Hello! Searching for any info on my great grandfather and all the journeys he made

[cat jamison]

My great-grandfather was merchant Navy before and during WWII I know he was torpedoed twice (at least) and survived somehow! During the war he mostly worked on the Benzene tankers so they were left outside the convoys. I know he served on the RFA Cairndale, OCana (?), Empire Gold, Empire Lytton, MV Athelknight, MV Athelchief, Tiverton, Bellailsa, SS Cortona, Bayrupert, SS Bellucia, SS Eastern Prince and one says Pacific 147081 Hull? I have his record which is great but I'd love to find out anything else I can about those journeys. I think he may also have worked for the Hudson Bay Company possibly- which is where I'm guessing the poem below comes in.

I was searching through his stuff today and found this poem I was investigating when I came across this site.

'Our good ship from St. John's'

The Mercy Ship

Our good ship sailed from St. John's NF
With a shipwrecked crew and passengers too
All bound for home and thankful enough
To get back home was our shipwrecked crew
The "BAY RUPERT" had stranded with 90 souls
On their way far North to Eskimo land
With provisions and clothes and tons of coals
(illegible)or crew all the best were a cheerful band

(N)o suffered but little as all would say
Not like the two men we rescued today
Eight days they spent in an open boat
It's the hardest task for our men afloat
Our captain and officers with eyes alert
Observed the small boat and stopped you bet
The men looked sad, all hope was gone
God know how they existed so long

No water and cold, and with little to eat
Human endurance for life sure hard to beat
For the present their suffering days are o'er
Once again may they reach their own homely shore
May they remember that God knows best
How they suffered and hungered when lost in the West
T'was a miracle our ship came along
To rescue these men who had suffered so long

May God reward our Captain brave
He saved them from a watery grave
He'd just admit it t'was only duty, that's the way
We simply do our work to-day
Our doctor, kindly man, did his best
And soon the rescued put at rest
And "sparks" flashed out the joyful news
To ships around and fishing crews

Soon our time will pass away
And our troubles will be o'er
Let us keep on praying day by day
Till we reach yon happy shore
Yes, we can meet up in heaven
Now is the time to prepare
Why, this life is not worth living
If there were no home up there

J.R. SS Nova Scotia 2nd August 19(27?)

[Doc Vernon]

Hello cat
Thanks for the Post, looks like he had a good career, and nice lineup of Ships.
You can get the Movement Cards from the NA, i presume depending on the dates.
Its free , but you have to Join .
This may help you in finding where the Ships went
Cheers

For eg here is a Link for just one of those Ships. As said you need to Login , so join up and its free.

Ship Name: Athelchief Gross Tonnage: 10000, 10501 | The National Archives

And this is the Pacific info.
Cheers

Screw Steamer PACIFIC built by Murdoch & Murray in 1923 for Sir Walter H Cockerline, Cargo

Pacific.JPG

[Doc Vernon]

Pacific (1/3/1941)

Cargo ship Pacific, 6,034grt, (W.H. Cockerline & Co.) loaded with a cargo of steel and scrap at New York for Grangemouth joined the 36 ship Convoy HX-109, which departed Halifax, Nova Scotia on the 13th February 1941. During the crossing the crossing the convoy encountered heavy weather and a number of ships became stragglers including the Pacific after her steering gear broke down and were forced to stop her engines. After five hours of repairs the ship was once again underway and attempted to catch up with the rest of the convoy. By the late evening of the 1st March the Pacific was proceeding 15 nautical miles North-West of the Isle of Lewis when the ship was hit by a torpedo from U-95 and immediately began to sink by the bow. The order to abandon ship was given and within thirty seconds a second torpedo slammed into the ship and the Pacific plunged beneath the waves in position 59’ 21N 13’ 36W, taking all but two men with her. The two survivors caught sight of each other, but one was soon swept away and never seen again. The sole survivor clung desperately to one of the ships hatch boards found floating by for an hour until a life raft, which had broken free as the ship went down floated past and he was able to scramble onboard. Suffering from the cold and exhaustion the raft drifted aimlessly. Sometime later a light was seen in the distance and the survivor began shouting and waving in a desperate attempt to gain the attention of whomever it maybe. Getting closer the object suddenly appeared out of the dark as that of a boat from the Icelandic trawler Dora, having witnessed the sinking, who took the man onboard. Explaining the possibility that another survivor may still be in the water, the trawler spent some time in a desperate search, to no avail and set off for Fleetwood to land the sole survivor ashore.


PS: Could you give us a shot (upload) of part of the Ships you have namely the one in question (OCana (?),) so as we can have a look at it, possibly and try to ID it correctly.
Cheers

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Cat
My brother was on the Athel Chief from around August 43 to August 44 have a rough list of her trips first to Canada and the Staes, then in the \med during the invasion of Italy.
Des
Ps Check out the Arnold Hague convoy site on the net the Athel Chief is on there.