). But delivered as Comeric to Bank Line Limited, Andrew Weir & Co. the managers, i.e. 'Bank Line', of Glasgow. In 1936, the vessel was sold to Middlesex Steamship Co. Ltd., of London, with Counties Ship Management Co. Ltd., the managers, also of London. And renamed Hampton Hill. In 1937, the vessel was sold to 'Kulukundis Bros. & C. N. Pateras', which would seem to have become 'Kulukundis Shipping Co. & others' or something most similar, Kulukundis & Pateras, the managers, all of Piraeus, Greece, & renamed Mount Kyllene. Mount Kyllene, or Mount Kyllini or Mount Cyllene is the 2nd highest mountain in the Peloponnese peninsula, Greece, the legendary birthplace of messenger of the Gods 'Hermes'. On Apl. 09, 1938, while en route, in ballast, from Amsterdam to Panama City, Panama, Mount Kyllene encountered heavy weather. I have read that the ship suffered an explosion 'in the neighbourhood of her bunkers', an explosion that blew the ship into two pieces. At 43.30N/28.00W, in the N. Atlantic, said to be about 200 miles N. of the Azores, about 1,200 miles W. of the N. Spanish coast. It would seem, however, that there is much more to the story than is written above. Apparently the weight of the ship, i.e. its engines & its water & solid ballast, was predominantly amidships. During the storm, the ship became 'suspended' with bow & stern on the crests of separate waves. The ship buckled in the middle, initially, apparently, with some 'creaking'. However, within 15 minutes, the ship had physically broken into two pieces amidships. Both parts stayed afloat, & per Charles Hocking, 17 crew were on the bow section while 14 were on the aft. Papa Theodorou ('Theodorou'), the ship's radio officer, rigged a temporary aerial in the fore part of the ship after the explosion, & was able to send out distress signals. It would seem that three tankers came to the rescue. Inverlee & Athelfoam, respectively Irish & British tankers, were two of the three. I have read that Kitia Knudsen, a Norwegian tanker, was the third, but Miramar do not reference a vessel of such a name. I think that the third vessel may have correctly been Kaia Knudsen. Inverlee certainly rescued 5 crew members (J. H. Onions, then 3rd officer of Inverlee, was honoured by the Greek Admiralty with a medal for his part in the rescue). But Inverlee may well have saved more crew members on the second day. Athelfoam must have had a significant rescue role. Arthur Wilkinson advises, (thanks!) that his father, Arthur Wilkinson, an able seaman aboard Athelfoam, was awarded the Naval Medal 2nd class (silver) by the Kingdom of Greece for his part in the rescue. An image of the citation is at left, approx. translated here. In total, by one or other of those three ships, 29 crew members were rescued. Unfortunately, four crew members, including Theodorou, lost their lives trying to board the lifeboats that came to save them in the mountainous seas. Remarkably both parts of the ship stayed afloat after the break-up - the stern stayed afloat for 36 hours while the bow section stayed afloat for at least 11 days. I read that it was last seen on Apl. 20, 1938 - at 43.09N/31.22W, about 210 miles W. of where she broke apart, but also have read that it floated for 14 days. Was there an official enquiry, I wonder, into the disaster? Mount Kyllene's experience was referenced in the Board of Trade Inquiry Report re Anglo Australian which was lost in somewhat similar circumstances a month prior, on or about Mar. 14, 1938. Photographs apparently exist of the ship in two pieces. Can you add anything? Another image? 206 Linerton 6698 (later 6795 & 7064) tons Hull 539 142849 Radix Tine Asmussen Juan Casiano 1919 A cargo ship which soon became a tanker. Per 1 (data Linerton, with 3 images), 2 (image, data, Radix), 3 (extensive data in Dutch, many images, Linerton/Radix), 4 (link 4 translated into English), 5 (a 'pdf' file with references/images re the rebuild of Linerton), 6 (an extensive 1925 article about the rebuild ex Trove, Australia), 7 ('convoyweb.org', WW2 convoy duty, click on 'SHIP SEARCH' then insert Juan Casiano). Built for Carlton Steamship Co. Ltd. & Cambay Steamship Co. Ltd., of Newcastle. 