By
Saturday, June 16, 2007
3D Rendering of HMAS Australia (I), 1913 - 1924
Hello Mac,
My name is Mark Brown. I have a small webpage showing some of my 3D warship "art" at
http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~mabrown/index.html
I have taken the liberty of linking to your excellent website. I thought I should get your permission for the link. You can view it on my links page via the "Warship history and reference pages" link.
I am planning on building a 3D model of the Kent class (as well as the modified Leanders, first Sydney etc) if I can ever manage to finish my model of the first Australia!
All the best,
Mark Brown
Adelaide
Mark,
I have been in Europe and am just back.
Its fine to link to Ahoy, and thank you for your kind words.
Regards,
Mac.
Empire Gold and Cyrush H. McCormick
Mac -
Many thanks for your letters web log, and to you and the various people who have posted memories, information, and comments about the last "Liberty" and "Empire" ships sunk in the Atlantic war.
Yesterday I had the privilege to present a professional paper at a maritime history conference about these ships, and the contributions of Mr. Burland, Flo, and others made it a much more interesting discussion. This is a project I have conducted in association with marine archaeologist Neil Cunningham Dobson, who made the original post at this site.
Here's a little bit of new information for you and anyone else interested in this topic.
My company, Odyssey Marine Exploration, two years ago located a submarine wreck not very far from the wrecks of Empire Gold and Cyrus H. McCormick. At first we thought it was U-1107, the sub that sank those ships. It was not. Extensive research and work with leading submarine expert Dr. Alex Niestle has managed to correct the historical record about the late war sub losses. U-1107, it turns out, was not sunk by the Catalina air attack, but instead the sub we discovered. (Another official report is still pending, so I can't name it now.) Rather, the U-1107 was destroyed by a homing torpedo dropped by a Lancaster on ASW patrol.
We are continuing to develop the story of all 4 ships involved in this end-of-war event. The rescue ship, the sub, and the two torpedo victims will all be addressed in greater length in ne or two books. When we are free to release our papers for web publication, we will let you know!
In the meantime, anyone who ever served on any of the vessels or has stories to tell is welcome to get in touch. I especially wish to know where the photos you posted of the Empire Gold burning and blowing up - said to have been taken from a nearby Liberty ship - came from, who shot them, if the originals are available, and more. It looks like the first of those pics may even have the McCormick sinking in the foreground of the smoke cloud.
Best regards and thanks to all -
J. Lange Winckler
Historian
Odyssey Marine Exploration
Tampa, Florida
Lange,
I have been in Europe and am just back again in Melbourne.
Thank you for your interesting letter, I will be pleased to have any information about your find when you are able to release it.
At this distance from when I posted the Empire Gold photos, I am unsure where they came from, so apologise for not being able to give you the detail you requested.
Nice to hear from you, I am always interested in the work Odyssey Marine are doing around our oceans.
Kindest regards,
Mac. Gregory.
TK,
At our URL:
http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/MaraudersCivilWar/CSSShenandoah.html
Could you please add this stamp bearing the Shenandoah?
Shenandoah
Hi Mac, I'm a collector of documents bearing U.S. revenue stamps of the Civil War era. One type of taxed document was a ship's manifest. Surviving examples have always been very rare. Now thay are a little less rare, as a group of 19 appeared in the marketplace in 2006. A big plus to these is that all are for vessels clearing customs at New Bedford in 1864, on whaling voyages. Whaling-related documents are rare in their own right!
I'm in the process of writing up this find for a collector journal, and yesterday was astounded to discover via the internet, and your site especially, that (as I'm putting it):
An internet search on some of the ship names revealed a sensational twist to the story of this find. The William Thompson (#38) and Sophia Thornton (#72) never returned from the voyages chronicled here; both were captured and burned by the infamous Confederate raider Shenandoah in the Bering Sea on June 22, 1865. The General Pike (#21) was captured three days later, but bonded and released to carry prisoners from the many destroyed vessels to San Francisco. The Civil War had ended some two months earlier, but conclusive proof had yet to reach the Shenandoah. Accounts of these captures fill in two important details: the Wm. Thompson and Sophia Thornton were vessels of 495 and 426 tons, respectively, confirming that the $3 stamp tax on their manifests was correct.
