Afric

[Gary Watson]

Feb. 1917 the Afric was torpedoed while enroute to Plymouth from Liverpool by UC-66 12 nautical miles S.S.W. of Eddystone Lighthouse.
Can anyone tell me where this lighthouse is located?

 

[Mark Baber]

Hi, Gary---

Eddystone Lighthouse was 14 mile south of Plymouth. See http://www.eddystoneeel.com/LIGHTHOUSE_%20HISTORY.htm/

MAB

 

[David G. Brown]

Me father was the keeper of the Eddystone Light...
and he slept with a mermaid one fine night.
From this union there came three, a porpoise and a porgie, and the other was me.

Yo-ho-ho, the wind blows free
All for the life on the rolling sea!

One night as I was a trimmin' of the glimm...
an singin' a song from the evening hymn...
Heard a voice shouting out "Ahoy."
There was me mother just a sittin' on a buoy.

Yo-ho-ho, etc.

Oh what has become of my children three?
Me mother then she asked of me.
One was exhibited as a talking fish,
The other was served in a chafing dish.

Yo-ho-ho, etc.

Oh, the phosphorus geamed in her seaweed hair...
I looked again and my mother was na' there.
Heard a voice echoing out of the night..
to Hell with the keeper of the Eddystone light.

Yo-ho-ho, the wind blows free...
All for the life on the rolling sea.

 

[Michael McGuffin]

I am trying to find out who was the SS Afric's captain when the ship was sunk? Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

Michael

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

I am trying to find out who was the SS Afric's captain when the ship was sunk? Any help would be much appreciated, thanks.

Michael

It was J. Thompson (if my notes are right).

 

[Michael McGuffin]

It was J. Thompson (if my notes are right).

Hi Ioannis, thank you so much for your information. I would assume that would be James Thompson? Thanks.



Michael

 

[Mark Baber]

According to The Argus, Melbourne, 15 February 1917, it was V. W. Hickson.

 

[Michael McGuffin]

According to The Argus, Melbourne, 15 February 1917, it was V. W. Hickson.

Hi Mark, Thats strange as I have a seaman's discharge that lists the seaman being on the SS Afric when it was torpedoed and sunk. On the master's signature it looks like the last name is Thompson, I just couldn't confirm it for sure.

 

[Mark Baber]

Hmmm...according to Thompson's obituary in The New York Times, 15 November 1944, he was Olympic's assistant commander during the war. And there's an article in The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 October 1916, identifying Hickson as Afric's commander when she arrived there the day before.

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

Hmmm...according to Thompson's obituary in The New York Times, 15 November 1944, he was Olympic's assistant commander during the war. And there's an article in The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 October 1916, identifying Hickson as Afric's commander when she arrived there the day before.

Hi Mark, thanks for this!
I was having a closer look though my stuff. It seems that it possibly was really Hickson in command when the Afric was sunk. However Thompson was also captain of the Afric. Possibly before Hickson. In one of the newspaper reports about his death (don't know which newspaper) it is stated that he was in command of the Afric when she survived a torpedo attack.
I am not sure were I had the information taken that Thompson was in command when she sunk. (I first thought it was in the New York Times 14. February 1914, but there is no name mentioned.) Possibly someone confused the two story's.

P.S.: Correction, after reading the report for the 3rd time, it was Thomspon who survived the torpedo attack and not the Afric!

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

Hi Mark, Thats strange as I have a seaman's discharge that lists the seaman being on the SS Afric when it was torpedoed and sunk. On the master's signature it looks like the last name is Thompson, I just couldn't confirm it for sure.

Ok, in my reply to Mark (post No. 10) I wrote that I did not know were I have the information that it was Thomspon who was on the Afric when she sunk. (I must keep in mind to add the source into my notes!) I must have been blind as it is in another newspaper report I have. Unfortunately I don't know which newspaper as it I have only that cutting. However there it is stated that Thompson was in command of the Afric when she was sunk and that he had spend nearly 12 hours in a boat before he was rescued.
It seems that your discharge book would speak for this version.

 

[Michael McGuffin]

Mark and Ioannis, thanks for all your help and information on this. So in fact would it be that Thompson was the captain of the Afric when she was torpedoed and sunk? Like I said in the Discharge Book I have it shows the last name being Thompson in the master's signature box. I would tend to agree that somebody but have got something mixed to cause the confusion. Thanks

Michael

 

[Ioannis Georgiou]

Mark and Ioannis, thanks for all your help and information on this. So in fact would it be that Thompson was the captain of the Afric when she was torpedoed and sunk? Like I said in the Discharge Book I have it shows the last name being Thompson in the master's signature box. I would tend to agree that somebody but have got something mixed to cause the confusion. Thanks

Michael

Hi Michael,
I would tend to think that it was really Thompson who was in command.
Is there a date in the discharge book? If it was Hickson, then why is not his name there? Why did the newspapers mention that Thompson was there and spend about 12 hours in a lifeboat? On the other side, there are the newspaper reports mentioned by Mark. Sadly I haven't find anything about Hickson in my stuff yet. [I think the Afric was warned of an possible U-boat in the area and the warning was adressed to Captain Thompson. Will need time to find it.

Unfortunately even with the most famous ships, like Majestic (II) we don't know every Captain! So regarding Afric possibly it was planned to be Hickson to be the captain for that voyage but was then changed for some reason. Would be interesting to find out!

 

[Michael McGuffin]

Hi Michael,
I would tend to think that it was really Thompson who was in command.
Is there a date in the discharge book? If it was Hickson, then why is not his name there? Why did the newspapers mention that Thompson was there and spend about 12 hours in a lifeboat? On the other side, there are the newspaper reports mentioned by Mark. Sadly I haven't find anything about Hickson in my stuff yet. [I think the Afric was warned of an possible U-boat in the area and the warning was adressed to Captain Thompson. Will need time to find it.

Unfortunately even with the most famous ships, like Majestic (II) we don't know every Captain! So regarding Afric possibly it was planned to be Hickson to be the captain for that voyage but was then changed for some reason. Would be interesting to find out!

Thanks Ioannis, I would agree that it must have been Thompson in command. So far he is the only source I have found too. I had never heard that the Afric was warned, that would be interesting to find more out about that. That could be true that at one time Hickson was meant to be captain, so many questions concerning some of these ships. I appreciate all the help.

Michael

 

[Mark Baber]

I may be able to check something else from home tonight. I'll let you know.