Part of the
Acorn Archive
Hearts of Oak
Athel Line
Ships
Atheltemplar
2 ships of this name
1 ATHELTEMPLAR
GSN
20007817
ON
161160
8939
grt; 5240 net; 13,998 dwt
491ft
10ins overall x 63ft 4ins x 28ft 4ins draught
2
JG Kincaid/B&W 6-cylinder diesels; 3100 total bhp; 709 nhp
Twin
screw; 11 knots
Built
1930 by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow. Ship number 843
For
United Molasses Co Ltd, London.
1939
Laid up at Falmouth 5th
March.
1939 14th
December : Struck a mine and was lying helpless eleven miles off the Tyne. The
tugs JOFFRE, LANGTON and GREAT EMPEROR, escorted by destroyers HMS KELLY and
HMS MOWHAWK, set out to assist. Darkness was setting in when ATHELTEMPLAR was
reached; her stern was high out of the water, her forecastle was awash and she
was rolling badly. Despite the fact that the KELLY also hit a mine in the
procedure, the tanker was towed to a repair yard in the Tyne the next day. The
greater part of her cargo had been salved and, following extensive repairs, was
back in service by April, 1940. Two of
the crew of ATHELTEMPLAR, who were in their quarters forward at the time of the
explosion, were killed.
The two men who died 14th December 1939
CONNELLY, Able Seaman, PATRICK, Age 58.
GETTY, Sailor, GEORGE ALFRED, Age 20.
Son of Edward and Sarah E. Getty, of King's Cross, London.
~~~o~~~
1
January 1940 registered ownership was transferred to Athel Line Ltd.
~~~o~~~
1940 June : She was engaged in bunkering the group of
destroyers covering the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from the
Dunkirk beaches. During this hazardous
operation in and around Dover harbour she was repeatedly attacked by enemy
aircraft with bomb and machine gun, but no damage was inflicted.
5th November 1940
ATHELTEMPLAR escaped from the ADMIRAL SCHEER, due to the sacrifice of JERVIS
BAY.
December 1940 : Atheltemplar
was moored at the repair yard of Smith’s Dock Co. Ltd, North Shields. The Athelsultan
and Athelprincess were also at Smith’s
at this time with Mr Nicoll, Engineer Superintendent, the resident engineer in
charge of repairs.
1941 1st March ATHELTEMPLAR was bombed in an air attack.
ATHELTEMPLAR (Captain A. Waterson) sailed from the Tyne in convoy at the
end of February 1941. The ship proceeded Northwards, when on 1st March at
sunset off Aberdeen, she was attacked by two German bombers. A direct hit on
the bridge by a 500lb bomb completely devastated the whole structure. The sole survivor from the amidship house
was the Chief Officer (Mr J.M. Scott) who was blown from the bridge to the
foc’sle head and seriously injured. Captain Waterson and eleven crew members
were killed. The ship was ablaze and the survivors from the poop abandoned in
one of the lifeboats. The remainder of
the crew were taken off by an escort and were landed in Aberdeen.
The men who
died 1st March 1941
CALDWELL,
Third Officer, SAMUEL JOHN, Age 22.
Son of Samuel John
and Mary Elizabeth Caldwell.
DANTON,
Fireman, JOHN HENRY, Age 26.
Son of Charles
Henry and Elizibeth Alice Danton.
FURNESS,
Apprentice, GEORGE, Age 17.
Son of
Frederick and Edith Furness, of Appleby, Westmorland.
HARDING, Cabin
Boy, JOSEPH ARTHUR, Age 16.
Son of Colin
and Ella Harding, of Hull.
JACK, Third
Radio Officer, DAVID GUTHRIE, Age 22.
JARVIS, Second
Officer, PETER DAVID, Age 24.
Son of William
and Mary Jarvis, of Purley, Surrey.
MAHON, Able
Seaman, LAWRENCE, 1st March 1941. Age 58.
MARTINDALE,
Steward, GEORGE WILLIAM, Age 18.
Son of John
and Jessie Martindale, of North Shields, Northumberland.
MORTON,
Fireman, JOSEPH, Age 26.
Son of Wood
John and Eva Morton, of Moreton, Cheshire.
McMAHON,
Second Radio Officer, DERMOT PHILIP, Age 20.
Son of Thomas
and Mary Elizabeth McMahon.
WATERSON,
Master, ARTHUR HILL COATES, Age 37.
Son of Robert
and Annie Waterson;
Husband of
Eileen Waterson, of Bangor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland.
~~~o~~~
After repairs at North Shields she resumed trading at the
end of June, 1941, and was again attacked by enemy bombers in April, 1942,
although no damage was inflicted. A few
months later she proceeded in a North Russian convoy bound for Murmansk, with
fuel oil for the fleet, and this proved to be her last voyage.
1942 14th
September In Convoy PQ18; torpedoed by U-457 and sunk by U-408; position 76.10N
18.00E, on voyage Tyne and Reykjavik to Archangel, North Russia with 9,400 tons
of naval fuel oil. NW of Jan Mayen Island, and sank some time later, still
burning. Three lives were lost in the attack.
The master, 42 crew members and 18 gunners were picked up
by the British rescue ship COPELAND and the British destroyer HMS OFFA and
transferred to the British mine-sweepers HMS HARRIER and HMS SHARPSHOOTER.
Later they were transferred to the British cruiser HMS SCYLLA and landed at
Scapa Flow.
Although there was immediate danger of the vessel sinking
and of renewed attack, the chief officer, Mr J.A. Reeves, without regard for
his own safety, had himself lowered into the damaged engine room and succeeded
in saving a man who was trapped.
Later Capt. C. Ray and the remaining members of the crew
were rescued by HMS Scylla.
For his gallantry Mr Reeves
received the Albert Medal.
16 crew members later died from their injuries.
Read the full Account by Captain C Ray
The three men
who died 14th September 1942.
RIDGEWELL,
Fireman, HAROLD, Age 33.
Son of James
and Alice Ridgewell;
Husband of
Winifred Teresa Ridgewell, of Grays, Essex.
ROBERTS,
Second Engineer Officer, ERNEST, Age 28.
Son of Owen
John and Lilian Eva Roberts, of Liscard, Wallasey, Cheshire.
WILSON, Senior
Fourth Engineer Officer, JOHN TODD, Age 22.
Son of Victor
C. and Annabella M. Wilson, of Dundee.
Atheltemplar (1)
2 ATHELTEMPLAR
GSN 20007818
ON 183827
Built
1951 J.L. Thompson & Sons, Ltd,
Sunderland.
Engines,
4 cyl Doxford by North Eastern Marine. Service speed 12 knots.
9,108
grt; 13,185 dwt
495ft
9ins x 63ft 8ins
Twin
screw
1969
Scrapped Spain.
Atheltemplar(2)
Raymond
Forward