# Ss usk



## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

Can someone please help? I am helping to research a James Shepheard who purchased a Bible in New York, USA in June 1912 and has written the attached inside the cover. I think the ship is USK but it could be USH?
Does anyone have any idea where I could find out more about the ship which evades my searches at the moment?
27 Feb 1913 he was a passenger onboard SS Ascania bound for Canada and he was recorded as a Steward. She went down 1918.
James Shepheard was from Torquay, Devon, England.
I shall be grateful for any help anyone can provide. Many thanks.


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## eddyw (Nov 6, 2007)

Nothing positive, I'm afraid. There were three ships name "Usk" on the British register in 1912 but these were small vessels with local Bristol/Newport connections and most unlikely to have been in New York at that time.


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

Thank you eddyw. I think your are referring to the paddle boats which used to transport people from Wales to Weston-Super-Mare, which I found but couldn't imagine making a transatlantic journey.


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## eddyw (Nov 6, 2007)

Two sailing vessels and a steam coaster, in fact. P&A Campbell (Cardiff-Weston) had a paddle steamer "Glen Usk" but she wasn't built till 1914. If you can get access to a Lloyds Register for 1912 (none available free on line, alas) or New York newspaper archives (the shipping lists,arrivals departures etc), that might turn up something. Certainly the inscription looks like "Usk" the 'U' similar to that in 'US' just below.


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Hello, Like eddy has said no easy answers to this one.
I would consider the Cardiff registered steam vessel USK. Official number 98410.
She appears in the 1911 Mercantile Navy List, (no online MNL for 1912)
But not in MNL 1913.
Her registration do***ents, say she was deleted from the British register in 1912. So she was either lost or sold foreign.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10337720
However she doe's have crew agreement/s for 1912. I would enquire if your man, James Shepheard was onboard at any time in 1912.
Available from 
Glamorgan Archives
Clos Parc Morgannwg
Leckwith
Cardiff
Wales
CF11 8AW
Ph: 029 2087 2200
Website: http://glamarchives.gov.uk/
If he is not recorded in the a Crew agreement at least you can dismiss this particular vessel from your enquries.

regards
Roger


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

Could this be the vessel? 
St Usk.


Built 1909 by Hawthorn Leslie and Co Ltd Hebburn - Yard No427 as HELLENIC.
Cargo - British.
5472 tons.
L115.9m x B15.8m.
Single screw triple expansion - 9 kts.

Torpedoed 20.9.1943 by U161 700mls NE of Rio De Janeiro - voyage - Rio Grande - Hull with rice, bully beef and general.

1 lost - Capt Moss - George Henry 45 yrs.
Memorial Tower Hill.

Including photo from my collection

Neville - Hawkey01


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Neville,
The vessel ST. USK O/N 165384 was not registered as a British ship until 14/01/1937. She was registered in London named NAILSEA BELLE. I would say, that her name was changed to ST USK in 1939/40
As you say she was built as HELLENIC which would suggest she was Greek registered in 1912. With the name HELLENIC. (According to uboat.net she was Swedish. Name changed to ST USK in 1937)
Her registration do***ents are in the British National Archive. These should give you the dates of changes of name together with the names and nationalities of her previous owners.
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ep=St Usk&_cr=bt110&_dss=range&_ro=any&_st=adv

regards
Roger


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

*Ss st usk*

Thank you very much, Roger and all. A great response and I think I'll wait until you have decided which ship it was...


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

My friend of the Shepheard family has found the following entry in a Cardiff family history file:
"Edwin Charles James (1859-1919) served his apprenticeship as an engine fitter at the Mount Stuart Dry Dock, Cardiff. Having qualified for his marine engineer’s certificate, which he purchased for the sum of £60, he served as second engineer on the s.s. Carisbrook and the s.s. Usk, his papers being marked on discharge Very Good for Conduct and Very Good for Ability."
So there was an SS USK.
He has also found the attached item. Perhaps someone can throw some light onto this ship from this?


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## eddyw (Nov 6, 2007)

Hello Alick. Yes there was an ss "Usk", (ON 98410) as referenced in Roger's post (# 5 above) She was registered in Cardiff but only 891 gross tons and 200' long, a coastal cargo steamer. This might well be the vessel in which Edwin Charles James served as engineer. However she is ruled out as the ship in New York by virtue of having been sold to Italian owners in 1912 and renamed "Lennucia M". Details here:http://sunderlandships.com/view.php?year_built=&builder=&ref=102648&vessel=USK

The clue in the newspaper report is more promising. On the scanned version,in brackets after the name is 'Xor.' indicating ship's nationality. If you look at the original version, on the line above is the word 'Company'. I think the scanner has picked up the tail of the 'y' and read the character as an 'X' instead of an 'N'. So the abbreviation in brackets could be "Nor." for Norway. It might be worth trying to trace a Norwegian 'Usk' to see if she was still around in 1912.


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

Thank you, eddyw and I see your point about the Norway link. I couldn't work out the xor bit but you have solved it.

Best wishes


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Hello, 
Like eddiew I have reservations on the tonnage of the vessel USK O/N 98410 but she is a contender allbeit a small one. She doe's have British Crew agreement/s for 1912. So the Italian connection is nether here nor there. That is why I suggested that you contact Glamorgan Archives to see if James Shepheard was onboard at any time in 1912.

