# Tramp Steamer Rivercrest



## Mahluf (May 1, 2012)

I've just clapped eyes on a delightful 1950s (?) photograph of the Tramp Steamer 'Rivercrest' (registered London), docked by the Tyne Bridge at Newcastle. I'm afraid I'm not much of a marine creature ( I did once navigate a pedalo across the Serpentine in Hyde Park, though admittedly this was a lorra lorra years ago). Can anyone provide any background to the vessel - build and scrapping dates, ownership, typical cargoes and routes operated, and any key 'moments' in history? I've had an internet trawl, but come up with little; probably looking in the wrong places. Isn't ignorance a wonderful thing? My humble thanks to anyone who can offer any answers. David.


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## stan mayes (Jul 22, 2006)

Welcome aboard David,
Rivercrest - Crest Line London - Ivan Ivanovic and Co
Built in 1944 by Lithgow Ltd Port Glasgow of 6,998 gt.
Rivercrest was sold in 1959 to the Government of Yugoslavia 
and renamed Kolocep -Broken up at Split in 1968.
Crest Line were trampship owners and I sailed as Bosun in two 
of them - Freecrest and Starcrest during 1951/52.
I found them to be a good company to sail in...the Chief Officer 
of Starcrest during my 13 months in the ship was Mr Jamieson
from the Shetland Isles...He was the best C/O I sailed with in 20years.
Chief Officer Jamieson became Master of Rivercrest at the time I paid off.
A report of my voyages in the ships is in Ships Nostalgia.
Regards,
Stan


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## R58484956 (Apr 19, 2004)

To add to Stans list 432.7 x 56.2 x 33.9. 3 cyl steam engine built by Rankin & Blackmore, Greenock. Two decks. 3 single ended boilers. DF. ESD. Code flags MARG. O/ No;169866


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## stan mayes (Jul 22, 2006)

Thankyou for the extra details..
For Mahluf - In the box 'Search Forums' type in and click Crest Line
Ivan Ivanovic Co - my voyages and info on Crest Line is there.
Regards to you both,
Stan


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## Mahluf (May 1, 2012)

*Rivercrest at Newcastle Quay*

My very grateful thanks Stan for your excellent intelligence about the Tramp Steamer Rivercrest - just what the doctor ordered - and my thanks also to Super Moderator for further valuable input. I have posted the photograph of the vessel in 'Gallery'; if it should touch chords with anyone or inspire a burst of anecdotal reminiscence...don't hold back! Any and all further information gratefully received.

David.


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## Roger Jordan (May 9, 2008)

That is a very interesting image of RIVERCREST that you have posted on the gallery, with, apart from the vessel itself, the added bonus of the vehicles and steam locomotive. The funnel markings of Crest Shipping were black with white, green and white bands, and I am guessing that when this photo was taken the vessel was on charter to Elder Dempster Lines Ltd, Liverpool (yellow funnel). I have traced a 1950 voyage that it made from West Africa to London, and this would tie in very well with an Elder Dempster charter. During the 1950s I know the vessel was, among other places, in the port of London, and I am sure that on at least one occasion it loaded at the cement wharf at Northfleet, Kent, and destined for West Africa. 
You might be interested in the following detail of the vessel and its history. The first bit is its specifications etc, followed by its owner history, and then some example voyages that I have dug out of my archives.
There is a life history of Ivan Stevan Ivanovic that appeared in the Independent newspaper following his death in 1999. Although it does not say too much about his shipping industry interests, it is nevertheless an interesting read. This is the URL:
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-vane-ivanovic-1085990.html
Best regards
Roger

British steamer RIVERCREST

Official number 169866
Port of registry London
Signal letters MARG
6998 tons gross, 4657 tons net, 9925 tons deadweight
Length overall 447 ft 7 in
Breadth 56 ft 2 in
Loaded draught 26 ft 3 in
Fitted with oil-fuelled triple expansion steam engine manufactured by Rankin & Blackmore Ltd, Greenock; 2500 indicated horsepower
Service speed 10 knots
Built by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow (ship number 996)

History
6.4.44 Launched
5.44 Completed for Crest Shipping Co Ltd, London (manager Overseas Navigation Trust Ltd, Stone House, Bishopsgate, London EC2) [Overseas Navigation Trust Ltd was a British company controlled by Yugoslav nationals and set up in 1939]
1946 Remeasured to 7008 tons gross, 4907 tons net
1946 Transferred to Junecrest Shipping Co Ltd (“in-house” transfer)
1949 Transferred to Crest Shipping Co Ltd, PO Box 1443, Nassau, Bahamas (British flag) (“in-house” transfer) (manager Ivanovic & Co Ltd, Stone House, Bishopsgate, London EC2)
1955 Registry of vessel transferred to Nassau, Bahamas
1959 Sold to Maritenia Shipping Co Ltd, Schaan, Leichtenstein (manager Atlantska Plovidba, Dubrovnik) and renamed KOLOČEP (Yugoslav flag)
1963 Registered ownership transferred to Atlantska Plovidba, Dubrovnik
31.12.68 Arrived Split, Yugoslavia, to be broken up by Sveti Kajo

