# Identifying vessel from poster



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

Hi,

I have recently acquired an old poster of a Cunard White Star advert, and I'm trying to identify which ship is on the poster. I think it might be the RMS Laconia, but it I am far from certain and would therefore like a bit of help from you guys.

Hope one of you can confirm which ship is it.

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=23179&stc=1&d=1301965002

--
Preben


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

certainly looks like Laconia
http://www.thecunarders.co.uk/RMS Laconia 1922.jpg


----------



## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

The ship in the poster appears to have double banked lifeboats on the fore deck. The Named photo of Laconia doesn't appear to have them. Perhaps it's my eyes though.


----------



## R396040 (Sep 30, 2008)

*Laconia*



Dickyboy said:


> The ship in the poster appears to have double banked lifeboats on the fore deck. The Named photo of Laconia doesn't appear to have them. Perhaps it's my eyes though.


You are right about double banked fwd lifeboats, my Cunard Portraits shows them clearly. Like you however cant make them out on poster shown.
See she was launched in 1921 at Newcastle for Atlantic service s carrying 2200 passengers in three classes,1st 2nd & 3rd. Speed just 16knots. Her wartime service included armed merchant cruiser then troopship. In 1942 she was torpedoed and sunk by UBoat whilst carrying 2700 passengers PLUS 1800 Italian POWs. Despite efforts by both the other Allied ships and the German sub 2275 persons were lost in the sinking.
Her sister ships were the Samaria & Scythia both which I worked on briefly in KG Docks in London in the fifties.
Stuart


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

Dickyboy said:


> The ship in the poster appears to have double banked lifeboats on the fore deck. The Named photo of Laconia doesn't appear to have them. Perhaps it's my eyes though.


check the superstructure of both the poster and the pic I sent looks exactly the same
sometimes there can be double Davits but not clear in the poster


----------



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for your help so far guys. I really hope someone can either confirm 100% that it is the Laconia, or say for sure which ship it is.


----------



## R396040 (Sep 30, 2008)

*Laconia*



Ohpebbles said:


> Thanks for your help so far guys. I really hope someone can either confirm 100% that it is the Laconia, or say for sure which ship it is.


Hello again,
After my post earlier giving details of Laconias history remembered my collection of postcards published by Marine Art Posters of Hull ,England and purchased in 1990. These were copies of Cunard & Cunard White Star advertising posters but in postcard size and there were 23 in set which interested me because I sailed with Cunard for 15 years. I looked through them to see if your poster was amongst them, it wasnt but there was one of the Laconia similar but different aspect and advertising Cunard New Steamers 20000 tons Boston to Europe. On the reverse it said it was painted by artist Walter Thomas. Several of the other posters looked almost identical but were others ships of same class
I am not very good on the computor or I would attempt to copy it for you.. Stuart


----------



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

Thank you Stuart, I really appreciate that. I have done some more digging today, and all leads points to this being the Laconia. I've looked at tens of pictures of both the Laconia, and other Cunard-ships, and I really can't see it being any of the others.

If anyone have additional information though, I will be forever grateful. 

-Preben


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

You may not find out if she is Laconia
Normally advertising the Class of Ship
http://www.timetableimages.com/maritime/images/cun.htm
Sailings May 1929-March 1930 (issued May 1929) for:
Berengaria, Aquitania, Mauretania, Carinthia, Franconia, Scythia, Caronia, Carmania, Laconia, Samaria, Lancastria, Tuscania, Andania, Antonia, Alaunia, Ascania, Aurania, Ausonia (Cunard Line)


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

LACONIA 1921 
The LACONIA was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend-on-Tyne in 1921 for Cunard SS Co. She was a 19,680 gross ton ship, length 624ft x beam 73.7ft, one funnel, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 16 knots. There was accommodation for 350-1st, 350-2nd and 1,500-3rd class passengers. Launched on 9th Apr.1921, she started her maiden voyage 25th May 1922 when she left Southampton for Queenstown (Cobh) and New York. On 22nd June 1922 she started her first Liverpool - Queenstown - Boston - New York sailing and on 26th June 1923 commenced the first of four Hamburg - Southampton - Cherbourg - New York sailings. She resumed Liverpool - Queenstown - New York voyages on 1st Dec.1923 and in Apr.1928 was refitted to carry cabin, tourist and 3rd class passengers. Her last Liverpool - New York round voyage started on 12th Aug.1939 and she then proceeded to Portsmouth for conversion to an Armed Merchant Cruiser and served with the Royal Navy. Refitted as a troopship in Sept.1941. On 12th Sep.1942, with 2,732 people on board, including 1,800 Italian prisoners-of-war, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U.156 at position 5.05S 11.38W in the South Atlantic. As the submarine approached the scene of the sinking, it was realized who was on board, and the U.156 took on survivors and called for help from all nearby ships in an open radio message. She also sent a coded message to Flag Officer (Submarines) and the U.506 and U.507 as well as the Italian submarine CAPELLINI were sent to assist. The French Vichy government were also asked for help and despatched the cruiser GLOIRE, sloop d'URVILLE and minesweeper ANNAMITE. The German submarines were now overflowing with survivors - Italians, Poles (who had been guarding Italian prisoners), British soldiers and women and children. The U.156 had, at one time 260 survivors on board. A start was made to collect the LACONIA's lifeboats together, care for the wounded and distribute provisions. On Sept.16th an American Liberator bomber flew over the U.156 which had four lifeboats in tow, was displaying a large Red Cross flag, and tried in vain to contact the plane by morse. The plane turned away, but later returned and made four bombing runs on the submarine, releasing six bombs, one of which went between the lifeboats causing one to capsize, while another damaged the submarine. At this, the U.156 put the 55 Britons and 55 Italians still on board into the lifeboats and sailed off for repairs. On Sep.17th the U.506 with 142 survivors on board was also attacked by aircraft, but managed to dive in time to escape. The French ships arrived on the 17th and took on board 1,111 survivors, including about 400 Italians. As a result of this event, the Flag Officer (submarines), issued an order to all U-boats that the rescuing of survivors of sunken ships was to be discontinued. This order was interpreted by the British prosecutors at the Nurenberg War Crimes Trials as an order to murder, but the International Military Court did not agree with this interpretation.


