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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: elizasutton on Wednesday 08 December 10 17:02 GMT (UK)
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Hi,
My great great grandfather John Cattel Morton 1843-1886 was in the Merchant navy. He died at sea aboard the 'SS Tangier' Pettapollium, Madras, India. I found his death in the GRO deaths at sea and in the local paper both state he died in India yet the national probate calender has his death in Ipswich.
I have searched high and low for some information on this ship to no avail, I belive there was an article in the London Illustrated news about the explosion on board the ship in which he - The captain and a few crew mates died but have been unable to find this paper on line, I have searched through 'the Times' but found nothing.
I would very much like to find a picture of this ship and maybe some information about the voyage.
any hints as to where I should look now would be much appreciated,
Thanks, Liz
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Hi Liz
The site Mighty Seas is an excellent one (more than 1000 ships).
Find it by Google search.
Lots of other sites there too.
It would help if you guessed where the ship was built, or registered
Good luck
esdel
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thanks for that, shall have a look.
He lived in ipswich so I am guessing that is where the ship was from, although it is only a guess.
I know what happened to the ship after it was wrecked:
The Straits Times: 21 may 1886 The British India Steam Navigation Company ltd appear to have purchases in Calcutta for $500 the S.S Tangier which was wrecked in December last off Puthypakum near covelong a few miles south of madras
although this does contradict his recorded death date of january 1886
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The death was recorded in Ipswich only after the news trickled back home?
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Not sure if this helps much, have a look at this page:
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/bisn.html
It gives a bit of information about the voyages that these ships did.
Viv
If you scroll down to Umballa, youwill see that is was previously the SS Tangier.
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TANGIER official number 81645
Launched11/5/1880 completed June 1880
Built by Raylton Dixon and Co Middlsborugh yard number 169
For Angier Bros London
Home port London
269.7 ft X 35.2 X 24.5 1908 tons
Sold to British India SN co. 1886 renamed UMBALLA
Broken up in Bombay 11/3/1896
She left Madras late December 1885 for Coconada and London
She beached at Covelong, Coromandel Coast on 1/1/1886. Her cargo was removed and after several unsuccesful attempts to repair her in situ she was towed to Calcutta, arriving April 1886.
Her crew agreement for 1886 which should also have details for 1885 is available from the Memorial University of Newfoundland search via official number.
http://www.mun.ca/mha/holdings/searchcombinedcrews.php
This may tell you of his demise it should also tell you. Name, age, where born, last known address, last ship, NOK, where signed on/off and when, and wages accrued.
Her registration papers are in TNA, these should give information on her change of ownership and any modifications she underwent as the result of the alleged explosion on board.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATID=-5566490&CATLN=7&Highlight=%2C81645&accessmethod=0
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thanks everyone,
Seaweed, thats fantastic, lots of things to follow up now,
Your hard work and time is appreciated
Cheers!
Liz
;D
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The Times, Wednesday, Mar 17, 1886; pg. 8; Issue 31709; col C
"Disasters at Sea"
"Among the passengers on board the P and O steamer Rosetta, which arrived in Plymouth Sound yesterday, were four of the crew of the steamship Tangier, of London, 1,908 tons register, which ran ashore off Madras in December last. The Tangier was bound from Madras for London, and shortly after leaving encountered very heavy weather. On December 18 the Tangier sighted a large foreign steamship of about 4,000 tones, named the [Caraplania?], ashore and signalling for assistance. The Tangier proceeded, and in attempting to tow her off damaged her rudder, and, becoming unmanageable, she was driven by the heavy sea on some rocks. She was subsequently got off but found to be so seriously damaged that she was run ashore on the beach. Her crew were then employed in repairing the ship, which was loaded with hides and caster oil seed, but the ship having leaked so freely the cargo got seriously damaged and in time the stench was abominable. Early in January the captain went into the hold with a European diver and a native for the purpose of examining the damage done, when they were suffocated by the fumes. The captain was subsequently buried on shore."
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Dave Francis, I cannot thank you enough, that is wonderful, I guess I did not look hard enough.
Many thanks
Liz
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A little more.
TANGIER arrived Madras Nov 18th 1885 from Middlesboro
She was due to sail on the 3rd Dec.
Seems she foundered on the 18th Dec.
All the reports I have seen say that her most of her cargo was removed.
Feb 19th 1886 commenced tow by the tug CLIVE
Arrived Calcutta 16th Mar 1886.
