BAHAMA KING (1929)

Shipping of the Hartlepools

BAHAMA KING (1929)

Postby teesships » Wed Jul 11, 2012 2:06 pm

The BAHAMA KING in Central Dock, Hartlepool. When the Teesside Branch WSS received the Albert Weller photograph albums I was delighted to find this view of the BAHAMA KING. It is unfortunate, however, that the original negative does not feature among the many excellent negatives also in the collection.
0208bahamaking.jpg

I was delighted because I had seen this ship myself (from the same viewpoint) during my first-ever visit to Hartlepool Docks on 6 April 1961. Even then I gained the impression this veteran ship was laid-up. This was back in the days when Nassau was British, and the Bahamas had only a small number of ships registered there.
She was subsequently reported as being broken up in that year, but it was many years later before I tracked down in the typed book BRITISH BULK CARRIERS 1945-1979 that she had arrived at Hamburg on 21 April 1961 for scrapping. So this picture shows her probably during her last few weeks afloat.
She had been completed by Fred Krupp at Kiel in April 1929 as the tanker CALIFORNIA STANDARD under the Panama flag. Owned (in 1939) by Foreign Tankship Corp., Roger Jordan's book THE WORLD'S MERCHANT FLEETS 1939 makes it clear this was a subsidiary, as the ship name implied, of Standard Oil Co. of California. In 1950 she was sold to Bobe Soc. Anon, still Panama flag, and renamed GENEVE. In 1956 they converted her to an ore carrier. She was re-engined in 1958 around the time she was acquired by Western Shipping Ltd. and became their BAHAMA KING. Her final gross tonnage figure was 11,567.
Ron
teesships
 
Posts: 10531
Joined: Sun May 13, 2012 7:47 pm
Location: Middlesbrough

Re: BAHAMA KING (1929)

Postby E28 » Fri Nov 16, 2018 8:23 pm

Foreign Tankship Co was indeed a subsidiary of Standard Oil Co of California, SOCal, who had in 1931 merged with Standard Oil New Jersey, SOCONY. Remarkable who owned who and why, mainly due to licences for oil exploration and drilling in multitudes of locations, mainly Mid East.

California Standard transferred to F T Co in 1934 / 35 and led what can best be described as a charmed unmolested life by all accounts least of all during WW2 when at the outbreak she was in British waters then promptly departed remaining away until post war. She spent the conflict sailing independently much of the time around the Middle East, Indian Ocean, Far East and Australia carrying liquid gold much of the time and in ballast when not as unlike a cargo ship, tankers were somewhat limited in their options.
Thats all folks. Sean.
E28
 
Posts: 205
Joined: Wed Jun 26, 2013 8:14 pm
Location: Near Conegar Lock.

Re: BAHAMA KING (1929)

Postby northeast » Sat Nov 17, 2018 7:38 am

Ron, I was 2 days later than you, saw her 08/04/1961. But I had braved entering County Durham previously, 28/05/1960 in the days when the mothball fleet was still there.
northeast
Site Admin
 
Posts: 6564
Joined: Sat May 12, 2012 5:13 pm
Location: East Yorkshire

Re: BAHAMA KING (1929)

Postby teesships » Sat Nov 17, 2018 10:03 am

Mothball fleet still there for our observation through until late in 1963.

Fully detailed in its own section (Hartlepool Reserve Fleet) within the Hartlepool Forum section of NEM.

Ron
teesships
 
Posts: 10531
Joined: Sun May 13, 2012 7:47 pm
Location: Middlesbrough


Return to Hartlepool

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 36 guests