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Brief history of the SS Hartington
Photo of SS Hartington in about 1940
The following details are taken from the Captains Log book which lists a record of the ships voyages, and repairs etc. (The National Archives, Catalogue Reference: BT/389/15).
It is very difficult to read and has many abbreviations that meant something to the Captain but not to me. Therefore the transcription below has only the main points of the history of the Hartington in the last two years of its life.
The Hartington was built in 1932 and was owned by J.C. Harrison. Its Gross Tonnage was 5496 tons, and its speed was 9 Knots. It was torpedoed and sunk in 1942.
From the information below you will see that the Hartington was beset with engine problems.
|
Table showing voyages made from January to June 1941 |
|
Date 1941 |
Sailed from |
Arrived at |
Comments |
|
30th January |
Grangemouth, Scotland |
|
|
|
|
Lake Eire, USA |
Lake Erie USA |
|
|
27th February |
|
Fayal, Azores |
Engine repairs, on 1st March |
|
2nd March |
Fayal |
|
|
|
3rd March |
|
St Michael, Azores |
|
|
3rd March |
St Michael, Azores |
|
|
|
20th March |
|
Lagos, Nigeria |
|
|
22nd March |
Lagos |
|
|
|
23rd March |
|
Forcados, Nigeria |
|
|
26th March |
Forcados |
|
|
|
28th March |
|
Lagos |
|
|
? |
|
Free Town, Sierra Leone |
|
|
25th May |
|
Liverpool |
Engine repairs on 3rd/4th June. |
Other trips to the USA/Canada or to Africa took place every few months. Boiler trouble was reported in September 1941 and repairs were carried out in Canada. When back in Glasgow in October 1941, further repairs were carried out in the Clyde.
The next trip was to Lagos and engine problems were reported on the way back to Glasgow, in February 1942.
On a further trip to Lagos in the boiler was repaired at Lagos on 9th April 1942.
On arriving at Duarla on the 15th April the Furnace collapsed and was repaired on the 18th April. However, the fire bars in the furnace collapsed and new ones had to be sent for.
The Hartington arrived at Freetown on the 26th May 1942, but were unable to leave because they could not maintain speed (again suggesting that the engine was playing up). Spare parts were ordered to be sent to Las Palmas, where repairs were carried out.
The ship arrived back at Southend, Essex in August 1942 and went to the Tyne on the 13th August. Some repairs were carried out the next day, but other repairs could not be fixed until 11th August. The ship then sailed for Halifax, Nova Scotia arriving there on the 7th October 1942. Leaks in the tanks were repaired the next day but work continued until the 20th October. On the 27th they made ready to sail in the ill-fated convoy SC107.