SS Wandle (1932)
Encyclopedia
SS Wandle was a British coastal
Coastal trading vessel
Coastal trading vessels, also known as coasters, are shallow-hulled ships used for trade between locations on the same island or continent. Their shallow hulls mean that they can get through reefs where deeper-hulled sea-going ships usually cannot....
collier owned and operated by the proprietors of Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
gas works in south-west London. She was a flatiron
Flatiron (ship)
A flatiron is a type of coastal trading vessel designed to pass under bridges that have limited clearance. Her mast are hinged or telescopic, her funnel may be hinged, and her wheelhouse may also fold flat....
, meaning that she had a low-profile superstructure, hinged funnel, hinged or telescopic mast and folding wheelhouse to enable her to pass under low bridges on the tidal River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
upriver from the Pool of London
Pool of London
The Pool of London is a part of the Tideway of the River Thames from London Bridge to below Tower Bridge. It was the original part of the Port of London. The Pool of London is divided into two parts, the Upper Pool and Lower Pool...
. She was in service from 1932 to 1959 and survived a number of enemy attacks in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Namesakes
SS Wandle was named after the River WandleRiver Wandle
The River Wandle is a river in south-east England. The names of the river and of Wandsworth are thought to have derived from the Old English "Wendlesworth" meaning "Wendle's Settlement". The river runs through southwest London and is about long...
, which flows through much of district that Wandsworth gas works then served and joins the Thames at Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
near the company's gas works and headquarters. She was the third flatiron of the same name in the service of the same owners. The first was built in 1909 and survived an engagement with a U-boat in 1916. The second was built in 1922 and sold to Stephenson Clarke and Associates
Stephenson Clarke Shipping
Stephenson Clarke Shipping Limited, established in 1730, is Great Britain's oldest shipping company. The company specializes in short sea bulk cargo such as aggregates, alumina, grain, coal, fertilizers and steel.-History:...
in 1932.
In the Second World War Wandles Master
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
was G.A.W. Mastin, whose father G.E.A. Mastin had commanded the first SS Wandle when she repulsed a U-boat attack in 1916.
History
The Burntisland Shipbuilding CompanyBurntisland Shipbuilding Company
The Burntisland Shipbuilding Company was a shibuilder and repairer in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland that traded from 1918 until 1969.-Founding and early years:...
of Burntisland
Burntisland
Burntisland is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland on the Firth of Forth. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 5,940....
on the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
in Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland, built Wandle in 1932 for the Wandsworth and District Gas Company
Wandsworth and District Gas Company
The Wandsworth and District Gas Company was a maker and distributor of coal gas in south-west London from 1834 until 1949.-History:The Wandsworth gasworks was built in 1834 on the Surrey bank of the River Thames near Wandsworth Bridge. Its supplied Wandsworth, Putney and part of Battersea...
. She carried coal from ports in North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
down the North Sea coast and up the Thames to the gas works at Wandsworth in south-west London. She had capacity for a cargo of up to 2,200 long ton
Long ton
Long ton is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries. It has been mostly replaced by the tonne, and in the United States by the short ton...
s of coal.
In the Second World War Wandle travelled laden in FS-series convoys southwards as far as Southend and in ballast in FN-series convoys from Southend northwards. When the UK armed its merchant ships she was fitted with one 12 pounder gun
QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun
The QF 12 pounder 12 cwt gun was a common calibre naval gun introduced in 1894 and used until the middle of the 20th century. It was produced by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick and used on Royal Navy warships, and exported to allied countries...
and two Lewis gun
Lewis Gun
The Lewis Gun is a World War I–era light machine gun of American design that was perfected and widely used by the British Empire. It was first used in combat in World War I, and continued in service with a number of armed forces through to the end of the Korean War...
s.
Sea and air attacks
During air attacks on 13th and 31st August 1940, Wandle succeeded in hitting enemy aircraft. On the latter occasion a fire started on her degaussing cable but her engineers repaired the cable enabling her to pass through a heavily minedNaval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
area.
