SS Bondicar Crew list 1940.
 

SS Bondicar Crew List/Agreement Starting 16th July 1940

Name of Ship: Bondicar
Official Number: 129741
Port of Registry: Newcastle
Port Number and Date of Registry; 1/1910
Registered Tonnage: Gross 1441, Net 804
Number of Seamen and Apprentices for which accommodation is certified: 19
Registered Managing Owner or Manager: Broomhill Steamship Company

Master Name and number of certificate: 0017203 W.A.W. Watson
Address: ‘Fermoy’ Park Terrace No. Shields.

And it is also agreed that …….in addition to various clauses of the National Maritime Board – crew shall work, coal, cargo, ballast or bunkers where and when required in the interests of the state.
The Sailors, Firemen & Donkymen shall mutually assist each other in various duties of the ship and in defence of the ship by attending and manning armaments, hoses etc., as required by circumstances, also attending Gun Drills as required.


List

(Name, age, birthplace, address, capacity)
Everyone below signed at Amble.


W.A.W. Watson, 43, Liverpool, Fermoy Park Terrace North Shields, Master

L.W. Hunter, 35, Shetland, 47 Bishop Road Newcastle, Mate

J.W. Coxon, 35, South Shields, 5 Lawson Street Amble, 2nd Mate

J.G. Davison, 25, Amble, 15 Panhaven Road Amble, Steward

T. Dunleary, --, 40 ?? Street South Shields, A.B. Lamps

Thos. Doleman,--, Amble, 25 Gordon Street, Amble, A.B.

Jno. Thos. Douglas, --, Radcliffe, 44 Dansfield Place Radcliffe, A.B.

E. Young, --, Amble, 58 Newburgh Street, Amble, A.B.

T.W. Dent, --, Grimsby, 18 Henry Street Grimsby, A.B.

J. Sinclair, --, Orkneys, 194 Marsden Street, S. Shields, A.B.

W. Brown, --, Sunderland, 202 Newcastle Road Sunderland, 1st Engineer

J Maxfield, --, Sunderland, 80 Dykeland Road Sunderland, 2nd Engineer

H. Guthrie, --, Amble, 3 George Street, Amble, Donkeyman

J. Henderson, --, Amble, 4 John Street Amble, Fireman

G. Doleman, --, Amble, 35 Gordon Street, Amble, F. Trimmer

R. Shadforth, --, Amble, 8 Labrooke Street, Amble, F Trimmer

T. Mossman, --, Amble, 4 ???? Street Amble, M.R.S.

R.G. Gallagher, --, Greenwich, 36 Trafalgar Street, Greenwich, A.B.

J. Nichol, 39, Amble, 2 Broomhill Street, Amble, Fireman & Trimmer (6.8.40)

I have a grandfather and great grandfather listed above on the ship at the same time.


It's likely many of the above men would have served in support of the Dunkirk evacuation a few months earlier.

I've not included pay, but they all received 1 pound, 3 shillings and 4 pence war bonus per week. :)

ss bondicar
 

:confused::confused::confused::confused:can anyone tell me if the Bondicar was involved with a UBoat, i have been told that she rammed and sunk one, this is all new to me and i have lived here all my life,the history of this ship would be very much appreciated.
:cool:

Simonsen in his book Warkworth Harbour gives an outline history of the port's main vessels; for the Bondicar he notes that she was attacked by a Submarine in the Bristol Channel, 15th September 1918- the torpedo missed.

For the vessel's history in WW2 he notes "She was twice damaged by bombs, mined and torpedoed by E-Boats, but survived"

He doesn't mention the boat ramming a sub, but the question is.. what happened next after the torpedo missed in the Bristol Channel event in 1918??

