# Waiwera 1942



## TonyT (Oct 1, 2009)

Does anyone know of a surviving crew member who was on the Waiwera when it was sunk in 1942?
My uncle, Horace Thompson was one of the 8 men lost. Any info most welcome. 
Thanks, Tony T


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

Your chances of finding a surviving crew member are almost zilch.
Are you interested in finding Horace's Merchant Navy records or is this just a general enquiry?
Which should really have been posted on the Maritime Family History Research board. No worries!


http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=2364203

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...asp?Edoc_Id=4509472&queryType=1&resultcount=2


Roger


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## eriskay (Mar 26, 2006)

Captain Andrews and his Chief Officer guided two of the boats, with ninety seven survivors, in bad weather through four days and nights until they were rescued by a Norwegian vessel. The Chief Engineer and eight others went down with the ship, mid-Atlantic, homeward-bound from New Zealand, during the night of 29th June 1942, position 45' 49" North, 34' 29" West. The large Shaw Savill & Albion liner was sunk by the Type VIIC U-754 (Kapitanleutnant Johannes Oestermann) who was herself destroyed a month later when she was caught on the surface by a Hudson aircraft out from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, in a position South-East of Cape Sable. Taken by surprise, the U-Boat was unable to dive before coming under attack from the RCAF aircraft and she was ultimately destroyed with all hands.


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## Billy1963 (Jan 4, 2006)

Casualties.

ADAM, Chief Engineer Officer, JAMES, M.V. Waiwera (Southampton). Merchant Navy. 29th June 1942. Age 38. Son of George and Barbara Adam; husband of Rata Winifred Adam, of Caterham, Surrey. 

DOCHERTY, Sailor, JAMES, M.V. Waiwera (Southampton). Merchant Navy. 29th June 1942. Age 17.

JAMES, Carpenter, WILLIAM HENRY, M.V. Waiwera (Southampton). Merchant Navy. 29th June 1942. Age 42. Son of William and Margaret James; husband of Margaret James, of Holyhead, Anglesey. 

LARCOMBE, Able Seaman, WILLIAM THOMAS D/JX 253636 Royal Navy. H.M.S. Drake. 29th June 1942. Age 25. Son of Jessie and Beatrice Larcombe; husband of Ada May Larcombe, of Chard, Somerset.

MACKENZIE, 9th Engineer, DONALD FARQUHAR ALEXANDER. M.V. Waiwera (Southampton). Merchant Navy. 29th June 1942. Age 24. 

NOAKES, Baker, GEORGE, S.S. Waiwera (Southampton). Merchant Navy. 29th June 1942. Age 55. 

THOMPSON, Assistant Steward, HORACE LESLIE, M.V. Waiwera (Southampton). Merchant Navy. 29th June 1942. Age 33. Son of William John George and Beatrice Thompson; husband of Olive Thompson, of Ford, Lancashire. 

WIDGER, Assistant Steward, CHARLES HENRY, M.V. Waiwera (Southampton). Merchant Navy. 29th June 1942. Age 52. Husband of Constance Widger, of Gillingham, Kent.


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## Liza Eastman (May 16, 2010)

*S.S.Waiwera sinking 1942*

Tony T, I only just came across this site via a cousin, so 7 months after you posted a request for information on any living survivors of the sinking may be too long, however I have a letter in my possession that might be of interest to you.


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## RUTH CREGEEN (Jun 12, 2012)

I've only just come across this website. My uncle was on this ship when it was torpedoed. Unfortunately he died in 1954 but I know his story of the incident, told to me by my mother (his sister) and his best friend. It's simply his personal experience but may add to the picture you might be building. I also have a photograph of the crew on the rescue ship Oregon Express.


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## Stevebj (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi, I am doing some research on Waiwera. My father-in-law, Michael Seats, is a survivor of the sinking. He is now in his 80's and this weekend we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the event. We will have children, grand children and great grandchildren at the event. He lives in Western Australia. He was 13 at the time of the sinking. I would be interested in getting a copy of the survivors from Ruth. Can you please send me an email or personal message via this site?


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## RUTH CREGEEN (Jun 12, 2012)

*survivors' photo*

Hi Steve

Yes, I have a small black & white photo of the survivors of The Waiwera.
Unfortunately I won't be able to get hold of the photo for a few weeks as I'm on holiday. 
I would have liked to send it to you in time for your celebration at the weekend. I shall send it asap.

My uncle's name was Osmond (Ossie) Evans, from Swansea, South Wales (UK). He would have been about 22 years old. He was an engineer and had just come out of the shower, dressed only in a towel, having finished his watch, when the ship was torpedoed. He quickly got dressed and by the time he'd got up on deck, there was only the assistant chef left on board. They both managed to escape on a raft (on four barrels) They were in the sea by themselves for a few hours (?) and could feel themselves being pulled towards the hole in the ship, which was going down slowly on account of its cargo (frozen lamb). On dry land he was hospitalised for a while in New York (?) with suspected hypothermia.