The exploits of the Shenandoah have been the subject of numerous articles and books (e.g. Chaffin, 2006).
A compact and rollicking online summary is furnished by Mackenzie Gregory's website
(http://www.ahoy.tk-jk.net/MaraudersCivilWar/CSSShenan-doah.html), from which we quote below some excerpts.
(The numbers in parens are those of the manifests for these ships; they were numbered chronologically, between 1 and 72). And here I'd like to quote a long passage from your site beginning with the capture of the Wm. Thompson, ending possibly with the capture, bonding, and release of the General Pike on June 27, but possibly with the big events of June 28.
I was also delighted to learn that the Jireh Swift, whose manifest was not among this bunch, but for which I
have an 1864 bill of exchange made in San Francisco by its master Thos. Williams, was also a victim of the
Shenandoah.
A small quibble: you described the General Pike as the "General Price." I also noticed you didn't give a tonnage, possibly because there was no such ship in the lists? What was your source for these tonnages? Was it Lund's book? Can you tell me the tonnage of the General Pike?
Thanks for a great website! Bye for now,
Mike Mahler
Santa Monica, California
Mike,
I am just back from a trip to Europe, hence my silence.
Thank you for your for your very interesting mail, and please use whatever you wish from my Confederate Raiders.
I had obviously mistakenly typed General Price when it should read General Pike, I am grateful to you for finding that error, although I do strive for accuracy, I am fallable at times.
I have never been able to find the tonnage of the Bark General Pike, my basic reference was Chester G. Hearn's Gray Raiders of the Sea.
I have just ordered another book about the Confederate Raiders from the States, on its arrival if I find a tonnage for General Pike, I will naturally pass it on to you Mike.
I have a list of the 38 ships captured by Shenandoah, whether they were burned or bonded, should you like that list mailed please just yell.
When you finish your article, I would love a copy, and with your approval we will put it up on AHOY.
Nice to hear from you.
Best regards,
Mac.
The Shenandoah voyage map
Mac, cannot read the caption on the map,
"based on a chart drawn by J____ W___ after _____ _____ by Captain Waddell"
Alistair Campbell/B.C., Can.
Alistair,
I am just home from a trip to Europe, hence my silence.
I agree its difficult to read the caption on the Shenandoah track chart.
The best I can make out is:
The Cruise of the Shenandoah.
Based on a chart drawn by Jules Wellz? after one planned by Captain Waddell.
Hope that may suffice.
Regards,
Mac.
Jack McCabe (William John McCabe) lost his life onboard the SS Bengorehead May 9th 1941, Convoy OB-318
SS Bengore Head
Hello I just finished reading about the SS Bengore Head, sunk May 9th 1941, Convoy OB-318, my Grandfather lost his life onboard the SS Bengorehead on that day, Jack McCabe (William John McCabe) I would dearly love to hear from any others that may have known any one onboard this ship, very good reading from your site , thank you very kindly.
Kindest regards Ewel McCabe
Ewel,
I do not have any more details about anyone else in SS Bengore Head, was your Grandfather a Merchant Navy sailor, a Royal Navy member or a civilian in the ship?
If lost at sea in WW2 he should be listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site.
Here is some detail about OB-318 and the ships sunk from that convoy:
Regards,
Mackenzie Gregory.
Convoy battles
OB-318
Liverpool - Outward (North America) (North Atlantic)
7 May, 1941 - 10 May, 1941
The Convoy 38 ships
First sighting On 7 May, 1941 by U-94
Escorts until 7 may : the 7th Escort Group,
consisting of the destroyers Westcott ( Cdr
Bockett-Pugh ), Newmarket, and Campbelltown, the
corvettes Primrose, Marigold, Nasturtium, Dianthus
and Auricula, the sloop Rochester and the a/s
trawler Angle.
