# ww2 british steam tanker toorak



## m spurrell (Nov 18, 2011)

hi,
i am trying to find out more about my paternal grandfather captain hezekiah spurrell. lost at sea during ww2. i know he was a captain in the merchant navy and came from newfoundland but served in the british merchant fleet during ww2. i was always told that he went down with his ship torpedoed in the atlantic. i found a war memorial in canada dedicated to canadian seafarers who lost their lives during that conflict. next to my grandfathers name it says lost 16/ 10 /42 ship, toorak so i googled toorak, several sites say the toorak was hit by one of four torpedoes fired at her on that date but she didn't sink and there were no casualties. these websites go on to name the captain of the sub u86 as walter schug but none of them mention my grandfather. can anyone help with more info?
martin.


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## eriskay (Mar 26, 2006)

*For Martin Spurrel - S.S. TOORAK*

Oil tanker, Yard No. 803, launched as the VOCO on 17th October 1927 by Lithgows of Port Glasgow, for Owners Vacuum Oil Company of London. 

O.N. 149960 Gross Tonnage 8,627 tons

In 1933 she was acquired by the Standard Transportation Company of Hong Kong and the following year her name was changed to S.S. TOORAK. 

This vessel was attacked by the German submarine U-86, under the command of Kapitanlautnant-zur-See Walter Schug, at 13:58 hours on 16th of January 1942, in position 47' 54" North, 52' 11" West, N.E. of St John's. The U-Boat was on her first war patrol covering the Newfoundland Bank and this was her first enemy action. The British tanker had been part of the newly-dispersed Convoy 52d. She survived this attack and was returned in service.

In 1949 the vessel was sold to A.S. Onassis of Greece under the new name OMIROS under which she continued to trade until she went for breaking to Hamburg in 1961.

(U-86 survived until 29th November 1945 when she was destroyed by three Avenger aircraft from USS Escort Carrier BOGUE. There were no survivors)

*Note Below *:
Have checked Allied losses on 16th October 1942 (Newton Pine / U-704 and Castle Harbour / U-160) but these are eliminated by locations and names on the Tower Hill Memorial, and a search of the CWGC records (British and Canadian) also revealed nothing. Sorry to have found nothing that would appear helpful to your quest.


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## ray1buck1 (Sep 4, 2005)

Martin
Not sure if this will help 
As there was no loss of life when the “Toorak” was torpedoed on the 16th January 1942, perhaps Captain Hezekiah Spurrell died as a result of an accident later on the 16th October 1942 which was not related to the action of war, If he was Master of the “Toorak” at the time then the incident of his demise should be recorded in the ships log for the year 1942 possibly by the first officer, the crew agreement for the period October 1942 would also prove the had signed on when & where. the ships log should be (If Survived) in BT 381/1998
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/...7965&CATLN=6&Highlight=,149960&accessmethod=0

obtaining the relavent pages from the file at the TNA is not easy as they seem to be obstructive it would be better if possible to visit the TNA Kew 

There was a Hezekiah Spurrell age 50 signed on the Panamanian “Chepo” North Atlantic Transport Line as Master on the 15th May 1941 in New York He had 30years service, The ship Arrived in Boston 18th July 1941 having sailed from Liverpool via panama City 
in a later manifest dated 4th August 1941 bound for Liverpool, He gave his wife as Muriel 609 45th Street Brooklyn NY his age as 52 
Ray


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## m spurrell (Nov 18, 2011)

*british steam tanker toorak ww2*

thanks ray,
you are talking about the same man, he emegrated to brooklyn ny. on21/4/23 with wife muriel and young family. his age is given as 33yrs.
information you gave me proves he was a captain and the canadian war memorial says he died on the toorak on the day she was torpedoed. the only mistery now is why do web sites say there were no casualties (you would think the captain being killed would be noteworthy) i have contacted the national archive people at kew.
many thanks, martin


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## ray1buck1 (Sep 4, 2005)

Martin
According to the web site Uboat Net the “Toorak” was torpedoed and damaged on the 16th January 1942
http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/1253.html

quote “found a war memorial in Canada dedicated to Canadian seafarers who lost their lives during that conflict. next to my grandfathers name it says lost 16/ 10 /42 ship, toorak”

It seems that he died some 10 months after the attack, as I said perhaps he died later due to non war related causes or even as a result later due to the attack, the los should give the answer 
Ray


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Hello Martin,

I can confirm the Master of 'TOORAK' when she was damaged on 16/1/1942 was Frederick Henry Graham OBE. I agree with Ray you need to check the logbook.

