Part of the
Acorn Archive
Hearts of Oak
Athel Line
Ships
Athelcrown
3 ships of this name
1 ATHELCROWN
ON 161107
GSN 20007779
Built 1929 Furness Shipbuilding Co. Haverton Hill.
For United Molasses Co.
April 27th 1929: The Times
The Athelcrown, a motor tanker of 16,000 tons, the largest
vessel yet built on the River Tees, was launched on Thursday from the Furness
Shipbuilding Company's yard at Haverton Hill. The naming ceremony was performed
by Countess Ahlefeldt Laurvig, wife of the Danish Minister in London. The
Athelcrown has been built to the order of the United Molasses Company Limited,
for their Java service.
526ft 2ins x 68ft 8ins x 38ft 9ins
945 nhp; 12 knots; Oil engines.
11,999 nt; 18,045 grt
1942 22nd
Jan 1942; 45 06N 40 56W Torpedoed U-82,
SE of Cape Race.
At 2310, SS ATHELCROWN dispersed from Convoy ON-56, was
torpedoed & sunk. Five crew members were lost. Capt. Burkill was among the
survivors.
The master, 26 crew members & six gunners were picked
up by the British merchant ARGOS HILL and landed at Halifax. A British warship
rescued eight crew members. Donald Stanley Pinnington, Chief Engineer received
an OBE, and Walter Jackson, Chief Officer, received an MBE. The Master, Captain
Isaac Burkill, received a Commendation, and Edward Brook Young Mouat, Carpenter
received a BEM. Colin Norman Timothy Baptist, Apprentice, received a BEM, for
services in an open boat after ATHELCROWN was sunk; after 6 days in the
lifeboat the four crew members boarded the drifting wreck of the DIALA and attempted to get her under way.
The DIALA had been torpedoed on 15 January by U-553 at position 47.28N 39.19W.
They remained on board for eight days before they were rescued by the Swedish
merchant SATURNUS and landed on the Faeroe Isles. Colin Baptist became the author of the "Tanker Captains
Handbook" and another on Salvage.
Men who died
22nd Jan 1942
BEE, Senior Second Engineer
Officer, WILLIAM LOUIS, Age 37.
Husband of E. Bee, of Eastham,
Cheshire.
BLACKBURN, Wiper, THOMAS, Age
37.
BLAND, Able Seaman, JOHN ALLAN
STEPHENSON, Age 22.
Son of Allan and Jane Alice
Bland, of Oakworth, Yorkshire.
GILROY, Junior Engineer
Officer, JAMES ASCROFT, Age 24.
Son of James Abraim and
Florence Beatrice Gilroy; West Kirby, Cheshire.
HAUGHTON, Third Engineer
Officer, JOHN MAURICE, Age 29.
Son of the Revd. J. O.
Haughton, M.A., and of Eleanor Haughton,
of Wallasey, Cheshire.
Died 25th September 1946
BURKILL, Master, ISAAC, Age 63.
Son of George and Sarah Ellen
Burkill;
husband of Maud Beatrice
Burkill, of Hull.
Commemorated Hull Crematorium.
Buried Ashore.
Athelcrown (1)
2 ATHELCROWN
GSN 20007780
Tonnage 11,149 grt
Built 1949 Camell Laird Shipbuilders, Birkenhead
Order of build 1192
Vessel number V1189
For Athel Line Ltd, Liverpool
1971 Scrapped Spain.
5028332
Official Number 183734
August 2, 1949: History was made in Buffalo Harbour on
Sunday July 31st 1949, when the tanker ATHELCROWN, dressed for the
occasion, crossed the bar at 7am flying from the foremast the message,
"Have brought drinking water and very good wishes." The ATHELCROWN,
on her maiden voyage, had on board her first cargo of 3,300,000 gallons of
water from Durban. Location: Buffalo
Harbour, East London,Eastern Province, South Africa.
Athelcrown (2)
Photograph from the Gwyn Pritchard
Collection
Courtesy of Anthony Jones – http://www.rhiw.com
Athelcrown (2) leaving Birkenhead 1967
Photograph by
Peter Thompson
http://www.thompsonp.plus.com/
3 ATHELCROWN
Built 1954 Ab
Götaverken, Göteborg
For the Gränges Fleet as VASARA.
Registration Nr : 9491
21.750 dwt;
16.169 grt
595ft 5ins x 74ft
10ins x 44ft 4ins
14 knots
1972 Sold to Tankers Ltd (Athel Line Ltd) and named
ATHELCROWN.
1975 Scrapped at Kaoshiung.
Like the Athel Line, Gränges had severe losses during WWII;
out of a fleet of 23 ships in 1939, 16 were lost to enemy
action.
Athelcrown (3)
Photograph by
Joe McMillan
Athelcrown (3)
as Vasara
Raymond
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