Nobel coasters from Irvine to Hamburg

[Fimac]

Hiya, my interest here is from my grandfather and granduncle who crewed and then skippered the ICI ships in the 30's and 40's. We have some great family stories from these times , such as run-ins with U boats , near mutinies, and photographs of sorts. The ships were Lady Dorothy, Gertrude cochrane and Anstruther. We have stories about crewmates like Bobby Bond, Monty MacFadyen, Lachlan Macdonald, and James Macdonald.

My own father is getting on, and I want to take him over to Hamburg to see where most of his fathers trips seemed to be, so I will be checking over there and try to link up with folk over there who may have known these ships. My father did write a book of his funny memoirs (as well as being a mad dentist in the gorbals), with a chapter on the Irvine 'Dynamite boats'. He did it for posterity - not for money (I don't think he even knows if he ever had any money from amazon !).
Search on amazon - 'Dunfillin - tales from the enamel face' (its not in Gaelic, just the odd poem)

Anyway - I will have a search on here for info , dig out the old photos, and plan my trip to Hamburg.

If anyone knew any of these folks - get in touch !

[Hughie]

Welcome to threetowners, Fimac. I can't add anything of worth to the topic other than my grandfather was a stoker (donkeyman) on an ICI explosive transporting ship in Irvine according to the 1921 Scottish census which has just been released. Unsure at this stage if he was active in that position during WW2 - he died within the ICI complex in 1944 of natural causes.

[Fimac]

Hiya Hughie,
I expect they worked together, i know my grandfather worked in various roles on most of those ships before retiring to be the coastguard up in Lismore, where we still have a family house. he then spent his retirement fishing for his supper and writing songs !

What was his name - we do have some diaries and notes from his time there. maybe we can find a link.

[Hughie]

Hi Fimac,

Grandfather was James Kelly McCallum born in Quay Street Saltcoats in 1887.

[Fimac]

Thanks. We will have a look.

[wmh]

Hi Fimac

My great uncle ` Edward Murray` on my fathers side of the family was chief engineer on the Lady Gertrude Cochrane.

[Penny Tray]

I see Edward Murray and other local crew members mentioned in the following link: -

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objec ... ect-648588

[wmh]

Yes Penny, I see him in the list, had a look through some family paperwork I have, he served on the ship as second engineer until October 1950 until he drowned in Milford Haven harbour while the boat was docked. Don`t know how he got in the water but I know through my father that he was unable to swim.

[JScobbie]

Hullo all, I see this thread and another similar one. My grandfather, Duncan Black from Lismore, was 2nd mate for a while, I have no idea how long, on Lady Gertrude Cochrane, and was the only one on board on the day of the 1921 census. Captain Campbell: was he the guy with the beret in Lismore in the 1960s?

Jim Scobbie

[JScobbie]

And my grandmother Effie from Benbecula was a boarder in Irvine, that day in the household of unmarried Elizabeth Todd (age 53 & 2 months), and her brother, unmarried David Todd (age 50 & 3 months), and a nephew Henry (age 20 & 8 months. Perhaps they were neighbours, and she was next door with no head in situ, the record is unclear… this was at 36 Harbour St, Dundonald, Fullerton.

[weejune]

Hello everybody, I've just joined so thanks for letting me in. I was just browsing and I came across this post. My grandfather - William (Billy) Williams-actually William Thomas- from Windmill Street in Saltcoats was part of the crew on the Lady Anstruther in 1941 when he took ill and died at Liverpool. I have more information on that, but I was looking for any info on his seagoing career to help us to trace the family further back. I have a letter from him in which he says he is in a very cold place-but sod's law-he doesn't mention it by name! I would love to know more about his adventures-anything in fact, as I never met him, and the only thing we know in that direction is that he was in the merchant navy and delivered to and from Irvine Harbour on the ICI side for them. He was originally from Glasgow and came down here around his marriage in 1912. He was a labourer with Ardrossan Dockyard Co for a while according to the census, but that's about it. Any help would be much appreciated,many thanks. It's a shame when you look out now and just see an almost empty sea, but there you are.

[Penny Tray]

This previous post, if you haven't previously seen it, seems a wee bit early to be of interest and refers to a Captain Williams as opposed to a crew member, but there might be a family link?

GLASGOW HERALD
9 NOVEMBER 1900

DYNAMITE STEAMER ASHORE

The steamer EMILY, of Chester (Captain Williams), presently under charter by Nobel’s Explosive Company, went ashore at Ardrossan in the gale of yesterday morning.

The EMILY took some 50 tons of cordite on board on Wednesday, and left the harbour before nightfall in compliance with a regulation to that effect. She was returning to complete her cargo, when she struck the Crinan rock, and drifted towards the Longcraigs, where she now lies.

Shortly after the vessel struck two of the crew came ashore in the ship’s boat, but the gale increased to such an extent that they were unable to return.

The lifeboat was launched and proceeded to the EMILY.

Captain Williams still declined to leave the ship, but requested that the lifeboat should return to the harbour and bring off his engineer and fireman. The request was, of course, complied with.

One of the Harbour Company’s tugboats attempted with the assistance of the lifeboat, to reach the EMILY with a line, but the tugboat had part of her two propellers carried away, and had to draw off.

The whole crew of the EMILY were then taken on board the lifeboat, and brought back to the harbour.