Fitheach Ban Topsail Schooner

[Richard Quartermaine]

I am very old:-

What is my Gaelic name?
What is the English translation of my Gaelic name?
What was my screen name which later became my registered name?
What was the name of the film?
Who was the principal actor?
Where is this photo taken?

Over to you shipmates!
Richard

NQ1.jpg

[Doc Vernon]

Just a first Guess which i reckon isnt correct but anyway!
Would the Movie have been Captains Courageous
Spencer Tracy

Wont go futher at this point!
Cheers

[Chris Allman]

The Gretha F. Spinney was the schooner used in the 1937 film of Captains Courageous, dont know if she changed her name, or was a Topsail schooner as this is.

[Ivan Cloherty]

When I saw the title I thought it was about my wife!

[robpage]

Copied from Captains Courageous and Schooner "Henrietta" - Cruisers & Sailing Forums



Apparantly the schooner the film is set on was the "Henrietta", a genuine Grand Banks fishing schooner, and after the film was made it was sold to a Bostonian called Pete Sawyer who held a seagoing masters ticket - this prior to WWII. He apparantly then used her for scientific expeditions to Labrador and around the Arctic.


He married an Australian and they cruised the "Henrietta" down to Australia but futher cruising was curtailed by the war breaking out. Sawyer then joined the Royal Australian Airforce, as a navigation instructor I assume as that is where he met Hilder who was also a master mariner and during WWII taught navigation in the RAAF (but later moving to flying catalinas). "Henrietta" was moored in Geelong and apparantly the Melbourne pilots were considering chartering her and took her Port Phillip Bay chart to correct it but failed to return it.


One weekend Sawyer, Hilder and 2 others set out for Melbourne to dock the vessel there but found the Port Phillip Bay chart missing and ran into problems (remembering these were both professional navigators, Hilder especially used to navigating in difficult circumstances) when visibility was lost in showers and squalls.


They ended up running onto a reef and they couldn't get the vessel off by their own efforts so sent a message ashore by a launch (as no radio) for a tug to be sent out. In the meantime the wind increased to a gale, being associated with a passing cyclone and "Henrietta" was driven further onto the reef and filled with water. Night came and they finished up in the rigging to keep out of the breaking seas and wrapped in a sail as they were suffering from the cold, it being midwinter.


They were rescued off the bowsprit the next day and "Henrietta" was lost. Then just 3 months later Sawyer was killed in an aircraft crash and Hilder plus the two others who were with Sawyer when his "Henrietta" was lost scattered his ashes over the site of the wreck.

[Chris Allman]

Hi Rob, I got my info from HERE Info re ships name used in film in the 4th paragraph down.

[robpage]

I saw that Chris , not actually sure which account is correct , or in fact if both are correct , just shown as additional information

[Chris Allman]

Yep Rob its a mystery - looks like the old beauty could be flying a Red Duster, difficult to see.

[Richard Quartermaine]

Doc, Chris, Rob - sorry not so, interesting as they might be. Ivan, mine is an old beauty too.

Yes Chris, Topsail Schooner is right and it would look like a Red Duster especially if the original registration was in effect.

Richard

[Keith at Tregenna]

The only one that comes to mind is:

What is my Gaelic name?

Baile Chluaidh

What is the English translation of my Gaelic name?

Balclutha

What was my screen name which later became my registered name?

Pacific Queen / formerley Star of Alaska

What was the name of the film?

An extra part in Mutiny on the Bounty

Who was the principal actor?

Clark Gable (and Charles Laughton)

Where is this photo taken?

A total guess: Fiji ?

Doubt it is correct, hopefully interesting.

K.