The 3th Escort Group, consisting of the destroyers
Bulldog ( Cdr Baker-Creswell), Amazon and Broadway,
the armed merchant cruiser Ranpura ( temporarily
attached to the EG), the corvettes Aubretia,
Hollycock and Nigella and the a/s trawlers Daneman
and St-Appollo, is scheduled to relieve the 7th EG
in Mid-Atlantic.
U-boats
U-94 (Kptlt Kuppisch) *, U-110 (Kptlt Lemp) *, U-201
(Oblt Schnee) *, U-556 (Kptlt Wohlfarth) *
* U-boats that fired torpedo or used the deck gun
The battle
When the sighting message of the U-95 on the more
western, homeward convoy SC-29 is heard, the British
admiralty orders a course change which make the
convoy head right to the position of U-94. Contact
is made in the evening of the 7th, when 3 ships
leave the convoy for Reykjavik, and the destroyers
of the 3th EG arrive and relieve those of the 7th
EG, who are short on fuel. The rest of the 7th EG
intends to remain another day before going to escort
convoy HX-123.
U-94 makes an attack from the rear of the convoy and
sinks 2 ships. In the light of the exploding and
burning ships, the Rochester notices the periscope
of the U-94. Bulldog and Amazon plaster the boat
with in total 89 depth charges until morning, but
U-94 can escape damaged.
In the morning of the 8th, the corvettes and trawler
of the 3th reinforce the convoy and the remaining
units of the 7th leave. In the evening U-110 gets in
touch and brings up U-201. The two U-boats meet each
other in the morning of the 9th and discuss tactics
: U-110 will attack from the front of the convoy and
U-201 will follow half an hour later.
The U-110 is captured
In the night U-110 fires three torpedoes and sinks 2
ships. The Aubretia counterattacks with 2 series of
depth charges and U-110 is forced to surface in
front of the destroyers Bulldog and Broadway.
Broadway does not ram the U-boat but manages to get
a boarding party on the U-boat and capture very
important material. The captured material seems so
vital that the admiralty considers it's better the
Germans think the U-boat has been sunk in action and
it orders the U-boat already being taken in tow to
Iceland to be scuttled in order to better protect
the secret.
As agreed with U-110, U-201 attacks later and sinks
one and damages one. Amazon, Nigella and St-Appolo
counterattack for 5 hours and expend some 100 depth
charges. U-201 escapes damaged but is able to
continue her patrol.
U-556 also attacks in the night and damages one. The
convoy is dispersed in the morning. U-556 continues
the chase and sinks another 2 ships.
Article compiled by Tom Linclau
Ships hit from convoy OB-318
Date U-boat Commander Name of ship GRT Nat.
7 May, 1941 U-94 Herbert Kuppisch Eastern Star
5.658 nw
7 May, 1941 U-94 Herbert Kuppisch Ixion 10.263
br
9 May, 1941 U-110 Fritz-Julius Lemp Bengore Head
2.609 br
9 May, 1941 U-110 Fritz-Julius Lemp Esmond
4.976 br
9 May, 1941 U-201 Adalbert Schnee Empire Cloud
(d.) 5.969 br
9 May, 1941 U-201 Adalbert Schnee Gregalia
5.802 br
10 May, 1941 U-556 Herbert Wohlfarth Aelybryn
(d.) 4.986 br
10 May, 1941 U-556 Herbert Wohlfarth Empire
Caribou D 4.861 br
10 May, 1941 U-556 Herbert Wohlfarth Gand D
5.086 be
23 May, 1941 U-38 Heinrich Liebe Berhala D
6.622 nl
24 May, 1941 U-38 Heinrich Liebe Vulcain D
4.362 br
27 May, 1941 U-107 Günter Hessler Colonial D
5.108 br
(d.) = the ship was damaged in that attack.
Convoy info: S = straggler, D = dispersed, R = Romper
10 ships sunk for a total of 55.347 tons from convoy OB-318
Alice Apers, Florence Arthur and cousin Laura Apers survived the sinking of Athenia
Athenia
Dear Mac,
I came across your interesting website while looking for information on the sinking of the Athenia.
