# ss ocean vista



## theblondeangel

hi i was hoping somone would know any details on this ship or pictures google isnt very helpful his name john f surrey 1905 departed port side egypt in 1945 john was 40yrs i also have a list of other ships which ansestry website gave me but dont know if he was on all of them johan van oldenbarnevelt.thank you for your time.kirsty


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## ray1buck1

Kirsty
If you have a list of ships as you say from ancestry then the US crew manifest will show him listed, i presume you have a subscription to ancestry to see the full content, 

1942 Ocean Vista, MOWT (The Saint Line Ltd), Manchester
renamed 1948 Saint Edmund, The Saint Line Ltd, London.photograph as Saint Edmund at http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum Ships/Old Ships Sa/slides/Saint Edmund-01.html 
renamed 1962 Lucrino, Achille Lauro, Naples.
renamed 1970 Scrapped at La Spezia.
Ray


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## ray1buck1

Kirsty A little extea if it is relevant 

A John Surrey was aboard the “Ocean Vista” listed as arriving in New York 10th December1944 it was expected to sail for India on the 7th January 1945.
He signed on in Newcastle on the 5th September 1944 as a Fireman his age is given as 39

There is a John F Surrey that looks as if he has two trips on the “Queen Mary” arriving New York from Greenock as Fireman / Trimmer 16th August 1942 aged 37 & 6 Months, apparently place of birth given as Blaydon
Again 16th May 1943 basically the same detail

There is a John Foster Surrey signed 4th March 1942 in Newcastle to the “Betelquese” arrived in NewYork 25th March 1942 sailed from Greenock 13th March 1942

Ray


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## theblondeangel

thank you ray so much you are a star were did you get your info from? have they got copys of the deatails i can print off for my file? again thanks for your time and effort.xxx


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## p107109

Hi blondeangel
My grandfather, Edward McCreadie, sailed on "Ocean Vista" as Chief Officer during period 27 Jul 1944 - 14 Aug 1944. From my own research, it appears the substantive Master was temporarily relieved and the Chief Officer temporarily promoted to Master and my grandfather (Masters Ticket 0010241)also temporarily promoted to Chief Officer. "Ocean Vista" was an Ocean Liberty class vessel and, as with several others of this class, transported mules (yes, mules). She was involved in a number of Southend-Seine-Southend convoys.

p107109
Fremantle
Western Australia


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## p107109

Further to my previous post, "Ocean Vista" was an "Empire Liberty" design of welded rather than rivetted construction to save plate overlap thus reducing weight. She was involved in "The reduction of smoke from Merchant ships; trials carried out in SS Ocean Vista to determine the effect of smoke elimination upon fuel consumption"; refer HM Stationery Office, 1947, p39.
On 1st January 1951, she was berthed at Auckland NZ as "Saint Edmund".

p107109
Fremantle
Western Australia


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## SHRUB

In Feb 1947, my father departed Southampton destined for CapeTown SA. on a vessel that was in a technical shipwreck between Madeira and the Canary islands. He was one of 34 "crew" ... the vessel wasn't licensed to carry passengers so they were all crew! They were towed back to Funchal Madeira and the vessel was impounded and the Crew had temporary legal issues. Being of limited funds, dad eventually found a vessel to work a passage on to get out of Madeira. The name of the vessel he never told. We do know that he arrived in Vancouver British Columbia in early May on board the Ocean Vista and hitchiked with someone he met from near Niagara Falls where he met my mother.

He never told us about these trips nor much about his war time experience except for the ice on the Murmansk Run.

So, now we found out how he came to end up going to South Africa (He went originally as one of his wartime merchant marine trips and got the bug to return), and then discovered how he came to end up in Madeira (he only said he had been there!)

So, now the question is ... how did he get from Madeira to Vancouver ? Did he go all the way on the Ocean Vista? Did it sail from Madeira to Vancouver to arrive in May 1947? I can't find any other records so far.


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