Some more stats on SS Bondicar
 

BONDICAR - 1916/1918
Code letters: HQGC Official registration #: 129741
Master: 1916-17 Captain F. Gustafson, appointed to the ship in 1913
1917-18 Captain J. Glass, appointed to the ship in 1916
Rigging: steel single screw Schooner; 1 steel deck; 4 cemented bulkheads;
cargo battens not fitted; cellular double bottom, aft 65 feet long, under
engine & boilers 34 feet, forward 103 feet, 384 tons; Forward Peak Tank 36
tons; Aft Peak Tank 97 tons
Tonnage: 1,441 tons gross, 1,079 under deck and 804 net.
Dimensions: 240.3 feet long, 36.5 foot beam and holds 14.4 feet deep;
Quarter Deck 123 feet long;Bridge Deck 10 feet; Forecastle 22 feet.
Construction: 1910, J. Crown & Sons Ltd. in Sunderland
Propulsion: triple expansion engine with 3 cylinders 18 1/2, 30 & 50 inches
diameter respectively; stroke 36 inches; 180 p.s.i.; 182 nominal horsepower;
2 single ended boilers; 4 corrugated furnaces; grate surface 82 sq. ft.;
heating surface 3,060 sq. ft.; engine built by Richardson, Westgarth & Co.
Ltd. in Sunderland
Owners: Broomhill Collieries Ltd. (H. Coates, manager)
Port of registry: Newcastle
Port of survey: Barry

And finally
 

In 1947, the vessel was sold to 'China Hellenic Lines', of Greece & was renamed Chryssoula. Later that year, the vessel was renamed Hellenic Chryssoula. On Oct. 3, 1950, the vessel, en route from Alexandria, (Egypt?), collided with Steel Recorder. Not sure exactly where. Hellenic Chryssoula's stem was crushed & its anchor was lost. The vessel arrived at Newport, presumably Wales, on Jun. 4, 1954, to be broken up.

thanks a lot guys ,it looks like i am getting closer to the mystery
of the Bondicar. as you say what happened in the Bristol channel?
maybe she tried to ram!!. anyway it looks like she was a tough old tub.
if i manage to raise anything i`ll come back

Bondicar
 

Undated pic

Another snippet Simonsen records is that two men were killed on the Bondicar when testing a gun (WW2), but I assume these would be RN or Maritime Regiment Royal Artillery, and not MN Locals.

Bondicar WW2 records
 

Hi,

My great grandfather Joseph Henderson was frequently a fireman (and occasionally trimmer) on the Bondicar for many years especially around WW2.

I have just paid the National Archives to download the records of the Bondicar's voyages from Jan1940 to Jul1943. I'm not a nautical man, so much of the terminology/abbreviations are lost on me, but it seems to my untrained eye that the Bondicar sailed in many merchant Navy convoys, often to Southend and back.

One thing that jumps out, is during this time the Bondicar was involved in no less than 4 collisions (literally one a year).

I'm happy to share the PDF with anyone who wants it (for free!). Sadly the file is too large to attach here (even zipped)

Cheers
Gary Robson

My Grandfather,Robert Mitchell,served on one on these ships.But not sure witch one?My Dad remembers it was hit by a torpedo sometime in WW2?Can anyone help?

Hi,i also downloaded the Bondicars movement cards from 1940-45.The only puzzling thing is the repeated abbreviations "Pd up",or,"Pd down"followed by the destination ie Southend etc.:confused:
Any nautical types out there with any clues,thanks.

abbreviations
 

Could pd refer to port of destination?Southend being Down and Amble being pd up?

Hi you could be correct,however i think it could be "passaged".There are more obvious abbreviations ie "sld",followed by the destination,witch i think must be "sailed".Also "anch"witch must be anchored.
But "pd"up/down still evades me i have looked on the internet without any luck,thank for reply.:)

Could it be which end of the journey payment was to be made?

Hi my father Robert William Shearer was on the Bonicar and told me that had happened he said it made him realise it was time to sign off which he did but then got called up . Also my uncle Alexander Lloyd Percy Shearer sailed on the Bondicar , he was later lost on the Clifton Hall on the 12th June 1942 when she was torpedoed by a Jap sub

I remembered your uncle's name from when we did this page:
http://www.fusilier.co.uk/military/a...l_memorial.htm


Any idea of a date for the gun malfunction on the Bondicar?