SS Northumbria

[Bancourt]

There were two ships bearing this name lost in WW1. I would welcome any information about the sinking on the 23rd December 1915. The Master Thomas Robason and several crew were lost.

With regard to the second loss on the 9th January 1919 a press cutting stated the survivors were washed ashore at Newton Abbot. This more likely to be Newton by the Sea which is next to Embleton on the Nothumberland Coast where several are buried in the Churchyard in Comonweath War Graves.

Bancourt

[melliget]

Hi.

Here's a brief mention of the 1919 loss in The Times:

The Times, Tuesday, Jan 14, 1919

The inquest on the bodies of 12 of the crew of the

steamer Northumbria, which sank in the North Sea

after striking two mines, will be held at Newton

to-day. The two survivors, who are now recovering,

state that their boat was the only one to leave the

Northumbria safely, all the others being stove in.

Using Geoff's search engine, if you enter the ship name into unit text and the date 09/01/1919, it returns 36 casualties on the CWGC site. You could do a similar search for the 1915 loss (perhaps try excluding northumbrian).

regards,

Martin

[Clio]

I have photographs of the graves relating to the post war loss. Quite a story.

[Wrecktec]

I have photographs of the graves relating to the post war loss. Quite a story.

Hi Cleo

I'm very interested in this sinking, because Lloyd's War Losses, has it down as

Struck two mines and sank, 9 Jan 1919, 1 mile south of Coatham, while on a voyage from Baltimore to U.K., with wheat?

Coatham is near Saltburn and Redcar as you will know, so why were the men buried at Newton ?

Cheers Ron

[Clio]

'cause they abandoned ship off the Tees but the lifeboats had not been fitted with rowlocks. Some boats overturned. One week later the sole surviving lifeboat washed up at Embleton. Seagulls had a good feed.All were dead save one bloke suffering from exposure and a second raving madman who crawled naked up to the nearby cottages.

If you think this is dramatic licence you should read the subsequent inquiry details. Good coverage in the Journal

The dead are buried at Embleton

Why would anyone remove rowlocks from lifeboats ?

[spithead]

There were two ships bearing this name lost in WW1. I would welcome any information about the sinking on the 23rd December 1915. The Master Thomas Robason and several crew were lost.

Bancourt

Bancourt

Can you confirm that a Northumbria was lost on the 23.12.15, the only information which seems to be availabe are the sixteen crew who were lost on this date (Geoffs search engine). Is it possible that the ship was not lost in this incident and survived too 9.1.19.

Just a thought

Regards John

[Michael Lowrey]

The two Northumbria at issue:

1. A 872 grt (or 856 grt) steamer built in 1869 that went missing in December 1915. She sailed from the Firth of Forth, December 23, 1915 on a voyage from Granton for London with a cargo of coal but never arrived. She probably sank in a strong storm on the 23rd or 24th -- a strong low moved into the British Isles then and several other ships sank or are posted missing at exactly that time.

2. A 4215 grt steamer built in 1906 that sank on a mine on January 9, 1919.

Best wishes,

Michael

[spithead]

The two Northumbria at issue:

1. A 872 grt (or 856 grt) steamer built in 1869 that went missing in December 1915. She sailed from the Firth of Forth, December 23, 1915 on a voyage from Granton for London with a cargo of coal but never arrived. She probably sank in a strong storm on the 23rd or 24th -- a strong low moved into the British Isles then and several other ships sank or are posted missing at exactly that time.

Best wishes,

Michael

Full marks michael, never thought of going back that far, must have been a real rust bucket.

Regards John

[Bancourt]

Thanks for all the infomation. The Newton (1919) mentioned is in fact Newton by the Sea in the parish ofEmbleton where seveal are buried. This is a lovely spot to visit but off the beaten track quite near to Dunstanburgh Castle

Bancourt

[Wrecktec]

Thanks for all the infomation. The Newton (1919) mentioned is in fact Newton by the Sea in the parish ofEmbleton where seveal are buried. This is a lovely spot to visit but off the beaten track quite near to Dunstanburgh Castle

Bancourt

Nice area for shore diving, done many dives around there and not far from Beadnell either. The remnants of HM S/M G11 are just off the beach at Howick; she was wrecked on 22 November 1918.

Cheers Ron

[Guest roywilliamburnie]

I have photographs of the graves relating to the post war loss. Quite a story.

[Wrecktec]

Hi Roy

I'm writing about the Northumbria and would appreciate a copy of the photo for my book please.

I now have the full Inquiry report of the loss thanks to Clio. The ship was between 5 and 8 miles off the Tees when she detonated the mines, although Starke Schell and Lloyd's states one mile south of Coatham, actually placing her inland.

Cheers Ron

[Guest nevilley]

There were two ships bearing this name lost in WW1. I would welcome any information about the sinking on the 23rd December 1915. The Master Thomas Robason and several crew were lost.

With regard to the second loss on the 9th January 1919 a press cutting stated the survivors were washed ashore at Newton Abbot. This more likely to be Newton by the Sea which is next to Embleton on the Nothumberland Coast where several are buried in the Churchyard in Comonweath War Graves.

