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You are here: Home / Archives for Merchant ships

Merchant ships

Commercial trawlers in Two Wars

June 14, 2011

During the Falklands War in the early 1980s the warring navies of Great Britain and Argentina quickly called upon merchant shipping to pad out their naval capacity. In Great Britain, such requisitioned ships were commonly described under the interesting acronym of STUFT – Ships Taken Up From Trade. Some quickly reached a status where they might indeed have been described as STUFT, for entirely different reasons – the Atlantic Conveyor comes to mind.

Calling on merchant shipping to flesh out the official naval forces has been happening as long as navies have been used to follow political bickering with physical action.

Just a very few years before 1914 the people of Australia, through their government, bought what was effectively an all-new Navy. It was none too soon because WW1 was not far in the future and when war came the new RAN quickly realised that its purpose-built warships needed many back up ships, for minor and sometimes menial naval duties – such as minesweeping. Minesweeping is a physically demanding and dangerous work, carried in a wide range of sea conditions. What better than to co-opt fishing trawlers and the experienced small ship seamen that crew them?

In First World War naval officials expected that efforts would be made by the German Navy to interfere with both the operation of troops ships from Australia to Europe and the food and supply trade routes that worked across the Indian Ocean to Fremantle and as far as Brisbane. Early in the war the Federal government requisitioned a few seagoing tugs, certain coastal steamers and several almost new trawlers. The three ships of the Brolga class had been built in Britain between 1914 and1915 and had been bought by NSW in order to develop a state commercial fishery. These ships, of 221gross tons and about 35m in length, were Brolga, Gunundaal and Koraaga. In company with several powerful coastal tugs and other smaller coastal steam ships, these three vessels worked along the coast of NSW and into Bass Strait. Their most important mission was to search for a minefield thought to have been laid by the German raider Wolf. Near the NSW –Victorian border one mine was located on 9 October 1917 and another on 12 October. By 3 January 1918, the three ships, assisted by others, had accounted for 13 mines. This activity had been provoked by the damage to and eventual sinking of the large steamer Cumberland whose master had ignored naval instructions as to what track to follow.

QUEEN MARY seen at Fremantle in 1940 with HMAS BONTHORPE

Following the end of the war Brolga worked for the State Fisheries until the organization was disbanded, and was then sold commercially. She was wrecked on August 13, 1926 all 11 aboard were saved. Gunundaal likewise was returned to her NSW government owners and was, eventually, bought by the large commercial trawling company of Cam and Sons in 1923. She too was wrecked, in November 1929, near Cape Howe with all hands saved. Karaaga had a career similar to Gunundaal. Under ownership of Cam and Sons she ran aground near Bass Point on September 8 1931 and was badly damaged. She was refloated but sank the following day.

Between the wars commercial trawler expanded considerably on the eastern coast of Australia. With the state government well out of the physical picture two major companies worked the deep sea fields – Cam and Sons and Red Funnel Fisheries Ltd, which became Red Funnel Trawlers (a name still in commercial use although no fishing craft are operated by the present –2011- company).

After 1929 A.A. Murrell of Sydney operated at least two steam trawlers along the coast from Sydney. Murrell sold the 1918 built Samuel Benbow of 203grt, to Cam and Sons in 1940. For them she would have been a poor bargain as the Government of Australia commissioned her HMAS on October 5, 1939. Australia was at war again. Murrell’s other circa 1926 trawler Tongkol of 292 grt was commissioned HMAS the previous day. Murrell briefly entered the commercial fishing scene post war with the almost new New Zealand-built Pahau but soon sold her. That seems to have been the end of Murrell’s interest in commercial trawling.