Sadly he died in 1954, so I never heard the story from him. It was told to me by my mother (his sister) and his best friend, therefore may not be completely accurate.

I would love to hear your father-in-law's story!

All the best for your celebrations at the weekend!


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## Stevebj (Jun 19, 2012)

Hi Ruth,
That would be fantastic. Thank you very much.
I will wait to hear from you on your return from holidays.
Thank You!


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## RUTH CREGEEN (Jun 12, 2012)

Hi Steve!
I've photographed the photo of the survivors, so I can send it to you digitally. Can we privately exchange emails somewhere on this site? (I'll have a look!)
If you like, I could also get a copy of the photo and send it to you for your father- in-law to have. He might be able to spot himself on it!
All the best
Ruth


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## donald h (Aug 24, 2005)

Hi Ruth,
If you haven`t already found out how to do so, click on Steve`s name at the top left of his post. A menu will appear which will then allow you to select a method of getting in touch.

regards, Donald


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## RUTH CREGEEN (Jun 12, 2012)

*survivor rescued by a corvette*

Having investigated further, I realise that my uncle and the chef was rescued by a corvette and taken to Canada. There seem to no records of this, the rest of the crew being rescued by the Oregon Express and taken to New York.
I'm pretty certain the photo in my possession is of a corvette, having checked with my uncle's best friend, who remained in the Navy after the war and having studied photos and a video of corvettes.

I wonder if anyone else knows about this.

Ruth


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## Jim Cable (Sep 6, 2012)

My Dad, Geoff Cable, was an engineer on the Waiwera. He loved her and was very proud of his "beautiful ship." The Waiwera's sinking and his time in the lifeboat were events that stayed with him 'til the end of his days. 

He was 28 when it happened and he lost not only his ship which he'd been on since well before the outbreak of war, but also all of his worldly possessions. 

As a child, I remember his references to her at various times, but in respect of the sinking, he'd only ever venture a couple of short comments to my questions before changing the subject. The little that I know now was gleaned tiny bit by tiny bit at a time.

One thing I haven't seen commented on here was the fact that after the sinking, the U-boat surfaced beside the lifeboats and the Kapitan asked if the Waiwera's captain was in them. No one acknowledged the captain was present - the U-boat commander was told that he hadn't made it. The Kapitan then told the survivors he regretted the event and made a comment along the lines of "such were the fortunes of war."

My Dad believed the Waiwera's survivors were incredibly fortunate that the Norwegian ship stopped to pick them up, because it was a practice among U-boats to tether a lifeboat to their just-submerged hulls in order to attract easy prey. Some ships wouldn't have taken the chance of changing course to stop. 

If Ruth can send me a photo, I'm sure I'd recognise my dad. ([email protected])


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## john_harvey (Oct 16, 2012)

Hello everyone, We have just found put that my wife's late Grandfather was a survivor of the Waiwera and was awarded the B.E.M.
His name was Cyril Nichols.
Regards......John


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Welcome John,


WAIWERA, Shaw Savill & Albion, 10,800 tons built in 1934.
Torpedoed and sunk by U-754 in the North Atlantic on 29th June 1942.

Gazetted 10 November 1942 - For services when the ship was torpedoed and sunk.
White, Francis William - Second Engineer - Commendation

For like services and for their conduct during four days in an open boat.
Andrews, Cyril Maurice - Captain - OBE(Civ)
Hickling, Eric Arnold - Chief Officer - OBE(Civ)
Latter, George Otto - Lamptrimmer - BEM(Civ)
Nichols, Cyril - Able Seaman - BEM(Civ)

Gazetted 15 December 1942 - For services when the ship was torpedoed and sunk.
Lawrence, Reginald G. W. P/JX130264 - Petty Officer RN - MID
Washbourne, Richard Everley - Commander RN - MID

Ungazetted awards
Andrews, Cyril Maurice - Captain - Lloyds War Medal for Bravery at Sea.
Hickling, Eric Arnold - Cheif Officer - Lloyds War Medal for Bravery at Sea.

Regards
Hugh


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## john_harvey (Oct 16, 2012)

Thanks Hugh, That's great information.
Do you have an image anywhere of the civilian B.E.M ?
Regards......John


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

On my website, John, scroll down to the bottom of the page: http://www.sscityofcairo.co.uk/boats.php

Regards
Hugh


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## john_harvey (Oct 16, 2012)

Thanks Hugh.
I will post up a transcript of a newspaper clipping of Cyril Nichols getting his BEM.
Thanks again....John


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## john_harvey (Oct 16, 2012)

*Transcript*

Wed 11 Nov 1942, Western Morning News, Devon, England


Magnificent Seamanship !

