MN Jamiaca Planter

[Nicky 69]

My mother and her family were on the Jamaica Planter in January 1941 from Kingston to Cardiff. She remembers there being an incident in Cardiff Bay (she beleives they hit a mine) and they were put on life boats and taken to the Seaman's Mission in Cardiff.

However I can't find any record of this only the sinking in 1944 in the same place following a collision with a tanker. Can anyone shed some light on this?

[Tony Wilding]

Look under the thread named above, go to post 7you will find the details

[Gulliver]

ARTICLE

(Obviously it is the earlier 'mine' incident that is of interest to you.)



　Quoting from it:‘During the early part of the 1939-45 war, the Jamaica Planter, later to be remembered as The Orange Boat, struck a mine in the channel and was beached in the Old Harbour, near the Breakwater. In the process she lost most of her cargo of fruit, which consisted mainly of oranges, and these were later washed up on the shore, were sour and had an oily taste. She was later towed into Barry Docks for repair. Whilst under repair, she suffered further damage in a bombing raid on the Docks.
After repairs were completed she left Barry bound for Swansea, and whilst in the Barry Roads she was in collision with the American Tanker Wellesley and sank. All the crew was saved.’


　

This distorts the truth a bit,because her second(and final) damage incident i.e..the collision , was much later in the war.

i.e. On December 27th, 1944, the British cargo ship Jamaica Planter sank after a collision in Barry Roads with the steam tanker Wellesley (US) -16,100 dwt. -owners being Socony Vacuum,Oil Co,Inc,NY .

The J.P. was at the end of a convoyed voyage (HX 326) from Halifax, N.S., to Avonmouth carrying a refrigerated cargo of Meat.

Gulliver
　
　
　
　
　
　

[Keith at Tregenna]

Built as a passenger- cargo-reefer vessel under yard No 885 by Lithgows at Port Glasgow for Hadley Shipping Co. Ltd. London

08 June 1936 launched as the JAMAICA PLANTER (II).

Tonnage 4,098 gross, 2,407 net, dim. 356.5 x 50.2 x 29.7ft.
Powered by two diesel engines, manufactured by J.C. Kincaid Co. Ltd., Greenock, 808 nhp., twin propellers, speed 15 knots.

August 1936 completed.

1940 Acquired by Jamaica Banana Producers S.S.Co., managed by Kaya, Sons & Co. Ltd.
Used in the service between the Caribbean and the U.K.

22 January 1941 on a voyage from Kingston, Jamaica to Avonmouth with a cargo of citrus fruit and general cargo she ran on a mine in a position 196 degree off Nell’s Point, she was beached in the Old Harbour, Barry, severely damaged, and the cargo was discharged.

13th February refloated and beached Whitmore Bay, 18 February 1941 refloated again and docked in Barry.

After repair she resumed service.

01 July 1941 damaged during an air attack on Barry.

27 December 1944 she sank after a collision with the American tanker WELLESLEY in Barry Roads on a voyage from Halifax N.S. to Avonmouth with a refrigerated cargo.

[Gulliver]

And it seems that CONVOY WEB supports this.

Searching the CONVOY WEB database,shows the following likely details about JAMAICA PLANTER’s ‘mine’ incident earlier in the war.
Departed KINGSTON,Jamaica 5/1/41 Independently
Arrived BARRY (In Tow) 18/2/41
Then Departed MILFORD HAVEN on 3/10/41(8 months later NB) but:-
Arrived FALMOUTH 5/10/41 for further repairs,where it looks like she did not resume her usual further transatlantic convoys until at least 11/1/42.

[Keith at Tregenna]

PLEASE SEE LINK:

LINK: http://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/n...l-channel.html

K.

[daniel smith benedikt]

My father and aunt as children were transported on this boat to New York City from England during the war, perhaps a year before it sank and my Dad's whole subsequent life was in a major way impacted by the interest in engines that the chief engineer instilled in him through the time he took to explain things to my father on this trip. My father was told that the engineer had died when the boat sank and I would be very interested in the source that indicated they were saved.

[Kenneth Baker]

I joined the MV Jamaica Planter mid 1944 just before my 17th birthday, we sailed in convoy to Montreal on returning to Liverpool the docks were full dispatched to Oban Scotland to wait 10 to 14 days for a berth.Later in the year she was in collision with the American tanker SS Wellesley off the Barry roads South Wales

[corrientes]

I sincerely hope I am still able to post at the age of 93. Well done that man. Stay strong.