finding ancestors career

[bekibird]

Hi everyone,

I posted a message regarding my Great Uncle Peter Francis Lushman a while a go. We have still not been able to trace his where abouts and have found nothing about him since he went missing in Ravenna, Italy in 1977.
We would like to learn more about his career in the merchant navy but I have no idea where to start. I only have his date of birth (nov 1939) and he was declared presumed dead in 1984.
We do know that he docked in Ravenna on The King James sometime in October 1977 but that is all the information we have.
Does anyone have any suggestions about where to find out more about him? We also know that he was first joined the Royal Navy at the age of 16... we think!! He left the Navy for a while and went to work in a power station in Huncoat, Near Accrington in Lancashire, England. He became dissillusioned with the job and joined the Merchant Navy in his late 20's early 30's.
Any help would be much appreciated. Please bear in mind that I have no prior knowledge of Navy terms or slang - so please use plain speak as much as possible!!!!
Thanks You in advance
Rebecka.

[Gulliver]

Hi Rebeckah.I see your original post was made in April.You received a few replies,but I've repeated it for you in this new thread of yours,to perhaps bring it to people's attention again,or for any newcomers who probably won't have seen it before.....

By the way the ship would have been the first one that Castleman mentions-the bulk carrier- which was built in 1970.
Two Pictures here:
http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20Ships/Old%20Ships%20K/slides/King%20James-01.html
http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum%20Ships/Old%20Ships%20K/slides/King%20James-03.html



Good Luck!

Gulliver

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ORIGINAL POSTING

Help please!!!
　
Hi everyone and thanks for taking the time to read this.
My name is Rebecka and I am searching for old friends of my Great Uncle, Peter Francis Lushman. I am doing this as he has now been missing for thirty three years and was last seen in Ravenna, Italy, after falling on his ship The King James.
Numerous attempts to find him by the family have failed since he discharged himself from hospital in November 1977.He was declared missing presumed dead, in 1984.
I have an old newspaper report that showed the river,Candiano, was seached by divers for his body and that a nationwide police search took place.
Peter would be around 71 years old now and may or may not still be with us, but we would dearly love to connect with anyone who may have known him as a friend.
Any information about the ships he served on and any exciting stories etc would be gratefully recieved.
Thanks again

Rebecka Southworth.
　
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Hi Rebecka
Welcome to the site,and i hope with time you will get some replies to your query!
Its a long shot i guess,but one never knows! Cant go wrong trying anyway!

Dont know if this may help at all,but on the dates that you post,that Ship
DNo: 7011591 Year: 1970
Name: KING JAMES Keel:
Type: Bulk carrier Launch Date: 21.2.70
Flag: GBR

name was changed in 1978 to become "NUMBER FOUR" and then TYNE in 1982,so this may help others if he perhaps went back to Sea after his discharge from the Hospital??

The above may not have been the correct Ship,as there were others too of that name and the only other one that it may have been according to age is this one !??

IDNo: 1180051 Year: 1943
Name: EMPIRE DUCHESS Keel:
Type: Cargo ship Launch Date: 14.8.43
Flag: GBR

History details are as follows

1949 BRAEMAR CASTLE - 1950 KING JAMES - 1958 TYNE BREEZE - 1963 CATHAY TRADER - 1964 PEARL LIGHT - 1966 HABIB MARIKAR

Anyway hope that you soon may get better replies!
Cheers
__________________
Vernon R697530 South Africa/Great Britain/Australia
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[bekibird]

How do I find out which shipping company The King James belonged to? If I knew that would I be able to contact the company and get Peter's service records?

Regards

Rebecka.

[DeepSea]

The type of records you are looking for are not held by the shipping company. Unable to find out who owned the 1970 built King James, but as mentioned this would be no help in your research. The ship also is not registered with Lloyd's as to have an Official No. which is how Log Books & Crew Agreements are recorded at Kew and Canada.

[Gulliver]

'The ship also is not registered with Lloyd's as to have an Official No. which is how Log Books & Crew Agreements are recorded at Kew and Canada. '

I'm a bit confused.
Whilst the King James has no Official Number,then is her Lloyds Registry Number/IMO Number which is 7011591,not of any use at all?

[DeepSea]

Hello Gulliver,

In this type of research for Log Books & Crew Agreements LR/IMO numbers are irrelevant. Only Official No's will bring a return for records held at Kew & Canada.

[bekibird]

I have contacted the Maritime and CoastGuard agency at Cardiff and they are going to have a quick look for me (I hope). They sent me an information leaflet that is very useful, but it does state that after 1973 the Registrar General was not required by legislation to keep records of individual seamen!!! The log books of each ship are held at Kew but they only have 10 percent of each book so I am not guaranteed to find him there. He did have an accident on board so maybe I can shed some light on the subject from there, but things are looking very bleak.
PLEASE PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN!!!!!

Many Regards

Rebecka

[Gulliver]

Thanks Billy.... and yes,Rebecka things certainly got worse as regards records (and the MN! in the latter decades of the century.
For example,even Kew have no records for me,as I continued to be at sea AFTER 1972.
Some Log Books were sent to Canada,but only certain years,and only 10 % as you say at Kew.
If it wasn't for physically being in possession of my Discharge Book then I wouldn't exist anywhere in any Merchant Navy records. It more than irritates me.
A Shameful Episode!




Perhaps you could also try an appeal on another quality site( like this one-) called 'Ships Nostalgia'------especially the Clan Line/King Line/British & Commonweralth Group forums if they have them--I think that King James was part of that group.......
The site is Ships Nostalgia(to register)

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/


Gulliver

[DeepSea]

I can only reiterate what I have already posted. You can not trace Log Books & Crew Agreements unless you have the ships Official No. The ship is listed on the Miramar site as not having been issued one. One long shot, There is nothing to say she never did get issued an ON and Miramar are not aware of this. Only possible way would be to find if your local Reference Library holds copies of the Lloyd's Registers from 1970 onwards and check to see if one was eventually issued. You will not find copies of Lloyd's in your small local library, but copies do exist in the larger town/city reference libraries.

Gulliver,

Have checked the King Line fleet list and this King James was not part of their group.

[bekibird]

Thanks for all your help everyone, it really is appreciated. I find it hard to believe pre 1972 everything seems to have been documented! If Peter didn't get back on his ship would nobody have looked for him? As far as I know they were aware he went to hospital - he slipped and fell coming off the ship and knocked himself out - but would nobody have reported him not returning back to work?
We would really like to discover what happened to him and I am hoping that I can get some further info from the British Consulate in Florence who deal with the area of Ravenna, where he was last seen.
If anyone can think of another avenue of enquiry that I could go down - even just to find out a bit more about him - please post your ideas.
Many thanks to you all again
Rebecka.