Sam Mendel

Completed February 1861; Official No. 28288; Code Letters PVSR; Code Letters JPFG.

Owners: 1861 John Coupland, Liverpool (chartered by Shaw, Savill & Co); 1867 William Coupland, Liverpool; 1878 William B McGavin (London) Liverpool; 1879 J Blyth & Co (Great Winchester St, London) Liverpool; 1881 Charles F Ellis (London) Liverpool; 1888 Thomas Roberts (Loughor, Glamorgan) London; 1891 Thomas Roberts (Loughor, Glamorgan) Llanelly; March 1899 A/S Charlonus (Johan Bryde) Sandefjord, Norway-renamed Charlonus; 1901 BJ Grefstad, Grimstad; February 1905 Nils Alfred Ehrnberg & Co, Simrishamn-renamed Hanna (Swedish Registration No. 4394).

Masters: 1861-65 Ellwood; 1866-72 Murdock; 1872-75 Thomas Arkel Hills (C.N.15296 London 1856); 1876-78 William Steele; 1879-80 James Murdoch; 1880 John Cummings; 1881 Crowell; 1882 Rowan; 1883-85 Pearson; 1885 Rowan; 1887-89 William Ungoed; 1889-92 David Gower; 1892-94 Samuel Owen; 1895-96 T Lewis.

Miscellaneous:

The following appeared in the 'Shipping' section of the Stockton & Hartlepool Mercury, on March 13th, 1861:
West Hartlepool, March 8 - The Sam Mendell, iron clipper ship, built by Mr. Pile, at West Hartlepool, sailed yesterday for Liverpool. She is upwards of 1,300 tons builders measurement, and is a very handsome model.

November 1872 John Topham imprisoned for two months for being absent without leave; December 1872 Thomas Leek imprisoned for four weeks for willful disobedience; 17 Jan 1873 Robert Robertson imprisoned for 12 weeks for desertion; February 1873 William James Singleton, a boy, imprisoned for one month for desertion; 15 November 1878 William Steel, (master) aged 47, fell to the ground unconscious while walking along Bourke St, Melbourne. He died before reaching hospital; July 1879 a seaman, Dewdney, lost overboard; 5 November 1881 Peter Walker, carpenter, sentenced to 24 hours imprisonment for disobedience; Joseph Vickers, boatswain, charged with assaulting seamen John Martin & Isaac Hampton on 7 June 1888. Vickers was fined 20s & costs for each offence.

In December 1890 a case was heard at Adelaide Police Court against David Gower, master, for assault against members of his crew during October 1890 on a voyage from Shields to Port Adelaide.

The prosecutor alleged when Ivor Kelly had been on the deck Gower complained that his work was not good enough. Kelly said that he was doing his best but Gower backhanded him on the mouth & then hit him with his glass knocking him to the deck. Kelly told Gower that if his work was not up to standard he would take a cut in wages. Gower denied striking Kelly with his glass but a number of witnesses corroborated Kelly’s story. Gower was then charged with kicking Jesse Langley several times on 1 November. At the time Gower was wearing sea boots. The third charge was an assault against Edward Olsen, able seaman, on 30 August. George Baker, an apprentice, stated that he was awoken by the sounds of a struggle. Gower was trying to get Olsen into a cabin & on doing so the cabin door was shut & there were sounds of jingling & bumps. The following day Olsen was laid up with his eyes almost shut & covered in lumps received by being struck with iron handcuffs. Gower stated that he had struck Olsen because he had brandished a knife. The boatswain, who had been a witness to the event, said there had been no provocation for what was a brutal attack. Olsen had since left the ship. At the same court Richard Powell, chief mate, was charged with striking Carl Marcissen, able seaman. Judgement was deferred in all cases. On leaving court Gower & his solicitor were followed by hoots of derision. A few days later Gower was found guilty on all charges & ordered to pay fines & court costs. The case against Powell was not proved.

In December 1892 bound from Rio de Janeiro for Otago, Sam Mendel was at anchorage at Semaphore when 11 of the crew refused to work on the grounds that the vessel was unseaworthy. They were taken into custody immediately, put on trial for disobeying orders & committed to prison for 12 weeks with hard labour. Their case was taken to the Marine Board & a surveyor was instructed to check the vessel. Defects were found but were all considered to be minor & the prisoners had to complete their sentence. Those incarcerated were Edward McLean, William Tilley, Robert Jones, William Brown, Charles Grasby, Henry Robinson, James Whitehead, Frederick Stedman, Thomas Alderson, Ole Forbjorensen & Frederick Felley.

Voyages: 3 September 1864 arrived Liverpool from Bombay; 11 September 1867 arrived Liverpool from Bombay; from Liverpool 17 October 1872, arrived Sydney; 9 May 1874 left London, 23 July 1874 arrived Port Chalmers; 30 May 1876 left East India Dock with 28 passengers & proceeded to Gravesend where she loaded gunpowder & sailed for Auckland, arriving at the end of August, a journey of 92 days. The passengers conveyed their thanks to the master, William Steels, 1st mate James Murdoch & the other officers & crew for making the passage, usually extremely tedious, pleasant & agreeable;  11 December 1876 left Melbourne, 26 March 1877 arrived London; 3 June 1881 left London on 6 June encountered gales & heavy seas which washed away everything movable on deck. By 9 August the winds were at hurricane force & a portion of the head-gear was carried away. Her foremast broke off two feet below the main deck & the port rigging had to be cut away to save the mainmast. The rest of the voyage consisted of gales, high cross seas & cold weather; October 1882 bound for Auckland, when off Beachy Head, encountered hurricane force gales which blew the sails away & washed the deck with heavy seas. On 24 October the ship was thrown on her beam ends & water rushed into the cabins. All the male passengers who were fit enough assisted in any way they could. The following day the ship was righted but the crew considered the ship was undermanned & they mutinied. The master eventually talked them round by offering them full pay & a free discharge when they reached Auckland. On 11 December, during another gale, several sails were blown away & on 2 January heavy seas again washed over the deck & into the cabins. She eventually anchored at Waitemata Harbour on 2 February 1882.

On 10 March 1905 Hanna was stranded at Hono & refloated on 31 March; 3 October 1908 she was laid up at Helsingborg.

After 48 years of service Hannna was condemned & broken up by Sig Giacoma Piccalugi at Genoa in October 1909.

Some crew lists for the Sam Mendel are listed in the book 'Lost Ships of the Hartlepools'.