# Ships Plans SS Pikepool



## markevans (Oct 26, 2010)

Hi all,

I am looking for plans or photos of the SS Pikepool, a British Cargo Merchant Steamer of 3,683 tons built in 1909 by Ropner & Son, Stockton who owned the vessel. 
She hit a mine on the 22nd November 1940 and sank 23 miles ESE of the Smalls Light, Pembrokeshire.

We dived on what we think is the wreck of the Pikepool and we would be interested to find out more about her. 

If anyone can point me in the direction of photos or ships plans to help identify her I would be grateful. 

Thanks,

Mark E


----------



## danube4 (Aug 20, 2005)

Markevans. Pikepool, here.
http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum Ships/Old Ships P/slides/Pikepool-03.html

Barney


----------



## markevans (Oct 26, 2010)

Hi Barney,
Have seen this photo before. Its not the SS Pikepool that sunk in 1940, see below the details for that photo.

_7,178 gross tons, 10,490 dwt. Lb: 134.4 x 17.1 metres. Steel steamship, cargo only as built by Todd Bath Iron S.B. Corp., Portland as the Ocean Pilgrim for the Ministry of War Transport, Cardiff. Single screw, triple expansion engine making 11 knots. Purchased 1947 by Ropner Shipping Co Ltd, England, renamed, and owned from 1947 until 1959. Bareboat chartered by the Australian Shipping Board from 19th January 1949 until 8th March 1950. Bareboat chartered by Huddart Parker Ltd., Australia from 7th April 1951 until unknown date. 1959 sold to J Livanos & Sons, Greece and renamed Marigo. 1966 sold to Amfitriti Shipping Co, Cyprus renamed Amfitriti. November 1967 scrapped at Kaohsiung_

Thanks

Then again, just found some info at the NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM website, will let you know.

Cheers


----------



## Mrs Russell‘s Baby (Oct 23, 2021)

markevans said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I am looking for plans or photos of the SS Pikepool, a British Cargo Merchant Steamer of 3,683 tons built in 1909 by Ropner & Son, Stockton who owned the vessel.
> She hit a mine on the 22nd November 1940 and sank 23 miles ESE of the Smalls Light, Pembrokeshire.
> ...


My Dad, David Russell-Smith was on the Pikepool when it hit the mine and sank. He was the Radio Operator. According to his ships discharge book, he joined the Pikepool in Hartlepool on 5th 7th 1940. The hull was holed - an “own goal” he always said, and they took on water slowly to begin with. My father, aged 19 made his way to the deck, saw they were sinking, realised he didn’t have his Radio Certificate with him (?!!!) went back down below to fetch it, which by this time was awash, and got back up to the deck. It was dark and as the ship was beginning to upend, one of the engineers said to him “Mind those wires when you jump, Sparks” (Sparks was the pet name for all Radio operators on account of the crystal sets they used for sending and receiving Morse messages) He jumped.
The engineer didn’t and went down with the ship, as did 17 others. There was a lifeboat, but it the fixings were too rusty to undo, so look for that if you are diving. Only four people survived, my Dad was one; having landed in the Irish Sea at the end of November all alone and in the dark, he swam away as fast as he could so as not to get sucked down, then turned and trod water, watching as the ship suddenly gave in - upended and slid down below the water, leaving Nothing - just blackness, bits of wood, some rubbish, bubbles, Nothing. Age 19, in the winter sea treading water, 23 miles from land.
“It wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be” he used to say. “Just as I was wondering what do to now and that it seemed a tricky situation, I heard a shout, and it was the Captain.
He had managed to cut down one of the rafts and miraculously still had it.” 
If you have ever seen a WW2 merchant Navy raft you know that surviving 4 long nights and four long days on what looked like two modern wooden delivery pallets was something extraordinary. But they picked up three other crew, one of whom died after three days, so they tied his hands together and cast him into the sea with the Lord’s Prayer.
Ships came and went, but down on the water they were too small and too grey to be seen. 
After days and days, a ship passed near to them, they tried to wave and shout but weakened with exposure, thirst, cold and hunger they couldn’t make themselves get noticed. The ship sailed on by. My Dad, who was by now quite delirious, tried to get off the raft because he could see a path back to the ship and told the Captain he didn’t know why they left the Pikepool - after all, she wasn’t a bad old ship.
THEN! The ship that passed them turned slowly about, and came alongside. It was a Norwegian ship. They sent down a ladder but the Pikepool crew were too weak to climb, and the raft design meant their lower legs had been in the cold sea for four days. The Norwegians sent down men to help them up, and took them back to Cardiff.
The next ship he was on was the Rothley, joined in February 1941.
My Dad survived the war in spite of two years on tankers carrying oil from the Middle East, many transatlantic convoys, and a stint on an aircraft carrier converted from a grain ship called the Empire MacAndrew..
His sense of humour was still in tact when he died in his 99th year, in 2019.
Please think of all his friends and colleagues when you dive the SS Pikepool. They are all still there, and like my Dad, helped to give us the freedom we enjoy today. ❤


----------