Example voyages and position reports for RIVERCREST:
1.45 at Alexandria
6.45 at Suez
21.9.45 sailed Port Swettenham for Madras, arrived 29.9
4.11.45 sailed Calcutta for Singapore with 200 troops on board; struck mine in Singapore Strait 11.11.45, arrived Singapore 12.11 in tow (there were no casualties among the crew or troops). The engine room was flooded. Repairs were carried out at Singapore
18.4.46 sailed Singapore for Port Pirie, arrived 7.5
23.5.46 sailed Adelaide for Liverpool; sailed Fremantle 17.6 [had put into Fremantle on or before 14.6 with “furnace trouble”]; arrived Liverpool 4.8 [prior to arrival at Liverpool had “been aground”]
12.46 sailed New Westminster; 30.12.46 sailed Vancouver, 19.1.47 sailed Talara, for Durban; sailed Punta Arenas 3.2.47 [at Vancouver had struck a boom and had a small fire on board]
18.4.47 sailed Durban for Colombo
25.6.47 sailed Calcutta for Karachi
11.8.47 sailed Colombo for Calcutta, arrived 16.4
16.10.47 sailed Bombay for Shanghai, arrived 2.11
6.48 at North Shields
18.8.48 sailed Liverpool for Auckland; arrived Wellington 13.10 [she struck a wharf at Wellington upon arrival; extent of damage unknown]
11.5.49 sailed Dunedin for Vancouver and in position lat 13 40N long 160 45W at 0800 on 30.5
13.1.50 sailed Lagos for London, arrived 14.3
7.51 at London
30.11.53 sailed La Goulette for Middlesbrough
2.54 at Middlesbrough
15.3.57 sailed Sagua for Hamburg, arrived 14.4
5.8.58 sailed Hamburg for Rotterdam, arrived 7.8 for repairs
18.3.59 sailed Rio Haina for Malmo, arrived 8.4


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## stan mayes (Jul 22, 2006)

Hello Roger,
Many thanks for the interesting information here and especially for the link to
Ivanovic...I would also like to compliment you on publishing your excellent book
'The Worlds Merchant Fleets 1939' - it is a treasure of 624 pages of photos and details of all the shipping companies of the time...I refer to it almost every day..
Kind regards,
Stan


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## Tony Selman (Mar 8, 2006)

As per usual Stan is a mine of information. He has now pointed me in the direction of Roger's book which somewhat to my surprise I did not know about. I have a large collection of books relating to the Merchant Navy in the Second World War but this escaped the net. Not for much longer though and Roger's book has totted up another sale.


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## gadgee (Jul 24, 2005)

There is much here that belongs beneath the photo mentioned so I have provided a link to both.

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=328130


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## Mahluf (May 1, 2012)

Unwittingly, I seem to have started TWO threads, by inviting comment/information in my caption in 'Gallery', and also in the main thread in 'Ships Research'. But I just want to say a very sincere 'thank you' (so...thank you!) to Roger, Tony, Stan, Paul (gadgee) R58484956, patrix 60 and Ron (ambowman88) for the welter of information. I'm sorry to be a pedant Ron, but railways is more truly my 'specialist subject', and the engine depicted is (according to the photo copyright holder) J71 No.68256, which, the records show, was a Heaton (Newcastle) locomotive withdrawn from traffic in July 1954 - so this narrows the date of the picture down a little more.
I wish I had a bulging file of such pearls... sadly I don't. I simply spotted the picture on a railway forum, and realised that I knew the copyright holder. There is however a bit of a nautical tale attached. Ted Smith who took the photograph died in 1977, but was, by all accounts, related to the family which owned the shipbuilders known as 'Smiths Docks' of North Shields. He was however regarded as the 'black sheep' of the family, and rather than have him interfering around the shipyard, he was given a substantial annual allowance and told to go away and do something else (I've offered this option to my own family, but they're not wearing it!). Seems Ted bought himself a half-decent camera, and went around the world, taking transport pictures, including railways and ships. Might anyone know of him in this context? He appears to have signed himself as 'E.E.Smith'. 
Changing tack, I do have another dockside photograph, which depicts the former David MacBrayne passenger vessel King George, tied up at Oban (with the obligatory steam locomotive - a Caledonian 0-4-4T - in the picture). I'll post it up in 'Gallery', together with such information as I was able to collate prior to publication in the column I write for 'Steam Railway' magazine. I hope it's of interest. Many thanks once more to all who have contributed to this thread. There is clearly a very strong fraternal bond in this subject area, just as there is with 'old hand railwaymen'. David.


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