Regards
Hugh


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## m spurrell (Nov 18, 2011)

thanks all,
i was thinking that the 01 and the 10 were probably typo errors as the 16th and the '42 tie in but if the toorak's master was someone else when she was torpedoed, perhaps he did a 'reggie perin', or perhaps the war memorial info is wrong and he died on some other ship. my father(his son) my grandmother (his widow) and my mother are all long dead now but they all maintained he was lost in the atlantic torpedoed by a german sub. the only thing connecting him to the toorak is the war memorial and the fact it was torpedoed in the atlantic ww2. thank you all for your help. martin


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## ray1buck1 (Sep 4, 2005)

Martin
I hope that you don't give up the quest , there will be an answer, 
keep us informed 
Ray


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## m spurrell (Nov 18, 2011)

hi all,
ray1 buck1 put me on to something relevant, my grandfather signed on as master to panamanian ship 'chepo' 15/5/41 and was running between liverpool and boston usa 4/8/41. i checked out the u boat site and chepo was torpedoed and sunk mid atlantic 14/1/42 i will continue to research but i reckon the canadian war memorial got it wrong and my grandfather was still captain of the chepo when she went down. martin.


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Yes, you are correct 

CHEPO 
North Atlantic Transport Co.; 1919; Northwest Steel Co.; 5,582 tons; 409-8x54-2x27-7; 2,800 s.h.p.; 9-5 knots; turbine engines. 
The Panamanian steamship Chepo, * Capt. H. Spurrell*, was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine on January 14th, 1942, on a voyage from Glasgow to New York. Seventeen men were killed. 

Regards
Hugh


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## eriskay (Mar 26, 2006)

*Martin - Captain Hezekiah Spurrell*

Think you have resolved it, Martin, with the help of the others. The cargo vessel *S.S. CHEPO*, O.N. 218963 (ex-US Govmt. *WEST POCASSET *of 1919-1941) was sunk in the early hours of 14th January 1941 in a position South of Iceland (58' 30" North 19' 40" West) by the type IX A submarine *U-43*, then under the command of Kapitanleutnant Wolfgang Luth.

The U-boat attacked and sank three vessels from West-bound convoy ON55 in a two-hour period, the second ship sunk being the North Atlantic Transport's *CHAPO. *

[Another vessel he served on in his past was the *S.S. SILVIA *- 1923]

Well done for getting there in the end.


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## m spurrell (Nov 18, 2011)

*captain h spurrell ss chepo*

thank you all for your help in finding out about my grandfather,
just that little bit of misinformation on the canadian memorial threw me into total confusion. my father, claude yetman spurrell was also a newfie merchant seaman, he used to sail out of glasgow down to the med during ww2 and on to gibralta and malta under constant attack in a refuelling tanker called the dingle dale, he was lucky enough to survive to tell the tale but never gave up the sea untill he retired aged 60 and resettled on pools island newfoundland till his death aged 90 in 2005. thank you all once again martin spurrell


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## m spurrell (Nov 18, 2011)

*captain h spurrell ss chepo*

just had a thought, my grandfather captain hezekiah spurrell could well have died on the toorak 16/1/42, if they rescued him from the sea when his ship sank 14/1/42. both ships were travelling the same route, the chepo went down just south of iceland on it's way to new york and the toorak was damaged off the north east coast of newfoundland two days later. it's just a thought but that would explain the canadian memorial. must get a read of the toorak's log.
martin.


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## Martin Spurrell (Oct 13, 2020)

I would like to see the log of the ship 'Toorak' dated 14/1/42 to 16/1/42 will it still exist? and how would i go about accessing it?
any help appreciated.
Martin.


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## Hugh MacLean (Nov 18, 2005)

Martin,
The 1942 logbook for TOORAK is held at the National Archives, Kew in piece *BT 381/1998* under the ship's official number 149960. The logbook covers the whole year and includes the Crew Agreements as well as many other parts including the Narrative. Best viewed/obtained by visit to Kew but if using researcher make sure he/she knows what they are looking for.

According to a newspaper obituary. Captain Spurrell was in a lifeboat and after hearing a voice crying for help from the stricken vessel. He returned to the vessel and shortly afterwards a second torpedo hit the ship and it sank immediately.

Regards
Hugh


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