THE ULYSSES STORY
Blue Funnel Line
Captain J. A Russell
Although in trouble herself, she reached Singapore and embarked as many women and children evacuees as she could, slipped her lines, and headed for Fremantle in Australia. Ulysses (4) 1913-1942 torpedoed and sunk off Cape Hatteras in position 34º 23’ N 75º 35’ W
ULYSSES (4) was built in 1913 by Workman Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 14499 grt, a length of 563 ft 2 in, a beam of 68 ft 4 in, and a service speed of 13.5 knots. Sister of the NESTOR, she was completed for the China Mutual Steam Navigation Co. and deployed on the Glasgow - Liverpool - Brisbane service. She became a troopship in 1915 and ferried troops from Australia to Suez. In 1917 she trooped in the North Atlantic, carrying American soldiers. She resumed commercial activities in September 1920 and operated on the Glasgow - Liverpool - Cape Town - Australian ports - Brisbane service. In 1928 her Master was Capt. R. D. Owen O.B.E., who flew the swallow-tailed house flag of Commodore of Blue Funnel Line.
By 1941 Britain was being subjected to continual bombing. ULYSSES urgently required an overhaul, but it was too risky to do this task in the UK, so she was sent to Hong Kong for the refit. After calling at Cape Town and Durban, it was across the Indian Ocean to Ceylon and Penang, then Singapore. Soon after, she arrived in Hong Kong. Here she was met by a tender who delivered a few hundred workers. They immediately got to work chipping the paintwork off the ship's side, and off the masts and railings. Before she even tied up, half the paintwork had been stripped.
Apparently there must have been paint remaining from the First World War, as all the crew we were billeted ashore while the ship was in the hands of the dockyard. ULYSSES had a good soccer team and played games against the different Army and Royal Navy ships’ teams. After the games they had great social evenings with the soldiers and naval boys. Most of those lads would eventually be slain or made POW's by the Japanese.
Then one day, Hong Kong got a typhoon warning. The ULYSSES was in dry-dock with all her engines lying on the dock. She was taken out of dry-dock and towed to a point where she was moored to buoys fore and aft. This is normal practice, except that a ship is meant to drive full speed against the wind just to remain steady. But she had no engines. When the typhoon struck, she was soon torn from the buoys. The helpless ship was blown at considerable speed until she came to a grinding halt. She was pushed onto an islet, Little Green Island, and grounded. So she delayed further and remained in Hong Kong until Dec. 7, 1941 - Pearl Harbor Day.
ULYSSES immediately left Hong Kong and was ordered to make for Manila in the Philippines. However, the wireless operator gave the Captain a message that Manila was under severe attack from the Japanese, so Captain Russell decided to make for Singapore although low on fuel. She was sailing with one engine; the second one was lying on the deck, such was the rush to get away from Hong Kong. ULYSSES was doing five knots and although she was attacked a few times, none of the attacks were concentrated. She did eventually reach Singapore, much to the surprise of people there, who believed she had been lost.
ULYSSES was very lucky to have survived when faster ships were being sunk, including the REPULSE and the famous PRINCE OF WALES, the newest battleship in the fleet. These were dark days, indeed, with the Japanese conquering all before them. She made a quick stop in Singapore to obtain more bunkers from other ships and to embark many women and children who desperately needed to leave before the Japanese Army reached Singapore.
The situation was dire and ULYSSES took on as many evacuees as she could possibly carry and accommodate with life-saving equipment. The crew, by this time, was desperate for rest, but in the true tradition of the Blue Funnel Line, they served above and beyond expectations. ULYSSES slipped her lines, leaving them on the dock, and sailed.
It is not known how she obtained the extra bunkers but it is thought they obtained them from the Blue Funnel ship, TALTHYBIUS. Possibly the transfer was done with drums or even buckets. For certain the crew accomplished it with tremendous determination in the face of danger. TALTHYBIUS, damaged by bombing, was on fire at the Empire Dry Dock. Eventually her crew managed to drag her across the entrance to the dry-dock and scuttle her, thus disabling the dry-dock. The Japanese later shot several of TALTHYBIUS’s crew on the wharf. Some escaped, only to become POWs, while some managed to flee Singapore on other ships.
ULYSSES left Singapore on December 12 and made Fremantle, Australia, on December 31. When she arrived in Fremantle there was no room to berth at the quay, so she had to tie up alongside another ship. All her evacuees were taken ashore and looked after by the various refugee organizations. These groups were well organized in Fremantle, which was a front line arrival port for the evacuation of Singapore.