On 23rd March 1941 in the North Sea an S-boat attacked her with rapid gunfire but Wandles Mate
Chief Mate
A Chief Mate or Chief Officer, usually also synonymous with the First Mate or First Officer , is a licensed member and head of the deck department of a merchant ship...
, Edward Clarke, returned fire with the 12-pounder and with his sixth shot disabled the S-boat's gun and repulsed the attack.
At 2340 hrs on 11 June 1941 enemy aircraft torpedoed and sank the 2,056 GRT coaster SS Moorwood. Wandles Mate recovered a man who had been blown overboard from Moorwood into the sea; then the Mate and Wandles crew picked up the remainder from Moorwoods lifeboat.
During an air attack on 20th September 1941, Wandle fired at enemy aircraft and succeeded in damaging one. On 24th October during an attack off the east coast of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
she returned fire and "probably" hit an enemy S-boat.
In April 1942 Captain Mastin was awarded the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
and Edward Clarke was awarded the MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for the fine defence of their ship.
Torpedoing and salvage
At 2125 hrs on 9th November 1942 Wandle was in ballast heading northwards off LowestoftLowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
when a flotilla of S-boats attacked her convoy. A torpedo struck her starboard side about 20 feet (6 m) forward of her bridge. It almost completely blew off her bow, and had flung débris so far that it killed a Maritime Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
gunner in the after part of the ship. After 20 minutes her crew launched both lifeboats and abandoned ship. A rescue tug recovered the survivors and then went to recover survivors from another ship that had been sunk. After this Wandle was still afloat but she was on fire, her below decks accommodation was flooded, her fore part awash and her no. 2 hold
Hold (ship)
thumb|right|120px|View of the hold of a container shipA ship's hold is a space for carrying cargo. Cargo in holds may be either packaged in crates, bales, etc., or unpackaged . Access to holds is by a large hatch at the top...
taking water.
Captain Mastin assembled a volunteer crew of nine men including himself and the Mate Edward Clarke. They reboarded the ship and extinguished the fire, and a party directed by the Chief Engineer T.S. Johnson got her dynamo and pumps started. The rescue tug took her in tow, but her ruined bow was still attached which worked as a large and unweildy sea anchor
Sea anchor
A sea anchor, is a device external to the boat, attached to the bow used to stabilize a boat in heavy weather. It anchors not to the sea floor but to the water itself, as a kind of brake. Sea anchors are known by a number of names, such as drift anchor, drift sock, para-anchor, and boat brakes...
. This limited their progress to about 1 knots (2 km/h), and it took the tug 16 hours to get Wandle to Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
the next day. She was anchored off Yarmouth and her condition was deemed so precarious that she was abandoned a second time.
An Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
salvage officer came aboard and cut away several hundred tons of wreckage. This relieved the strain on her bulkhead
Bulkhead
Bulkhead may refer to:* Bulkhead, a compartment of a building for preventing spread of fires, see Compartmentalization * Bulkhead , a retaining wall used as a form of coastal management, akin to a seawall, or as a structural device such as a bulkhead partition* Bulkhead , a wall within the hull of...
, which was then patched and shored up with heavy timbers. She was towed into Yarmouth for a few hours but was then towed north again by two tugs. A northerly gale arose and swung her about violently, and she was often awash. The tugs and Wandle sheltered in the Humber to escape heavy seas and in a bay to wait for fog to pass. On the fifth day after being torpedoed, Wandle finally reached the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
. On 5th December she was dry-docked at South Shields
South Shields
South Shields is a coastal town in Tyne and Wear, England, located at the mouth of the River Tyne to Tyne Dock, and about downstream from Newcastle upon Tyne...
.
Wandle had not only lost her bow; what remained of her was now badly twisted. She was straightened, had a new bow built onto her and on 8th April 1943 was ready to return to service.
Final years
In 1949 the Wandsworth and District Gas Company was nationalised and became part of the new South Eastern Gas Board. Wandle became part of the SEGB fleet and remained in service until 1959. A Dutch tug then towed her across the North Sea to RotterdamRotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, where she arrived on 3rd November 1959 to be scrapped.