That said------------
This respected website says no vessel named USK entered the Port of New York in 1912
https://stevemorse.org/ellis/boat.html
There was a vessel named USK which entered New York in 1896 and three times in 1908 (Not necessarily the same ship)
Details of crew may be on "Ancestry"

So where are we?
You will note that the port of departure for the Sept 1st entry is Nipe A small port in Norway.
Are we barking up the wrong tree? Is there a Norwegian connection? Is the reference to New York 1912 true? 
I await a responce.


regards
Roger


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

Thank you, Roger - I has asked my Shepheard family friend to comment on your findings.

Best wishes


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

My Shepheard family friend has sent the attachments which he has found on the web. I hope that they may be of some help to throw some light on this ship.
There is a pdf file from the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Daily News which has 3 references to SS USK which can be found by using the search facility (find text).
Thank you gentlemen for your kind assistance.
Best wishes


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## eddyw (Nov 6, 2007)

More on the "Usk" (1891; 891 grt). Her owners Cardiff Steamship Co ran her on a regular service from Cardiff to Bordeaux and she was advertised as carrying passengers, so there might well have been an opening for a steward. Bordeaux was outside the 'Home Trade' limits so it could be said she was a 'foreign going' ship albeit a small one. The newspaper report in post#14 indicates she was a British registered ship so this indeed points to "Usk" 1891 Her regular run seems to have been carrying fruit between Baracoa (Cuba) and New York a trade for which she might have been adaptable having sufficient bunker capacity. There was a coal strike in S Wales in early 1912 which disrupted the outward cargoes from Cardiff so perhaps the owners negotiated a charter in warmer waters, who knows! Later in her amazingly long career (1959) she became "El Taura" in Uruguay and a photo of her survives on an Agentinian website as "Dominante" (1928-43) at Gallipoli. 
http://www.histarmar.com.ar/MarinaMercanteExtr/MarinaMercanteUruguay/Mercantes/ElTaura.htm
All cir***stantial of course but promising and Roger was quite right not to rule her out.


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Hello both,
Well that piece in the New York Tribune shoots down my previous post re Ships entering New York. 
I found a vessel named USK in Lloyds List July/30/1912. In Jamaica on 22/July/1912. 
I would cetainly buy into eddyw's thoughts that she could have been chartered carrying fruit from the Caribbean to New York City. 
The article in Marine Engineer and Naval Architect Vol 13 almost certainly refers to USK O/N 98410
http://www.crewlist.org.uk/data/vie...e=USK&steamsail=Steam&year=1892+&submit=enter
I still maintain that the Crew Agreement and hopfully Logbook from Glamorgan Archives, is the easiest way of sorting this dilemma.

I also found a reference in Lloyd' List 19/Aug/1912 to a steamer named USK sailing Sydney Cape Breton 15/Aug/1912 for Battle Habour Labrador

regards
Roger


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

Many thanks, Roger
I have placed an enquiry with Glamorgan Archives and will post the answer when I receive it.
Many thanks for your kind assistance.


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

Hello Roger

My Shepheard family friend has subscribed to Glamorgan Archives and just received the crew list for his ancestor James Shepheard. On his first voyage with SS USK he noted the name of his previous ship. The folks at the archive thought it might be Van Hester or Van Lester but he thinks it reads Manchester. We don't know what the little squiggles below the name mean - looks like cff.

Can you please throw some light on this?

Many thanks


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

al1934 said:


> Hello Roger
> 
> My Shepheard family friend has subscribed to Glamorgan Archives and just received the crew list for his ancestor James Shepheard. On his first voyage with SS USK he noted the name of his previous ship. The folks at the archive thought it might be Van Hester or Van Lester but he thinks it reads Manchester. We don't know what the little squiggles below the name mean - looks like cff.
> 
> ...


Hello again, 
For what it's worth I am not 100% that the ships name is MANCHESTER. That said I can find nothing for VAN HESTER or VAN LESTER or anything similar. Perhaps others may wish to comment.
Going with the supposition that her name was MANCHESTER.
There were four British and Empire ships with this name around in 1911. 
My best guess is the MANCHESTER O/N 95199. She was registered in Cardiff, which may account for the CFF squibbles. Her 1911 crew agreements are at Glamorgan archives.
I will send you my e-mail address via PM. Could you send me the page from the crew agreement in it's entirety. There may be other clues.

regards
Roger


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

I have asked my Shepheard friend for the full page and will send it to you when I receive it.

Many thanks


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Hello Alick,
I don't know if it's me or the new forum software. I have attempted to send you a pm via converations. For some reason it fails to connect with your name al1934. Tried using convesations to contact other forum members with no joy.
Any chance one of the mod's can tell me where I am going wrong?

regards
Roger


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

Roger, I think it must be the software. I can't see how to send PMs now. I logged out earlier today but the site thinks I'm still logged in so I'm hoping you read this. When my friend gets back to me I will let you know more about the archives, I hope.

Best wishes


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

I think I have now sent my email address to you via PM


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

Do you know how I can find it, Roger because I can't find how to access PMs?


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## al1934 (Aug 11, 2007)

Hello Roger,

I emailed you the page on 8th September via the email address which you sent me. Did you receive it?

I have some more info from the Shepheard man but I am not sure your email address is working/OK. Please let me know?


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