New member saying hi

[Cheryl Cooper]

Joined the group as researching my grandfather. He died on the SS Oporto on 13 March 1943. The ship was sunk by a Uboat, 36 of the 40 men on board lost their lives.

Interested as 3 of the four survivors visted his dad to tell him about what had happened. I would love to know if any of those three are still around today.

Cheryl

[Doc Vernon]

Hello Cheryl
Thanks for joining, hope you may get some info later, in the meantime what was your Grandads name and DOB, also Place of Birth. This may help in the search!?
Cheers

[Cheryl Cooper]

hi and thanks

He was George Gerard Vernon born 20 Dec 1912 in Wallasey.

He only joined the Merchant Navy on 12 Feb 1943 to be on the S.S Oporto when it was sunk 13 March 1943. He was a trimmer. Previously he had worked on the Corporation Ferries, and 3 months sea experience on the Sneland 1.

Thanks again

[Doc Vernon]

First name(s)	George Gerard
Type	At Sea
Last name	Vernon
Vessel name	Oporto
Birth year	1913
Source	Deaths At Sea 1891 – 1972
Birth date	1913
Archive	The National Archives
Birth place	Wallasey
Archive reference	BT 334
Age	30
Box	0102
Death year	1943
Page	42
Death date	13 Mar 1943
Record set	British Armed Forces And Overseas Deaths And Burials
Death place	At Sea
Category	Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Place	Oporto
Subcategory	Civil Deaths & Burials

Of 20 Guildford Street Wallasey Died at Sea , Ship Official Number 149684 ss Oporto 1943


At 05.30 hours on 13 Mar, 1943, U-107 attacked the convoy OS-44 190 miles west of Cape Finisterre and reported hits on three ships. In fact, four ships were hit, the Clan Alpine, Marcella, Oporto and Sembilangan. The master, 35 crew members and seven gunners from the Oporto (Master Fred Bird) were lost. Four crew members were picked up by the HMS Spiraea (K 08) (Lt A.H. Pierce OBE), transferred toHMS Gentian (K 90) (LtCdr H.H. Russell DSC) and landed at Gibraltar. )

Crew on Board at time of loss.