Red Funnel Trawlers and Cam and Sons had a large combined fleet of trawlers, which interested the RAN, but there was also a need to maintain a fish supply to the public of New South Wales, so not all ships were taken over. There was, of course, some heavy bargaining concerning commercial imperatives and it seems likely that the best ships went to war. Among those ships taken up was one new vessel that was not a trawler although it was often so described. Patricia Cam was a wooden motor ship, built on Brisbane Water, near Gosford. She was intended to carry coal from the Cam and Sons coal wharf in Lake Macquarie, to the company’s fleet wharf in Sydney. When not in use for that she could carry other material as needed.

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Book Review: We Seemed To Get There

September 10, 2002

Title: We Seemed to Get There
Author: Captain Herbert W. Bolles, MN


Ever wondered what the Merchant Navy did, both in War and Peace? This is a truly superb book – an autobiography – to tell you all about it.

Herb – as he is known to his many friends – has told his story straightforwardly, accurately, with great warmth and the greatest sense of humour – there seems to be an anecdote on every page. Yet, although he never served in the Navy, he has made a point of reporting every wartime Merchant ship sinking in Australian waters and the loss of every Australian MN ship through enemy action.

Herb grew up in Perth and signed his indentures in Townsville in March 1942. His story of life as an apprentice in AUSN makes hilarious reading – especially the tale of mangoes in the chain locker! Working around the Indian and Australian coasts in those days has given him plenty of stories to tell. Of course, throughout the War, Navy and other Service personnel were often carried and it seems that our own Otto Becher was quite a lad on board the SS Tanda. By the end of the war, Herb’s ship was sailing in the British Pacific Fleet train. He is quite capable of telling stories borrowed (but always acknowledged) from other ships, and I love the story of the Oriana transiting a crucial section of the Barrier Reef, whose Captain ordered the bridge cleared of passengers, this being efficiently done by the Master-at Arms and his minions. He then found that he had no Pilot – that worthy meanwhile “…fighting for his life” against a very determined female ‘policeman’ twice his size, at the after end of the boat deck.

By the end of the war, Herb had passed his exams and was a Deck Officer. A few more years full of fascinating memories passed, sailing in many parts of the world in B.I. and W.A. State Shipping ships and taking leave in the foothills of the Himalayas, Sri Lanka, etc. He eventually rose to Master in the AUSTASIA Line in 1960, and in 1963 he reached that pinnacle longed for by many Master Mariners and became a Sydney Sea Pilot. More wonderful stories. Herb became a very well known and highly respected pilot, finally retiring in 1984. He remains a prominent and very popular member of several ex-MN organisations.

In case this review leaves the impression that the book is a lightweight effort, this is far from the case. This reviewer had a not dissimilar career in the merchant navy (but also in the RN and RAN) and I know or knew most of the ships, the ports, and very many of the seafarers and friends mentioned in this book. It is a true and honest story of a typical sea career in the Merchant Navy, but told with such verve and humour that it is almost impossible to put down.

Very highly recommended.

 

Recollections of the SS Jervis Bay – a Path to the Sea

June 9, 2002

A Young Boy’s Options

In 1922 I was 15 years of age and wondering what life held for me in the way of a career. Queensland at that time was the nearest thing to a Socialist State ever achieved in Australia. We had State Fish and Chips Shops, State Butchers Shops competing with local tradesmen, not very well, I might add.

I was at the Technical College and had filled in the forms as to Preferred Trade. My choice was first Fitter and Turner, second Motor Mechanic. When my turn came, I appeared before the Apprenticeship Committee. Choice 1 – No Vacancies; Choice 2 – No Vacancies. You are to report next Monday morning to Sachs the Plumbers. I replied that “I did not want to be a plumber.” They responded. “The decision is yours. You now go to the bottom of the list”. Exit Thomas Minto.

Commonwealth Apprenticeships

It was then that my Mother read in the newspaper that the Federal Government was offering an apprenticeship in the Commonwealth Government Line of steamers to one boy from each State, but the boy must be a Deceased Soldier’s son. I applied and was called in for an interview.

