Part of the
Acorn Archive
Hearts of Oak
MV Trevanion
The other ships sunk by ADMIRAL GRAF
SPEE
The Merchant Navy Prisoners taken by
ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE
TREVANION
Built
1937 Lithgows for Hain Steamship Co.
5,299
tons
432ft
3ins x 56ft 2ins x 24ft 8ins
449
nhp; oil engines.
The
Trevanion, on a voyage from Port Pirie ( South Australia ) to Swansea, was sunk
by the German raider GRAF SPEE on October 22nd 1939, about 600 miles W of Luderitz Bay.
19.40S : 04.02E.
HAIN
STEAMER LOST - ST. IVES MEN ON BOARD
The
Hain steamer Trevanion (5,200 tons) is one of four British ships reported on
Monday to be long overdue and believed lost. The Trevanion is now about eight
weeks overdue. No news has been received of her.
Her
master is Capt. J. Edwards, of St Ives.
Another
St. Ives man on board was Mr. James Symons, a steward.
She
was a London motorship, with a crew of thirty-three.
Report
dated 21st December 1939 ….
TREVANION
CAPTAIN'S STORY
THRILLING
STORY OF ATLANTIC ADVENTURES
INTERVIEW
WITH ST. IVES CAPTAIN
Captain
J. H. EDWARDS, The St. Ives Captain of the Hain Steamer TREVANION has given in
an interview a graphic description; of his adventures since the sinking of his
ship. Talking to a reporter in Montevideo, where he had been landed from the
Graf Spee, following her epic battle with three British warships off the coast
of South America, Capt. Edwards said:
“We
were off the coast of South West Africa when we sighted a warship flying a
large French Ensign. When the warship was two miles away, we were told to heave
to, and the German Ensign was run up instead of the French. Our wireless
operator transmitted our position, and the warship started to open fire.”
“The
order had been given to us, not to use our wireless, but I had given our
operator orders to transmit our position. The warship started firing, and
inflicted some damage on us, and our operator had just finished his message
when a fragment of shell hit the apparatus. I dumped the ship's papers into the
sea as the German party arrived, armed with revolvers and fixed bayonets.”
“A
party of twenty Germans then came aboard the Trevanion, and the whole of my
crew was transferred to the Graf Spee. Six days later we were transferred from
the Graf Spee to a Hambourg ship, which was disguised as a Norwegian vessel. On
board this vessel I found members of the crew of the Newton Beech and the
Ashlea, both of which had been sunk earlier by the Graf Spee. This boat, as
well as taking over prisoners, was supplying the Graf Spee with provisions.”
“Sometime
later with the other officers of the British steamers, I was taken on board the
Graf Spee again.”
There
was a twinkle in Captain Edwards’ eye when he told how when questioned by
German officers on the Graf Spee, he replied with characteristic Cornish
forth-rightness: “Find out !”
Capt.
Edwards said during the encounter with the British ships and the Graf Spee he was
a prisoner below decks, and, therefore, saw nothing of the action. “Graf Spee had arrived and anchored off Montevideo
just after midnight on the 14th December. An officer came in and
announced “Gentlemen, For you the War
is over. We are now in Montevideo harbour. Today you will be free.”
That
same afternoon we were indeed set free in Montevideo.”
MV Trevanion
Photograph
Courtesy of Joe McMillan
Raymond
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