I had two aunts and a cousin who survived that sinking. I remember the day(I was eleven years of age) when we still didn't know if they had survived. I had gone to the movies in Belfast and had to run home to tell my parents that my relatives had survived and I had seen them on a newsreel walking down a gangplank from a destroyer in Scotland. The manager of the cinema ran a special screening to confirm what I had seen.
Both aunts are now deceased, but I often wonder what became of a baby my cousin had somehow picked up and brought into the lifeboat.
As my aunts told the story it was a moonlight night which aided in their rescue. Apparently they had to scramble up a rope(?) ladder to get on the destroyer and one unfortunate lady fell and drowned.
My aunts were Alice Apers, Florence Arthur and cousin Laura Apers.
Yours sincerely,
George Weir.
George,
I have just returned to Melbourne after a visit to Europe, so please forgive my lack of response to your mail.
I continue to be suprised at the continued interest about the loss of Athenia on the first day of WW2 on Sunday the 3rd. of September 1939, now so long ago.
I am grateful for your time and trouble in writing to me, obviously your relatives who survived the tragedy were rescued by one of the Royal Navy destroyers, to return to Gourock on the Clyde. That is the only group of survivors I have been unable to track down, now you have given AHOY three names from that source.
My thanks and best wishes.
Mac.
a young Frenchman on an educationnal cruise in 1968
Dear sir
I was deeply interested and a trifle motionned when, surfing on the web tonight, I read your interview of Captain FAJ Downe;
I had a great chance in April 1968 when we were invited with a few other pupils aboard HMS SS Nevasa; I was coming from Versailles school in France and discovered Ceuta Alicante Gibraltar Lisboa ... what a wonderful memory !
I was so greetfull to my British hosts that I wrote to Captain Downer a thanking letter; one among more than a thousand pupils I thougt no answer would ever come; but since I got the answer a few days later, I still remember the kind formula at the end ,something like: " I will not fogert such fine young ambassadors of France"
Please , if possible , do transmit to C. Downer my best regards , respecfully.
Bertrand Robichez
Surgeon near Paris
Bertrand,
Forgive my lack of response to your interestig mail, but I am just home in Melbourne Australia after a visit to Europe.
What a nice story you tell, and I will pass on your message to Captain Downer's son.
With my best wishes and regards.
Mackenzie Gregory.
Kristin Rush
To: tk@tk-jk.net ; macden@melbpc.org.au
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2007 11:26 AM
Hey, I have a question about a certain artifact that my
teacher has shown to us in class.
I was wondering if this bell is from the actual ship
Graf Spee or is it just a replicate?
heres some pictures of the bell and some measurement:
material: Bronze
height: 10 inches
diameter: 10 inches
weight: 5 lbs.
Provenance: Obtained in Berlin from an antique dealer in
1983 for approximately 15 USD
the pictures are attached, and if you can reply with all
the information you have to help me know if this is an
actual bell from the ship or just a replicate of one!
thanks
~K.Rush~
Kristin,
I am just back from a trip to Europe, so that isw why I
have not responded to your mail earlier.
Your bell is not big enough to be the main bell for the
Graf Spee, the ship commissioned in 1936, to be scuttled
in 1939.
I think your bell is one probably cast to remember the demise of this once great ship.
I also have had another enquiry about a similar bell to
the one you describe.
Regards,
Mackenzie Gregory.
The Battle For Convoy ONS 5. 26th.April - 6th. May 1943
Hello Mackenzie
Wow thank you so much thats amazing, I looked and couldn't find anything about the ship but i guess if you know where to look you can find what your looking for, and I will write to the address you gave on the other email about any medals he might have been entitled to.
No need to worry about worrying me, i'm happy to hear from you.
Thank you again for all the info you have found Best wishes
Faith
TK,
Faith responds to some detail I sent about SS Bristol City sunk from Convoy ONS 5.
Regards,
Mac.