----------



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for this information Jimmy. 

The story of the Laconia is really fascinating, and I have been reading up on it for several weeks. If you are interested, I highly recommend the BBC 2 mini-series 'The Sinking of the Laconia" if you can get hold of it.

-Preben


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

u boat net
http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/2157.html
she was sunk not far from my Dads ship SS Duchess of Atholl


----------



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

Is this the Atholl that was sunk in October '42?


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lknR2nc6--A


----------



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

Whoa, thanks for this Jimmy. Fascinating footage!


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

Ohpebbles said:


> Is this the Atholl that was sunk in October '42?


yes 10/10/1942 my Dad was a crewman onboard
he turned 90 just after Christmas 2010


----------



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

Glad to hear that he made it through. What were the casualty numbers, do you know?


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

4 killed in the engine room by the first of 3 torpedoes
821 rescued the next day


----------



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

A different story than that aboard the Laconia, where more than half of the people who boarded the ship never returned.


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/duchsinking.html
my dads story at the end I supplied a lot of information to this site


----------



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

Thank you for that, will read that site very closely indeed!

-Preben


----------



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

I might just have made my breakthrough. Previously in this thread, there was some dispute as to whether the ship on my poster could be the RMS Laconia due to the lifeboats being double banked. If you take a look at this photo, (found on SN) they certainly looks the same as in the poster.

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/210251/title/laconia/cat/520

-Preben


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

I was given this poster of Canadian Pacific new Liners by a relative
of a resident in an aged care centre where I worked
note it refers to* Duchess of Cornwall*
that was never built renamed Duchess of York
the others were Duchess of Richmond and Duchess of Bedford and Duchess of Atholl


----------



## R396040 (Sep 30, 2008)

*Laconia*



Ohpebbles said:


> I might just have made my breakthrough. Previously in this thread, there was some dispute as to whether the ship on my poster could be the RMS Laconia due to the lifeboats being double banked. If you take a look at this photo, (found on SN) they certainly looks the same as in the poster.
> 
> http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/210251/title/laconia/cat/520
> 
> -Preben


Hello again,
Looking again at my postcard set and book of line drawings in Cunard portraits there were about six passenger ships of same design in that era. They all had that double banked set of lifeboats forward. I think the poster artist used the same model (without ships name) for a series of posters which in those days they advertised each ships voyage by name and of course Europe to Amercia/Canada but also the other direction for N>American passengers.
Oh Pebbles if you would like me to photocopy the examples of this and send by mail please send me private message, as I said Im no good at putting on computor.
Stuart Henderson
France


----------



## jimmyc (Dec 28, 2005)

jimmyc said:


> You may not find out if she is Laconia
> *Normally advertising the Class of Ship*
> http://www.timetableimages.com/maritime/images/cun.htm
> Sailings May 1929-March 1930 (issued May 1929) for:
> Berengaria, Aquitania, Mauretania, Carinthia, Franconia, Scythia, Caronia, Carmania, Laconia, , Lancastria, Tuscania, Andania, Antonia, Alaunia, Ascania, Aurania, Ausonia (Cunard Line)


as I previously mentioned advertising the Class of ship
eg *Duchess Class* Canadian Pacific Ships
*White Star Ships*
*Samaria Caronia Laconia*


----------



## Ohpebbles (Apr 5, 2011)

R396040 said:


> Hello again,
> Looking again at my postcard set and book of line drawings in Cunard portraits there were about six passenger ships of same design in that era. They all had that double banked set of lifeboats forward. I think the poster artist used the same model (without ships name) for a series of posters which in those days they advertised each ships voyage by name and of course Europe to Amercia/Canada but also the other direction for N>American passengers.
> Oh Pebbles if you would like me to photocopy the examples of this and send by mail please send me private message, as I said Im no good at putting on computor.
> Stuart Henderson
> France


Thanks for you offer Stuart, but you really don't have to go through all that just for me, I'll be fine without them 

Also, thank you for the picture of the poster Jimmy, cleared up a lot 

-Preben


----------

