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The names of the 43 crew who perished on the SS Samkey in 1948,
courtesy of Billy McGee
AMBROSE, 1st Mate, LESLIE ERNEST age 35
BALLARD, SOS, WILLIAM FRANK age 24
BARRY, Chief Engineer, THOMAS CHARLES age 59
BAXTER, Fireman, WILLIAM HAROLD ALFRED age 21
BEGGS, Donkeyman, JAMES age 33
BOUCHARD, Chief Steward, WILLIAM EDWARD age 37
BUTLER, Fireman, JOHN WALTER age 23
BUTTERWORTH, Galley Boy, GEORGE ARTHUR age 17
CHAMBERS, 2nd Mate, GORDON BUXTON age 23
CLELAND, 4th Engineer, ROBERT NORMAN age 25
COLBORN, SOS, PATRICK HARRY age 20
COOPER, Donkeyman, ALFRED WILLIAM age 36
CREMIN, Master, CYRIL AUGUSTINE age 43
DONNACHIE, Donkeyman, JOHN age 26
FINLAYSON, EDH, ALEXANDER age 35
GARNETT, Able Seaman, HARRY age 24
GATES, SOS, JOHN WILLIAM age 20
GEE, 4th Mate, DONALD MICHAEL age 20
GODDARD, Steward, RONALD JOHN age 19
GROGAN, Able Seaman, REGINALD ROSE age 21
HARRADINE, Radio Officer, ERNEST SIDNEY age 22
HARTY, Steward, REGINALD CHARLES age 21
HIDES, EDH, RICHARD EDWARD age 20
HILL, Donkeyman DAVID THOMAS HENRY age 46
HOLMAN, Fireman, ALBERT REES age 21
KENNEDY, Able Seaman, KENNETH. Age 35
KIRKBY, JOS, GEORGE RICHARD age 17
LAING, 3rd Engineer, HENRY CLARENCE age 27
LANGDON, 2nd Cook, HARRY JOHN age 21
McALLAN, JOS, GEORGE age 19
MACKENZIE, Able Seaman, ALLAN JOHN age 20
MACKENZIE, 2nd Engineer EDWARD PATTERSON age 26
MAHOOD, JOS, PETER CHARLES EDWARD age 19
MARTINSON, Deck Boy, JOHN JAMES age 16
SPARKS, Junior Engineer, KENNETH TREVOR age 23
SAVILL, Fireman, HUGH MALCOLM age 34
SHEVILLE, Chief Cook, THOMAS JENKINS age 33
SIMPSON, 3rd Mate, KENNETH DUNCAN age 21
STRONG, Stewards Boy, RAYMOND age 17
TANNER, Able Seaman, FREDERICK CHARLES BERNARD age 26
WEST, Bosun, FREDERICK CHARLES age 31
WHITE, 2nd Steward, ERIC NORMAN age 21
WISEMAN, Carpenter, WILLIAM McPHERSON age 31
Painting
of the Samkey by John Chapman
● Looking for my friend's name who was a crew member of
the Samkey. Ray Strong who like me got a job aboard her before she
sailed. However, my father would not let me sail with her saying I
was to young. I believe that Ray went down with her. After all these
years I keep wondering if this were the case. We were blitz kids
living in London during the 39 /45 war and we just needed to get
away. We were school pals.
Jack
Martin
● My uncle, George Mc Alan
(George Noel Rangi
Henderson), went down with her in 1948.
Mark Traynor
● Please add me to your list that is seeking
information about the Samkey and her crew. In particular George
Mcallan also know as George Henderson. Before signing on the Samkey
I believe he was on the ship the Orari which I believe was in dry
dock so it was just a short trip that he signed on for as he would
pick up the Orari when he returned, appreciate any information.
Shirley Traynor
● My Uncle
died when the SS Samkey sank in 1948. His name was David Michael
Gee and I believe he was the Radio Officer.
Chris Gee
● My name is
Chas Plows and I served on the Samkey from 16/3/1946 to 22/01/1947
and we had a pretty hairy storm one time my mate Eric Dove was on
the wheel at the time and had to let go and hold on to the pole that
went up to the monkey island. We almost capsized I believe that I
had to change my pants!! I signed to go back on but my farther died
suddenly in Germany and I came out on compassionate grounds and of
course the rest is history. Jock the ships chippy got drunk at sea
so he got a black discharge and had to come off how lucky was we !!!
Chas Plows
● My Uncle and two other lads from the Isle of Lewis
were lost on the SS Samkey. They were Allan John Mackenzie, Kenneth
Kennedy, Alistair Finlayson. Although the boat sank on Jan 31st 1948
it was not reported in the Stornoway Gazette until Friday November
26th 1948. Donald
Mackenzie
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The `Samkey` vanished without a
trace in a mid Atlantic storm on January 31st 1948
Also in the same area on the same date an aircraft `Star Tiger`
(Tudor IV) vanished without trace with 31 people onboard.
The total crew of the `Samkey` was 43. No trace has ever been found
of either. The `Samkey` was an American built Liberty ship of 7,219
tonnes, on charter to the New Zealand Shipping Company. The `Samkey`
was bound for Cuba from London in ballast, her destination was to
have been Tunaz de Zaza in Cuba. The last heard of the ship was a
radio message asking for a weather report at noon on January
31st. Reported to Horta radio in a position Latitude 41 48 N.,
Longitude 24 00 W. Azores Radio had news of her, and another vessel
heard her. It was the night of one of the worst mid-Atlantic storms
with waves over 800 feet long and 50 feet high.
