Manica

This section will, in time, contain the stories of more than 450 merchant ships built or owned in the Hartlepools, and which were lost during the First World War. As an illustration of the truly global nature of shipbuilding, these ships were owned by companies from 22 different countries, including more than 30 sailing under the German flag at the outbreak of war.

A rather grainy image of the steamship Manica.

Owners: 1892 British Colonial SN & CoLtd., (Bucknall Bros.), London. Ltd (Bucknall Bros) London: 1899 Bucknall Nephews, London-renamed Coronda: 1908 Christian Salveson & Co, Leith

Masters: 1892-94 JG Biggs: 1895 EH Dunn: 1896-98 R Johnston: 1899-1900 CG Smith: 1904-08 A Le Sauteur: 1909-17 T Sinclair.

September1908 Salvesen Coronda was in use as a support vessel for the company's newly established whaling activity in the South Atlantic. First voyage was transporting equipment from the redundant Fakserudfjord station at Iceland to Salvesen's first southern shore-station, New Iceland at the Falkland (completed 1909) 1909 transporting equipment to the company's new Leith Harbour station, South Georgia in season of 1909/10. In February 1910 striking building workers at Leith Harbour were sent home by Coronda. In February 1910 striking building workers at Leith Harbour were sent home by the (The vessel gave its name to Coronda Quay, Leith Harbour and to mighty mountaintop Coronda Peak close to the station)
Coronda was in regular service for the South Georgia Co until the outbreak of World War 1. She was torpedoed without warning by German submarine (U-81 Raimund Weisbach) & sank 180 miles NW of Tory Island on 13 March 1917. 9 lives lost.

Lives lost March 1917: Morrison, Neil Dunlop, mess room steward, 15, b. Leith; Paterson, Edward, leading seaman (Royal Volunteer Naval Reserve) aged 22, Motherwell; Persson, Otto, sailor, 27, b. Sweden; Rovrik, Tor, sailor, 21, b. Norway; Scrymgeour, P, donkeyman, 28, b. Edinburgh; Smith, David, fireman, 46, Cumberland Lane, Glasgow; Tucker, Tommy, fireman, 25, b. Sierra Leone; Wallace, John, assistant steward, 17, Edinburgh.

Survivors March 1917: Sinclair, Thomas (Had been master of S.S. Neko, Salvesen vessel)

Manica Yardbook pages