Greetings from Houston, Texas, USA. I am trying to find information about Port Line Ship Port Townsville (1). All I can find on the web is http://red-duster.co.uk. My Grandparents were on this ship when it was bombed during WW II. on March 3, 1941. My Mother was sent to the USA in 1940 during the UK Blitz. My Grandparents, Frank L. Berger and Ada Elias Berger, were the only persons killed when the ship was bombed. At one time Mother had a newspaper article titled Adrift After Ship Sank where it mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Berger.
Do you have any information on this ship or could direct me where to go.
Thank you,
Sandra Kanak
Sandra,
I guess you have this detail in para 1, but will sent it just in case you do not.
PORT TOWNSVILLE (1) was built in 1935 by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Newcastle with a tonnage of 8661grt, a length of 496ft 5in, a beam of 65ft 4in and a service speed of 14 knots. Sister of the Port Chalmers was deployed on the New Zealand service. On 3rd March 1941 during a voyage from Bristol to Melbourne she was machine gunned and bombed by German aircraft in the St. Georges Channel off Pembrokeshire. A bomb penetrated the No.3 hatch and exploded blowing a hole in the ship's side and starting a fire. The 67 crew and 11 passengers abandoned ship and were picked up by their French escort ship and taken to Milford Haven. The ship sank the next day in position 52.05N 05.24W. (Photo: Iain Lovie Collection)
A note from a site about wrecks off Pembrokeshire.
1941 March 3rd. PORT TOWNSVILLE. Motor Vessel. Off St David's Head. Bombed and set on fire North of St. David's Head.
This link to Passenger Lists on the internet may help.
http://members.aol.com/rprost/passenger.html
I have not been able to uncover any further detail for Port Townsville 1, but am trying the Times in UK WW2 archive through a friend in Queensland, if Martin turns up anything I will naturally pass it on to you.
So sorry I am not of much use to you Sandra.
Kindest regards from Australia.
Sandra,
A note from Martin , no luck with any notice about the ship, but he did find the notice of Frank's second son becoming engaged.
It is attached, but it makes no mention of Ada.
Regards,
Mac.
Martin,
I wonder if your Times Archive has any entry for the sinking of the Port Line ship Port Townsville 1,
hit by a bomb on the 3rd. of March 1941, to sink in the Bristol Channel the following day.
My understanding the only passenger deaths, Frank L. Berger, and his wife Ada Elias Berger, they are whom I am interested in.
Best regards,
Mac.
Nothing I'm afraid, Mac - About the ship in the Bristol Channel. Searching on just "Port Townsville" does return over a hundred articles, from 1886 to 1982 (there must have been several ships of this name), but the mention of the name in shipping news ceases around Aug 1939. News of the sinking was probably suppressed - or perhaps it's there somewhere, a small article without a reference to the ship's name. Also searched for death notices but no luck.
Seaching on the gentleman's name does bring up the notice of the engagement of his second son Joseph to Ella Alice Manuel in 1935
Ella parents were from Lewisporte, Newfoundland. I've attached the article.
Let me know if there's anything else.
regards,
Martin
THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!
This small amount of information is more than I ever expected. It is so kind of you and Martin. I just can't thank you enough. Please forward my best regards to Martin.
Sandra
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