The King has been pleased to approve of the following awards to officers and men of the merchant navy :-

O.B.E (civil division).- Capt Cyril Maurice Andrews, master.
Eric Arnold Hickling, chief officer.

B.E.M (civil division) George Otto Latter, lamp trimmer.
B.E.M (civil division) Cyril Nichols, able seaman of 3 Almshouses,Filleigh,near Barnstable.
The ship was sailing alone when she was hit by a torpedo.
A new attacked developed and she was hit again and foundered.
The master saw that she was abandoned in good order.
Two of the four boats were destroyed by the explosions, but the master and chief officer showed magnificent seamanship in bringing though badly overloaded through very bad weather, until after four days they were picked up.
Latter and Nichols also did outstanding work and showed initiative both in the abandonment of the vessel and in the journeys that followed, their cheerful courage was an inspiration to the rest of the crew. 
" I think its great - he is not afraid of anything" was the comment of the wife of able seaman Nichols on hearing that her husband had been awarded the B.E.M.
He served in the Royal Navy from the age of 14 to 19 and later worked in the Albion docks, London.
He went back to the navy when war broke out.	
His wife and four children have been living at Filleigh since being evacuated to North Devon at the time of the heavy air raids on London and in September able seaman Nichols was on leave.
He is now understood to be abroad. A good athlete he played football for Shaw, Saville & Co's team when working in the docks in London.


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## Judith Sowden (Jan 14, 2013)

*M.V. Waiwera/S.S. Oregon Express*

Hi
I'm new to the site,found it by accident whilst researching my family tree.
My father, Douglas Sowden was on the Waiwera when it was torpedoed and his name appeared on a Manifest of passengers entering New York on SS Oregon Express having been rescued at sea.
I have recently been given a copy of the report by Captain Andrews, which has confirmed much of what my father said. If anyone has any additional information I would love to hear from you.


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## Aplin (Jul 29, 2013)

TonyT said:


> Does anyone know of a surviving crew member who was on the Waiwera when it was sunk in 1942?
> My uncle, Horace Thompson was one of the 8 men lost. Any info most welcome.
> Thanks, Tony T


My late Father Frank William Aplin was one of the survivors. They were picked up by a Norwegian ship and taken to New York after spending time in a life boat.


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## Jigsaw (May 17, 2014)

Judith Sowden said:


> Hi
> I'm new to the site,found it by accident whilst researching my family tree.
> My father, Douglas Sowden was on the Waiwera when it was torpedoed and his name appeared on a Manifest of passengers entering New York on SS Oregon Express having been rescued at sea.
> I have recently been given a copy of the report by Captain Andrews, which has confirmed much of what my father said. If anyone has any additional information I would love to hear from you.


Hi- I wonder if you can point me towards the manifest of the 'Oregon Express' that I think was the boat that picked them up. I am trying to find out if Norman Bluck was on ship. He later lost his life as the pilot of a Stirling bomber in June 1943. He was from New Zealand


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## Jigsaw (May 17, 2014)

I am trying to trace an airman Norman Bradford BLUCK who was on his way to the UK and I believe he was on the MV Waiwera - can anyone tell me where the list of survivors might be found please.


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## jayadam1978 (Jan 19, 2017)

*Waiwera*

My grandfather was on the Waiwera and sadly died when it was torpedoed the second time. I have a letter from a friend of my grandfather, a Frank Mole who survived the attack and knew him well. My grandfather's name was James "Hamish" Adam, Chief Engineer Officer on the Waiwera and was just 38 at the time of his death. The same age as I am today. The letter that was sent to my grandmother from Frank, who has since sadly passed away, describes in detail the attack and the last known movements of my grandfather such as the horror of the situation and the times when the boat was torpedoed.


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## Jigsaw (May 17, 2014)

I have been researching a pilot that was on board Waiwera when she was torpedoed and have a copy of the (unpublished) Captain's report of what happened. I would be happy to send you a copy. All of the NZ pilots survived but sadly of course many of them including Norman Bluck the man I was researching later died during the war.


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## jayadam1978 (Jan 19, 2017)

Hi that would be great, thank you. According to the handwritten letter I have, the time of the first torpedo was 2:10 a.m. and the second at 3:20 a.m. of which ten minutes before that was the last time my grandfather was seen. That second torpedo hit right below my grandfather's room on the starboard side with an explosion square on the engine. Eight men were lost of the crew of 105. Do you have the report in electronic copy I presume?


