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Thread: Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

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    Default Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

    I'm hoping to find out if there are searchable British records of the individual seamen whose lives were lost at sea by enemy action during WW2.

    I'm trying to find out the date of death of my grandfather and the name of the ship of which he was a crew member when it was sunk sometime in the period 1942-1945.
    He was a seaman in the Greek merchant marine.

    Early in the war, the Greek Government in exile mandated by legislation (much to the chagrin of Greek shipowners) that the entirety of the Greek merchant marine fleet was to be leased to England for the duration of the war. Record keeping by the Greek authorities for losses during WW2 don't appear to extend beyond tallying up round numbers. I'm hoping the more efficient English authorities might have kept records but which ones and how to access them?

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

    Hello Paul
    May we please have a wee bit more info on him. Full name , place and possible DOB (Year will help)
    Thank You
    Cheers
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

    R697530

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

    Hi Doc
    Sure thing. His name was Apostolos Bagios. He was born Constantinople 1877.
    The only record I've found of him was a Crew List on the "Byron", out of Piraeus, arriving to the port of New York 13 March 1933.

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

    Paul was this your search,


    Searched by P. P. Manos, from AustraliaContact
    Parent
    Despina Bagiou
    Parent
    Despina Bagiou
    Searched on
    October 8 2018 (3 years and 1 month ago)
    Last edited by Red Lead Ted; 18th November 2021 at 04:48 PM.
    {terry scouse}

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

    Hello Paul
    Have looked through the Deaths at Sea site which i use for all my searches, and that name does not appear anywhere
    So possibly one will have to look elsewhere!
    I will keep searching and if i find anything will surely post it here for you
    Cheers
    Senior Site Moderator-Member and Friend of this Website

    R697530

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    Post Re: Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Manos View Post
    .
    The only record I've found of him was a Crew List on the "Byron", out of Piraeus, arriving to the port of New York 13 March 1933.
    That would be the ss BYRON, (Off.No.147667) Twin screw 18 knots ,pass/cargo Vessel of 9,272 gross registered tons,built 12/1914 by Cammell Laird,Birkenhead, as Yard No.800 for National SN Co Ltd of Greece as the VASSILEFS CONSTANTINOS,registered in Andros.
    1919 Renamed MEGALI HELLAS
    1923 To British registry as BYRON ;owners Byron SS Co,London.
    1928 Reverted to Greek registry with National SN Co Ltd,Greece.Retained the name BYRON.
    2/1937 Scrapped La Spezia,Italy.

    PICTURE and DETAILS

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Built as a passenger-cargo vessel under yard No 800 by Cammell, Laird & Co, Birkenhead for the National Steam Navigation Co. Ltd, Andros, Greece.
    09 June 1914 launched as the VASILEFS CONSTANTINOS named after the at that time King of Greece
    Tonnage 9,272 gross, dim. 470 x 58.1 x 35.6ft., draught 24.2ft.
    Powered by two 8-cyl.quadruple expansion steam engines built by the shipbuilder, 1,759 nhp, twin shafts, speed 18 knots.
    Accommodation for 60 first, 450 second and 1800 third class passengers.
    December 1914 completed.

    She was designed mostly for the emigration trade between the Mediterranean and New York.
    For the believers there was a Greek Orthodox Church on the shelterdeck.
    13 May 1915 she sailed for her maiden voyage from Piraeus via Patras and Naples to New York.
    She made 12 roundtrips her last sailing to New York from Piraeus was on 09 September 1916.
    What she was doing during World War I is hazy but it looks that she for a long time was laid up.
    1917 Was she required by the French Government and for about two years operated under the French flag.
    1919 Renamed in MEGALI HELLAS the Greek King was pro Germany, and after the war the name VASILEFS CONSTANTINOS was not more so popular.
    Again in the passenger trade between the Mediterranean to New York, and her first port of departure was now Constantinople (Istanbul)
    12 January 1923 she made her last sailing from Constantinople via Piraeus, Patras, Marseille to New York.
    When the USA Government put restrictions in place in 1923 of the total Greek emigrants allowed to enter the USA, there was not more employ for the MEGALI HELLAS in the New York emigrant service.
    During 1923 transferred to the British Byron SS Co. Ltd., London a subsidiary of Mr. Embiricos the owner of the Greek National Steam Navigation Co. Ltd.
    Renamed in BYRON and registered under British flag.
    Bryon SS Co. Ltd. was founded in 1915 by the Greek Line to buy ex German cargo vessel and liners during World War I and even after that war many vessel were bought.
    Byron was kept in the service of the Greek Line from Constantinople to New York; her first sailing under British flag was on 04 August 1923.
    1928 Again under Greek flag and owned by the National Steam Navigation Co. Ltd at Andros, Greece.
    22 August 1928 she left for New York under Greek flag.
    December 1934 laid up, April 1935 again in service.
    24 October 1935 she sailed for the last time from New York and via Boston and the Azores and Lisbon to Piraeus.
    1935 The National Steam Navigation Co. Ltd, went bankrupt, after the Greek Government withdrawn the subsidy of $100.000 per annum.
    After arrival in Piraeus laid up.
    22 February 1937 sold for £29,000 in Piraeus to Italian breakers.
    25 February 1937 arrived at La Spezia.

    Source Lloyds Register.

    .

    ATTACHMENTS
    Last edited by Graham Shaw; 18th November 2021 at 10:00 PM.

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    Post Re: Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

    Marian-Yr #6 If 'Porto Rico' is a ship then possibly one of two- both USA flag.
    1.1899-1917 (150836),cargo,1,257 tons
    2.1920-1933 (215812),pass/cargo,4,760 tons

    Graham

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    Post Re: Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

    That Record Card-does it show Name,Age,Name of Vessel deserted/discharged from,(because I know Easterly,Michael and Glenaffric,Oscar II etc. are names of ships),date of disharge,then record number ......?

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    Default Re: Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

    Quote Originally Posted by Graham Shaw View Post
    Marian-Yr #6 If 'Porto Rico' is a ship then possibly one of two- both USA flag.
    1.1899-1917 (150836),cargo,1,257 tons
    2.1920-1933 (215812),pass/cargo,4,760 tons

    Graham

    Porto Rico Line - New York & Porto Rico Steamship Co. - Nels Helgesen - Coamo - Puerto Rico - San Juan - San Jacinto - San Lorenzo (timetableimages.com)
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    Default Re: Merchant Navy deaths at sea during WW2

    I don't recognise the "AustraliaContact" but that most certainly is my name and Despina is believed in the family to be my great-grandmother's name.
    2018 is about right; I keep coming back periodically to this search for information about my namesake grandparent, hoping for a breakthrough.

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