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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: jcmac on Monday 05 December 22 22:43 GMT (UK)
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I have tracked a vessel ss Haupiri (ON 89094) under command of Master, Donald MacDonald, from New Zealand via Australia to Cape Town,SA (18.11.1915-1.1.1916; 8.1.1916-24.2.1916).
On 6.3.1916 with Master MacDonald in charge the vessel sails into the Mediteranean, then via Bay of Biscay and English Channel to London.
NZ papers report in August 1916 that the Haupiri "....was filled with cement and sunk by the Admiralty at a port .."somewhere across the Channel" ...in the bottom of an enemy harbour mouth."
NZ papers report that Master, D.MacDonald, returned as a passenger from London (27.6.1916) on ss Tongariro via New York and Panama Canal to Auckland,NZ arriving on 26.8.1916.
BT165/1326 (Extracted Logs) lists under Haypiri 89094. Voyage 6.3.1916 - 24.4.1916.
WW1 Naval records held at TNA,London in the list of Royal Navy shipping note:-
(Royal Navy Support and Harbour vessels of WW1.....)
HAUPIRI (ex Richmond), listed as miscellaneous, built 1885, 715grt. In commisioned service 26.10.1916 - 31.3 1919.
The 10.1916 - 3.1919 dates are a puzzle !!!!
Is anyone able to clarify what the 24.4.1916 date refers to ?
Is anyone able to direct me to further detail of the date and final disposal site ?
jcmac.
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May have something to do with the change of owners in 1916.
https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?255432
Try https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk (a subscription site)
SALE OF METHYLATED SPIRITS
... husband is away, I will put you on'probation for six months. DUNDEE-BUILT STEAMER SOLD The shelter-deck steamer Haupiri (cx-Richrnond), 715 tons gross, built and engined Messrs Gourlay Brothers & Co., Dundee, in 1885, and owned by the Union ...
Published: Saturday 17 June 1916
Newspaper: Dundee People's Journal
County: Angus, Scotland
Type: | Words: 491 | Page: 6 | Tags: none
BUSINESS NOTES
... dimensions 235 ft. 3 in. , by 37 ft. 1 in. by 14 ft. in., has been sold for about £25,000. The steel shelter-deck steamer Haupiri, 715 tons gross, built at Dundee in 1885 by Messrs Gourlay Bros. •& Co., engines 23 and by 30 in. stroke, dimensions 178 by 27 ft ...
Published: Thursday 17 February 1916
Newspaper: Dundee Courier
County: Angus, Scotland
Type: | Words: 1007 | Page: 5 | Tags: none
or on Findmypast
Tony
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Is anyone able to clarify what the 24.4.1916 date refers to ?
That's when she arrived in London and berthed at Bellamy's Wharf.
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Interesting. Not seen anything official about being sunk as a blockship.
There are files at Kew [Admiralty] showing her in a collision at Immingham in 1917 - see piece HD/1917/332 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/4bb32f76-dafe-4ed9-9f0f-b335ad53df02
There are also ship’s logs (Admiralty) for the period 1917 – 1919 held at Kew.
BT165/1326 (Extracted Logs) lists under Haypiri 89094. Voyage 6.3.1916 - 24.4.1916.
That is the file at TNA Kew where the Ship’s Official Logbook for the period March – April 1916 is held.
In commissioned service 26.10.1916 - 31.3 1919.
This means the ship was taken up by the Admiralty during those years as a mercantile auxiliary and manned by a crew of Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and Mercantile Marine Reserve (MMR) personnel. So, during this period she was not in Mercantile service but Admiralty service.
The 10.1916 - 3.1919 dates are a puzzle !!!!
– see above (Admiralty service)
Is anyone able to clarify what the 24.4.1916 date refers to?
The logbook would be deposited at the Mercantile Marine Office (MMO) at the end of a foreign voyage or 6 monthly if on the home trade service.
Is anyone able to direct me to further detail of the date and final disposal site?