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## Jigsaw (May 17, 2014)

I have looked and what I have done is to make out a sort of progress report of the sinking which I could send to you. The Master's report I have as a do***ent-on paper and so I will need to put this on Word -which I am happy to do. I can give you my email address on this forum or whatever way suits you. I perhaps should explain that I came to all. of this by tracing my father's cousin Geoffrey Walter STRONG who was a bomb aimer on the Stirling bomber of 75(NZ) Squadron that was lost in June 1943. The pilot Norman Bradford BLUCK was a 22 year old farmhand from Otahunga (sp?) who was one of a group of some 20 pilots sent directly to the UK in 1942 aboard the MV Waiwera and who were of course torpedoed. They all survived. The captain's account tells how the U boat surfaced and asked for the captain. The crew declined to identify him and the UBoat captain saluted them-NOT a Nazi salute the captain said! The UBoat then collected boxes of New Zealand butter before departing. The UBoat was sunk some months afterwards and I have recorded details of that as well. There also exists a photo of the pilots in New York after their rescue. From memory the times that you mention are correct. They had 4 days at sea in rough conditions before be rescued by a Norwegian freighter.


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## Boston247NZ (Dec 4, 2018)

Hi my grandfather Douglas Gerald Hannigan was on the Waiwera he survived and went on to be a pathfinder pilot 142nd squadron


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## KiwiRobbo (Aug 6, 2021)

Hello
How amazing it has been to stumble across this website and forum!
My grandfather, Charles Erni Bond Wood, was also on the Waiwera when she was torpedoed.
He went on to fly Spitfires in the 72 and 131 Squadrons.
He survived the war and returned to New Zealand, passing away in 2008.
He didn't mention many stories from the war, but I did hear he was in the lifeboat with the Captain when the u-boat came alongside them. He also mentioned being taken out to dinner with the other survivors once arriving in New York.
I would love to see any photos or other records relating to this event.
Many thanks,
Michelle


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## KiwiRobbo (Aug 6, 2021)

Hi Jim,

While researching my Grandfather's history, I came across the story of your father Geoff, on the 'ship nostalgia' website.

Like your father, my grandfather was also aboard the Waiwera when it was torpedoed in June 1942. Charles Erni Wood was a New Zealand pilot headed to the UK at the time.

I grew up hearing one particular story of how he was in the life raft with the Captain when the Kapitan came alongside them. Apparently some of them leant across and pulled the hat off the Captains head so he wouldn't be recognised. So it sounds like your father was in the same life raft as my grandfather!

My grandfather spoke of how they drifted for 3 days in shark infested waters. One poor fella apparently went mad and was lost overboard?

He also mentioned that the mayor of NYC apparently treated the survivors to a fancy meal one night (Hilton or similar)?

My grandfather survived the war, having flown spitfires throughout Italy and France, and died back in NZ in 2008.

If you have any further information or photos relating to the event I would be hugely grateful. Many of my grandfathers items (photos, war medals etc) were lost during a home burglary.

Many thanks,
Michelle Robson 
(Granddaughter of Charles Erni Bond Wood NZRAF)


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## Jim Cable (Sep 6, 2012)

KiwiRobbo said:


> Hi Jim,
> 
> While researching my Grandfather's history, I came across the story of your father Geoff, on the 'ship nostalgia' website.
> 
> ...


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## Jim Cable (Sep 6, 2012)

Hello Michelle

Remembering that, as a child, I’d seen some photos of ship-board life, I called my brother and sister to see if they'd acquired any such items after my parent’s estate affairs were settled. Neither of them had. 

It then occurred to me that the photos I did remember were of my parents’ voyage to NZ with my baby brother and myself on the Tindarius in 1945, long after sinking of Waiwera - a vessel, in Dad’s opinion, that wasn't even remotely comparable to Waiwera. 

I also recalled that Dad lost all his worldly possessions when Waiwera was torpedoed, so any photos he’d had of his life on Waiwera were lost for good. His parents died 40+ years ago, their estate wound up long back since - so if they ever had any photos, they were also long gone.

I understand a life-raft was used by a couple of ship-members to save themselves at the time of the sinking, but it was only a temporary measure for them. They wouldn’t have lasted long on a raft. As two of Waiwera’s four lifeboats were either destroyed or unable to be launched, with 97 survivors the other two lifeboats were very overloaded. It was a miracle that the Oregon Express stopped to pick them up, because as a Norwegian vessel she well could have been torpedoed herself.

I hadn’t heard about the mayor of New York’s generosity - Dad never spoke of it. As both child and growing adolescent, I only recall him mentioning things like he'd had quite a bit of hassle trying to get some money transferred from his in-laws in Glasgow to pay for his trip back to the UK. He also never mentioned anything about a crew member going mad and being lost overboard.

I’m sorry but that’s all I can help you with. 

For the record, if you will write up your question as you’ve written it in your email on the Ships Nostalgia site - I’ll enter what i’ve written to you.

Waiwera 1942


All the best


Jim Cable


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