Again ULYSSES was put back together and became a seaworthy ship once more. Meanwhile, the crew had become friendly with the crew of the ship lying alongside. When ULYSSES was leaving Fremantle, the entire crew of the other ship assembled on the after-deck and sang a song called “The Maoris’ Farewell”. They continued the serenade until well out of sight. Such a romantic event for a bunch of tough and tired seamen.
The next port of call was Adelaide, where the ship was to get the final touches to her repairs. ULYSSES stayed in Adelaide for a few weeks. However, all good things come to an end, and she had to continue her voyage, as she was still a long way from home. After Adelaide came Melbourne, and then Sydney, where more cargo was loaded for England. At Sydney, ULYSSES took on more passengers who had escaped from Singapore on other vessels and were heading back to England.
After departing Sydney with her cargo and new passengers, she would see more action. With a now rested crew, she headed for the Panama Canal, but her trip was far from over. It was known that her transit through the Panama Canal would be reported by enemy agents. ULYSSES made the Canal transit in good time and again entered dangerous waters. She proceeded up the Florida East Coast, possibly intending to reach a point further north before altering to a NE by E course for Liverpool.
Everything seemed to be going well until the night of April 8, 1942, when she collided with a Panamanian tanker GOLD HEELS. ULYSSES’s bow was extensively damaged below the waterline and speed was reduced to 7 knots. Her Master, Capt. J. A. Russell, altered course for the nearest port, Newport News. He may not have been aware that German submarines were operating in the area. There is some doubt as to whether he received an Admiralty advisory about U-Boat activity in the area. On April 11, 1942, at 15.30 hrs, ULYSSES was torpedoed by U-160 (Kapitan Leutnant Georg Lassen – Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves). She was 45 nm south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in position 34º 23’ N 75º 35’ W.
The first torpedo struck the No. 6 hold. A second one hit ULYSSES abreast of the funnel and she very quickly settled deep in the water. A third torpedo may have struck her, but failed to explode after glancing off the ship’s hull plating. Several persons said that the submarine never surfaced. Some said that children were playing on deck when the first explosion occurred. Everyone fully realized the situation, but proceeded to their stations with calm and order. This was attributed to the fact that the passengers had participated in many drills in their three weeks aboard ship. Ten of her lifeboats were launched successfully and stood off the now sinking ULYSSES.
The very last of ULYSSES’s crew to abandon her were Capt. J. A. Russell and the on watch quartermaster who had been at the wheel at the time of the attack. The quartermaster refused to leave Captain Russell on his own and assisted in searching the ship. In spite of the danger, they ensured that nobody was left aboard. They also made sure that “essential documents” were thrown overboard in special weighted bags. The ship was settling very fast and was well down by the stern, and could have sunk or rolled over at any moment. They eventually abandoned her on the last life raft.
Before abandoning ship, the wireless operator had sent out the distress call of the day for a vessel being attacked by a U-Boat. This brought United States Army patrol bombers to look for the lifeboats. Seventy-five minutes after the last explosion, a United States Navy warship, USS MANLEY, picked up the survivors. MANLEY picked up the ten lifeboats from ULYSSES, about 290 souls. One injured crewman sustained an injury boarding a lifeboat, but there was no loss of life to any crew member or passenger.
Included among the passengers were Mrs. D. J. Wickett of Singapore, who was known in England as Vera Wood, an opera singer; her seven-months-old son, Peter, the youngest passenger aboard; Mrs. Charlotte Pugh, eighty-six, of Mountain Ashe, South Wales, the oldest survivor; George H. Davies, a London exporter, and Miss Katherine Lacy of Wallesey, England, a ship stewardess who twice before had ships torpedoed under her. She was decorated with the British Naval Cross.
The ship’s company was appreciative of the reception given them in Charleston. Disembarking at the navy yard, they were taken in charge by a trained naval group; H. de C. Harsten, British vice-consul; and Red Cross workers. Despite short notice, they managed to put together a real meal and a big supply of sandwiches, cakes and coffee for the nearly three hundred survivors.
After a stay in Charleston, all were sent north to New York and from there, even further north. Here they boarded a vessel bound for England in a North Atlantic convoy. In due course they docked in England. Many months after leaving Singapore and Australia, everyone was home at last.