As I boarded the tram on my way home, I saw my mother sitting on a seat some distance away. She looked at me inquiringly. I nodded, and to my great surprise, she burst into tears. Such an outward display of emotion by a Scot was unheard of. It was then I realised that I WAS LEAVING MY HOME AND MY FAMILY. I felt like crying too, until I pictured my four older brothers passing judgement. That stiffened up the sinews!

On the 22nd November 1922 I went to sea. Not in a sailing ship, not in a poorly equipped Cargo Steamer. It was the Jervis Bay, a passenger and cargo vessel.

HMS Jervis Bay
HMS Jervis Bay

Built in Barrow on Furness, she was on her Maiden Voyage. The Master was Chaplin, the Chief Mate Laycock, and the Chief Engineer was Jock Bell.

There I met the boys from other States; Roy Hendy from Sydney, Albert Judge from Melbourne, Stan Bonney from Adelaide, John Adams from Perth. Peter Murdoch from Tasmania had been posted to another vessel.

The Repatriation Department had fitted us all out with our uniforms, shirts, working clothes, and heavy weather gear. My first pair of long trousers! The West Australian boy was so small his double breasted jacket had only room for six buttons instead of the regulation eight.

Adams was the only one who did not stay the distance. A very clever boy, he was a complete misfit as far as seafaring was concerned. He gave it away in less than a year. The rest of us carried on and in due course we all passed for our Master’s Certificate.

The Working Day

The Jervis Bay was on the England to Australia trade. We carried passengers but our contract with them was minimal. I am still in touch with one family, however, the Baltzers. Our day started at 0600 when we hand scrubbed the Bridge and the Lower Bridge teakwood decks. The rest of the day was holystoning decks, cleaning brasswork, washing paintwork and painting winches. It was constant.

The Baggage Master was Alex Kemp. He had been a Chief Yeoman of Signals in the Royal Navy. You cannot go higher without a Commission. We reckoned he thought in Morse Code and spoke in Semaphore. Each day at sea, from 11.20 to noon, he taught us Semaphore and the International of Signals. (Each letter of the alphabet has its own flag). From 8 to 8.30 pm we did Morse Code on the lamp. As a result we received training in Signals which exceeded by far the normal standards of the Merchant Service. For the rest of my seafaring career I could more than hold my own with any of the Ship’s Company. This proved very useful in World War II convoys.

At 3.45 pm we ceased work and cleaned up, then reported to the Lower Bridge at 4 pm for Seamanship Lessons, such as the Rule of the Road at Sea, from the 4th Mate. At 5.45 pm the 1st Mate took over and gave us our Home Work.

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Book Review: The Pirate of Tobruk – Biography of Commander Alfred Palmer RNR

March 9, 2002

THE PIRATE OF TOBRUK:A sailor’s life on the Seven Seas 1916-1946

Author: CMDR Alfred Brian Palmer, DSC, MBE, RNR, with Mary E. Curtis – originally published in a different form as “Pedlar Palmer”, Roebuck Society Publication No. 29, Canberra (1981) and (1994) by USN Institute, Annapolis, Maryland USA. 

When you need a book that you do not want to put down, this is the one!

Alfred Palmer was born in Sydney to an American veterinary father and Australian mother. He had a passion to go to sea, not shared by his father. Palmer signed on as a deck cadet in a windjammer in Newcastle at age 17, engaged in cargo work during WW I. A comprehensive glossary of nautical terms introduces the reader to his description of experiences in the Roaring 40s and Howling 50s, under sail. Mountainous seas, icebergs and the arduous life onboard are graphically described, until they were forced to abandon ship by a German submarine in the Atlantic, taking to the lifeboat, leaving the ship to sail away unmanned. On being rescued he joined the RN as an officer, but not long afterwards was shipwrecked again (this time as the sole survivor).