412.1 ft long (125.6 metres) perpendicular to perpendicular, 430.0 ft. long overall, speed of 10 knots, signal letters LJPT, LCKK, DKBB, XCJW. The vessel had an extraordinary early history. When on her maiden voyage, Linerton suffered an engine breakdown during an easterly gale - a cylinder head blew out. The tow ropes parted & 2 tugs could not stop her from coming ashore on Herd Sands, south of the South Pier at South Shields, on Nov. 09, 1919. The entire crew of 45 were rescued by Willie Wouldhave, a lifeboat of the Tyne Lifeboat Society. The ship ended up high & dry on the beach & one could walk around the entire hull as thousands indeed did. The ship's hull had fractured aft of the engine room & gelignite was used to break the split open & end up with two hull pieces. Apparently 9 British shipyards declined to rebuild the vessel none of them being prepared to accept a completion deadline in a time of labour unrest. In due course, in Apl. 1920, the two sections were towed to Rotterdam, The Netherlands. A tow not without incident - when within 16 miles of the River Maas, one of the pieces had to return to Hull, U.K., due to a violent storm in the North Sea - the tug that was doing the towing ran out of coal! The vessel was entirely rebuilt as a tanker by Rotterdam Drydock Company, a rebuild which included moving the vessel's engines to the stern. Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co. Ltd. of Newcastle, became the owners of the rebuilt vessel, renamed Radix. Her speed became 11 knots. At left are dramatic images related to the 1919 grounding. In 1929 the vessel was sold to A/S Mosvolds Rederi III of Kristiansand, Norway - with no change of vessel name. The vessel soon became registered at Farsund, Norway, & in 1936 A/S Mosvolds Shipping Co. of that city became the vessel's owner, again with no change of vessel name. In 1938, the vessel was sold to Johann Haltermann of Hamburg, Germany, & renamed Tine Asmussen. The vessel was seized by Mexico in 1940 (or maybe 1941), became owned by Petroleos Mexicanos SA of Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, & was renamed Juan Casiano (a revered monk/theologian of the Orthodox Church, 360/365 to 435 AD). The vessel was extensively involved in convoy duty during WW2 - 25 convoy references from Oct. 1942 to Sep. 1944, mainly in the Caribbean (ex Galveston) & to New York City. I learn that on Oct. 19, 1944, the vessel foundered during a storm when 90 miles off Savannah, Georgia, while en route from Tampico, Mexico, to New York. 21 lives were lost. Can you provide more data? #1913 207 HMS/HMAS Success 1075 tons Hull 522 1919 An S Class destroyer. Per 1 (includes modest image), 2 (S Class - armament data at right), 3 (a c.1920 & a 1927 image of Success used to be available. Likely they still are somewhere on the site. Built for the Royal Navy. 276 ft. long, twin screw, 2 funnels, a long forecastle, a tall bridge, which, unusually, was located behind the break in the main deck, speed 30 (or 36) knots, steam turbine, twin screw, complement of 90. But in Jun. (or maybe in Jul.) 1919, the vessel was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy. Was intended to be renamed Raboul, but it was not renamed. On Jan. 27, 1920, the vessel was commissioned as HMAS Success (H02). But held in reserve. On May 21, 1931, the vessel was de-commissioned. And on Jun. 04, 1937, was sold to 'Penguin P/L' to be scrapped. 'remains scuttled by bombing by aircraft off Sydney Dec. 20, 1941'. Can you explain what 'Penguin P/L' means & also explain those last words. Means that vessel was not therefore actually scrapped in 1937? And can you provide more data? This page is the second of 4 Doxford pages, the first being here. The 3rd & 4th pages are here & here. TO END THE PAGE For your pleasure and interest. So many of the vessels listed in these pages ended their lives in wartime. WW1 & WW2 mainly. Hit by a torpedo perhaps or bombed by enemy aircraft. The following image does not relate to any vessel listed in these pages. But I like the WW1 image, of a German torpedo boat in action, the work of German artist Prof. Willy Stöwer (1864/1931). I hope that you like it also. It was 'sharpened' for presentation on this page. The item was listed by eBay vendor 'moonrabbitpostcards', a U.S. vendor, from Silver Springs, Maryland. That vendor consistently used to provide large & clear images of the items he offered for sale. But now seems no longer to be active, alas. 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. [ ] £ à é ö ô ć ü ê 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: