# Palm Line Ships List



## Steve Hillyard

Discussion thread for Palm Line Ships List. If you would like to add a comment, click the New Reply button


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## benjidog

Come on all you Palm guys!

I started a a couple of blank SN Guides for you and hoped someone would pick up the challenge. This was one of them - the other is for company history.

Brian


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## Billy1963

I have a copy of the history of Palm Line by Laurence Dunn & P.M. Heaton (ISBN 18720006019) I can list the full fleet of ships names if you wish?


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## K urgess

That would be great, Billy.
If you have any problems with the SN Directory I'm sure Brian, our resident expert, will be able to help out.
Thanks
Kris


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## benjidog

Hi Billy,

If your are able to scan the pages with this fleet list on I have software to convert it into text easity (OCR) as long as the scan if of reasonable quality.

Let me know if you can do this and I will send you my email address and I will reprocess it.

Regards,

Brian


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## Billy1963

I'll leave this list for now as I have just typed the info. out ready to post. I'm having a lot of work done on my house (new boiler, full rewire and kitchen fitted) Will scan pages when possible and resize into a decent jpeg and forward by email.

Ships of the Palm Line formed from the United Africa Co. in 1949.

BENIN PALM, 5,424grt, built 1936 as ETHIOPIAN (2)
MENDI PALM, 5,424grt, built 1936 as LEONIAN
KANO PALM, 5,202grt, built 1936 as GUINEAN
VOLTA PALM, 5,205grt, built 1936 as LIBERIAN
GAMBIAN PALM, 5,452grt, built 1937 as GAMBIAN (2)
TAKORADI PALM, 5,452grt, built 1937 as TAKORADIAN
DAHOMEY PALM, 4,876grt, built 1937 as CONAKRIAN
OPOBO PALM, 6,082grt, built 1942 as CONGONIAN (3)
KUMASI PALM, 7,221grt, built 1943 as KUMASIAN (3)
OGUTA PALM (1) 7,221grt, built 1943 as LAFIAN (3)
ASHANTI PALM, 5,123grt, built 1947 as ASHANTIAN (3)
LAGOS PALM, 5,120grt, built 1947 as LAGOSIAN(2)
LOKOJA PALM (1) 5,135grt, built, 1947 as ZARIAN (3)
MATADI PALM, 6,246grt, built 1948 as MATADIAN (2)
NIGER PALM, 5,202grt, built 1948 as NIGERIAN (3)

Palm Line.

BURUTU PALM, 5,410grt, built 1952
AFRICA PALM (1) 5,415grt, built 1953
SAPLE PALM, 4,981grt, built 1953
TEMA PALM, 6,178grt, built 1953. 1960 renamed MAKURDI PALM
BAMENDA PALM (1) 5,042grt, built 1956
BADAGRY PALM (1) 5,042grt, built 1956
ELMINA PALM, 5,356grt, built 1957
KATSINA PALM, 8,734grt, built 1957
ANDONI PALM, 5,802grt, built 1958
AKASSA PALM, 5,797grt, built 1958
ENUGU PALM, 5,328grt, built 1958
KANO PALM (2) 8,723grt, built 1958
IBADAN PALM, 5,658grt, built 1959
ILORIAN PALM, 5,658grt, built 1959
LOBITO PALM, 6,157grt, built 1960
LAGOA PALM (2) 6,256grt, built 1961
MAKENI PALM, 6,137grt, built 1961
IKEJA PALM, 5,682grt, built 1961
ILESHA PALM, 5,682grt, built 1961
MATADI PALM (2) 8,870grt, built 1970
AFRICA PALM (2) 10,008grt, built 1974
APAPA PALM (1) 9,067grt, built 1976
APAPA PALM (2) 9,417grt, built 1977
BAMENDA PALM (2) 11,223grt, built 1979
BADAGRY PALM (2) 12,279grt, built 1979
LAGOS PALM (3) 15,575grt, built 1982
LOKOJA PALM (2) 15,576grt, built 1982
APAPA PALM (3) 16,031grt, built 1986


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## benjidog

Thank for the list Billy.

I have added that information to the Guide. Let me know when you have more information to add.

Regards,

Brian


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## palmoil chop

I've not found where this thread has ended up (sat.nav between my ears is faulty) but I do know that the last of the Palm Line was converted to scrap on some beach in India last summer. A friend spotted the news in 'Lloyd's List' or similar and I've got the details somewhere. If there's a suitable place to attach them, then I'll do so.


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## maritiem

Palm Line
History
The first Europeans to set foot in West Africa were Portuguese when attempting to find new routes to India and beyond. They were followed by the Dutch, Spanish, French and English whose initial quest was trade in ivory and gold, unfortunately this was soon outstripped by the Slave Trade where the English surpassed the combined efforts of all the rest. The Triangular Trade as it became known carried European goods to the Guinea Coast where they were exchanged for human cargo. The ships then sailed for either Peru where the slaves worked in the mines, West Indies for work in the sugar fields or the American Colonies for work in the tobacco plantations and later the cotton fields. During the crossing up to twenty percent of the slaves perished but with profits of up to one thousand percent possible there was no shortage of ships, Captains and crews willing to make the voyages. The last leg of the triangle was the shipment of sugar and tobacco back to Europe where more cloths and trinkets were purchased for the commencement of another triangular voyage, a very profitable enterprise. In the one hundred years to 1789 over two million slaves had been shipped to the British Colonies alone, and in 1790 British ships carried 38, 000 while the combined fleets of the French, Dutch, Danes and Portuguese carried a further 36, 000. The two ports of Liverpool and Bristol profited greatly from the Slave Trade but in 1807 the carriage of slaves in British ships was banned by the British Government, also British Colonies were forbidden to receive them. To their credit the British Government then sought agreements from Nations whose ships still continued in the trade for the Royal Navy to be able to board suspect vessels and commander them, by the 1850's the trade was effectively at an end.

Whilst the Slave Trade prospered other British Companies operated on the coast in the less onerous trade of gold and ivory. Richard and William King Ltd and F & A Swanzy had been operating since the late seventeenth century and by the mid nineteenth had been joined by Thomas Harrisons & Co, W.B. MacIver of Glasgow and Hatton & Cookson of Liverpool and Elder Dempsters. Operating on the Ivory Coast was by no means without risk, as well as cannibals seafarers and soldiers alike had to contend with the most fever ridden shoreline in the world after all it didn't earn its nickname of the "White Man's Grave" without merit. By the end of the nineteenth century cargo's outward bound from the UK would contain guns and gunpowder, hardware, bales of Lancashire cloth, clothing of all types, boots and salt. Homeward bound the cargos were of course ivory and gold but were supplemented with palm oil, ebony, dye and rubber, most of the exchange of goods was done by barter with very little cash changing hands. 

By 1910 the price of palm oil made from the pericarp of the fruit and palm kernel oil made by crushing the nuts had risen by thirty percent, both oils were used in the manufacture of soap, margarine and candles. It was in this year that the most powerful man in the soap industry a Bolton grocer by the name of William Lever first became interested in West Africa. In an attempt to gain some independence from his suppliers he first acquired W.B. MacIver of Liverpool and then two years later Peter Ratcliffe and Company and The Cavalla River Company all traders in oil in the region. In 1911 he also formed the Societé Anonyme des Huileries du Congo Belge and bought great tracts of land in the Belgian Congo and developed them as plantations also building a milling company for the extraction of oil. His consolidation was complete when he purchased H. Watson & Company a Manchester firm of shipowners who operated a Fleet of seven modern ships suitable for the transport of palm oil in 1916, a year later an eighth ship was completed. The Company was renamed the Bromport Steamship Company Limited derived from Bromborough Port situated on the Wirral, Cheshire and his factory was situated at Port Sunlight. Colemere, Delamere, Eskmere, Redesmere, Flaxmere, Rabymere, Oakmere and Linmere comprised the Fleet.

Lever's losses during the First World War accounted for half of the Fleet. Delamere was lost by a torpedo attack when 110 miles west of the Fastnet with a loss of ten lives on the 30th of April 1917. Eskmere was sunk by torpedo on the 13th of October 1917 when off Holyhead, twenty of her crew died including the Captain. When off St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight Redesmere was torpedoed and sunk on the 28th of October 1917 with a loss of nineteen lives. The final Company loss was on the 22nd of December 1917 when Colemere was torpedoed 25 miles west of the Smalls, she sank taking four crew members with her, this sinking brought the total to fifty three crewmembers lost. The remaining four ships were joined by the twin screw vessel Kulambanga from the companies Pacific plantations.

In February of 1920 Lever Brothers purchased the Niger Company to further consolidate its position on the West African Coast. This Company not only traded in Nigeria it apparently ran the country much along the same lines as the East India Company did in India. Sadly for Lever Brothers besides having lost all its political standing the Niger Company also misrepresented its financial base, this coincided with a drop in the price of palm oil from £115 a ton to £55. Just after the war Elder Dempster, Holland West Africa and Woermann's had formed the West African Line Conference and offered regular customer preferential rates, in order to cut its losses Lever Brothers sold its Bromport Fleet to Royal Mail and became patrons of the Conference.

William Lever died in 1925 leaving the Company in an extremely vulnerable situation but within a few years the fortunes of the loss making Niger Company had reversed even after a protracted struggle with its rival the African & Eastern Trade Corporation. In 1929 the two Companies merged renaming itself the United African Company, a few months later Lever Brothers merged with the Dutch Margarine Union becoming the Unilever Group. At the time of the merger African & Eastern possessed four ships, Ashantian, Ethiopian, Nigerian and Lafian, Lafian had replaced Woodville a year earlier, Woodville was originally purchased from the Southern Whaling Company and had carried the body of Sir Ernest Shackleton to South Georgia for burial.

With improvement in its fortune and an eye on its main competitor, the Niger Company had purchased a rather old steamship from Cunard called Tyria and renamed her Ars in 1928, and so as previously stated the Fleet now stood at five.

UAC purchased seven further ships between 1930 and 1934, of varying ages the oldest being Mendian built by Bartram and Sons of Sunderland in 1903, the others were Zarian, Kumasian, Lagosian, Congonian, Gambian and Dohomian, the ships were all named after ports or countries which were served by the Company and the practice was to continue for the rest of the Company's future.

As the depression came to an end exports from West Africa increased with the levels of groundnut, palm and kernel oils increasing at a steady rate also exports of cocoa and diamonds had increased from the Gold Coast. Bearing all this in mind the United Africa Company decided to increase the size of its Fleet but this time with new tonnage. One of the major problems faced by the Company at the time was that Lever Brothers had considerable sums of money locked away in Germany which it was unable to transfer due to legislation. A compromise was reached whereby the UAC could have ships built in German yards, all the more amazing considering the amount of shipping being built for Germany's war effort a few years hence. As new ships came into service UAC disposed of its veterans so that by 1939 the Company had the most modern Fleet on the West African Coast if not the world in comparable size. Sixteen ships in all of which only two were built pre 1930, the rest having been completed between 1935 to 1938. When war was declared and the Government requisitioned British Merchant ships the entire Fleet of UAC came under Government control, irony being that half of them had been built in German yards.
Guinean was the first Company ship to see action when she was part of the Evacuation Force off France in 1940. Guinean carried remnants of the B.E.F. and also civilians amongst whose numbers were children.

On the 1st of July Zarian survived a torpedo attack when in convoy 250 miles off the Scilly Isles, U-26 was sunk by an escort vessel and Zarian was towed to Falmouth for repairs. Lagosian survived a bombing attack when off Peterhead on the 2nd of September but five of her crew were killed. The German built Congonian was the first Company ship to be sunk when she was torpedoed by U-65 off the West Coast of Africa on the 18th of November. Two other Company's losses in 1940 occurred on the 5th of July when Gambian and Takoradian called at Dakar to replenish their bunkers. Both ships were boarded by Officials loyal to the New Vichy regime and detained, however both were released in 1943 and saw service as Empire Tweed and Empire Swale for the Ministry of War Transport, both survived and were handed back to UAC in 1946. In 1941 Kumasian was sunk by torpedo on the 5th of August fired from U-74 when in convoy off the Irish Coast. Lafian followed her on the 24th of September when she was torpedoed by U-107 when in convoy northbound 500 miles off the Azores.

Nigerian sank when off the coast of Trinidad when struck by a torpedo fired from U-508 on the 8th of December 1942. Four crew were killed and an RAF Officer and three Army Officers who were travelling as passengers were taken prisoners aboard the U-boat. On the 28th of the same month Zarian which had survived a previous torpedo attack in 1940 was torpedoed and sunk by U-591 North of the Azores bound for West Africa, four crewmen died. Lagosian was torpedoed and sunk by U-159 on the 28th of April when off the West African coast, seven crewmen lost their lives. The Company suffered its biggest crew loss when Ashantian was sunk by torpedo from U-415 when in the Western Approaches when in convoy outward bound to New York on the 21st of April. Fourteen crewmembers lost their lives including the ship's Master, Captain C. Cartmer-Taylor. The last two ships the Company lost were both sunk in 1944, Matadian by torpedo from U-66 on the 20th of March and finally Dahomian sank on the 1st of April by an unexplained underwater explosion off the coast of South Africa with the loss of two lives.

By War's end UAC had lost nine ships, of the remaining seven, five had suffered damage of one kind or another and forty six lives had been lost. UAC had supplemented its diminishing Fleet during the War with Kumasian and Lafian both built by Furness S.B. CO Ltd, Haverton Hill in 1943 and the Swan, Hunter built Congonian.

1945 Onwards

The various British Fleets which served West Africa fared just as badly as the rest when it came to War losses and so out of necessity were forced to continue the co-operation which War time had placed on them when it came to renewing their commercial services. The United Africa Company, Elder Dempsters and the John S. Holt Co of Liverpool set up a joint service and in 1947 extended it for a further ten years. At War's end UAC was only operating six ships, these were soon joined by two handed back from the Royal Navy and a further two returned from the Ministry of War Transport in 1946. The Government of the day (Atlee's Labour) decided that it was to change the way that the Empire was run and amongst other things instigated the founding of Marketing Boards in the Colonies which purchased produce from the farmers in an attempt to stabilise prices. In Nigeria the first to be established was the Nigerian Cocoa Marketing Board in 1947, two years later it was joined by groundnuts, palm produce and cotton, this action did nothing to calm the nerves of shipowners who required massive investment to rebuild their depleted Fleets. Trade, which had been restricted during the War now boomed. West Africa dominated some of the world's commodities most notably groundnuts, cocoa and palm kernels, fortunately for the Shipping Companies trade outward bound also prospered with West Africa importing vast amounts of war surplus, provisions, railway equipment, building materials, lorries, cars and textiles. 

With this in mind and increased trade envisaged UAC first chartered in three Canadian built 'Fort' cargo ships in 1946 and the following year purchased three new ships under the Government's ship disposal scheme, they were Ashantian, Lagosian and Zarian.
In an attempt to broaden its horizons as to where it sought cargoes U.A.C. revived the articles of the old Southern Whaling and Sealing Company which Lever had purchased years before and changed its name to Palm Line. They had been pre-empted by John S. Holt's which had become the Guinea Gulf Line in its attempt to seek alternative freight in other ports outside of West Africa. At an extraordinary general meeting on the 16th of February 1949 the new Company of Palm Line was formed.

The first Board of Palm Line comprised Mr. Samuel (later Chairman of U.A.C.) who was appointed Chairman, Mr. George Cole (Later Lord Cole, Chairman of Unilever Ltd.), Mr. Arthur Smith (Later Sir Arthur Smith another future Chairman of U.A.C.), Mr. Thomas Bragg and Mr. A.E. Hoffman. All the Company's vessels underwent name changes and adopted the suffix 'Palm' for example Ashantian became Ashanti Palm and Gambian became Gambia Palm. On the 1st of January 1950 Palm Line joined Elder Dempsters, Guinea Gulf Line and Holland West Africa Line in the West African Line Conference (Walcon).

Sensing an upturn in world trade Palm Line decided to enlarge its Fleet by ordering four new ships, the first two Buruta Palm and Africa Palm were both motor ships built in Sunderland.

Two further ships, both steam, were ordered from the German yard of A.G. Weser, Werke Seebeck of Bremerhaven and were delivered in 1953. They were Sapele Palm and Tema Palm, both were German registered and sailed for a subsidiary company called Ölhandel und Transportgesellschaft GmbH of Hamburg. 1954 saw the disposal of Kano Palm and Volta Palm for further trading, the former sailed under the Greek flag and was scrapped in 1970, the latter was finally scrapped in 1976 whilst under the Peruvian flag as Santamar. During the early 50's British shipping lines still enjoyed a monopoly with its Commonwealth Territories and with trade increasing Mr George Cole the in***bent Chairman decided to enlarge Palm Line potential by embarking on an ambitious building program. Therefore in 1954 Palm Line ordered twelve ships from Wigham Richardson of Newcastle and a further two from the German yard of Bremer Vulkan, Vegesack. The first British pair were delivered in 1956, they were Bamenda Palm and Badagry Palm.

Six ships were delivered between 1957 to 1958, four from Swan Hunters, Elmina Palm, Enugu Palm, Katsina Palm and Kano Palm and the two from Germany, Andoni Palm and Akassa Palm.
In 1959 Palm Line sold five of its older tonnage on for further trading, Benin Palm, Gambian Palm and Takoradi Palm all went to the Lebanese flag whilst Mendi Palm and Dahomey Palm flew the flag of Panama. In this year also the Company announced its intention to move the bulk of it's ashore operations to London except for a reduced staff to look after its ships which used the river Mersey. The Chairman of the Company was also invited to become a member of the Council of the Chamber of Shipping, the owners' collective voice piece. Palm Line also took over U.A.C.'s Coast Transport Department in Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. This Department looked after stevedoring, warehousing, lighterage and clearing and forwarding of cargoes. At the end of the fifties the decolonisation of Africa was well under way, the Gold Coast was the first becoming Ghana in 1957, she was closely followed by Nigeria and French and Belgian possessions in 1960. It naturally followed that the emergent new countries would want to form their own shipping lines and again Ghana was in the forefront establishing the Black Star Line with the aid of an Israeli Company in 1957. The Nigerian National Shipping Line came into being the following year with the Government holding a 51% stake, Elders had 30% and Palm Line the remaining 19%.
During 1960 the two German flagged ships transferred to the British Registry, Sapele Palm without a name change but Tema Palm became Mukurdi Palm.

In 1960 Palm Line's trade with West Africa continued to improve though its percentage cargo carried had fallen due to increased competition, however the tonnage carried was twice that of 1950. During this year the boardroom minutes declared that if trade continued to expand at the same pace then efforts would have to be made to increase the size of the fleet. This decision was made even in the knowledge that the company was running in direct competition against two heavily subsidised state concerns, Ghana's Black Star Line and the Nigerian National Line.
Four ships entered service in 1961, they were Lagos Palm, Makeni Palm, Ikeja Palm and Ilesha Palm.
Due to political unrest in West Africa Palm Line ceased to build ships for a further ten years. Opobo Palm was sold in 1961 for further trading to the Windward Shipping Company of Hong Kong and renamed Winwar. The early Sixties saw a marked decline in the cargoes carried South due to a market decline in the prices paid for Ghana's and Nigeria's exports.

By 1962 Palm Line was operating the most modern fleet on the West African coast and served about forty ports running from Morocco to Angola, some five thousand miles. But it was in this year that the problems faced by not only Palm Line but the other British Conference members also began to escalate. With Nigeria and Ghana's economic problems mounting and a certain amount of self reliance coupled with its dependence on their own State fleets Palm Line found itself having to reduce the size of its fleet. The vegetable oil tanker Matadi Palm was the first to go and she sailed from Liverpool on the 11th of April 1963 bound for the breakers at Burriana, Spain. The following year Oguta Palm was sold on for further trading to Skaramanga Shipping of Greece and renamed Heraclitos, she was finally broken at Split in 1973.
John Holt's reaction to the crisis was by far the most severe; it sold its entire Guinea Gulf Line to Elder Dempster Lines who retained the fleet's identity.

During 1966 Palm Line disposed of another three ships, Lokoja Palm, Niger Palm and Sapele Palm, 1967 saw the disposal of a further two, Burutu Palm and the tanker Makeni Palm, this left the company with just one tanker. This tankers days were numbered however and Mukurdi Palm was sold on for further trading to Peruvian interests in 1969. She was replaced by Matadi Palm the following year.

As the percentage of trade carried by Palm Line decreased so accordingly it reduced the size of its fleet and in 1972 a further four ships were sold on for further trading, they were, Africa Palm, Akassa Palm, Badgary Palm and Bamenda Palm, this action reduced its fleet down to twelve ships, fifty percent of its 1962 strength. 
With the advent of containerisation the company decided to charter in a Norwegian ship, Joruna in 1974 and renamed her Africa Palm, as this action met with some success the company decided to rid itself of more of its outdated fleet, consequently Andoni Palm was sold on for further trading to Greek owners and was replaced by a German chartered ship, Hasselburg. For the duration of its charter she was called Apapa Palm but to the company's discredit she not only flew the German flag but was manned by Germans. The ship was replaced by another from the same company in 1977, this was the 1973 built Schauenburg whose name was changed to Apapa Palm.

In 1977 also the company disposed of Elmina Palm to Panamanian owners and the following year sold a further three, Enugu Palm, Katsina Palm and Ibadan Palm, all for further trading. The company took delivery of two new Multi-purpose ships in 1979, the first was the North Korean built Bamenda Palm, the second was the British built Badagry Palm.

With the introduction of the two new ships Palm Line reduced the size of its fleet yet again when four of its older and outdated ships were sold on for further trading, they were Kano Palm, Lobito Palm, Ilorin Palm and Ilesha Palm. The company's share of trade continued to fall and at this juncture its fleet stood at just seven ships. In 1981/82 the company took delivery of two new Multi-purpose vessels, Lagos Palm and Lokoja Palm and at the same time disposed of two more of its older ships, Lagos Palm (2) and Ikeja Palm.


Trade continued to decline and by 1984 the fleet was reduced yet again and four more ships left the West African trade, Africa Palm was sold and Bamenda Palm, Lagos Palm and Lokoja Palm were chartered to Lloyd Brasileiro of Rio de Janeiro. The following year the United Africa Co. Ltd and Unilever decided that running a shipping line served no useful purpose especially as it continued to lose money compounded by the fact that it would be cost effective to use other carriers at greatly reduced expense. Consequently in 1985 Palm Line Ltd and its Conference rights were sold to Ocean Transport and Trading PLC of Liverpool which also operated Elder Dempster and Guinea Gulf Line, UAC retained the remaining ships, also in this year the company sold Apapa Palm to Venezuelan owners. The final year of operations for UAC came in 1986 when the remaining five ships were all sold on, however it wasn't until 1989 that the name of Palm Line finally disappeared from the British Registry when along with Elder Dempster and Guinea Gulf Line their nomenclature and trading rights were sold to Delmas Vieljeux of France. 

FLEETS


BROMPORT STEAMSHIP COMPANY LIMITED
1916-1923

Vessel	Built	Years of Servive	Tons
Colemere 1915 1917 torpedoed and sunk west of the Smalls	2,120 
Delamere 1915 1917 torpedoed and sunk west off Fastnet	1,525 
Eskmere 1916 1917 torpedoed and sunk near Holyhead	2,293 
Redesmere 1911 1917 torpedoed and sunk near Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight	2,123 
Flaxmere	1915	1923 sold to MacAndrews, renamed Boscan, 1928 sold to Argentina renamed Angra, 1934 deleted from register.	1,525
Rabymere	1917	1923 sold to Moss Line renamed Edfou	1,776
Oakmere 1910 1923 sold to MacAndrews, renamed Bazan, 1936 sold to Westcliff Shipping Co. renamed Thorpehall, 1938 bombed and sunk off Valencia	1,251 
Linmere 1913 1923 sold to MacAndrews renamed Balboa, 1928 Concalo Velo, 1949 Generoso,1952 idem, 1961 scrapped.	1,552
Kulambanga 

NIGER COMPANY
1920-1929


Ars 1897	Ex Tyria, 1928 purchased from Cunard renamed Ars, 1929 over to United African Company not renamed, 1930 scrapped	2,936 

UNITED AFRICAN COMPANY
1929-1949

Ashantian (1)	1916	Ex Kaggefof 1916, ex Fordefjord 1921, ex Ashantian 1925, 1929 transferred from African & Eastern Trade Corp. not renamed, 1932 sold to Sweden renamed Adele, 1934 sold to Hellenic Lines renamed Hellas, 1955 sold renamed Megalochari, 1965 sold same name, 1966 ran aground and wreck scrapped.	2,116
Ethiopian (1)	1902	Ex Crown of Navarre built for Crown Steamship Co., ex Commodore 1920, ex Ethiopian 1925, 1929 transferred from African & Eastern Trade Corp. not renamed, 1933 scrapped.	2,739
Nigerian (1)	1925	Ex Nigerian 1925, 1929 transferred from African & Eastern Trade Corp. not renamed, 1935 sold to Moss Hutchison Line renamed Kyrenia, 1937 sold to Bristol City Line renamed Toronto City, 1941 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U108, whole crew lost. 3,543
Lafian (1)	1929	Ex Lafian, 1929 transferred from African & Eastern Trade Corp. not renamed, 1936 sold to Moss Hutchison Line renamed Meroë, 1950 sold to Germany renamed Adele, 1957 sold renamed Tucana, 1958 sold renamed Ursula, 1960 sold to Panama renamed Mien An, 1961 sold renamed Ruhamah, 1965 sold renamed Liby, 1968 scrapped.	3,832
Ars See Ars 1928	
Mendian	1903	Ex Beethoven built for Orpheus Shipping Co., ex Berwyn 1917, ex Laurel Branch 1919, 1930 purchased from Nautilus SS Co. and renamed Mendian, 1933 scrapped.	3,752
Zarian (1)	1907	Ex Spheroid 1907 built for Scrutton Sons & Co., ex Songster 1921, ex Cambrian Princess 1926, 1931 purchased from William Thomas Shipping and renamed Zarian, 1933 scrapped.	3,832
Kumasian (1)	1905	Ex Baltic, 1931 purchased from Rederiaktieb Transatlantic, Gothenburg and renamed Kumasian, 1935 scrapped.	3,400
Lagosian (1) 1930	Ex Melmay, 1932 purchased from Melmay Shipping Co. and renamed Lagosian, 1943 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U159 in convoy RS3.	5,414 
Congonian (1)	1927	Ex Quercus, 1933 purchased from Arbor Shipping and renamed Congonian 1936 sold to Italy renamed XXIII Marzo, 1941 scuttled at Massauna and broken up.	5,010
Gambian (1)	1929	Ex Knight of the Rose, 1933 purchased from Newport America Line and renamed Gambian, 1936 sold to Scindia Steam Nav. Co. renamed Jalamani, 1955 sold to Costa Rica renamed Athos, 1958 sold to Greece same name, 1960 sold Lebanon renamed Filia, 1964 scrapped.	3,856
Dahomian 1929	Ex Themoni, 1933 purchased from Kassos Steam Nav. Co. and renamed Dahomian, 1944 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U852. 5,277 
Ashantian (2) 1935 1943 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U415 in convoy ONS3 with the loss of 14 lives. 4,917
Kumasian (2) 1935 1941 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U74 in convoy SL81.	4,922
Eketian	1935	Local service, 1969 converted into a barge.	1,005
Ethiopian (2) 1936 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Benin Palm, 1959 sold to Lebanon renamed Faneromeni, 1961 scrapped.	5,424
Guinean 1936 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Kano Palm, 1954 sold to Panama renamed St. George, 1964 sold renamed Susanne Eureka, 1966 sold renamed Mok Tat, 1967 scrapped.	5,205
Leonian 1936 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Mendi Palm, 1959 sold to Panama renamed Rio Yape, 1960 sold renamed Lobito, 1963 sold same name, 1967 scrapped.	5,424
Liberian 1936 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Volta Palm, 1954 sold to Finland renamed Hermes, 1958 sold to Panama renamed Noemi, 1960 scrapped.	5,025
Nigerian (2) 1936 1942 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U508 with the loss of 4 lives.	5,423
Congonian (2) 1936 1940 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U65. 4,928
Matadian (1) 1936 1944 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U66. 4,275
Conakrian 1937 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Dahomey Palm, 1959 sold to Wallem & Co., Hong Kong renamed Southern Mariner, 1968 scrapped.	4,876
Lafian (2) 1937 1941 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U107 in convoy SL87.	4,876
Takoradian 1937 1941 seized by Vichy French in Dakar renamed St Paul, 1943 returned and later renamed Empire Swale, 1946 returned to owners reverted to Takoradian, 1949 over to Palm Line renamed Takoradi Palm, 1959 sold to Panama renamed Irini’s Luck, 1963 scrapped.	5,452
Gambian (2) 1937 1941 seized by Vichy French in Dakar renamed St Gabriel, 1943 returned and later renamed Empire Tweed, 1946 returned to owners and reverted to Gambian, 1949 over to Palm Line renamed Gambia Palm, 1959 sold to Panama renamed Irini’s Blessing, 1963 scrapped.	5,452
Akassian	1922	Ex Cito, 1937 purchased from Wilson, Ellerman Line renamed Akassian, 1938 wrecked at Palm Point.	692
Warrian	1929	Ex Frank, 1937 purchased from Chr. J. Reim, Norway and renamed Warrian, 1941 sunk in collision with the loss of 3 lives.	1,057
Zarian (2) 1938 1942 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U406 in convoy ONS154 with the loss of 4 lives.	4,871
Kumasian (3)	1943	1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Kumasi Palm, 1960 sold to Panama renamed Flower, 1967 sold same name, 1968 scrapped	7,221
Lafian (3)	1943	1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Oguta Palm, 1960 sold renamed Aristoteles, 1962 sank after springing a leak.	7,221
Congonian (2)	1943	1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Opobo Palm, 1961 sold to Windward Shipping, Hong Kong renamed Winwar, 1963 scrapped.	6,082
Lagosian (2)	1947	Ex Empire Ronaldsay launched for Ministry of War Transport but completed as Lagosian for UAC, 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Lagos Palm, 1960 renamed Oguta Palm, 1964 sold to Greece renamed Heraclitos, 1969 sold renamed Herodemos, 1973 scrapped.	7,331
Zarian (3)	1947	Ex Empire Stroma launched for Ministry of War Transport but completed as Zarian for UAC 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Lokoja Palm, 1966 sold renamed Despina L, 1969 sold renamed Nova, 1971 scrapped.	5,135
Ashantian (3)	1947	Ex Empire Bardsey launched for Ministry of War Transport but completed as Ashantian for UAC, 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Ashanti Palm, 1962 aground at Naples CTL.	5,123
Matadian (2)	1948	1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Matadi Palm, 1963 scrapped.	6,246
Nigerian (3)	1948	1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Niger Palm, 1966 sold to Panama renamed Triana, 1968 scrapped.	5,202

PALM LINE
1949-1985


Ashanti Palm See Ashantian (3).	
Lokoja Palm (1) See Zarian (3).	
Matadi Palm See Matadian (2).	
Niger Palm ex Nigerian (3).	
Benin Palm See Ethiopian (2).	
Mendi Palm See Leonian. 
Dahomey Palm See Conakrian. 
Takoradi Palm SeeTakoradian.	
Gambia Palm See Gambian. 
Kano Palm (1) See Guinean. 
Opobo Palm See Congonian (2).	
Kumasi Palm See Kumasian (3).	
Oguta Palm See Lafian (3).	
Lagos Palm (1) See Lagosian (2).	
Volta Palm See Liberian.	
Burutu Palm	1952	1967 sold to Panama renamed Tyhi, 1973 sold renamed Globe Star, 1973 grounded and lost.	5,410
Africa Palm (1)	1953	1972 sold to Panama renamed Savoydean, 1975 caught fire and later scrapped.	5,415
Badagry Palm (1)	1956	1972 sold to Greece renamed Irene’s Grace, 1983 scrapped.	5,042
Bamenda Palm (1)	1956	1972 sold to Greece renamed Lenio, 1978 sold renamed Elsa SK, 1980 sold renamed Eternal Sea, 1983 scrapped.	5,042
Elmina Palm	1957	1977 sold to Panama renamed Cyprus Sky, 1978 sold renamed Eastern Sky, 1978 sold renamed European Liberty, 1981 scrapped	5,356
Katsina Palm	1957	1978 sold to Singapore renamed New Dragon, 1984 broken up.	8,734
Enugu Palm	1958	1978 sold to Kuwait renamed Athari, 1979 renamed Seepayal, 1982 scrapped.	5,328
Akassa Palm	1958	1972 sold to Greece renamed Elemma, 1977 sold renamed Ionian Sky, 1981 sold to Liberia renamed Magdalini K, 1982 laid up, 1984 scrapped.	5,797
Andoni Palm	1958	1976 sold to Panama renamed Mastro Manolis, 1977 renamed Mastromanolis, 1982 scrapped.	5,802
Kano Palm (2)	1958	1979 sold to India renamed Purna Shanti, 1979 sold to Panama renamed Island Trader, 1982 scrapped.	8,723
Ibadan Palm	1959	1978 sold to Kuwait renamed Hind, 1979 renamed Arunkamal, 1983 scrapped.	5,658
Ilorin Palm	1960	1979 sold to Liberia renamed Diamant Captain, 1982 renamed Cape Blanco, 1982 sold to Panama renamed Sea Venture, 1983 broken up.	5,658
Lobito Palm	1960	1979 sold to Cyprus renamed Lobito Pal, 1980 renamed Minoa, 1980 renamed Peruvian Trader, 1982 renamed Richmond 1983 renamed Eurco C, 1984 scrapped.	6,157
Sapele Palm See Sapele Palm.	
Mukurdi Palm See Tema Palm. 
Oguta Palm See Lagosian (2).	
Ikeja Palm	1961	1981 sold to Panama renamed GME Palma, 1982 renamed Palma, 1982 scrapped.	5,660
Lagos Palm (2)	1961	1981 renamed Lagos Palm I, 1981 sold to Cyprus renamed City of Lobito, 1983 grounded intyphoon and lost.	6,256
Makeni Palm	1951	Ex British Rover, 1961 purchased renamed Makeni Palm, 1967 sold to Panama renamed Kerkennah, 1972 sold to Italy renamed Palau, 1978 scrapped.	6,137
Ilesha Palm	1962	1979 sold to Liberia renamed Daphnemar, 1982 laid up, 1984 scrapped.	5,682
Matadi Palm (2)	1970	1985 transferred to UAC International renamed Matadi, 1986 sold renamed Modesty.	8,870
Africa Palm*	1971	Ex Joruna, 1974 chartered by Palm Line renamed Africa Palm, 1983 renamed Santa Barbara Pacific on charter, 1983 renamed Africa Palm, 1984 sold renamed Messaria, 1991 sold renamed Tong Zhou.	9,813
Apapa Palm (1)*	1974	Ex Hasselburg, 1976 chartered by Palm Line renamed Apapa Palm, 1977 returned to owners renamed Hoegh Apapa, 1979 renamed Hasselburg, 1980 sold renamed Mexico, 1982 renamed Mexico I, 1987 sold renamed Trade Vigour, 1996 renamed Madras Express, 1998 scrapped India.	9,067
Apapa Palm (2) *	1973	Ex Schauenburg, 1977 chartered by Palm Line renamed Apapa Palm, 1985 transferred to UAC International not renamed, 1985 sold to Venezuela renamed General Salom, 1993 Orient Challenge, 1999 scrapped Alang.	9,417
Badagry Palm (2)	1979	1985 transferred to UAC International renamed Badagry, 1986 sold to Panama renamed Cordigliera.	12,279
Bamenda Palm (2)	1979	1984 renamed Lloyd Texas, 1985 renamed Bamenda Palm, 1985 transferred to UAC International not renamed, 1986 sold to Cyprus renamed Arko Glory, 1990 sold renamed MC Ruby, 1990 renamed Medipas Tide, 1990 MC Ruby, 1993 Ville de Damas, 1994 MC Ruby, 1994 Runner, 1994 CMBT Eagle, 1999 Runner, 2000 Renata, 2005 African Star, 2005 Renata, 2009 scrapped.	11,223
Lagos Palm I See Lagos Palm (2).	
Lagos Palm (3)	1981	1984 renamed Lloyd Rio, 1985 transferred to UAC International not renamed, 1986 renamed Lagos, 1986 sold to USSR renamed Boris Andreyev, 1996 sold renamed Pearce, 1998 sold renamed Nieves B.	15,575
Lokoja Palm (2)	1982	1983 renamed Wameru, 1984 renamed Lloyd Australia, 1985 transferred to UAC International renamed Lokoja, 1986 sold to USSR renamed Mekhanik Bardetskiy, 1996 sold renamed MSC Jamie, 1997 sold renamed Jamie, 1997 renamed MSC Buenos Aires, 1998 renamed Jamie, 1999 sold renamed Rocio B, 2009 renamed Rocio and scrapped.	15,575





ÖLHANDELS- & TRANSPORTGESELLSCHAFT
1949-1960

Tema Palm	1953	1960 over to Palm Line renamed Mukurdi Palm, 1969 sold to Peru renamed Santamar, 1976 scrapped.	6,255
Sapele Palm	1953	1960 over to Palm Line not renamed, 1966 sold to Panama renamed Capetan Georgis, 1973 scrapped.	3,981




* chartered ships

Sources:
Palm Line, L. Dunn & P. Heaton. 
Palm Line: The Coming of Age 1949-1970, R. Kohn, Privately Published, 1970. 
Miramar
Regards
Henk Jungerius


----------



## R58484956

*Henk* (Maritiem) you must be congratulated on typing such a comprehensive list and history of Palm Line. Thank you.


----------



## stan mayes

Henk - Many thanks for all this interesting information.
Well done!!
Stan


----------



## McMorine

*Searching for an old mate.*

Iam trying to locate a Senior Electrician, Bob Rankin, who was with Palm Line in the early 1960's. He served his apprenticeship at the same time as myself at English Electric Co Liverpool and we were very good mates. I lost touch with him when I joined The Bank Line.
If anyone has any information about Bob, he will be about seventyone years old now, I would be very much obliged. 

Best regards Alex F B McMorine.


----------



## McMorine

*Looking for Bob Rankin.*

There does'nt seem to be many ex-Palm Line men out there, surely they haven't all crossed The Bar!!!!!!


----------



## Peter (Pat) Baker

I'm still around, but I have never seen a post from any Palm Line men from my era,which was 1955/1958, that is apart from one.
What has happened to all the others?
Pat Baker.


----------



## lakercapt

Hi Pat I am still here
Sailed with Palm line about the same time
First ship Opobo Palm October 1957
Last one Kano Palm January 1962. By that time I had enough of West Coast.
Sailed with many interesting characters and a few right a**e holes.
Have regaled many dinner guests with tales of that era and they found them humorous and maybe thought I was telling tall tales.
The steamers were hard work and going to Accra meant you had only to work a half day. i.e. 12 hours on deck watching the antics of the crew loading the surfboats and initialing the B/L for L.O.B.
The mates put in long hours and think the rest of the crew had a fairly good life. Never seemed to get into the bar in port as there were some wild evenings.
The newer ships had the luxury of A/C but a trip down there on the old ships meant you had mold growing on your clothes in your wardrobe even with the bulb on.
Yes I remember it well and did not look forward to the time I had to get shots. Still caught a few of these weird ailments as well as malaria.


----------



## stan mayes

Alexander -
Following your PM to me I have been making inquiries but without success.
I know there are still a few Palm People around and hopefully you will get some answers soon.
Stan


----------



## slick

All,
Badagry Palm and Lagos Palm 1963 -1964.

Yours aye,

slick


----------



## jmcg

Last trip on Bamenda Palm. A good ship. Old Man amd Mate had asked us all back for the next voyage. As we sailed up the Clyde and on stations the Mate answered the fo'c'sle head stations 'phone (a huge plug in box). The message was " You're all sacked boys! .

He told us later that in fact she was to be sold.

A good outfit to sail with - also sailed on Ilesha Palm. Workmanlike trips.

BW

J (Gleam)(Gleam)


----------



## Wanstead

And so the demise of another great Leverpool institution.


----------



## McMorine

Thanks Stan, someone out there must remember Bob Rankin, I live in hope.


----------



## Peter (Pat) Baker

Laker Capt.
I sailed in the Gambia Palm 2 trips 1955-1956
Burutu Palm 1 trip 1956
Kumasi Palm 2 trips 1956-1957

I'm surprised that we never met.
Let me know some of the people that you remember from those days
and I will try to recall them.

Peter (Pat) Baker.


----------



## Chief Engineer's Daughter

My Dad, Peter Millett, ex Palm Line engineer is still to the fore but he doesn't have a computer and isn't likely to ever have one.


----------



## lakercapt

Peter
I was on Kumasi Palm in 1959 so you would have been gone by then.
Alas the names of most have gone other than the names of the Captains as they are in my discharge book.
Capt Salvage was on the Kumasi'
Capt Willett
Capt Astbury
and of course Franky Imaz was another and he was a very big character.
Another was a capt Knapp.
There are others but tempus fugit and i don't remember much about them.
Seem to have had a load of Continental pay offs and then it was a long haul home via Hook of Holland ferries and trains.
Seem to think it took about all of a days traveling to get home.
The Marine super was in Liverpool and was Capt Dave Rankin who I don't recall if he moved to London when the main office transferred from there.
The new ship building was going on but the old boats were still to the fore and I think the Gambia still carried passengers in sedate but slow passage.


----------



## Peter (Pat) Baker

lakercapt,
hello again, the only people that you mention I remember are Captains Astbury and Frankie Imaz.
I sailed for two voyages in the Gambia Palm.
As you say she carried 12 passengers in a very dignified eight knots and was a superb
ship and we always had Frankie for entertainment.
Those were golden and happy days.
Pat Baker.


----------



## tom roberts

Sailed on two Palm Line ships the Opobo Palm a sweat box of a ship cleaning the tanks turned your sweat yellow you could see your outline in your bunk where you had been sleeping and caused your seaboots to disintigrate(and they make margerine out of it),then shipped out on the Badagary Palm the less that was said about the bosun the better those who were on her then will know what I am on about I think it was her second voyage after she was commisioned had a great laugh when one lad gave his suit to the shoreside cleaner seeing her washing it in the river brought tears to eyes.


----------



## McMorine

Certainly glad I sailed with The Bank Line, the acctivity on this site is certainly miserable compared with Weirs of London, every day is something new.


----------



## michael6938

Sailed with Palm Line as cadet 1975 -79, but don't remember sailing with the same people often so maybe many were not company men. Seem to remember the company being a bit of a joke to others at college.
sailed on Elmina oct 75 to may 76
Enugu june 76 Aug 76
Matadi april 77 
Kano june 77 to feb 78
Enugu March 78 
Lobito April 78 July 78
Lagos August 78 April 79 
Apapa May 79
Then Failed the Orals After arguing with the exanining Captain over him changing a question and decided to follow another career.


----------



## Luffsen

*Hi Alex*



McMorine said:


> Iam trying to locate a Senior Electrician, Bob Rankin, who was with Palm Line in the early 1960's. He served his apprenticeship at the same time as myself at English Electric Co Liverpool and we were very good mates. I lost touch with him when I joined The Bank Line.
> If anyone has any information about Bob, he will be about seventy one years old now, I would be very much obliged.
> 
> Best regards Alex F B McMorine.


I served my apprenticeship at the English Electric Liverpool also (MTR)1954 to 1959 i then joined NZSC before joining Palm Line in 1960 and the Burutu Palm, one trip was enough, as she was just about knackered then. You can read my article in Repairs at sea sectn. Sorry i cant help you with the location of your mate Bob
Cheers Roy Rigby


----------



## Ballsup

McMorine said:


> There does'nt seem to be many ex-Palm Line men out there, surely they haven't all crossed The Bar!!!!!!


Hi I sailed with Bob a few times brings back fond memories hope you find him

Dave


----------



## chris booth

McMorine said:


> Iam trying to locate a Senior Electrician, Bob Rankin, who was with Palm Line in the early 1960's. He served his apprenticeship at the same time as myself at English Electric Co Liverpool and we were very good mates. I lost touch with him when I joined The Bank Line.
> If anyone has any information about Bob, he will be about seventyone years old now, I would be very much obliged.
> 
> Best regards Alex F B McMorine.


Hello Alex,
Sorry I dont know what happened to Bob Rankin but I sailed with him on the Ibadan Palm, Africa Palm and on the Elmina Palm when she was sold in 1977. Not much help but may be a little more information.


----------



## Russken40

*Bob Rankin*

Hi Alex, Sorry I dont know what happened to Bob Rankin but I sailed with him on the Ibadan Palm, Africa Palm and on the Elmina Palm in the 60's. No sign of him on the British Merchant Navy website either, (not that I could find!!).
Regards Russ Kennedy (Thumb)


----------



## jeffery

*Ibadan Palm*



benjidog said:


> Come on all you Palm guys!
> 
> I started a a couple of blank SN Guides for you and hoped someone would pick up the challenge. This was one of them - the other is for company history.
> 
> Brian


I was on the above ship 1973, would love to hear from anybody who was there at same time, hope someone can help me.

I am new to this so need help.
Many thanks


----------



## edshazell

Hi

I sailed with Bob as his junior electrician a few times and remember him well, I really enjoyed Palm Line and have many good memories of my four years with them most as a Senior Electrician.

Ed Shazell


----------



## Farmer

*Kano Palm 1973*

Surprised, There has been no take on the kroo boy,s we most took aboard in Freetown, Working as steverdores aboard Palm Boat,s on the west african coast. Then paying them of at Freetown homeward bound. Some of the gear i saw these guy,s take ashore with them down the pilot ladder paying off unbelievable. Old paint cans. Strands of hemp , Anything they could get there hands on. They obviously made use of them the mind boggles. Bosun when i was aboard her Jimmy Turtin one of the good guy,s G,Day fella,s farmer.


----------



## Erimus

.....................in my earliest days as a Shipping Clerk (office boy) with Constantines in Middlesbrough I remember loading about 5 or 6 Sunbeam Rapiers at Dents Wharf on the Takoradi Palm (this would be about 1959). These were destined for a 'surf port' in W.Africa and were lowered,so we were told afterwards, into two canoes each..every car was lost in the surf!

geoff


----------



## edshazell

Erimus said:


> .....................in my earliest days as a Shipping Clerk (office boy) with Constantines in Middlesbrough I remember loading about 5 or 6 Sunbeam Rapiers at Dents Wharf on the Takoradi Palm (this would be about 1959). These were destined for a 'surf port' in W.Africa and were lowered,so we were told afterwards, into two canoes each..every car was lost in the surf!
> 
> geoff


Am I right in thinking you are also on Caravan Chat?

Ed


----------



## lakercapt

Doubling up on the surf boats was not that unusual with heavy lifts.
The incidence of L.O.B. was quite something and as mates we had to initial the Tally sheets when we saw a LOB.
The sea bed off Accra and the other surf ports must have been littered with cargo.
I heard of cars being off loaded there but never did it.
They would be ferried to the small jetty as they had a crane there to lift them off and not taken through the surf.


----------



## Erimus

edshazell said:


> Am I right in thinking you are also on Caravan Chat?
> 
> Ed


I am on that Forum (actually Caravan Talk) also Touring & Tenting and Swift Talk all as 'shipbroker' I would of used it here but told it was taken.........

Did anyone ever discharge elephants into the sea......the C/O on either the Enugu Palm or one of the Guinea Gulf ships told us that you pushed the largest over first smallest last and they all joined trucks and tails and swam ashore.............was this straight up???


geoff


----------



## steamship

*sunbeam cars*



edshazell said:


> Am I right in thinking you are also on Caravan Chat?
> 
> Ed


Some of those sunbeam rapiers made it ashore! in 74 or 75 i was working in Takoradi when the mission chaplain asked me to look at one of his friend's car. it was a sunbeam and had an SU carburettor
that had a bent needle. I was told there was another one up the hill at an expa.ts house that didn't work but i never got a chance to look at it


----------



## sounder

*Benin Palm*

I am looking for info about an accident on board Benin Palm in 1954/5 when the Chief Officer died while attempting to rescue two crew members overcome by fumes in the hold. His name was Thomas Leigh. Perhaps there is some sort of record of this event I might be able to access

Sounder


----------



## steamship

Does anyone remember Captain "Buckie" Thomson? I understand he is still going strong and living in the same little village. Is it true he said Rome wasn't built in a day because he wasn't there at the time?


----------



## chris booth

steamship said:


> Does anyone remember Captain "Buckie" Thomson? I understand he is still going strong and living in the same little village. Is it true he said Rome wasn't built in a day because he wasn't there at the time?



I remember "Buckie" Thomson but can't remember him saying anything about Rome not being built in a day because he wasn't there but from what I remember of him it's the sort of thing he might well have said.


----------



## steamship

*capt. thompson*



chris booth said:


> I remember "Buckie" Thomson but can't remember him saying anything about Rome not being built in a day because he wasn't there but from what I remember of him it's the sort of thing he might well have said.


Hi Chris,
I understand that he said that on his first trip as capt. He thought the mate was taking too long to rig the heavy lift. We're from the same town and he dropped anchor off Bonny and heard my accent on the radio. I was manager of the station tanker there at the time and he sent a boat over for me and we had a great curry dinner.


----------



## ian283

Can somone please put a photograph of the Tema Palm on ships nostagia,I was 4th mate in the 60,s. I cannot find her anywhere.Than you,Ian.


----------



## A.D.FROST

ian283 said:


> Can somone please put a photograph of the Tema Palm on ships nostagia,I was 4th mate in the 60,s. I cannot find her anywhere.Than you,Ian.


Try this (Loads),click on ->
http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum Ships/Old Ships T/slides/Tema Palm-01.html (Thumb)(not lost just looking inthe wrong place.(?HUH)


----------



## stan mayes

Hello Ian,
Tema Palm was under the German flag until 1960..She then became 
Makurdi Palm British flag so if you sailed her after 1960 it was Makurdi Palm.
Regards,
Stan


----------



## edshazell

When under the German flag would she have had the Palm Tree on the funnel? the pictures show Tema Palm. I did a short turn round on one of Palm lines oil carriers in the 60s but can not remember the name but Tema Palm does ring a bell.


----------



## Peter (Pat) Baker

In the 1955-1957 period the Tema Palm was under the German flag,
but still had the Palm Line funnel.
I was with Palm Line at that time, and remember that she had
at least one Brit, aboard, Vic Laird, the Purser.
You may remember that Stan.
Cheers,
Pat Baker.


----------



## stan mayes

Hello Pat,
As you know Palm Line had two ships under the German flag registered as
Olhandel und Transport GmbH Hamburg.
Sapele Palm and Tema Palm.I worked on both on occasion and I remember 
they had British among the crew but I don't know in which capacity.
Prosit,
Stan


----------



## Peter (Pat) Baker

Stan,
I do remember that Palm Line had two ships under
German registry at that time, but as I left Palm Line
to join Harrisons in 1957 I don't know how long they
lasted. You have already told us when that stopped,
and with your records we know that is true.
As for Brits on board them, I only know of the
Tema Palm and Vic Laird, who was a pal of mine.
I may be wrong, but I have an inkling that Vic
also sailed in the Sapele too.
All the very best and prosit Stan.
Pat Baker.


----------



## steamship

*Capt. Thompson*



chris booth said:


> I remember "Buckie" Thomson but can't remember him saying anything about Rome not being built in a day because he wasn't there but from what I remember of him it's the sort of thing he might well have said.


Hi Chris,
What ship were you on with capt. Thompson? I remenber it seemed to be quite a new ship when I went to visit with him. That would have been around 77.


----------



## chris booth

steamship said:


> Hi Chris,
> What ship were you on with capt. Thompson? I remenber it seemed to be quite a new ship when I went to visit with him. That would have been around 77.




I sailed with "Buckie" Thompson in around 1978/79 on the Africa Palm mostly coastwise in Europe. Yes "Africa" was one of the newer ships at the time having been purchased from, I think, Polish owners


----------



## stan mayes

Hi steamship,
Capt.Thompson was in the tanker Matadi Palm all through 1977..
He had command of her alternately with Capt.Alston so that may 
have been the ship you visited.
I have posted a photo of Capt,'Buckie Thompson'..I knew him for 
many years..He was a very efficient officer.
Regards,
Stan


----------



## chris booth

stan mayes said:


> Hi steamship,
> Capt.Thompson was in the tanker Matadi Palm all through 1977..
> He had command of her alternately with Capt.Alston so that may
> have been the ship you visited.
> I have posted a photo of Capt,'Buckie Thompson'..I knew him for
> many years..He was a very efficient officer.
> Regards,
> Stan


Hello Stan,
Good to hear from you again as I said I sailed with " Buckie" in 78/79 Coastwise so I think this must have been after his voyage on voyage off on "Matadi" though I'm not sure. I sailed with George Alston as Master twice, not an easy man but I like to think I got on with him fairly well.....with the support of Colin Bennie-Coulson ( Ch. Engr.). I don't know what became of George but I do know his wife was still running the bed & breakfast in Seahouses in the late 90s. While researching for my book at the Maritime Archives in Liverepool a few weeks ago I came across a Portage Bill in the collection of Gordon Little, Purser in Palm Line in the 50s. that showed Gordon Williams being 2nd. Mate on " Baurutu Palm" in 1957 I'm sure you'll be able to confim if this is the same Gordon Williams (Capt.) who was Marine Super. during my time in Palm Line. I found this by accident my main area of research for the book being - Crew Victualling and Conditions in the Marchant Navy 18th.- 20th. Century. Have you any stories about ther old time Ch. Stewards during your time at sea?? Sure you will have.

Emailed Howard Spittle the other day to see if he was OK after Hurrican Sandy - He had lost power but replied by Blackberry to say he and his family are all fine but plenty of damaged.

Once again indebted to you for you wonderful knowledge.

Regards, 

Chris,


----------



## lakercapt

Sailed with both George Alston and Gordon Williams when they were mate (chief officers) the lattter was a good shipmate.


----------



## stan mayes

Hello Chris and Bill,
I posted photos of Capt.Thompson and Capt.Morris in the Gallery yesterday
'Life on Board'..
Of Gordon Williams you are correct..In my memory he joined Palm Line as 
2nd Mate and I recall a time when he was Chief Officer for a long time on the
Nigerian ship El Kanemi when they were officer manned by Palm Line and Elder
Dempster officers.
He had command of Elmina Palm for some time then ashore as Marine Supt.
and Tilbury Manager..He was then my boss when I was a rigger on contract
to Palm Line..They did not employ permanent riggers only a shore carpenter
for many years - Jack Ellerton.
As Bill mentions he was a good man to work for..
Captain Williams became Chairman of Palm Line during their final years.
Another name mentioned by Chris is Chief Engineer Colin Bennie -Coulson another very nice person.. Sadly he crossed the bar a few years ago.
Also nice to learn that Howard and family were OK in Jamaica but unfortunately
had suffered damage during the hurricane.
Chris you ask of Chief Stewards of my time at sea.In the early years they all
seemed to be 'belly robbers' and always had excuses mainly because we only
had 'ice boxes'and fresh vegetables were non existent after a few days at sea.
I will recall some of them and let you know..
But Chris - I am now 91 and I have managed to survive the victualling from those days so it was not all bad...
Best regards to you both,
Stan


----------



## Peter (Pat) Baker

Chris Booth.
in your post you mention a Portage Bill in the collection
of Purser Gordon Little.
I did my first two trips to sea as Gordon's assistant,
the Gambia Palm 1955/1956, Capt. Frankie Imaz.
Do you know anything about Gordon, is he still with us,
and if so how can I contact him?
Best regards,
Peter (Pat) Baker.


----------



## chris booth

Hello Pat,
Thanks for your reply. Icame across the Gordon Little collection by chance while researching in the Archives at the Liverpool Maritime Museum There is quite a large amount of do***entation most not really catalogued. Some is even restricted until 2057 but I understand from the staff that this is because it contains information relatining to crew medical conditions, STDs? Of interest is the fact that apart from the do***entation and photographs the museum have on display in the " Crew Life" section a selection of Gordon's Uniform and some photographs. I don't know what became of Gordon only that he went to PSNC in the late 50s. after his time with Palm Line and then Shaw Saville. Given that all his papers/uniform etc., are now in the museum I can only assume the he has now, " crossed the bar " Hope this may be of use to you. If you are able to get to the Liverpool Maritime Museum you may find out more and I'm sure you would find the the items there of interest. The ref. for the archives is D/LIT 1950-1979.
Regards
Chris

PS. Any stories of old time Cheif Stewards for by research ?


----------



## Peter (Pat) Baker

Chris Booth.
Hello againn Chris.

Thanks for your reply, it has brought back a lot of memories, although
after all this time they are somewhat hazy.

The chief steward of the Gambia Palm really was a larger than life
character. I cannot remember his name but he was a big burly guy
and was always known as "Joe Beef". I remember his wife had a
ladies fasion shop in Birkenhead.
Some of the tales about him and the Captain,Franke Imaz would need
to be told by a private message.
Another Chief Steward I remember was Chris Armstrong, a scouser
who had been in the Parachute Regiment during the war. He was a great
Chief Steward and a particular friend of mine, we were in the Kumasi
Palm together for two trips with Captain Alfie Mason, another character
and a West Coast legend.
Let me know if you would like to know more.
I am unable to get to the Maritime Museum, as I live in Mid Wales
and am partialy disabled - and bloody old to boot.
Are you doing research for any particular reason?

My very best regards to you Chris.

Cheers,
Pat Baker.


----------



## Peter (Pat) Baker

Chris,

I have just had another thought, perhaps we could contact
each other by 'phone.
Either send me your number by private message,
or I will send you mine.
Cheers,
Pat.


----------



## lakercapt

Capt Imaz ....... You could have many cast doubts on your sanity if you were to tell of his many exploits.
His broad Liverpool accent was a saving grace as some would have difficulty understanding him Thankfully.


----------



## steamship

stan mayes said:


> Hi steamship,
> Capt.Thompson was in the tanker Matadi Palm all through 1977..
> He had command of her alternately with Capt.Alston so that may
> have been the ship you visited.
> I have posted a photo of Capt,'Buckie Thompson'..I knew him for
> many years..He was a very efficient officer.
> Regards,
> Stan


Hi Stan, Chris,
I think Chris was probably right. It was a cargo ship I went to visit.
He dropped anchor over the bar at Bonny while I was on the station tanker Wilstar. How do I find that photo, where exactly did you post it Stan.


----------



## stan mayes

Hi steamship,
The photos are in the gallery -Click 'Life on Board' then in
Search Box type and Click 'Palm Line Masters'.
Stan


----------



## steamship

*Capt Thompson*



stan mayes said:


> Hi steamship,
> The photos are in the gallery -Click 'Life on Board' then in
> Search Box type and Click 'Palm Line Masters'.
> Stan


Hi Stan, Chris,
My neice in Scotland got me Capt. Thompsons number and I spoke with him. He is going to look up the nostalgia site.


----------



## stan mayes

Good news if Capt.Thomson views Shipsnostalgia.
He will find mention of himself in Palm Line threads 
all good of course...


----------



## steamship

*food.*



chris booth said:


> I sailed with "Buckie" Thompson in around 1978/79 on the Africa Palm mostly coastwise in Europe. Yes "Africa" was one of the newer ships at the time having been purchased from, I think, Polish owners


Hi Chris,
You seem to be doing some research into feeders. Check out
Donaldsons of Glasgow and see some of the comments posted there.


----------



## chris booth

steamship said:


> Hi Chris,
> You seem to be doing some research into feeders. Check out
> Donaldsons of Glasgow and see some of the comments posted there.


Hello Steamship,
Thanks a lot for that I will be having a look through Donaldsons of Glasgow. I am researching M.N. Victualling and Conditions 18th. Century to 20th. Century with the view to a book. Just working on some of the 20th. Century stuff at the moment.
Once again thanks for you prompt.
Regards,
Chris.


----------



## yorkshiregeordie

steamship said:


> Hi Stan, Chris,
> My neice in Scotland got me Capt. Thompsons number and I spoke with him. He is going to look up the nostalgia site.


Hi Steamship,
Just come across this thread.
Pleased to hear that 'Buckie' Thompson is still around. I sailed with him on the Matadi Palm a few times, the last being between 30.12.76 and 25.3.77. You will note that the trip was longer than usual, that being due to the serious enginroom fire which occurred about 1245am when we were some 200 miles NW of Cape Finisterre, heading South with lube oil and refined cooking oil. His wife and Daughter were on for the Voyage.
I was 2/0 at the time and was still enjoying my first coffee of the watch when I went out onto the port wing for a ***. The wind was NW about Force 8 and my immediate thought was that it was a bit foggy astern. Then I realised it was smoke! I then realised that the deck on the port side of the funnel was black. Should be green. Then, looking over the side I saw the white accommodation was black as well. Then I smelled the smoke and realised we were on fire.
Rang Capt. Thompson and rag 'General Alarm' at the same time. Went back onto the port wing and saw fire through the ER skylight.
The Master arrived on the bridge as the engine stopped and the lights went out. Officers on the bridge but headless chicken time for the lads. Even the Chief Steward went forward to start the emergency fire pump!!
Sparks sent a Mayday as by then the oil had flashed off and the funnel was ablaze as was the port side of the accommodation and the port lifeboat. Even the swimming pool was on fire.
A British Tanker nearby answered our Mayday but said he could not identify us amonst other ships. At that the funnel exploded. The access door on the port side blew off together with the funnel top plate which allowed a huge jet of flame fly upwards. Sparks later said that the British Tanker said a laconic phrase - " I see you now".
By this time I had donned a BA Set and had a look into the ER from the crews deck. No fire there but the savall round the boiler was full of Heavy Diesel. Looked up and ralised that the fire was in the funnel and the flat below. Reported this to "Buckie" on the Bridge. I told him I was going to explore the fire from the Officers Deck door and ordered a hose from the boat deck to be shut off at the nozzle and put through the ER Skylight. This was done and Buckie and I went in across the overhead walkway to the top of the boiler. We could see that the fire was above so we climbed up to the next flat and put the hose onto the fire inside the funnel. Anyway, we put it out.
What a mess. After a few hours the main engine was re started and we limped into Lisbon for 10 days of repair before completing the voyage.
I would very much like to contact Captain Thompson again and would greatly appreciate it if you could PM me his tel. no. to do so.
If you think it inappropriate, I understand but then can use the same method as you did.
Good Sailing Gentlemen
John


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## tommcivor

*mv enugu palm*

i served as sos on the enugu ,about 1963 and i did three trips on the trot on her eventually paying off inamsterdam if my memory serves me well.:sweat:


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## terence riley

*Palm Line. Terry Riley. R826503*

I was with Palm Line first joining the Ikeja Palm on16.11.65. and sailing as Jnr.4th.Engr.on her for 3 trips until 05.05.65. then joined the Lobito Palm during the Seamans Strike in Rotterdam on 15.06.65and did 2 trips as Snr.4th until 21.08.66.when I left to work on M.V.Assiout. Moss Hutchison Line. for 1 trip then M.V.Swan River. Houlder Bros. for 8 months round the globe. Then 1 trip on the M.V.Devis. Lamports. then finished off with T & J Harrisons on the M.V.Linguist for 3 trips. If anyone remembers me please let on. Terry Riley. Bolton


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## steamship

*Car repair*



steamship said:


> Some of those sunbeam rapiers made it ashore! in 74 or 75 i was working in Takoradi when the mission chaplain asked me to look at one of his friend's car. it was a sunbeam and had an SU carburettor
> that had a bent needle. I was told there was another one up the hill at an expa.ts house that didn't work but i never got a chance to look at it


I may have been wrong about the car I worked on being a sunbeam rapier. An old friend of mine who rode in the car several times tells me it was actually a Hillman Minx. Old Timers is setting in!


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## sibby

Sailed on bamenda Palm 1964 and again 1967.Learned to speak like a Scouse in 64. Am from Norfolk. Did double header 64. Ship never came to UK. Only loaded and discharged on the continent. Used to either fly or ferry to go and return from leave. Bosun was Norman Obrian!. Relief bosun was a Dutchman Ben Larosse. Spelling probably wrong. Had brilliant time on her. We took deck passengers from Lagos to Port Harcourt just before the outbreak of the Biafra war. Nearly all from Ebo tribe.


----------



## Nick1979

Hello Pat. 

I notice that you mentioned a Chief Steward by the name of Chris Armstrong in your post. Chris is/was my dad - he sadly died of ill health in 1989. I know very little of his time at sea, other than he sailed with the Palm Line up until about 1967, I think. Any information or anecdotes you might like to share would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

Nick Armstrong.

.


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## DJ 4X4

I Sailed on 7 Palm ships from August 1962 to November 1965
SS Sapele Palm 
MV Ikeja Palm(4 Trips)
MVAndoni Palm
MV Lagos Palm (2 Trips)
MV Badagery Palm
MVElmina Palm 2 Trips


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## david.hopcroft

I did one trip on the Lokoja Palm as RO over Christmas and into the new year of 1965. It was........ 'an experience'....... I never see a mention of it in Palm Lne posts.

David
+


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## stan mayes

david.hopcroft said:


> I did one trip on the Lokoja Palm as RO over Christmas and into the new year of 1965. It was........ 'an experience'....... I never see a mention of it in Palm Lne posts.
> 
> David
> +


Hi David,
As a rigger in Tilbury docks I worked on Lokoja Palm a few times including the time you joined her in 1964..From my work diaries she arrived Tilbury on 13th November and I worked on her until 20th November..I then went to work on a tanker discharging molasses at Dagenham and when I returned to Tilbury a few days later Lokoja Palm had sailed..
My 1965 diary records Lokoja Palm arrived Tilbury on 12th March and sailed on 23rd March..
You were away from home for that Christmas but I wish you all the best for this coming Christmas at home.
Regards,
Stan


----------



## DURANGO

stan mayes said:


> Hi David,
> As a rigger in Tilbury docks I worked on Lokoja Palm a few times including the time you joined her in 1964..From my work diaries she arrived Tilbury on 13th November and I worked on her until 20th November..I then went to work on a tanker discharging molasses at Dagenham and when I returned to Tilbury a few days later Lokoja Palm had sailed..
> My 1965 diary records Lokoja Palm arrived Tilbury on 12th March and sailed on 23rd March..
> You were away from home for that Christmas but I wish you all the best for this coming Christmas at home.
> Regards,
> Stan


 Hello Stan I,m glad to see that you are back on watch matey best wishes for Christmas and the new year Dave .


----------



## david.hopcroft

Hello Stan

My Discharge book shows I signed on 30th November 1964 and signed off 12 March 1965 both at Tilbury. I seem to remember she was just out of drydock. Everything was a mess, and no heating at that stage. The RO's cabin was just behind the Captains, and was pretty small. There were 4 new bolts showing in the deckhead - the converter for the VHF that had just been fitted. I couldn't figure what the square trunking was at first, but quickly found out when we got under way - the chains/wires for the engine room telegraph !

I had some good memories though. 

Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

David
+


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## lakercapt

When I was on the maiden voyage of "Kano Palm" the lamp in the Chadburn telegraph burned out. I took off the cover plate to replace it and inadvertently dropped the bulb down the column. Fitted the new lamp and forgot about it.
We completed the voyage and when some worker from the builders came to do some guarantee repairs they pulled the deck head down in the captains cabin.
The bulb had been running round there when the ship was rolling and just about drove him crazy going brrrrr bump.


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## shipmate17

Still hoping that someone might still remember my late uncle Alfie Carr from Newcastle upon Tyne, was a bosun on the Palm line ships in the 40s and 50s. Cheers


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## the stranger

To Alex McMorine:
Sailed with Bob Rankine but heard he had crossed the bar having had testicular cancer. Don't know when that happened as my memory is getting somewhat confused!! Sorry if this is old news but just read your thread.


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## cacique

Stranger,
Had not heard the sad news about Bob and was wondering about him, such a character could not disappear, have the Palm Line Reunion in June and will make sure that he is included in the remembrance of those that have crossed the bar.

Appreciated & Kind Regards,

David Wilson.

aka Cacique


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## IAN M

The United Africa Company is one of the 53 companies listed in my book SHIPPING COMPANY LOSSES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

The UAC lost 10 ships, including one managed for the MOWT, and details are given of how each was lost, including name of master, etc.


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## dave bonner

Steve Hillyard said:


> Discussion thread for Palm Line Ships List. If you would like to add a comment, click the New Reply button


signed on the Kano Palm sep.1958,Tilbury,paid off LiverpoolDec.1958.Mostly Essex & Medway deck crew.Remember old shipmate Geoff Kirby(from Harlow)I'm sure he re signed with Palm Line.Did about ten ports down the West Coast after picking up "Kroo Boys" at Dakar,Senegal.called at Santa Isobel,Fernando Po.I brought an African Grey parrot home by train from Liverpool to London ! Good times


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## dave bonner

*Kano Palm*



lakercapt said:


> When I was on the maiden voyage of "Kano Palm" the lamp in the Chadburn telegraph burned out. I took off the cover plate to replace it and inadvertently dropped the bulb down the column. Fitted the new lamp and forgot about it.
> We completed the voyage and when some worker from the builders came to do some guarantee repairs they pulled the deck head down in the captains cabin.
> The bulb had been running round there when the ship was rolling and just about drove him crazy going brrrrr bump.


I joined "Kano Palm as EDH for its second voyage to the west coast.I was told that on her first voyage the chief of the Kano tribe visited in Lagos complete with entourage !Nice looking ship but "heavy" with lifting gear


----------



## lakercapt

*Visit*



dave bonner said:


> I joined "Kano Palm as EDH for its second voyage to the west coast.I was told that on her first voyage the chief of the Kano tribe visited in Lagos complete with entourage !Nice looking ship but "heavy" with lifting gear


It was true but he was the Emir of Kano and his body guards etc. 
A very pleasant person dressed in traditional clothing.


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## dave bonner

*Kano Palm*



lakercapt said:


> It was true but he was the Emir of Kano and his body guards etc.
> A very pleasant person dressed in traditional clothing.


Thanks for that lakercapt.Wouldn't be many experiences like that in a lifetime.I have a b&w photo' of a 48ton thames lighter being off-loaded from the Kano Palm at Freetown.Would like some advice from any comp.wise guys on how to get this & other pics.on this site?(I have a printer connected to laptop) Dave


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## edshazell

Sorry to hear the news of Bob I sailed with him as a 2nd Electrician a few times good memories of those times.


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## CalabarJohnson

*Andoni Palm*

I recently discovered that my Grandfather worked on many of the Palm Line Ships. His name was James William Johnson and he was born in Calabar, Nigeria. some people called him Calabar Johnson..he settled in Liverpool and my father still has some of the letters that he wrote to his father that were addressed to the various ships of the palm line company. During a recent conversation that i had with my father he told me of his surprise at finding out after google search of the Andoni Palm that the ship was not as big as he had expected and yesterday i discovered why the palm line ships were of a design that suited inland journeys via shallow inlets. My Grandfather passed away in 1961 before i was born and it is interesting to read the posts in this forum.


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## the stranger

*Calabar Johnson - Andoni Palm*

Although I sailed on ANDONI PALM, I do not recognise the name of your Grandfather. Palm Line ships were designed to go up the creeks in West Africa and one in particular the ship had to plough into the river bank, reverse and turn to get round the river bend. It left a permanent V in the river bank! ANDONI PALM was not a big ship but her interior was really nice. I think she finished her days with Palm Line by going on a "Round the world voyage" having been chartered by another Company.
Sorry I cannot be of more help. Perhaps others will remember and reply.
Best Wishes
The Stranger


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## edshazell

I remember that tight turn when the bows went into the Bush it was on the way up to Sapele in Nigeria. The Mates position during the manoeuvre was up near the Anchor winch and he and the Chippy used to get covered with bugs and branches. I remember going up to the bars in Sapele it involved walking the train line and at night there was all sorts of wild-life around.


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## tom roberts

I sailed on the Badagary Palm and as I have referred to the bosun and the old man as the last people I would ever sail with again for many reasons too many to mention ,once up the creek in Port Harcourt the bosun put us in a punt and told us to paint the boot topping around the rudder under the **** end and as those of you who know where the African Ensign was situated will know that is a place you wouldn't want to be we refused to do the job until someone was posted to stop it being used it was a sh,,y job even so.Does anyone remember the albino pimp at the same port, and the European Club what a bunch of tosses that lot were we played them rugby and football and tho they invited the officers back for a drink us lower mortals were shipped back to the ship in the back of an old lorry, maybe we should have let them win at least I got my own back on a big sod who delighted in flattening me when we played them at rugby as when we played them later at football I shredded his calf with my old leather football boots the stud leather had shrunk but the nails were sticking out should have heard him scream ,a few happy memories of the Palm and the coast that was one I remember.


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## the stranger

*the stranger*

How well I remember that. You gave me a laugh when I thought back about all the bugs and branches. So true and was so good to hear someone else experiencing the same thing!!
Best Regards


----------



## slick

Well my memories ate of playing football against all sorts Dutch Germans et all.
PU's afterwards were always pretty egalitarian affairs one in all in.
I remember my times on the Badagry Palm (1963-64) as amongst the best!!

Yours aye


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## Bridie

edshazell said:


> I remember that tight turn when the bows went into the Bush it was on the way up to Sapele in Nigeria. The Mates position during the manoeuvre was up near the Anchor winch and he and the Chippy used to get covered with bugs and branches.


Can't remember if it was the Enugu or Bamenda Palm, but I was sent up to the focsle to stand by with chippy and the mate. Fascinated with the surroundings and watching the banks of the river ahead giving way and when I turned round and the chippy and mate had vanished and next thing I knew I was "in the jungle"! They knew what was coming and had nipped off the focsle!


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## dave bonner

*palm line ships,"up the creek"*

remember going up to Pepel,Sierra Leone and dropping anchor to "kedge"us off on sailing.Could see nothing but jungle.At night the"locals" would climb up the hawse pipe on the anchor chain and rob what ever they could!I was unfortunately nominated by the first mate to be night watchman, glad to see daylight!


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## sibby

I was on the Bamenda Palm in 1964. We went to Tiko with 50 ton of cargo. Tiko was a banana plantation. We had to swing in the river by going into the bank, boy did we frighten the parrots,bits of tree branch all over the focsle. there was quite a din. We were only tied up for a couple of hours, and had permission to cut down some bunches of bananas free gratis.


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## edshazell

Can anyone remember a Palm Line ship I was on that sailed from Falmouth around 1966/7 on Christmas eve after loading munitions and the Chief Steward died the next day and we had to keep him in the freezer until Las Palmas.


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## Benium

Great stories I must say. Thanks for sharing.
I was a trainee R/O on the Makurdi Palm/GHGJ in 1965 I think it was.
Unusually the ship called into Capetown on my first trip. I went ashore with a cadet from Port Harcourt to attend mass. We sat down in the church and realised everyone was white, except for my colleague and the priest, who was coloured. Lots of funny looks, I recall. I was very young and innocent.
I remember us picking up and dropping off the kroo boys in Freetown.
Les Holt from Liverpool was my trainer, a lovely guy.
I just spent eight months in total (three trips) on Makurdi then onto the Huntsville. Ben


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## edshazell

*Takoradi*

Takoradi has been in the news lot recently for all the wrong reasons but it did bring back memories of loading logs onto deck on the way back home. Some of the known as sinkers were so heavy they had to be supported by two other logs as they were floated out to us in the harbour. I still have a 6 stone wooden carved elephant that I bought in Takoradi and carried all the way back to the ship.

Ed


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## lakercapt

The guys that loaded the logs in Takoradi were experts and what they did in stowing them was so dangerious that I would stay clear. The cry of "borope" and the guy on the winch would open it up heave the log into the tween decks. Many a time the snatch block would break and wires would be whipping all over the place.


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## palmoil chop

The legendary 'log man' in Takoradi was Willie Toe. He could really arrange a log stow with very little wasted space. The 'legend' about Willie was that he had to be flown back to the UK on one occasion in order to unlock a particularly compact lower hold stow. Like so much from the Coast, probably just a good yarn. It used to be the custom in the port to sound the whistle in farewell when a ship left that looked fully loaded. Most times we still had Abidjan onwards to visit before clearing for home. My own record was 22 ports between Dakar outwards and Bathurst homewards in 62 days. Who remembers those little 'threepenny bits' powered by an outboard motor for scooting around the log ponds ?


----------



## steamship

*Steamship*



edshazell said:


> Takoradi has been in the news lot recently for all the wrong reasons but it did bring back memories of loading logs onto deck on the way back home. Some of the known as sinkers were so heavy they had to be supported by two other logs as they were floated out to us in the harbour. I still have a 6 stone wooden carved elephant that I bought in Takoradi and carried all the way back to the ship.
> 
> Ed


You're right about the sinkers! There was a LEbanese guy there who was shrimping and had a couple of rotten old Dutch trawlers. He tried
To pull some logs off the beach but they just went straight under. I'm not sure where they came from, he said they turned up after a big storm. There seemed to be cut logs all the way along to Bosawa Beach. Some of them were worth thousands of dollars each apparently. He said they were shaved down for expensive veneer.


----------



## EdwardGW

maritiem said:


> Palm Line
> History
> The first Europeans to set foot in West Africa were Portuguese when attempting to find new routes to India and beyond. They were followed by the Dutch, Spanish, French and English whose initial quest was trade in ivory and gold, unfortunately this was soon outstripped by the Slave Trade where the English surpassed the combined efforts of all the rest. The Triangular Trade as it became known carried European goods to the Guinea Coast where they were exchanged for human cargo. The ships then sailed for either Peru where the slaves worked in the mines, West Indies for work in the sugar fields or the American Colonies for work in the tobacco plantations and later the cotton fields. During the crossing up to twenty percent of the slaves perished but with profits of up to one thousand percent possible there was no shortage of ships, Captains and crews willing to make the voyages. The last leg of the triangle was the shipment of sugar and tobacco back to Europe where more cloths and trinkets were purchased for the commencement of another triangular voyage, a very profitable enterprise. In the one hundred years to 1789 over two million slaves had been shipped to the British Colonies alone, and in 1790 British ships carried 38, 000 while the combined fleets of the French, Dutch, Danes and Portuguese carried a further 36, 000. The two ports of Liverpool and Bristol profited greatly from the Slave Trade but in 1807 the carriage of slaves in British ships was banned by the British Government, also British Colonies were forbidden to receive them. To their credit the British Government then sought agreements from Nations whose ships still continued in the trade for the Royal Navy to be able to board suspect vessels and commander them, by the 1850's the trade was effectively at an end.
> 
> Whilst the Slave Trade prospered other British Companies operated on the coast in the less onerous trade of gold and ivory. Richard and William King Ltd and F & A Swanzy had been operating since the late seventeenth century and by the mid nineteenth had been joined by Thomas Harrisons & Co, W.B. MacIver of Glasgow and Hatton & Cookson of Liverpool and Elder Dempsters. Operating on the Ivory Coast was by no means without risk, as well as cannibals seafarers and soldiers alike had to contend with the most fever ridden shoreline in the world after all it didn't earn its nickname of the "White Man's Grave" without merit. By the end of the nineteenth century cargo's outward bound from the UK would contain guns and gunpowder, hardware, bales of Lancashire cloth, clothing of all types, boots and salt. Homeward bound the cargos were of course ivory and gold but were supplemented with palm oil, ebony, dye and rubber, most of the exchange of goods was done by barter with very little cash changing hands.
> 
> By 1910 the price of palm oil made from the pericarp of the fruit and palm kernel oil made by crushing the nuts had risen by thirty percent, both oils were used in the manufacture of soap, margarine and candles. It was in this year that the most powerful man in the soap industry a Bolton grocer by the name of William Lever first became interested in West Africa. In an attempt to gain some independence from his suppliers he first acquired W.B. MacIver of Liverpool and then two years later Peter Ratcliffe and Company and The Cavalla River Company all traders in oil in the region. In 1911 he also formed the Societé Anonyme des Huileries du Congo Belge and bought great tracts of land in the Belgian Congo and developed them as plantations also building a milling company for the extraction of oil. His consolidation was complete when he purchased H. Watson & Company a Manchester firm of shipowners who operated a Fleet of seven modern ships suitable for the transport of palm oil in 1916, a year later an eighth ship was completed. The Company was renamed the Bromport Steamship Company Limited derived from Bromborough Port situated on the Wirral, Cheshire and his factory was situated at Port Sunlight. Colemere, Delamere, Eskmere, Redesmere, Flaxmere, Rabymere, Oakmere and Linmere comprised the Fleet.
> 
> Lever's losses during the First World War accounted for half of the Fleet. Delamere was lost by a torpedo attack when 110 miles west of the Fastnet with a loss of ten lives on the 30th of April 1917. Eskmere was sunk by torpedo on the 13th of October 1917 when off Holyhead, twenty of her crew died including the Captain. When off St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight Redesmere was torpedoed and sunk on the 28th of October 1917 with a loss of nineteen lives. The final Company loss was on the 22nd of December 1917 when Colemere was torpedoed 25 miles west of the Smalls, she sank taking four crew members with her, this sinking brought the total to fifty three crewmembers lost. The remaining four ships were joined by the twin screw vessel Kulambanga from the companies Pacific plantations.
> 
> In February of 1920 Lever Brothers purchased the Niger Company to further consolidate its position on the West African Coast. This Company not only traded in Nigeria it apparently ran the country much along the same lines as the East India Company did in India. Sadly for Lever Brothers besides having lost all its political standing the Niger Company also misrepresented its financial base, this coincided with a drop in the price of palm oil from £115 a ton to £55. Just after the war Elder Dempster, Holland West Africa and Woermann's had formed the West African Line Conference and offered regular customer preferential rates, in order to cut its losses Lever Brothers sold its Bromport Fleet to Royal Mail and became patrons of the Conference.
> 
> William Lever died in 1925 leaving the Company in an extremely vulnerable situation but within a few years the fortunes of the loss making Niger Company had reversed even after a protracted struggle with its rival the African & Eastern Trade Corporation. In 1929 the two Companies merged renaming itself the United African Company, a few months later Lever Brothers merged with the Dutch Margarine Union becoming the Unilever Group. At the time of the merger African & Eastern possessed four ships, Ashantian, Ethiopian, Nigerian and Lafian, Lafian had replaced Woodville a year earlier, Woodville was originally purchased from the Southern Whaling Company and had carried the body of Sir Ernest Shackleton to South Georgia for burial.
> 
> With improvement in its fortune and an eye on its main competitor, the Niger Company had purchased a rather old steamship from Cunard called Tyria and renamed her Ars in 1928, and so as previously stated the Fleet now stood at five.
> 
> UAC purchased seven further ships between 1930 and 1934, of varying ages the oldest being Mendian built by Bartram and Sons of Sunderland in 1903, the others were Zarian, Kumasian, Lagosian, Congonian, Gambian and Dohomian, the ships were all named after ports or countries which were served by the Company and the practice was to continue for the rest of the Company's future.
> 
> As the depression came to an end exports from West Africa increased with the levels of groundnut, palm and kernel oils increasing at a steady rate also exports of cocoa and diamonds had increased from the Gold Coast. Bearing all this in mind the United Africa Company decided to increase the size of its Fleet but this time with new tonnage. One of the major problems faced by the Company at the time was that Lever Brothers had considerable sums of money locked away in Germany which it was unable to transfer due to legislation. A compromise was reached whereby the UAC could have ships built in German yards, all the more amazing considering the amount of shipping being built for Germany's war effort a few years hence. As new ships came into service UAC disposed of its veterans so that by 1939 the Company had the most modern Fleet on the West African Coast if not the world in comparable size. Sixteen ships in all of which only two were built pre 1930, the rest having been completed between 1935 to 1938. When war was declared and the Government requisitioned British Merchant ships the entire Fleet of UAC came under Government control, irony being that half of them had been built in German yards.
> Guinean was the first Company ship to see action when she was part of the Evacuation Force off France in 1940. Guinean carried remnants of the B.E.F. and also civilians amongst whose numbers were children.
> 
> On the 1st of July Zarian survived a torpedo attack when in convoy 250 miles off the Scilly Isles, U-26 was sunk by an escort vessel and Zarian was towed to Falmouth for repairs. Lagosian survived a bombing attack when off Peterhead on the 2nd of September but five of her crew were killed. The German built Congonian was the first Company ship to be sunk when she was torpedoed by U-65 off the West Coast of Africa on the 18th of November. Two other Company's losses in 1940 occurred on the 5th of July when Gambian and Takoradian called at Dakar to replenish their bunkers. Both ships were boarded by Officials loyal to the New Vichy regime and detained, however both were released in 1943 and saw service as Empire Tweed and Empire Swale for the Ministry of War Transport, both survived and were handed back to UAC in 1946. In 1941 Kumasian was sunk by torpedo on the 5th of August fired from U-74 when in convoy off the Irish Coast. Lafian followed her on the 24th of September when she was torpedoed by U-107 when in convoy northbound 500 miles off the Azores.
> 
> Nigerian sank when off the coast of Trinidad when struck by a torpedo fired from U-508 on the 8th of December 1942. Four crew were killed and an RAF Officer and three Army Officers who were travelling as passengers were taken prisoners aboard the U-boat. On the 28th of the same month Zarian which had survived a previous torpedo attack in 1940 was torpedoed and sunk by U-591 North of the Azores bound for West Africa, four crewmen died. Lagosian was torpedoed and sunk by U-159 on the 28th of April when off the West African coast, seven crewmen lost their lives. The Company suffered its biggest crew loss when Ashantian was sunk by torpedo from U-415 when in the Western Approaches when in convoy outward bound to New York on the 21st of April. Fourteen crewmembers lost their lives including the ship's Master, Captain C. Cartmer-Taylor. The last two ships the Company lost were both sunk in 1944, Matadian by torpedo from U-66 on the 20th of March and finally Dahomian sank on the 1st of April by an unexplained underwater explosion off the coast of South Africa with the loss of two lives.
> 
> By War's end UAC had lost nine ships, of the remaining seven, five had suffered damage of one kind or another and forty six lives had been lost. UAC had supplemented its diminishing Fleet during the War with Kumasian and Lafian both built by Furness S.B. CO Ltd, Haverton Hill in 1943 and the Swan, Hunter built Congonian.
> 
> 1945 Onwards
> 
> The various British Fleets which served West Africa fared just as badly as the rest when it came to War losses and so out of necessity were forced to continue the co-operation which War time had placed on them when it came to renewing their commercial services. The United Africa Company, Elder Dempsters and the John S. Holt Co of Liverpool set up a joint service and in 1947 extended it for a further ten years. At War's end UAC was only operating six ships, these were soon joined by two handed back from the Royal Navy and a further two returned from the Ministry of War Transport in 1946. The Government of the day (Atlee's Labour) decided that it was to change the way that the Empire was run and amongst other things instigated the founding of Marketing Boards in the Colonies which purchased produce from the farmers in an attempt to stabilise prices. In Nigeria the first to be established was the Nigerian Cocoa Marketing Board in 1947, two years later it was joined by groundnuts, palm produce and cotton, this action did nothing to calm the nerves of shipowners who required massive investment to rebuild their depleted Fleets. Trade, which had been restricted during the War now boomed. West Africa dominated some of the world's commodities most notably groundnuts, cocoa and palm kernels, fortunately for the Shipping Companies trade outward bound also prospered with West Africa importing vast amounts of war surplus, provisions, railway equipment, building materials, lorries, cars and textiles.
> 
> With this in mind and increased trade envisaged UAC first chartered in three Canadian built 'Fort' cargo ships in 1946 and the following year purchased three new ships under the Government's ship disposal scheme, they were Ashantian, Lagosian and Zarian.
> In an attempt to broaden its horizons as to where it sought cargoes U.A.C. revived the articles of the old Southern Whaling and Sealing Company which Lever had purchased years before and changed its name to Palm Line. They had been pre-empted by John S. Holt's which had become the Guinea Gulf Line in its attempt to seek alternative freight in other ports outside of West Africa. At an extraordinary general meeting on the 16th of February 1949 the new Company of Palm Line was formed.
> 
> The first Board of Palm Line comprised Mr. Samuel (later Chairman of U.A.C.) who was appointed Chairman, Mr. George Cole (Later Lord Cole, Chairman of Unilever Ltd.), Mr. Arthur Smith (Later Sir Arthur Smith another future Chairman of U.A.C.), Mr. Thomas Bragg and Mr. A.E. Hoffman. All the Company's vessels underwent name changes and adopted the suffix 'Palm' for example Ashantian became Ashanti Palm and Gambian became Gambia Palm. On the 1st of January 1950 Palm Line joined Elder Dempsters, Guinea Gulf Line and Holland West Africa Line in the West African Line Conference (Walcon).
> 
> Sensing an upturn in world trade Palm Line decided to enlarge its Fleet by ordering four new ships, the first two Buruta Palm and Africa Palm were both motor ships built in Sunderland.
> 
> Two further ships, both steam, were ordered from the German yard of A.G. Weser, Werke Seebeck of Bremerhaven and were delivered in 1953. They were Sapele Palm and Tema Palm, both were German registered and sailed for a subsidiary company called Ölhandel und Transportgesellschaft GmbH of Hamburg. 1954 saw the disposal of Kano Palm and Volta Palm for further trading, the former sailed under the Greek flag and was scrapped in 1970, the latter was finally scrapped in 1976 whilst under the Peruvian flag as Santamar. During the early 50's British shipping lines still enjoyed a monopoly with its Commonwealth Territories and with trade increasing Mr George Cole the in***bent Chairman decided to enlarge Palm Line potential by embarking on an ambitious building program. Therefore in 1954 Palm Line ordered twelve ships from Wigham Richardson of Newcastle and a further two from the German yard of Bremer Vulkan, Vegesack. The first British pair were delivered in 1956, they were Bamenda Palm and Badagry Palm.
> 
> Six ships were delivered between 1957 to 1958, four from Swan Hunters, Elmina Palm, Enugu Palm, Katsina Palm and Kano Palm and the two from Germany, Andoni Palm and Akassa Palm.
> In 1959 Palm Line sold five of its older tonnage on for further trading, Benin Palm, Gambian Palm and Takoradi Palm all went to the Lebanese flag whilst Mendi Palm and Dahomey Palm flew the flag of Panama. In this year also the Company announced its intention to move the bulk of it's ashore operations to London except for a reduced staff to look after its ships which used the river Mersey. The Chairman of the Company was also invited to become a member of the Council of the Chamber of Shipping, the owners' collective voice piece. Palm Line also took over U.A.C.'s Coast Transport Department in Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. This Department looked after stevedoring, warehousing, lighterage and clearing and forwarding of cargoes. At the end of the fifties the decolonisation of Africa was well under way, the Gold Coast was the first becoming Ghana in 1957, she was closely followed by Nigeria and French and Belgian possessions in 1960. It naturally followed that the emergent new countries would want to form their own shipping lines and again Ghana was in the forefront establishing the Black Star Line with the aid of an Israeli Company in 1957. The Nigerian National Shipping Line came into being the following year with the Government holding a 51% stake, Elders had 30% and Palm Line the remaining 19%.
> During 1960 the two German flagged ships transferred to the British Registry, Sapele Palm without a name change but Tema Palm became Mukurdi Palm.
> 
> In 1960 Palm Line's trade with West Africa continued to improve though its percentage cargo carried had fallen due to increased competition, however the tonnage carried was twice that of 1950. During this year the boardroom minutes declared that if trade continued to expand at the same pace then efforts would have to be made to increase the size of the fleet. This decision was made even in the knowledge that the company was running in direct competition against two heavily subsidised state concerns, Ghana's Black Star Line and the Nigerian National Line.
> Four ships entered service in 1961, they were Lagos Palm, Makeni Palm, Ikeja Palm and Ilesha Palm.