Between the wars and the Depression, he had a number of ships but nothing suited him until in 1930 he was offered chief officer billet of the collier SS Balls Head. Here he had his fair share of adventure, intrigue and political fallout when he was tasked with ferrying Australian greyhounds to China (for the illegal dog racing circuit). By 1939 he was living in Shanghai in the lap of expatriate luxury. Despite minor warnings in the area and being beached at the time, he was rudely awakened to WW II, when, without warning, the British Consulate tracked him down and requested he rejoin the Royal Navy. He headed off to Hong Kong to join a gunboat enroute for Singapore. Here he transferred to the submarine tender HMS Medway. In this ship he created quite a name for himself as a “can-do” officer.

Earning good reports from Medway, he was destined to command a number of smaller vessels in the Mediterranean, and particularly in the Tobruk area. His first challenge was X39, an old diesel barge from 1915 which needed 3 hours to warm up before proceeding seaward. Other commands included captured Italian schooners, where he took calculated risks and greatly contributed to the war effort by his audacious actions. Off Tobruk he was captured by the Italians and then spent a lot of the war in and out of POW camps, both in Italy and Germany. During one escape (he had many) he leaned out of the window of a moving train and nearly tore off one of his arms. On recapture the arm was amputated, but that did not stop him from trying again. His efforts became legendary amongst other POWs (and guards) of all 12 camps in which he was incarcerated.

The Pirate of Tobruk is a book that brings to life the exploits and adventures aplenty. His citation for the MBE reads: “… outstanding courage and devotion to duty”: for the DC, General Sir Archbald Wavell said: “… untiring efforts, handled his ship with marked skill, displays outstanding seamanlike ability under adverse circumstances and worthy of the highest praise.” Major John Devine (author of “Rats of Tobruk”) wrote: “A Dinkum Aussie who was helping to win the war by ferrying under merciless bombing attacks, everything that nobody else would think of carrying and who always had his ship patched up quickly and ready for sea.” Everything in the 200 pages is true. His experiences on Seven Seas made keeping a diary impossible. However, he leaves a legacy of the indomitable spirit of a man who loved life, encouraged others to give their best, and sought in his own way to leave the world a better place. He did not appear to harbour grudges or speak ill of people, turning unfortunate circumstances into memorable stories of human spirit. With laconic style and swashbuckling descriptions of life in the early to mid 1900s, this is a rattling good story of variety, danger, courage and deprivation which Palmer faced during and after both world wars.

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The Contribution of Merchant Seamen During the Fall of Crete – 1941

December 9, 2001

It is not always appreciated that British and Australian merchant seamen served ashore (probably inadvertently) during the withdrawal of Allied forces from Greece and subsequently, Crete. One such story deserves retelling.

Cadet J.H. Dobson of the SS Dalesman was captured by German parachutists after landing ashore in Crete. While he was being marched away he made a bid to escape, seized a sub-machine gun and turned it on his captors. He then found his way to a New Zealand gun battery, where he offered his assistance for some days. Eventually, as Allied resistance was crumbling all round the island he arrived at the south shore, where Allied troops were being evacuated from the beach. Alas, he had arrived too late. However, some survivors of the Royal Marine battalion had salvaged an abandoned landing craft. He joined his company and undertook the navigation for the passage to Egypt. Ten days later they arrived safely. He was later awarded the BEM for his efforts.

This feat is all the more remarkable when it is considered that this was Cadet Dobson’s first voyage at sea and throughout his exploits in Crete he had been suffering from a rumbling appendix!

In another incident, Chief Officer W. Rennie from the Logician (Captain W. Jones, OBE) reported how anti-parachutist patrol parties were formed, also in Crete, from gunners and seamen from his own ship and those of the Dalesman, 24 men in each party, commanded by a merchant navy officer. They slept on the ground or in slit trenches, arranging suitable camouflage like soldiers.

Bibliography: Merchantmen at War – the Official Story of the Merchant Navy 1939-44 – His Majesty’s Stationery Office.

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