C A Cremlin was the Skipper of the SS Samkey
The `Samkey` vanished without a trace in a mid Atlantic storm on January 31st 1948
Also in the same area on the same date an aircraft `Star Tiger` (Tudor IV) vanished without trace with 31 people onboard.
The total crew of the `Samkey` was 43. No trace has ever been found of either. The `Samkey` was an American built Liberty ship of 7,219 tonnes, on charter to the New Zealand Shipping Company. The `Samkey` was bound for Cuba from London in ballast, her destination was to have been Tunaz de Zaza in Cuba. The last heard of the ship was a radio message asking for a weather report at noon on January 31st. Reported to Horta radio in a position Latitude 41 48 N., Longitude 24 00 W. Azores Radio had news of her, and another vessel heard her. It was the night of one of the worst mid-Atlantic storms with waves over 800 feet long and 50 feet high.
A Court of Enquiry was held on July 23rd 1948, which lasted 4 days it was stated -"here was a well built ship efficiently manned and surveyed immediately before the voyage, which on or after January 31 this year was overwhelmed by something that was so sudden in its onslaught and so dire in its effect, that no signal of any kind was made from her, and she just vanished from sight". Weather charts indicated winds of over 75 m.p.h.
It was also reported that an air and sea search had been made-four ships had been diverted for the purpose-and no trace of wreckage was found.
Curiously, two of the `Samkey's sister ships had been lost within the preceding twelve months - the `Samtampa` wrecked near Porthcrawl in April 1947 and the `Samwater` caught fire off Portugal in January 1947.
The `Samkey` was built at the Bethlehem Shipyards in Baltimore U.S.A. The above water colour picture was commissioned by FREDERICK JOHN HONISETT (PWSTS 1943) who was an Able-seaman onboard the previous voyage to the ill-fated one, who left the ship on December 29th. 1947, one month earlier, having just completed an 11 month trip on her.
See the SS Samkey memorial
The `Samkey` vanished without a trace in a mid Atlantic storm on January 31st 1948
Also in the same area on the same date an aircraft `Star Tiger` (Tudor IV) vanished without trace with 31 people onboard.
The total crew of the `Samkey` was 43. No trace has ever been found of either. The `Samkey` was an American built Liberty ship of 7,219 tonnes, on charter to the New Zealand Shipping Company. The `Samkey` was bound for Cuba from London in ballast, her destination was to have been Tunaz de Zaza in Cuba. The last heard of the ship was a radio message asking for a weather report at noon on January 31st. Reported to Horta radio in a position Latitude 41 48 N., Longitude 24 00 W. Azores Radio had news of her, and another vessel heard her. It was the night of one of the worst mid-Atlantic storms with waves over 800 feet long and 50 feet high.
A Court of Enquiry was held on July 23rd 1948, which lasted 4 days it was stated -"here was a well built ship efficiently manned and surveyed immediately before the voyage, which on or after January 31 this year was overwhelmed by something that was so sudden in its onslaught and so dire in its effect, that no signal of any kind was made from her, and she just vanished from sight". Weather charts indicated winds of over 75 m.p.h.
It was also reported that an air and sea search had been made-four ships had been diverted for the purpose-and no trace of wreckage was found.
Curiously, two of the `Samkey's sister ships had been lost within the preceding twelve months - the `Samtampa` wrecked near Porthcrawl in April 1947 and the `Samwater` caught fire off Portugal in January 1947.
The `Samkey` was built at the Bethlehem Shipyards in Baltimore U.S.A. The above water colour picture was commissioned by FREDERICK JOHN HONISETT (PWSTS 1943) who was an Able-seaman onboard the previous voyage to the ill-fated one, who left the ship on December 29th. 1947, one month earlier, having just completed an 11 month trip on her.
See the SS Samkey memorial
C A Cremlin was the Skipper of the SS Samkey
The `Samkey` vanished without a trace in a mid Atlantic storm on January 31st 1948
Also in the same area on the same date an aircraft `Star Tiger` (Tudor IV) vanished without trace with 31 people onboard.
The total crew of the `Samkey` was 43. No trace has ever been found of either. The `Samkey` was an American built Liberty ship of 7,219 tonnes, on charter to the New Zealand Shipping Company. The `Samkey` was bound for Cuba from London in ballast, her destination was to have been Tunaz de Zaza in Cuba. The last heard of the ship was a radio message asking for a weather report at noon on January 31st. Reported to Horta radio in a position Latitude 41 48 N., Longitude 24 00 W. Azores Radio had news of her, and another vessel heard her. It was the night of one of the worst mid-Atlantic storms with waves over 800 feet long and 50 feet high.
A Court of Enquiry was held on July 23rd 1948, which lasted 4 days it was stated -"here was a well built ship efficiently manned and surveyed immediately before the voyage, which on or after January 31 this year was overwhelmed by something that was so sudden in its onslaught and so dire in its effect, that no signal of any kind was made from her, and she just vanished from sight". Weather charts indicated winds of over 75 m.p.h.
It was also reported that an air and sea search had been made-four ships had been diverted for the purpose-and no trace of wreckage was found.
Curiously, two of the `Samkey's sister ships had been lost within the preceding twelve months - the `Samtampa` wrecked near Porthcrawl in April 1947 and the `Samwater` caught fire off Portugal in January 1947.
The `Samkey` was built at the Bethlehem Shipyards in Baltimore U.S.A. The above water colour picture was commissioned by FREDERICK JOHN HONISETT (PWSTS 1943) who was an Able-seaman onboard the previous voyage to the ill-fated one, who left the ship on December 29th. 1947, one month earlier, having just completed an 11 month trip on her.
See the SS Samkey memorial
The `Samkey` vanished without a trace in a mid Atlantic storm on January 31st 1948
Also in the same area on the same date an aircraft `Star Tiger` (Tudor IV) vanished without trace with 31 people onboard.
The total crew of the `Samkey` was 43. No trace has ever been found of either. The `Samkey` was an American built Liberty ship of 7,219 tonnes, on charter to the New Zealand Shipping Company. The `Samkey` was bound for Cuba from London in ballast, her destination was to have been Tunaz de Zaza in Cuba. The last heard of the ship was a radio message asking for a weather report at noon on January 31st. Reported to Horta radio in a position Latitude 41 48 N., Longitude 24 00 W. Azores Radio had news of her, and another vessel heard her. It was the night of one of the worst mid-Atlantic storms with waves over 800 feet long and 50 feet high.
A Court of Enquiry was held on July 23rd 1948, which lasted 4 days it was stated -"here was a well built ship efficiently manned and surveyed immediately before the voyage, which on or after January 31 this year was overwhelmed by something that was so sudden in its onslaught and so dire in its effect, that no signal of any kind was made from her, and she just vanished from sight". Weather charts indicated winds of over 75 m.p.h.
It was also reported that an air and sea search had been made-four ships had been diverted for the purpose-and no trace of wreckage was found.
Curiously, two of the `Samkey's sister ships had been lost within the preceding twelve months - the `Samtampa` wrecked near Porthcrawl in April 1947 and the `Samwater` caught fire off Portugal in January 1947.
The `Samkey` was built at the Bethlehem Shipyards in Baltimore U.S.A. The above water colour picture was commissioned by FREDERICK JOHN HONISETT (PWSTS 1943) who was an Able-seaman onboard the previous voyage to the ill-fated one, who left the ship on December 29th. 1947, one month earlier, having just completed an 11 month trip on her.
See the SS Samkey memorial
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