> Due to political unrest in West Africa Palm Line ceased to build ships for a further ten years. Opobo Palm was sold in 1961 for further trading to the Windward Shipping Company of Hong Kong and renamed Winwar. The early Sixties saw a marked decline in the cargoes carried South due to a market decline in the prices paid for Ghana's and Nigeria's exports.
> 
> By 1962 Palm Line was operating the most modern fleet on the West African coast and served about forty ports running from Morocco to Angola, some five thousand miles. But it was in this year that the problems faced by not only Palm Line but the other British Conference members also began to escalate. With Nigeria and Ghana's economic problems mounting and a certain amount of self reliance coupled with its dependence on their own State fleets Palm Line found itself having to reduce the size of its fleet. The vegetable oil tanker Matadi Palm was the first to go and she sailed from Liverpool on the 11th of April 1963 bound for the breakers at Burriana, Spain. The following year Oguta Palm was sold on for further trading to Skaramanga Shipping of Greece and renamed Heraclitos, she was finally broken at Split in 1973.
> John Holt's reaction to the crisis was by far the most severe; it sold its entire Guinea Gulf Line to Elder Dempster Lines who retained the fleet's identity.
> 
> During 1966 Palm Line disposed of another three ships, Lokoja Palm, Niger Palm and Sapele Palm, 1967 saw the disposal of a further two, Burutu Palm and the tanker Makeni Palm, this left the company with just one tanker. This tankers days were numbered however and Mukurdi Palm was sold on for further trading to Peruvian interests in 1969. She was replaced by Matadi Palm the following year.
> 
> As the percentage of trade carried by Palm Line decreased so accordingly it reduced the size of its fleet and in 1972 a further four ships were sold on for further trading, they were, Africa Palm, Akassa Palm, Badgary Palm and Bamenda Palm, this action reduced its fleet down to twelve ships, fifty percent of its 1962 strength.
> With the advent of containerisation the company decided to charter in a Norwegian ship, Joruna in 1974 and renamed her Africa Palm, as this action met with some success the company decided to rid itself of more of its outdated fleet, consequently Andoni Palm was sold on for further trading to Greek owners and was replaced by a German chartered ship, Hasselburg. For the duration of its charter she was called Apapa Palm but to the company's discredit she not only flew the German flag but was manned by Germans. The ship was replaced by another from the same company in 1977, this was the 1973 built Schauenburg whose name was changed to Apapa Palm.
> 
> In 1977 also the company disposed of Elmina Palm to Panamanian owners and the following year sold a further three, Enugu Palm, Katsina Palm and Ibadan Palm, all for further trading. The company took delivery of two new Multi-purpose ships in 1979, the first was the North Korean built Bamenda Palm, the second was the British built Badagry Palm.
> 
> With the introduction of the two new ships Palm Line reduced the size of its fleet yet again when four of its older and outdated ships were sold on for further trading, they were Kano Palm, Lobito Palm, Ilorin Palm and Ilesha Palm. The company's share of trade continued to fall and at this juncture its fleet stood at just seven ships. In 1981/82 the company took delivery of two new Multi-purpose vessels, Lagos Palm and Lokoja Palm and at the same time disposed of two more of its older ships, Lagos Palm (2) and Ikeja Palm.
> 
> 
> Trade continued to decline and by 1984 the fleet was reduced yet again and four more ships left the West African trade, Africa Palm was sold and Bamenda Palm, Lagos Palm and Lokoja Palm were chartered to Lloyd Brasileiro of Rio de Janeiro. The following year the United Africa Co. Ltd and Unilever decided that running a shipping line served no useful purpose especially as it continued to lose money compounded by the fact that it would be cost effective to use other carriers at greatly reduced expense. Consequently in 1985 Palm Line Ltd and its Conference rights were sold to Ocean Transport and Trading PLC of Liverpool which also operated Elder Dempster and Guinea Gulf Line, UAC retained the remaining ships, also in this year the company sold Apapa Palm to Venezuelan owners. The final year of operations for UAC came in 1986 when the remaining five ships were all sold on, however it wasn't until 1989 that the name of Palm Line finally disappeared from the British Registry when along with Elder Dempster and Guinea Gulf Line their nomenclature and trading rights were sold to Delmas Vieljeux of France.
> 
> FLEETS
> 
> 
> BROMPORT STEAMSHIP COMPANY LIMITED
> 1916-1923
> 
> Vessel Built Years of Servive Tons
> Colemere 1915 1917 torpedoed and sunk west of the Smalls 2,120
> Delamere 1915 1917 torpedoed and sunk west off Fastnet 1,525
> Eskmere 1916 1917 torpedoed and sunk near Holyhead 2,293
> Redesmere 1911 1917 torpedoed and sunk near Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight 2,123
> Flaxmere 1915 1923 sold to MacAndrews, renamed Boscan, 1928 sold to Argentina renamed Angra, 1934 deleted from register. 1,525
> Rabymere 1917 1923 sold to Moss Line renamed Edfou 1,776
> Oakmere 1910 1923 sold to MacAndrews, renamed Bazan, 1936 sold to Westcliff Shipping Co. renamed Thorpehall, 1938 bombed and sunk off Valencia 1,251
> Linmere 1913 1923 sold to MacAndrews renamed Balboa, 1928 Concalo Velo, 1949 Generoso,1952 idem, 1961 scrapped. 1,552
> Kulambanga
> 
> NIGER COMPANY
> 1920-1929
> 
> 
> Ars 1897 Ex Tyria, 1928 purchased from Cunard renamed Ars, 1929 over to United African Company not renamed, 1930 scrapped 2,936
> 
> UNITED AFRICAN COMPANY
> 1929-1949
> 
> Ashantian (1) 1916 Ex Kaggefof 1916, ex Fordefjord 1921, ex Ashantian 1925, 1929 transferred from African & Eastern Trade Corp. not renamed, 1932 sold to Sweden renamed Adele, 1934 sold to Hellenic Lines renamed Hellas, 1955 sold renamed Megalochari, 1965 sold same name, 1966 ran aground and wreck scrapped. 2,116
> Ethiopian (1) 1902 Ex Crown of Navarre built for Crown Steamship Co., ex Commodore 1920, ex Ethiopian 1925, 1929 transferred from African & Eastern Trade Corp. not renamed, 1933 scrapped. 2,739
> Nigerian (1) 1925 Ex Nigerian 1925, 1929 transferred from African & Eastern Trade Corp. not renamed, 1935 sold to Moss Hutchison Line renamed Kyrenia, 1937 sold to Bristol City Line renamed Toronto City, 1941 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U108, whole crew lost. 3,543
> Lafian (1) 1929 Ex Lafian, 1929 transferred from African & Eastern Trade Corp. not renamed, 1936 sold to Moss Hutchison Line renamed Meroë, 1950 sold to Germany renamed Adele, 1957 sold renamed Tucana, 1958 sold renamed Ursula, 1960 sold to Panama renamed Mien An, 1961 sold renamed Ruhamah, 1965 sold renamed Liby, 1968 scrapped. 3,832
> Ars See Ars 1928
> Mendian 1903 Ex Beethoven built for Orpheus Shipping Co., ex Berwyn 1917, ex Laurel Branch 1919, 1930 purchased from Nautilus SS Co. and renamed Mendian, 1933 scrapped. 3,752
> Zarian (1) 1907 Ex Spheroid 1907 built for Scrutton Sons & Co., ex Songster 1921, ex Cambrian Princess 1926, 1931 purchased from William Thomas Shipping and renamed Zarian, 1933 scrapped. 3,832
> Kumasian (1) 1905 Ex Baltic, 1931 purchased from Rederiaktieb Transatlantic, Gothenburg and renamed Kumasian, 1935 scrapped. 3,400
> Lagosian (1) 1930 Ex Melmay, 1932 purchased from Melmay Shipping Co. and renamed Lagosian, 1943 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U159 in convoy RS3. 5,414
> Congonian (1) 1927 Ex Quercus, 1933 purchased from Arbor Shipping and renamed Congonian 1936 sold to Italy renamed XXIII Marzo, 1941 scuttled at Massauna and broken up. 5,010
> Gambian (1) 1929 Ex Knight of the Rose, 1933 purchased from Newport America Line and renamed Gambian, 1936 sold to Scindia Steam Nav. Co. renamed Jalamani, 1955 sold to Costa Rica renamed Athos, 1958 sold to Greece same name, 1960 sold Lebanon renamed Filia, 1964 scrapped. 3,856
> Dahomian 1929 Ex Themoni, 1933 purchased from Kassos Steam Nav. Co. and renamed Dahomian, 1944 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U852. 5,277
> Ashantian (2) 1935 1943 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U415 in convoy ONS3 with the loss of 14 lives. 4,917
> Kumasian (2) 1935 1941 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U74 in convoy SL81. 4,922
> Eketian 1935 Local service, 1969 converted into a barge. 1,005
> Ethiopian (2) 1936 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Benin Palm, 1959 sold to Lebanon renamed Faneromeni, 1961 scrapped. 5,424
> Guinean 1936 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Kano Palm, 1954 sold to Panama renamed St. George, 1964 sold renamed Susanne Eureka, 1966 sold renamed Mok Tat, 1967 scrapped. 5,205
> Leonian 1936 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Mendi Palm, 1959 sold to Panama renamed Rio Yape, 1960 sold renamed Lobito, 1963 sold same name, 1967 scrapped. 5,424
> Liberian 1936 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Volta Palm, 1954 sold to Finland renamed Hermes, 1958 sold to Panama renamed Noemi, 1960 scrapped. 5,025
> Nigerian (2) 1936 1942 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U508 with the loss of 4 lives. 5,423
> Congonian (2) 1936 1940 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U65. 4,928
> Matadian (1) 1936 1944 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U66. 4,275
> Conakrian 1937 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Dahomey Palm, 1959 sold to Wallem & Co., Hong Kong renamed Southern Mariner, 1968 scrapped. 4,876
> Lafian (2) 1937 1941 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U107 in convoy SL87. 4,876
> Takoradian 1937 1941 seized by Vichy French in Dakar renamed St Paul, 1943 returned and later renamed Empire Swale, 1946 returned to owners reverted to Takoradian, 1949 over to Palm Line renamed Takoradi Palm, 1959 sold to Panama renamed Irini’s Luck, 1963 scrapped. 5,452
> Gambian (2) 1937 1941 seized by Vichy French in Dakar renamed St Gabriel, 1943 returned and later renamed Empire Tweed, 1946 returned to owners and reverted to Gambian, 1949 over to Palm Line renamed Gambia Palm, 1959 sold to Panama renamed Irini’s Blessing, 1963 scrapped. 5,452
> Akassian 1922 Ex Cito, 1937 purchased from Wilson, Ellerman Line renamed Akassian, 1938 wrecked at Palm Point. 692
> Warrian 1929 Ex Frank, 1937 purchased from Chr. J. Reim, Norway and renamed Warrian, 1941 sunk in collision with the loss of 3 lives. 1,057
> Zarian (2) 1938 1942 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U406 in convoy ONS154 with the loss of 4 lives. 4,871
> Kumasian (3) 1943 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Kumasi Palm, 1960 sold to Panama renamed Flower, 1967 sold same name, 1968 scrapped 7,221
> Lafian (3) 1943 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Oguta Palm, 1960 sold renamed Aristoteles, 1962 sank after springing a leak. 7,221
> Congonian (2) 1943 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Opobo Palm, 1961 sold to Windward Shipping, Hong Kong renamed Winwar, 1963 scrapped. 6,082
> Lagosian (2) 1947 Ex Empire Ronaldsay launched for Ministry of War Transport but completed as Lagosian for UAC, 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Lagos Palm, 1960 renamed Oguta Palm, 1964 sold to Greece renamed Heraclitos, 1969 sold renamed Herodemos, 1973 scrapped. 7,331
> Zarian (3) 1947 Ex Empire Stroma launched for Ministry of War Transport but completed as Zarian for UAC 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Lokoja Palm, 1966 sold renamed Despina L, 1969 sold renamed Nova, 1971 scrapped. 5,135
> Ashantian (3) 1947 Ex Empire Bardsey launched for Ministry of War Transport but completed as Ashantian for UAC, 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Ashanti Palm, 1962 aground at Naples CTL. 5,123
> Matadian (2) 1948 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Matadi Palm, 1963 scrapped. 6,246
> Nigerian (3) 1948 1949 transferred to Palm Line renamed Niger Palm, 1966 sold to Panama renamed Triana, 1968 scrapped. 5,202
> 
> PALM LINE
> 1949-1985
> 
> 
> Ashanti Palm See Ashantian (3).
> Lokoja Palm (1) See Zarian (3).
> Matadi Palm See Matadian (2).
> Niger Palm ex Nigerian (3).
> Benin Palm See Ethiopian (2).
> Mendi Palm See Leonian.
> Dahomey Palm See Conakrian.
> Takoradi Palm SeeTakoradian.
> Gambia Palm See Gambian.
> Kano Palm (1) See Guinean.
> Opobo Palm See Congonian (2).
> Kumasi Palm See Kumasian (3).
> Oguta Palm See Lafian (3).
> Lagos Palm (1) See Lagosian (2).
> Volta Palm See Liberian.
> Burutu Palm 1952 1967 sold to Panama renamed Tyhi, 1973 sold renamed Globe Star, 1973 grounded and lost. 5,410
> Africa Palm (1) 1953 1972 sold to Panama renamed Savoydean, 1975 caught fire and later scrapped. 5,415
> Badagry Palm (1) 1956 1972 sold to Greece renamed Irene’s Grace, 1983 scrapped. 5,042
> Bamenda Palm (1) 1956 1972 sold to Greece renamed Lenio, 1978 sold renamed Elsa SK, 1980 sold renamed Eternal Sea, 1983 scrapped. 5,042
> Elmina Palm 1957 1977 sold to Panama renamed Cyprus Sky, 1978 sold renamed Eastern Sky, 1978 sold renamed European Liberty, 1981 scrapped 5,356
> Katsina Palm 1957 1978 sold to Singapore renamed New Dragon, 1984 broken up. 8,734
> Enugu Palm 1958 1978 sold to Kuwait renamed Athari, 1979 renamed Seepayal, 1982 scrapped. 5,328
> Akassa Palm 1958 1972 sold to Greece renamed Elemma, 1977 sold renamed Ionian Sky, 1981 sold to Liberia renamed Magdalini K, 1982 laid up, 1984 scrapped. 5,797
> Andoni Palm 1958 1976 sold to Panama renamed Mastro Manolis, 1977 renamed Mastromanolis, 1982 scrapped. 5,802
> Kano Palm (2) 1958 1979 sold to India renamed Purna Shanti, 1979 sold to Panama renamed Island Trader, 1982 scrapped. 8,723
> Ibadan Palm 1959 1978 sold to Kuwait renamed Hind, 1979 renamed Arunkamal, 1983 scrapped. 5,658
> Ilorin Palm 1960 1979 sold to Liberia renamed Diamant Captain, 1982 renamed Cape Blanco, 1982 sold to Panama renamed Sea Venture, 1983 broken up. 5,658
> Lobito Palm 1960 1979 sold to Cyprus renamed Lobito Pal, 1980 renamed Minoa, 1980 renamed Peruvian Trader, 1982 renamed Richmond 1983 renamed Eurco C, 1984 scrapped. 6,157
> Sapele Palm See Sapele Palm.
> Mukurdi Palm See Tema Palm.
> Oguta Palm See Lagosian (2).
> Ikeja Palm 1961 1981 sold to Panama renamed GME Palma, 1982 renamed Palma, 1982 scrapped. 5,660
> Lagos Palm (2) 1961 1981 renamed Lagos Palm I, 1981 sold to Cyprus renamed City of Lobito, 1983 grounded intyphoon and lost. 6,256
> Makeni Palm 1951 Ex British Rover, 1961 purchased renamed Makeni Palm, 1967 sold to Panama renamed Kerkennah, 1972 sold to Italy renamed Palau, 1978 scrapped. 6,137
> Ilesha Palm 1962 1979 sold to Liberia renamed Daphnemar, 1982 laid up, 1984 scrapped. 5,682
> Matadi Palm (2) 1970 1985 transferred to UAC International renamed Matadi, 1986 sold renamed Modesty. 8,870
> Africa Palm* 1971 Ex Joruna, 1974 chartered by Palm Line renamed Africa Palm, 1983 renamed Santa Barbara Pacific on charter, 1983 renamed Africa Palm, 1984 sold renamed Messaria, 1991 sold renamed Tong Zhou. 9,813
> Apapa Palm (1)* 1974 Ex Hasselburg, 1976 chartered by Palm Line renamed Apapa Palm, 1977 returned to owners renamed Hoegh Apapa, 1979 renamed Hasselburg, 1980 sold renamed Mexico, 1982 renamed Mexico I, 1987 sold renamed Trade Vigour, 1996 renamed Madras Express, 1998 scrapped India. 9,067
> Apapa Palm (2) * 1973  Ex Schauenburg, 1977 chartered by Palm Line renamed Apapa Palm, 1985 transferred to UAC International not renamed, 1985 sold to Venezuela renamed General Salom, 1993 Orient Challenge, 1999 scrapped Alang. 9,417
> Badagry Palm (2) 1979 1985 transferred to UAC International renamed Badagry, 1986 sold to Panama renamed Cordigliera. 12,279
> Bamenda Palm (2) 1979 1984 renamed Lloyd Texas, 1985 renamed Bamenda Palm, 1985 transferred to UAC International not renamed, 1986 sold to Cyprus renamed Arko Glory, 1990 sold renamed MC Ruby, 1990 renamed Medipas Tide, 1990 MC Ruby, 1993 Ville de Damas, 1994 MC Ruby, 1994 Runner, 1994 CMBT Eagle, 1999 Runner, 2000 Renata, 2005 African Star, 2005 Renata, 2009 scrapped. 11,223
> Lagos Palm I See Lagos Palm (2).
> Lagos Palm (3) 1981 1984 renamed Lloyd Rio, 1985 transferred to UAC International not renamed, 1986 renamed Lagos, 1986 sold to USSR renamed Boris Andreyev, 1996 sold renamed Pearce, 1998 sold renamed Nieves B. 15,575
> Lokoja Palm (2) 1982 1983 renamed Wameru, 1984 renamed Lloyd Australia, 1985 transferred to UAC International renamed Lokoja, 1986 sold to USSR renamed Mekhanik Bardetskiy, 1996 sold renamed MSC Jamie, 1997 sold renamed Jamie, 1997 renamed MSC Buenos Aires, 1998 renamed Jamie, 1999 sold renamed Rocio B, 2009 renamed Rocio and scrapped. 15,575
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ÖLHANDELS- & TRANSPORTGESELLSCHAFT
> 1949-1960
> 
> Tema Palm 1953 1960 over to Palm Line renamed Mukurdi Palm, 1969 sold to Peru renamed Santamar, 1976 scrapped. 6,255
> Sapele Palm 1953 1960 over to Palm Line not renamed, 1966 sold to Panama renamed Capetan Georgis, 1973 scrapped. 3,981
> 
> 
> 
> 
> * chartered ships
> 
> Sources:
> Palm Line, L. Dunn & P. Heaton.
> Palm Line: The Coming of Age 1949-1970, R. Kohn, Privately Published, 1970.
> Miramar
> Regards
> Henk Jungerius


Always worth mentioning that the Takoradian caught fire in Copenhagen 1948, was repaired and returned to the fleet.
My father, Geoff Whittaker was an apprentice on board, and later served as an officer on the same ship renamed by then as Takoradi Palm.


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