A Court of Enquiry was held on July 23rd 1948, which lasted 4 days
it was stated -“here was a well built ship efficiently manned and
surveyed immediately before the voyage, which on or after January 31
this year was overwhelmed by something that was so sudden in its
onslaught and so dire in its effect, that no signal of any kind was
made from her, and she just vanished from sight”. Weather charts
indicated winds of over 75 m.p.h.
It was also reported that an air
and sea search had been made-four ships had been diverted for the
purpose-and no trace of wreckage was found.
Curiously, two of the `Samkey's sister ships had been lost within
the preceding twelve months - the `Samtampa` wrecked near Porthcrawl
in April 1947 and the `Samwater` caught fire off Portugal in January
1947.
The `Samkey` was built at the Bethlehem Shipyards in Baltimore
U.S.A. The above water colour picture was commissioned by FREDERICK
JOHN HONISETT (PWSTS 1943) who was an Able-seaman onboard the
previous voyage to the ill-fated one, who left the ship on December
29th. 1947, one month earlier, having just completed an 11 month
trip on her.
The voyage previously : London England to Halifax Nova Scotia
Canada, to Curacao West Indies, through the Panama Canal to
Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle Australia, then on charter to
Makatea in the South Pacific Seas to load phosphates, for Auckland
New Zealand. This trip was made back and forwards several times. On
the first trip to Makatea. we went to the aid of a three-masted
schooner `OISEAU-DES-ILES` which struck a reef at Mopelia Island 300
miles west of Tahiti, onboard the `Oiseau-des-Iles` were 140 male
workers from Rarotonga travelling to the phosphate works in Makatea.
The `Samkey` under the command of Captain J.J. Youngs O.B.E. D.S.C.
R.N.R. (who incidentally was in command of the `Mulberry Harbour` in
the invasion of France 1944) went to the aid of the schooner at the
request of the governor of Tahiti. Also onboard the schooner was a
French recruiting officer, and an elderly American woman. The
schooner struck the reef only a few yards from where the German
raider `SEEADLER` under Count Felix von Luckner was wrecked in 1917,
parts of the raider could still be seen lying near the schooner.
Although water was pouring into the schooner faster than being
pumped out, Capt. Youngs offered to lend two of our pumps provided
his ship towed the damaged vessel to Makatea. The French Captain
refused to abandon ship and the offer was declined when he heard
that two pumps were were being brought out from Tahiti the following
day, and the schooner was towed by a rescue schooner which brought
the pumps out.
The male workers and the French Officer were taken onboard the `Samkey`
sleeping space was allotted below decks, They were taken to Tahiti
by the `Samkey` which arrived in time for `Bastille Day` and all the
celebrations that went with it, much to our crews delight. A time to
remember.
On route to Makatea and New Zealand we called at New Plymouth,
Wellington, Auckland, and Napier. The voyage lasted 11 months
docking in London on Monday December 29th 1947.
There was a memorial window to the ship and the crew, in the
Mariners Chapel of St. Andrew, Victoria Dock Road, also a memorial
book with the crews names inside. The chapel has since been
demolished , during which the window was broken. Part of the window
is in the church of `All Hallows by the Tower` on Tower Hill
opposite the Tower of London, where there is also a plaque with the
43 members of the crew named, but no whereabouts of where the
memorial book is now.
The sister ship to the `Samkey` S.S. Leicester which Fred Honisett
joined next for a six month voyage to New Zealand, which ended in
August 1948, one month later in September 1948, the `Leicester` was
abandoned and six lives were lost, one of which was the replacement
for Fred Honisett. The `Leicester` was eventually towed to Bermuda.
During 1948, the following were recorded-
March 5th. `AL SNYDER` Cabin cruiser & Skiff found abandoned 3 crew
missing.
April 1948 `WILD GOOSE` (vessel in tow ) 4 onboard.
December 28th. DC3 passenger plane 35 onboard.
On January 17th. 1949 A year after the airliner `Star Tiger` was
missing with the `Samkey`. The `STAR ARIEL` sister ship to the `Star
Tiger` went missing 20 onboard.
Note: Apart from war casualties, the disappearance, without trace,
of an ocean going liner is an exceedingly rare event. The case of
the `Anglo Australian` appears to be the last one which can be
compared with the `Samkey` This was a vessel of 5,456 tons gross,
and was posted missing on May 1938. She was thus on a voyage leading
through the same waters as that of the `Samkey` and was not heard of
again after passing Fayal on March 14th. 1938 . “Lloyds List.”
model of the ship St Albans built by Bob Emmett - the same type
of ship as the Samkey
The above photo was taken in Brissy in the ships
wartime colours ie grey all
over including emergency rafts adjacent to the masts Port and Starboard.
Nov 2011 - My name is
Edward Barnett my
brother Ronald John Goddard was one of the crew who perished when SS
Samkey was lost 31 January 1948. As a lad of nine I accompanied our
Mother to the initial memorial service held 16 April 1948 at the
Seaman's Mission Victoria Dock Road, at the reception there was a
couple of young schoolgirls who represented a school that adopted
the Samkey and had wrote to the crew before the tragedy, do wish
that I could find name of that school so as to pass on much belated
thanks.
Can anyone assist Edward?
The PWSTS is grateful to Mark Traynor for the
construction of this page |
