Just need the ship's name

Discussion in 'The War at Sea' started by Keith Burkitt, Mar 26, 2021.

  1. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    Navy Lists no good he is a merchant seaman. I think John H has your man, OBE s were often given to Masters, sometimes for saving their ship after an attack. Extra Master, special man.
     
  2. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Rest of his records

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    Last edited: Mar 27, 2021
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  3. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Well, actually LOT’s of “ship masters” are ex-Navy.....or Navy trained.....or in the VR......so I always check those to see if I can get a “hit” with a name
     
  4. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Trying to make the connection to a ship now??
     
  5. Roy Martin

    Roy Martin Senior Member

    'Navy trained men' would have a Certificate of Service not a Certificate of Competency and those Merchant Navy men who do appear in the Navy List would be RNR
     
  6. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Found his records.....he was indeed originally in the Navy.......his records give his entire RN and Merchant service........

    Ship he was serving in on in 1941 and 1942 (and up to 1948) was SS Scythia......so now to check if that was a ship that went to Bombay at the proper time period


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  7. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Scythia went to Freetown and back - she didnt go to India

    From Arnold Hague database

    SS Scythia

    Clyde, Dec 8, 1941 WS.14 (Oversay - Freetown) Freetown, Dec 21, 1941
    Freetown, Dec 25, 1941 WS.14 (Oversay - Freetown) Durban, Jan 8, 1942
    Durban, Jan 16, 1942 Independent Port Elizabeth, Jan 17, 1942
    Port Elizabeth, Jan 26, 1942 Independent Capetown, Jan 27, 1942
    Capetown, Jan 31, 1942 Independent Freetown, Feb 10, 1942
    Freetown, Feb 21, 1942 SL.101 (Freetown - Liverpool)
    Independent Liverpool, Mar 9, 1942

    TD

    Lets see what the service records show as his date of embarkation was, it might even provide a port of arrival as well
     
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  8. JohnH

    JohnH Active Member

    CR10 for John Alexander MacDonald (DOB 11/01/1886)
     

    Attached Files:

  9. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Her movements card showed that she went to Bombay in Jan 43 (underwent repairs)......original Convoy on this trip was KMF 27.......so “possibly” we have the dates wrong (but without his records, we can confirm yet?)

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  10. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    This isn’t coming together.....to much postulating I think......TD is correct, his records would give us “exact dates” and from their we could then put this together......unless someone else has an “Epiphany” and makes the final connection
     
  11. ltdan

    ltdan Nietenzähler

    It remains exciting. And I really like detective work like this!
     
  12. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Just so an extra set of eyes can look at this, here’s the movement card for 1941 and start of 1942.....I see the ship wandering all over Africa etc.....but no Bombay (unless my old eye’s aren’t seeing it)

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  13. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Another connection COULD be the ship he was on BEFORE the Scythia.......the Samaria I believe......checking it’s movement card now
     
  14. JohnH

    JohnH Active Member

    In the Winston Specials link there is this "At the Durban rendezvous on 13.1.42 a considerable re-organisation of the convoy took place". Could he have changed ships ?
     
  15. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    OK, Samaira’s card is a “dog’s breakfast” of information.....going thru it now.....but first review tells me this isn’t it.....if I find anything I’ll post it up
     
  16. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    John, I was thinking that exact same thing......could he have changed ships?? That one’s going to be tough to tell, unless his record says something? BUT the card Keith gave us at least tells us 27th Dec.....what year??...and his records “should tell us his disembarkation date.....which may help solve this
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2021
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  17. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Samaria.....I only looked at 1940.....as his service record indicates in was on that ship 1939 to 1940 (war years I mean)........and it’s showing the ship in New York etc at that time period

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  18. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    Just a side note......going thru his records to see if I missed anything.....I note that in 1947 he is “in Command” of the SS Queen Mary and before that you can see he is still “in Command” of the SS Scythia


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    Last edited: Mar 27, 2021
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  19. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    The more I look at this the more I do NOT think the Ship was the Scythia......as her movement card is the right time frame (Dec to Jan) and shows she sailed from Aden to Bombay in 1942/43.......her card says Algiers, Port Said, thru Suez, Aden, Bombay (arriving 20 Jan 43)......and unless I’m missing something, the ship would NOT have crossed the Equator during this trip??.......then she went to Columbo (again NOT over the Equator)....and then the trip back was the opposite way........I are OFFICIALLY confused on this one......still thinking “maybe” like JohnH said, possibly a “ship change”??? Or maybe different dates??

    EDIT.......now I stand corrected. I do NOT think the ship was Scythia in 1942/1943......new information below where I concur with Keith that the Convoy was WS.14 and I DO think the ship was Scythia in 1941/42
     
    Last edited: Mar 27, 2021
  20. Temujin

    Temujin Member

    I’ve reviewed everything and I believe Keith is right, I believe he was on the SS Scythia on Convoy WS.14...which split into 2 groups (and more) with a group continuing to Bombay. The dates of this Convoy, and Equator Crossing “work” with the info Keith has given us.

    And I believe Freetown is ABOVE the Equator, so the ship, when continuing on with WS.14 would have “crossed” the Equator heading for Durban and Port Elizabeth as shown on it’s Movement Card below......THEN, the Scythia, returned to England (opposite route) and this is where POSSIBLY the Keith’s grandfather CHANGED SHIP (In Durban or Port Elizabeth) and continue to Bombay with the other part of the Convoy. You can see on Scythia’s movement card, it had a lot of “issues” and required Repairs in Durban and In Port Elizabeth......the card “mentions” troops to the Suez and to the ME (Middle East).....and so this “may” mean the troops were transferred to other ships?? And as JohnH mentioned, at Durban “considerable re-organization happened” and is shown in this information......and I believe supports the “change of ship theory”...

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    The Bombay portion of the Convoy arrived 28th Jan 42

    I’ve added the WS.14 Convoy info below so you can read it all on one posts. In this information you can see that Scythia is listed as one of the ships that was part of the “Durban” Contingent (bottom of first page)

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    Last edited: Mar 27, 2021
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