Question about merchant ships missions during ww2

[Lauren Roberts]

Hi

I have been researching my great grandfather Edward blanch's 954849 service history in ww1 and ww2. I have found several ships that he served on including one with his half nephew William Charles Gilham (uncle Buster) in 1942. The ship is called the regent lion and it docked at New York in jan 1942 for 'orders'. I wondered what this meant? What sort of missions would transport ships like this have undertaken? Apologies if this seems like an obvious question but my knowledge of the merchant navy is still lacking despite my research.

Thanks for your help as always
Lauren

[Tony Taylor]

Lauren, welcome to the site, there are many people on here who can help better than me.
Initially the info I found was the Regent Lion was damaged by torpedo in Dec 42.
Maybe in New York for repairs, then would subsequently be issued orders for where to proceed next to load cargo for some specified destination.

[John Arton]

Lauren
Here is a bit of the history of the Regent Lion.
She was a tanker ship carrying petrol and aviation spirit throughout the war until she was torpedoed and eventually wrecked at Gibraltar.
The phrase "for orders" was ,and still is, common at sea where the ships destination is unknown on sailing from its port of loading, more so in war time where in new York in ww2 German spies would attempt to find the destination of ships leaving port in order to enable the German U boats to intercept and sink them. Without the bravery of our merchant seamen, who even after having ship sunk beneath them, returned to sea even in the face of the rangers posed by the U boats attempting to starve Britain into submission and thus end the war.
Rgds
J.A.
https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/3446.html

[Keith at Tregenna]

Merchant shipping was placed under Admiralty control on 26 August 1939, the first
convoy sailed on 2 September. The Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) was founded
on 1 May 1941.

K.

[Lauren Roberts]

Thanks for the info I guess it would have been so easy for the Germans to plant spies in what was an extremely crowded and busy port , with so many people coming and going. Several of his ships docked at New York and a couple at New Orleans too after leaving Avonmouth or Tilbury. He got his half nephew interested in the merchant navy he loved being at sea even if they were really difficult and at times tragic.

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Lauren
Thanks for the question and hope that it can be replied to with as much info as possible, i do see there have been a few already.
Just a bit more here at this Link with a Picture.

Regent Lion (British Motor tanker) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net

Regent Lion 1937 (tynebuiltships.co.uk)


Sailed in Convoys

Convoy number ON 013 LOCH EWE 07/09/41

Convoy number ON 038 LOCH EWE 21/11/41

Convoy number ON 061 Liverpool 27/01/42

Convoy number ON 085 Liverpool 10/04/42

[Lauren Roberts]

Thanks for the extra info any thing is welcome. He served on lots of ships and most I have managed to trace via ancestry and findmypast. I did try and get hold of his seamans pouch but there wasn't much information there, only a notice of him bring assigned to a new ship. Unfortunately his logbook has been lost by a member of the family which we are all disappointed about. It means that I'm not sure if there is any way to find it again, I know that lots of information relating to the merchant navy has been destroyed and only some is held by the national archives.

[Red Lead Ted]

Hi Lauren, I never ask a lady her age, But did you ever hear children singing this nursery rhyme in most places around the country and not everyone realizes the significance of the song.
“THE BIG SHIP SAILS ON THE ALLEY, ALLEY, OH” LYRICS
1. The big ship sails on the alley, alley, oh,
The alley, alley, oh,
The alley, alley, oh.
The big ship sails on the alley, alley, oh,
On the last day of September.

2. The captain said, ‘It will never, never do,
Never, never do,
Never, never do.’
The captain said, ‘It will never, never do,’
On the last day of September.

3. The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea,
The bottom of the sea,
The bottom of the sea.
The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea,
On the last day of September.
“THE BIG SHIP SAILS ON THE ALLEY, ALLEY, OH” Refers to Atlantic Ocean Convoys, Which many of our forefathers sailed in bringing in just about everything in cargo from the world over we are and always will be an island nation and without the bravery of the Merchant Seaman that sailed in these convoys and kept this island supplied with essentials which was our role in the war effort, Winston Churchill was quoted as saying without the bravery of the men of the sea and the Atlantic Convoys we most certainly would have been defeated, I had uncles who sailed in Atlantic Convoys, Before my time at sea and they told me that they many a time would be awaiting a cargo or as you put it waiting orders, Before they where cargo laden and sailing in Atlantic Convoys during the war the fact that your grandfather was in New York the chances are he may have been awaiting just that. Regards Terry.

[DeepSea]

Tanker Regent Lion, 9,551grt, (C.T. Bowring & Co.) was torpedoed and damaged by U-610 on 16th December 1942 in position 50’ 49N 24’ 07W, whilst sailing in the 43 ship Convoy ON-153. Two men were killed when an escorting destroyer tried to get alongside to take off the survivors and crushed them both to death. The ship was then towed home, repaired, and put back into service. The Regent Lion was sunk later on in the war after loading aviation spirit in Hampton Roads, New York for Suez and joined up with the Gibraltar bound 46 ship Convoy UGS-72, which sailed on the 2nd February 1945. On the 16th February the ship was torpedoed and damaged East of Tangiers by U-300. The Master, forty crewmembers and four DEMS gunners were rescued by the naval trawler HMT Arctic Ranger and the U.S. Destroyer Robinson and taken to Gibraltar. Seven crewmembers were lost. The ship was later taken in tow and grounded on Pearl Rock near Gibraltar and was later declared a total loss.

[Doc Vernon]

Thanks for the extra info any thing is welcome. He served on lots of ships and most I have managed to trace via ancestry and findmypast. I did try and get hold of his seamans pouch but there wasn't much information there, only a notice of him bring assigned to a new ship. Unfortunately his logbook has been lost by a member of the family which we are all disappointed about. It means that I'm not sure if there is any way to find it again, I know that lots of information relating to the merchant navy has been destroyed and only some is held by the national archives.

You will need to get his CRS10 File Lauren which will hold his Entire Sea Service Records. This is available at the Archives.
Cheers

This is part of the CRS10 but getting the entire File will be more use, there are a few Ships listed on the Card. I am a bit confused as to the Number shown with his Photo, as its not his Discharge Number, could be his ID Number??

TNA_MSEA_BT350_02_04_020402 Blanch.jpg

Dont know if you have it at all Lauren but he has a Medal Card as well available at the Archives, this is Downloadable free for Joining Members (Also free to join) i had downloaded it and posted but something went wrong and it upset the database, so our Tech fixed it but the File had to be taken off.
Cheers Will send it through Email.