A Tribute to a Merchant Navy Crew who were glad to be able to help
“We Never Give Up”
Blue Funnel Motto
“Certum Pete Finem”
(Hold Course to Destination)
Blue Funnel Line
Captain J. A Russell
Although in trouble herself, she reached Singapore and embarked as many women and children evacuees as she could, slipped her lines, and headed for Fremantle in Australia. Ulysses (4) 1913-1942 torpedoed and sunk off Cape Hatteras in position 34º 23’ N 75º 35’ W
ULYSSES (4) was built in 1913 by Workman Clark & Co. at Belfast with a tonnage of 14499 grt, a length of 563 ft 2 in, a beam of 68 ft 4 in, and a service speed of 13.5 knots. Sister of the NESTOR, she was completed for the China Mutual Steam Navigation Co. and deployed on the Glasgow - Liverpool - Brisbane service. She became a troopship in 1915 and ferried troops from Australia to Suez. In 1917 she trooped in the North Atlantic, carrying American soldiers. She resumed commercial activities in September 1920 and operated on the Glasgow - Liverpool - Cape Town - Australian ports - Brisbane service. In 1928 her Master was Capt. R. D. Owen O.B.E., who flew the swallow-tailed house flag of Commodore of Blue Funnel Line.
By 1941 Britain was being subjected to continual bombing. ULYSSES urgently required an overhaul, but it was too risky to do this task in the UK, so she was sent to Hong Kong for the refit. After calling at Cape Town and Durban, it was across the Indian Ocean to Ceylon and Penang, then Singapore. Soon after, she arrived in Hong Kong. Here she was met by a tender who delivered a few hundred workers. They immediately got to work chipping the paintwork off the ship's side, and off the masts and railings. Before she even tied up, half the paintwork had been stripped.
Apparently there must have been paint remaining from the First World War, as all the crew we were billeted ashore while the ship was in the hands of the dockyard. ULYSSES had a good soccer team and played games against the different Army and Royal Navy ships’ teams. After the games they had great social evenings with the soldiers and naval boys. Most of those lads would eventually be slain or made POW's by the Japanese.
Then one day, Hong Kong got a typhoon warning. The ULYSSES was in dry-dock with all her engines lying on the dock. She was taken out of dry-dock and towed to a point where she was moored to buoys fore and aft. This is normal practice, except that a ship is meant to drive full speed against the wind just to remain steady. But she had no engines. When the typhoon struck, she was soon torn from the buoys. The helpless ship was blown at considerable speed until she came to a grinding halt. She was pushed onto an islet, Little Green Island, and grounded. So she delayed further and remained in Hong Kong until Dec. 7, 1941 - Pearl Harbor Day.
ULYSSES immediately left Hong Kong and was ordered to make for Manila in the Philippines. However, the wireless operator gave the Captain a message that Manila was under severe attack from the Japanese, so Captain Russell decided to make for Singapore although low on fuel. She was sailing with one engine; the second one was lying on the deck, such was the rush to get away from Hong Kong. ULYSSES was doing five knots and although she was attacked a few times, none of the attacks were concentrated. She did eventually reach Singapore, much to the surprise of people there, who believed she had been lost.
ULYSSES was very lucky to have survived when faster ships were being sunk, including the REPULSE and the famous PRINCE OF WALES, the newest battleship in the fleet. These were dark days, indeed, with the Japanese conquering all before them. She made a quick stop in Singapore to obtain more bunkers from other ships and to embark many women and children who desperately needed to leave before the Japanese Army reached Singapore.
The situation was dire and ULYSSES took on as many evacuees as she could possibly carry and accommodate with life-saving equipment. The crew, by this time, was desperate for rest, but in the true tradition of the Blue Funnel Line, they served above and beyond expectations. ULYSSES slipped her lines, leaving them on the dock, and sailed.
It is not known how she obtained the extra bunkers but it is thought they obtained them from the Blue Funnel ship, TALTHYBIUS. Possibly the transfer was done with drums or even buckets. For certain the crew accomplished it with tremendous determination in the face of danger. TALTHYBIUS, damaged by bombing, was on fire at the Empire Dry Dock. Eventually her crew managed to drag her across the entrance to the dry-dock and scuttle her, thus disabling the dry-dock. The Japanese later shot several of TALTHYBIUS’s crew on the wharf. Some escaped, only to become POWs, while some managed to flee Singapore on other ships.
ULYSSES left Singapore on December 12 and made Fremantle, Australia, on December 31. When she arrived in Fremantle there was no room to berth at the quay, so she had to tie up alongside another ship. All her evacuees were taken ashore and looked after by the various refugee organizations. These groups were well organized in Fremantle, which was a front line arrival port for the evacuation of Singapore.