Bancourt

Hi. On the 1919 loss: sorry to reopen this after so long but I've only just seen this thread. I was very interested to see the war graves in the cemetery at Embleton (for reference it's the village cemetery, a few hundred yards out of the village on the road towards Craster. not the churchyard) and I used the (now defunct) Google Answers to find out a bit more. A couple of brilliant people there unearthed some more (press etc) so, in case anyone here is still interested in the 1919 tragedy, here are those threads:

Main question

Some more discussion about the graves

I do hope that someone might find this interesting, despite them not being the 1915 incident and it being a while later! Cheers, nevilley

[Wrecktec]

Hi. On the 1919 loss: sorry to reopen this after so long but I've only just seen this thread. I was very interested to see the war graves in the cemetery at Embleton (for reference it's the village cemetery, a few hundred yards out of the village on the road towards Craster. not the churchyard) and I used the (now defunct) Google Answers to find out a bit more. A couple of brilliant people there unearthed some more (press etc) so, in case anyone here is still interested in the 1919 tragedy, here are those threads:

Main question

Some more discussion about the graves

I do hope that someone might find this interesting, despite them not being the 1915 incident and it being a while later! Cheers, nevilley

Thanks for that Nevilley

I will have to make a point of visiting the cemetery; I have the full sad story of the sinking of the Northumbria, but a photo of at least one of the graves will be nice. The poor guys drifted for a week covering almost 50 miles in rough weather with no oars to help to guide their boat and all but two of them died. Most cemeteries have a number of Commonwealth War Graves in them, some more than others.

Cheers Ron

[Iandunn]

ss Northumbria . Having done a fair bit of research on this ex Grimsby trawler I still have been unable to obtain any photographs.
She was built by cook welton and gemmell at Beverley in 1906 and requisitioned as a minesweeper before hitting one and sinking near May island in the firth of forth on 3.3.1917.

I first dived the wrecksite about 20 years ago and made a positive id and we then corrected naval records who had the wreck crossed with ss Islandmagee several miles away off fifeness.

I have "trawled" google loads in the past without success.If anyone out there has any further info. or especially a photo I will be eternally grateful.

[Shiny]

Another reopening of this old thread but I stumbled across it doing a web search. I was in the cemetery searching for a relatives grave and came across the headstones. 

 

The age really threw me in the cemetery, I would have sworn it said 93, a quick check of CWGC though and it shows he was 23 which makes much more sense. 

 

I did photograph all of the headstones if anyone is interested.

 

Michael 

 

Edited 6 March , 2020 by Shiny

[Hyacinth1326]

Nice.  Did you see the Pollux grave when you were there ?

[Shiny]

Yes, it's right behind them. I didn't find my relative's though.

 

Michael 

Edited 6 March , 2020 by Shiny

[Hyacinth1326]

The Pollux tragedy can be found here. The tale highlights the problem of communications when an escort trawler was not in radio communication with its convoyed vessels

 

https://northeastatwar.co.uk/2019/02/08/embleton-ss-pollux-and-the-adoption-of-convoy/

[grantowi]

 

I have a local lad, buried in Swindon (way down south) who is listed as being in the RMLI on the SS Northumbria dated 9th January 1919.

Why would a ship carrying wheat have a RMLI chap on board ? 

[horatio2]

Pte Thomas POOLE Chatham/12274 and Pte Claude Reginald BLYTH Chatham/16620, RMLI, were drafted to SS NORTHUMBRIA, a Defensively Armed Merchant Ship (DAMS), as gunners to man the ship's gun. They were borne on the books of HMS PRESIDENT III.

Edited 10 November , 2020 by horatio2

[grantowi]

Cheers Horatio2, 

But why did the ship need gunners and guns in what was effectively peace time trip carrying wheat as cargo ?

And do you have anything else on Mr Poole, other than CWGC info ?

 

Many thanks

[horatio2]

More than 2,000 RM were employed as DAMS gunners but I am not certain when the DAMS organisation was stood down after the armistice. Clearly it was still active in early 1919 when NORTHUMBRIA was mined. Perhaps she was away from UK crossing the pond outbound to Baltimore when the war ended on 11 November 1918 and had not yet been dis-armed.

There is a ledger record for Pte Poole here  -  https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7771700

 

His two medals (VM and BWM) were claimed by and issued to his widow.

Edited 14 November , 2020 by horatio2

[grantowi]

Many thank Horatio2

[Andrew Fleming]

Here is my grandfathers brother Joseph MacDonalds grave in Embelton Cemetery who died in 1919 part of SS Northumbria Crew . I have visited recently the graves of these brave men . What makes it even sadder for me is his brother my grandfather Murdoch MacDonald also died at sea by drowning in 1942 aboard SS Thalia near Lismore Lighthouse west coast of Scotland after being struck by a tanker going on convoy duty . Joseph and Murdoch were born on the Hebridean island of Barra , Joseph was 30 years old when he died and Murdoch 48 . My email address is andrew.fleming71@yahoo.co.uk.

Andrew Fleming