BAKER, SYLVESTER HAROLD (20), First Radio Officer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 2.BATTERSBY, THOMAS (31), Fireman & Trimmer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Battersby; husband of Elizabeth Battersby, of Liverpool, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 3.BESSON, HAROLD EUGENE (34), Cook, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Husband of Sarah Agnes Besson, of Roby, Lancashire, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 4.BIRD, FRED (40), Master, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Alfred and Isabella Bird; husband of Doris Isabel Bird, of North Fenham, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 5.BLAGG, SIDNEY JAMES (29), Bombardier/Gunner, SS Oporto, British Army 6.BREWSTER, PHILIP (19), Able Seaman (Gunner), SS Oporto 7.BROWN, NEVILLE LIONEL WHITEHEAD (16), Cadet, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Oliver Whitehead Brown, and of Edith Brown, of Prestatyn, Flintshire, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 8.CADDICK, EDWARD JAMES (46), Fireman & Trimmer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of James and Catherine E. Caddick; husband of Annie Caddick, of Liverpool, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 9.CASSON, JOHN HENRY (34), Chief Officer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of William and Alice Casson; husband of Edna Casson. of Hull, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 10.CHARITY, WILLIAM HERBERT (24), Cook, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Herbert James Charity and Helen Charity; husband of Phyllis Winifred Charity, of Hereford, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 11.CROOKS, ROBERT STANLEY (45), Carpenter, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 12.DONNELLY, JOHN (29), Fireman & Trimmer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 13.DUFF, JOHN (20), Fireman & Trimmer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Andrew and Winnefred Duff, of Huyton, Lancashire, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 14.FLYNN, MICHAEL FRANCIS (18), Deck Boy, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Michael and Mary Flynn, of Broseley, Shropshire, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 15.FORD, KENNETH JOHN (19), Able Seaman (no. C/JX 339822), SS Oporto, Royal Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of William Rowland Ford and Lily Maud Ford, of Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, Memorial: Chatham Naval Memorial 16.FREEMAN, ARTHUR HECTOR (19), Assistant Steward, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of May Lilian Freeman, of Wavertree, Liverpool, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 17.FURLONG, EDWARD (33), Fireman & Trimmer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 18.GREENLEAF, EDWARD (46), Boatswain, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of John and Mary Ann Greenleaf, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 19.HALL, FRANK (21), Assistant Steward, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Samuel Hall, and of Margaret Hall, of Anfield, Liverpool, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 20.HOGG, JAMES HENRY, Able Seaman (Gunner), SS Oporto 21.HOWARD, JAMES (23), Able Seaman, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 22.JOHNSON, CHARLES HENRY (41), Second Engineer Officer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 23.JONES, NORMAN HARDCASTLE (36), Chief Steward, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Husband of Isabel Jones, of Bootle, Lancashire, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 24.KEARNS, MICHAEL JOSEPH (26), Fireman & Trimmer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 25.MALZARD, FRANCIS ARTHUR (35), Leading Seaman (no. C/JX 210218), SS Oporto, Royal Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Malzard; husband of Dorothy Louise Malzard, of Abingdon, Berkshire, Memorial: Chatham Naval Memorial 26.MARSON, WILLIAM HENRY (41), Gunner, SS Oporto, British Army 27.MASON, HARRY (52), Chief Engineer Officer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of William and Frances Mason; husband of Ivy Mason, of Willerby, Yorkshire, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 28.MILTON, GEOFFREY (36), Donkeyman, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 29.MURPHY, PAUL JOSEPH (23), Third Officer (no. R197718), SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, °12/05/1919 ~ †13/03/1943, Son of Joseph & Catherine Murphy, Barrack St., Waterford City, Ireland, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 30.NICHOLSON, FRANCIS (36), Able Seaman, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 31.NIND, DONALD (49), Fireman & Trimmer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 32.PAYNE, JOHN ARTHUR (55), Donkeyman, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 33.PUXLEY, WILLIAM RAYMOND (29), Second Officer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of William Henry and Annie Mary Maud Puxley; husband of Kathken Beatrice Puxley, of Oxford, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 34.RAYNOR, MATTHEW GEORGE (30), Fourth Engineer Officer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of George Charles and Mary Elizabeth Raynor, of Kirkdale, Liverpool, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 35.RIDINGS, NORMAN (22), Third Engineer Officer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Husband of Evelyn Ridings, of Daubhill, Bolton, Lancashire, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 36.ROGERS, WILLIAM (19), Able Seaman (no. C/JX 338091), SS Oporto, Royal Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of John Albert and Sarah Rogers, of Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Memorial: Chatham Naval Memorial 37.SCALES, GORDON (17), Cadet, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of James and Harmah Elizabeth Scales, of Thornaby-on-Tees, Yorkshire, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 38.SENIOR, GEORGE ALBERT (26), Able Seaman, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Elizabeth Senior; husband of Mary Senior, of Liverpool, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 39.SHEARER, DENIS NORTHOUSE (17), Junior Ordinary Seaman, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 40.SHIELDS, JOHN (18), Trimmer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Peter and Julia Shields, of Liverpool, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 41.STODDERN, CLARENCE (30), Able Seaman, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Stoddern, of Truro, Cornwall, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 42.VERNON, GEORGE GERRARD (30), Fireman & Trimmer, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Son of James and Louisa Vernon; husband of Theresa Vernon, of Wallasey, Cheshire, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial 43.WELSH, CHARLES DOUGLAS (30), Donkeyman, SS Oporto, Merchant Navy, †13/03/1943, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial

Rank:	Fireman and Trimmer
Service Number:	.
Regiment:	S.S. Oporto (Liverpool) Merchant Navy
Died	Saturday 13th March 1943
Age	30
County Memorial	Unknown
Commemorated\Buried	Tower Hill Memorial
Country	United Kingdom

From Cheshire Memorial UK.

[Cheryl Cooper]

Thank you Doc Vernon, I have updated my list. Very helpful.