She left the British registry in 1920 bought by Greek interests and foundered off Milos on 6 February 1921 on a voyage Piraeus to Crete as per this link https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?255432
Any questions please feel free.
Regards
Hugh
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NZ papers report in August 1916 that the Haupiri "....was filled with cement and sunk by the Admiralty at a port .."somewhere across the Channel" ...in the bottom of an enemy harbour mouth."
That report was incorrect: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19171011.2.97
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Makes sense - she wasn't sunk but was taken up for Admiralty service.
Regards
Hugh
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Well done Shaun and HughMac. What intrigues me is why on the initial voyage from NZ to the UK she sailed through the Med. Yes obviously if she had gone through the Suez Canal that would have been the case, but she reportedly first put into Cape Town en route. Surely she wouldn't have back tracked up the East coast and round the Horn of Africa to go through the Suez once she had rounded the Capes Agulhas and Good Hope.
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Not sure about the Mediterranean bit.
I can see from newspaper reports that she went from Wellington to Fremantle, then to Cape Town (where her new owners put a new crew on board), then to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, then to London.
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I must first thank all of you for these responses which clarify the situation.
I am now about to read through all the attachments to arrive at the final explanation of what actually took place.
jcmac.
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Thank you all for such a speedy result,
I was convinced by all the NZ papers that she had been used as sunken barrier and the "service" thereafter was an error in dates or another ship !?! especially as the Master had returned home by August 1916.
I assumed the voyage to the Med was via west coast and not the Suez.
I suppose in war-time it is not always sensible to assume a newspaper report is accurate!
Many thanks,
jcmac.
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Where is the report of her being in the Med? What date was she there?
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ShaunJ,
I had searched through every NZ paper up to the end of August 1916 and many record the same story.
What I have noted covered various aspects of what I was searching for so today I quickly selected 7 titles and the Auckland Star 28.8.1916 p.4 article "The late Sir G.M.O'Rourke" gives the relevant comment.
jcmac.
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the Auckland Star 28.8.1916 p.4 article "The late Sir G.M.O'Rourke"
This one? That's the discredited tale isn't it? https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19160828.2.23
Best to focus on reports of shipping movements.
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Perhaps what I should have said is "Discredited yes, but it does explain why the OP thought that the ship entered the Med ..."
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There is no mention of the Haupiri visiting Mediterranean ports in March/April 1916 in contemporary reports of shipping movements.
This report on ships bound for London suggests the route from Cape Town was via Las Palmas only
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I used the NZ papers to track this vessel and because of the difficulty in using a limited number to search I committed to All/All in the newspaper selection. A very,very long list of searching!!!!!
The story of its move in/out of the Med is repeated constantly in the majority of the NZ papers - I had no reason to doubt these reports - only why, having been sunk, it was still recorded as sailing up to 3 years later ???
Mystery solved thanks to RC members.
jcmac.
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The story of its move in/out of the Med is repeated constantly in the majority of the NZ papers
It's all in the same discredited reports as the sinking, attributed to "an old sailor", syndicated to various newspapers in NZ. They don't mention the stop at Las Palmas which did happen.
The story of the dodge in to Marseilles and out again may be true but there is no mention of it in reported shipping movements. You would need to check the log in BT165/1326.
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You would need to check the log in BT165/1326.
During wartime master's were told not to record details of visited ports - although many did so.
So if looking at the logbook - given it contains many parts - you are looking for pages 20 + 21 for that information.
Regards
Hugh
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ShaunJ & HMac,
Thank you for these updates.
I have noticed during the 14/18 period, ship reports (NZ) are quite difficult to follow for obvious reasons.
The journey from S.Africa to London had a hint of wartime as well as a cruise to London up the Channel !?
I noted the reference to BT165/1326 but the ship was noted as "Haypiri" so I was unsure about what had been sunk and what was afloat. It would wait for a visit to TNA next year.
Happily, RootsChat has solved my mystery.
Many thanks,
jcmac.