9. 1911 (& The High Seas)

One of the gems Granny saved was F.AI.s Seaman's Discharge book. Through this I have been able to follow his life through a few goods years. Thanks to the help of my brother and the Liverpool Maritime Museum (one of my top 10 museums) we have gathered together photographs and snippets of information about the ships he served on. In the discharge book he is described as being born in London in 1884, 5 foot 7 inches tall, grey eyes, brown hair, medium complexion and no tattoos or distinguishing marks (I wonder if he came back with any tattoos though?)

Obviously he spent long days at sea and the first evidence of his writing is found during his sea faring years.

The first ship he is recorded on was the 'Dakar' . He sailed out of Sierra Leone West Coast of Africa to Liverpool on 15th February 1911. He arrived back in Liverpool on 27th February 1911. He is noted as an Assistant Cook. How he got to Sierra Leone will remain a mystery but he probably went out on the Dakar.

The Dakar was built in Middlesborough in 1898 and was owned by Elder Dempster Lines. She was launched on 12th December 1898 as the "Clarence" for an African State Service Company, there she was renamed the "Anversville".

In May1899 she was delivered to Cie Belge Maritime du Congo into the Antwerp- Congo Free State Service. By March 1906 she had been transferred to African State Sevice and renamed as the Dakar.

On 15th February 1913 she collide with a Norwegian ship lying 15 miles south-west of Eddison Lighthouse and she was returned to port. Disaster stuck again on 31st March 1915 when her bunkers caught fire at Forcados. The fire caused a cargo fire an she burnt out amid ship. The wreck was taken over by the shipping controller and the usual war time compensation was paid out.

Circa 1919 -1920 she was salvaged and sold as a cargo vessel.

From 1922 she was renamed again, she became ammunition's ship for the Royal Navy in 1940 (out in Ceylon) and she ended her days in Karachi where she was broken up in 1947.

Dakar Hildebrand Vandyck

F.A.I.s next 2 trips were to Paraguay on board the 'R.M.S.Hildebrand' here he was a vegetable cook (don't know if this was promotion or not!!) These trips too 2 months to complete so from 16th April 1911 to 23rd August 1911 he went on back to back sailings.

The Hildebrand was built by Scotts Shipbulding & Engineering Co. Ltd., Greenock and she was launched on 14th February 1911. She set sail on her maiden voyage 1st April 1911 from Liverpool for Le Havre and Manaus. So when F.A.I sailed on her she was a brand new vessel.

On 5th December 1914 she was commissioned as an Armed Merchant Cruiser and became HMS Hildebrand of the 10th Cruiser Squadron

On 2nd October 1917 she was missed by a torpedo from a German Submarine which sunk the cruiser HMS Drake instead.

She was decommissioned on 17th January and returned to Booth Line

In February 1934 she was sold for £11,000 and broken up by J. Cashmore of Newport, Monmouth.

His final trip in 1911 was on the 'R.M.S. Vandyck'. He sailed out of Liverpool on 5th October 1911 for the River Plate, Buenos Aires returning to Liverpool on 11th December 1911. This time he was a second cook, (now that would appear promotion!)

The R.M.S. Vandyck was built by Lamport & Holt Shipping Line, Belfast in 1911. She was launched on 1st Jun 1911 and carried her first passengers to new York in the August. In September 1911 she did New York -Rio-Monte Video-Buenos Aires, so I imagine on her return to Liverpool my granddad's trip was next.

She was unfortunately intercepted on 26th October 1914 on passage to Buenos Aires by a German light cruiser, The Karlsrusche, just off St. Paul's Bay.

The next day the passengers and crew where transferred to a German supply ship . The Ascuncion. 4 days late the Ascunsion was detached and sent to Paraguay, with that the Vandyck was sunk by explosives.

What an adventure for first year at sea !