sam boats

[John Gill]

anyone recall Sam Boats?-these were built in the us during the war and were still operating in the 60's& 70's.

[Leighton Denver]

Came across lots in the fifties, also called Liberty Ships all accommodation amid ships, built in sections in different locations then welded together and launched. It was said that they could be completed from keel to launch I one week. This may well have been a focsul tall tale. I well remember The Samtampa smashing herself to bits on the rocks in Swansea Bay during one of the most violent storms in living memory, with the loss of all hands plus the very gallant and heroic crew of The Mumbles Lifeboat I was later 1949/1951 at Smiths Nautical College and it was a very sobering reminder for us getting ready to begin to go to sea. The wreck was there for quite a-while before being broken up and hauled away. I think but am not sure that the breakers lived aboard while carrying on the work until there was nowhere left to sleep. Thank you Gulliver for putting me right on the dates I have been aboard The Jeremiah O,Brien in San Francisco where she is maintained by a dedicated crew of volunteers and she made the voyage to Normandy for the big D_Day celebrations Cheers Leighton Denver new member

[Tony Wilding]

Sam boats were so called because all had the prefix Sam at the start of there name, they were standard USA built Liberty Ships sold to Great Britain. a few were rivetted, not many, average building time was around 4 weeks, the record was 1 week, first ones took a lot longer, but improved as time went by, 2 preserved ones in USA still steaming, 1 static in Greece,

[Gulliver]

Welcome Aboard,Leighton.Welcome porthole.gif

There are a few threads on the site re the SAMTAMPA tragedy. Try the SEARCH facility,just entering 'Samtampa' will usually do the job-but I can take you to to one HERE (Just Click the underlined link).

All the Best

Gulliver

[Captain Kong]

I sailed on a SAM boat, in 1959/60, she was the ......
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BLUE FUNNEL`S `EURYADES`.THE SHIP.

Samnesse 02 08 10.43 Launched as SIMON B. ELLIOTT, lease lend to Britain
1943 SAMNESSE, MOWT (A. Holt & Co, Liverpool)
1947 EUMAEUS, China Mutual S.N.Co (A. Holt & Co) - British flag.
1952 GLENSHIEL, Glen Line Ltd, London- British flag.
1956 Requisitioned by MOT as store ship in Suez crisis.
1957 EURYADES, China Mutual S.N.Co.- British flag
1959 December changed from Glen Shiel to Euryades
1961 MARINE BOUNTY, Bounty Shpg.Co, Liverpool (Wheelock, Marden & Co, Hong Kong)- British flag
1962 Prestige Shpg.Co, Hong Kong.- British flag (same managers)
1964 Mercury Shpg.Co, Nassau.- British flag.
25.2.66 Aground at Hasieshan, China coast, broke in two, CTL.
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Most of the Shipping Companies in the UK had them to make up for the losses in WW2. I wrote the story in SPICE ISLANDS on the Seafaring Stories thread in Swinging the lamp.
I thought they were very good ships, very handy on deck, ten derricks and two jumbos, five hatches.
Triple expansion steam engines oil burners. The accommodation amidships was a bit manky with four men in a small steel box with one port. but we didnt know too much different then.
I go on the Jeremiah O`Brien in San Francisco every time I go there, Went in January but she had gone to Alameda for dry docking so missed her this year. I also went on board when she came to London and tied up alongside HMS Belfast, in 1994 on the 50th anniversary of D-Day.
Well worth a visit if you are in Frisco. She steams around San Francisco Bay several times a year.full of passengers, She takes volunteers to work on her and maintaining her in good condition.
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On Chesapeake Bay there is the John W Brown, a crowd from the VINDICATRIC ASSOCIATION go on her every year as volunteers, they dont get paid but live on board for free, so these ships are the last to get the experience of sailing and working as we did in the old days. they sail her around the Bay
and sometimes she goes up the coast and the St Laurence to the Great Lakes. Good experience if you volunteer.
Here are some photos of the Jeremiah O`BRIEN,
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[DeepSea]

Sam boats were so called because all had the prefix Sam at the start of there name

The prefix SAM stood for Structure Aft of Midships, which is how all the ships were initially designed.

[Lou Barron]

I sailed on one it was one when i came to NZ the SAMINVER

[Glyn Jones]

Did my first trip on the LASSELL in 1958 (SAMARIZ), originally built as John J McGraw,who was a major league baseball player and manager, Mrs McGraw was highly honoured to have a ship named after her husband, and when advised that the name was being changed to Samariz ,she complained, and the ship was launched as John J Mcgraw and sailed under that name throughout the war. L & H managed the ship under MOWT and was acquired by them in 1947 and renamed LASSELL. Sold in 1962 to Poseidon Cia Beirut and renamed ALOLOS 11, 1967 owned by Falcon Shipping Cyprus, broken up Dec 1968 at Shanghai

[j.sabourn]

John, wouldnt mind betting there are still some running around even now. Probably on the China Coast or elsewhere. Maybe someone may come up with records of such. I remember seeing this type of vessel many years after the war. Cheers John Sabourn

[Les Woodard]

Was not the main masts on them set of centre so as to make it hard for U boats to work out there course. I was on the Port Macquarie and she had her posts of centre so thinking that she might have originally been a Sam ship but the accomodation was aft on her which would not conform with the types you mention. Another liberty ship is the Montgomery and still being a nuisance to navigation as she is a wreck in the Thames Estuary and they still do not know what to do with it because of all the munitions still on board. As an aside have been out to her with my two bro's in a 14 foot dingy when I was about 13. Of course could not board her as she is under water only the masts and derricks where visible.