There seems some contradiction in the newspaper reports but this is academic. What you are concerned with is how when and where your GGGrandfather died.
As well as looking at the crew agreement I would also look in the deaths at sea for 1886. this is held in the National Archive.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=3&CATID=1627&SearchInit=4&SearchType=6&CATREF=BT+156
and
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=3&CATID=1628&SearchInit=4&SearchType=6&CATREF=BT+157
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My great great grandfather John Cattel Morton 1843-1886 was in the Merchant navy. He died at sea aboard the 'SS Tangier' Pettapollium, Madras, India. I found his death in the GRO deaths at sea and in the local paper both state he died in India yet the national probate calender has his death in Ipswich.
Thought I should double-check this. Probate was indeed granted in Ipswich, on 1 April 1886 to his widow Sarah Ann Morton. But the probate calendar clearly states that he died, on 19 January 1886, "at Pettapolium near Madras in India". It also mentions that he was a captain in the merchant navy, so I wonder whether he was the captain mentioned in The Times' article? Incidentally, his personal estate was valued at £1,434 10s 2d - quite a tidy sum in those days!
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He was indeed a Captain.
He is mentioned in Lloyds Captains Register
MORTON, John Cattel b. Ipswich 1843 C30037 London 1869
vol.10 1873; vol.22 1874-1879; vol.37 1880-1885.
Lloyds register of Shipping 1883/84 confirms Morton was master of TANGIER
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Thanks everyone, one last question ;)
With this weatlh of information is is possible for me to trace his career back to where he first began.
Should I be going to look at the lloyds registers in london to see if I can go backwards?
As he became a mariner in 1869, I would like to know where he went in the world.
Thanks.
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Your best bet is to view the volumes of Lloyd's Captains Register which I believe, are now held at London Metropolitan Archives. These should record the vessels he sailed on.
There are copies on Microfilm at Kew but in my limited experience these are not copied very well and are difficult to read. Copies of his Certificate of Competency and Service are also held at Kew and his should be in piece BT122/40.
For movement of his ships you would have to consult Lloyd's List. I think LMA should have them but you would have to ask.
ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk
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Hi,
My great grand uncle, Fred Lee, was a salvage engineer, and in our family tree/history it is stated that he died on 20th January 1886 at Covelong. He is reported to have suffocated in the hold of the shipwrecked SS Tangier. I do not know where this information originated but it would seem likely that he is the European diver referred to in the Times article. I have no idea where he was buried but believe he lived in India and had a daughter, Alice Maud Lee, who was half Indian and who I was told by one of my aunts went on to study medicine at a London Teaching hospital. If anyone can help me to find out more, I would be most grateful.
Lee
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https://www.familysearch.org/ shows an Alice Maud Lee b. to Frederick and Grace, 1879, in Madras, and a possible marriage for her, also Madras, to George Hope Allen in 1899.
George Hope Allen may have died in 1902, and Alice then seems to have remarried in 1909 to Maurice Desmond McDermott, and died, still in India, in 1918.
(Perhaps it was a daughter of hers who studied in London?)
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Hi, if you are interested, I found this picture of the SS Tangier, it was painted by a member of the crew and given to Captain Morton and now owned by a cousin of mine (also a Captian Morton!)
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Hi Liz,
I've struggled to find a way to reply to your recent message. I hope this works.
I would love to have a look at the article about the Tangier.
I haven't yet worked out how RootsChat works, but it seems to be a most fascinating site.
Kindest regards.
Lee Hetherington
I am sorry but this members email address is no longer working 2016
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hi I have just found this as I am reasearching my partners family tree, John Cattel Morton was his great, great great grandfather, not sure exactly how many greats back. I was wondering if any of you would be able to point me in the right direction for more information on the SS Tangier as I am finding it hard to trace.
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Hello and welcome to rootschat.
If you look back on previous pages of this post most of the relevant information about the vessel TANGIER such as her owners, builders etc are there, even a painting of her.
The only wrong info is that her crew agreements are not stored (or have been lost) at the Maritime History Archive in Newfoundland.
Her 1884 crew agreements are at Kew http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2478773 and her 1885 crew agreements may be stored at NMM Greenwich.
What information in particular are you looking for?
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Hi ladyhen. I have sent you a pm. Thanks to the help received on this board, I have lots of info on all Captain Mortons ships, voyages, crew lists etc which I would be happy to pass on to you.
Liz
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hi liz i got your message but it wont let me reply
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Hi ladyhen89,
I think you need 2 posts then you can use the PM.
Viv