Again ULYSSES was put back together and became a seaworthy ship once more. Meanwhile, the crew had become friendly with the crew of the ship lying alongside. When ULYSSES was leaving Fremantle, the entire crew of the other ship assembled on the after-deck and sang a song called “The Maoris’ Farewell”. They continued the serenade until well out of sight. Such a romantic event for a bunch of tough and tired seamen.
The next port of call was Adelaide, where the ship was to get the final touches to her repairs. ULYSSES stayed in Adelaide for a few weeks. However, all good things come to an end, and she had to continue her voyage, as she was still a long way from home. After Adelaide came Melbourne, and then Sydney, where more cargo was loaded for England. At Sydney, ULYSSES took on more passengers who had escaped from Singapore on other vessels and were heading back to England.
After departing Sydney with her cargo and new passengers, she would see more action. With a now rested crew, she headed for the Panama Canal, but her trip was far from over. It was known that her transit through the Panama Canal would be reported by enemy agents. ULYSSES made the Canal transit in good time and again entered dangerous waters. She proceeded up the Florida East Coast, possibly intending to reach a point further north before altering to a NE by E course for Liverpool.
Everything seemed to be going well until the night of April 8, 1942, when she collided with a Panamanian tanker GOLD HEELS. ULYSSES’s bow was extensively damaged below the waterline and speed was reduced to 7 knots. Her Master, Capt. J. A. Russell, altered course for the nearest port, Newport News. He may not have been aware that German submarines were operating in the area. There is some doubt as to whether he received an Admiralty advisory about U-Boat activity in the area. On April 11, 1942, at 15.30 hrs, ULYSSES was torpedoed by U-160 (Kapitan Leutnant Georg Lassen – Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves). She was 45 nm south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in position 34º 23’ N 75º 35’ W.
The first torpedo struck the No. 6 hold. A second one hit ULYSSES abreast of the funnel and she very quickly settled deep in the water. A third torpedo may have struck her, but failed to explode after glancing off the ship’s hull plating. Several persons said that the submarine never surfaced. Some said that children were playing on deck when the first explosion occurred. Everyone fully realized the situation, but proceeded to their stations with calm and order. This was attributed to the fact that the passengers had participated in many drills in their three weeks aboard ship. Ten of her lifeboats were launched successfully and stood off the now sinking ULYSSES.
The very last of ULYSSES’s crew to abandon her were Capt. J. A. Russell and the on watch quartermaster who had been at the wheel at the time of the attack. The quartermaster refused to leave Captain Russell on his own and assisted in searching the ship. In spite of the danger, they ensured that nobody was left aboard. They also made sure that “essential documents” were thrown overboard in special weighted bags. The ship was settling very fast and was well down by the stern, and could have sunk or rolled over at any moment. They eventually abandoned her on the last life raft.
Before abandoning ship, the wireless operator had sent out the distress call of the day for a vessel being attacked by a U-Boat. This brought United States Army patrol bombers to look for the lifeboats. Seventy-five minutes after the last explosion, a United States Navy warship, USS MANLEY, picked up the survivors. MANLEY picked up the ten lifeboats from ULYSSES, about 290 souls. One injured crewman sustained an injury boarding a lifeboat, but there was no loss of life to any crew member or passenger.
Included among the passengers were Mrs. D. J. Wickett of Singapore, who was known in England as Vera Wood, an opera singer; her seven-months-old son, Peter, the youngest passenger aboard; Mrs. Charlotte Pugh, eighty-six, of Mountain Ashe, South Wales, the oldest survivor; George H. Davies, a London exporter, and Miss Katherine Lacy of Wallesey, England, a ship stewardess who twice before had ships torpedoed under her. She was decorated with the British Naval Cross.
The ship’s company was appreciative of the reception given them in Charleston. Disembarking at the navy yard, they were taken in charge by a trained naval group; H. de C. Harsten, British vice-consul; and Red Cross workers. Despite short notice, they managed to put together a real meal and a big supply of sandwiches, cakes and coffee for the nearly three hundred survivors.
After a stay in Charleston, all were sent north to New York and from there, even further north. Here they boarded a vessel bound for England in a North Atlantic convoy. In due course they docked in England. Many months after leaving Singapore and Australia, everyone was home at last.
A Tribute to a Merchant Navy Crew who were glad to be able to help
“We Never Give Up”
Blue Funnel Motto
“Certum Pete Finem”
(Hold Course to Destination)