Reg. No. 113399, code lettering RTVD, a steel screw 4 mast steamer of 3 decks and 10435 registered tons. She was built in 1900 by Harland & Wolff Ltd. of Belfast for F. Leyland & Co. Ltd. She was launched on 28 June 1900 and subsequently delivered to Leyland on 6 September. She was 552.5 feet in length, had a width of 59.3 feet, a depth of 36.8 feet, and accommodation for 133 seamen. Her engines, 3 cylinders of 33, 56 and 94 inches diameter with a 66 inch stroke, were also made by Harland & Wolff. Additionally, she had 2 double and 2 single boilers and a capacity of 847hp. She belonged to the port of Liverpool and she flew the British flag.
Albert Brew served on her for 3 and a half months as Quarter Master and Seamen for 2 voyages. Both times, the voyages took Albert and the crew to Boston, the first commencing in Liverpool on 5 October 1901 and arriving back in Liverpool on 2 November, and the second commencing in Liverpool on 12 November and terminating in Liverpool again on 8 December 1901.
Her crew agreements for this period are held by the Liverpool City Library, Record Office and Local History Dept., William Brown Street, Liverpool, England, L3 8EW, and her crew agreements for 1904, 1913-1914, and 1917 are held by the Maritime History Archive in Canada.
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Reg. No. 147468, and originally built in 1919 by William Simons & Co., of Renfrew, as H.M.S. Wexford, a minesweeper for the Royal Navy. She had a length of 219.4 feet, a width 28.6 feet and a depth of 16.8 feet. Displacing 750 gross register tons and 264 net, her 1800hp engines afforded her a maximum speed of some 16 knots. |
She was sold to the Doomba Shipping Co., of Brisbane in 1921 and was brought out to Australia. She was renamed T.S.S. Doomba and put into service in the Moreton Bay passenger excursion trade. In 1923 she was transferred into the hands of the Brisbane Tug & S.S. Co. for use as excursion steamer.
She was requisitioned for wartime service in the Royal Australian Navy on 3 September 1939, one of the first for the war. She served as an Auxiliary Minesweeper from 1939-1946 with a complement of 74 men. In mid-1942, she was refitted as an anti-submarine vessel and became a part of the anti-submarine escort force based in Sydney.
Albert Halewood Brew served 15 months on board as an Engineer Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy Volunteer Reserve, from 22 July 1942 to 14 October 1943.
She was sold by the R.A.N. in February 1947 and converted into a lighter named Meggol. She was laid up in 1970 and scuttled near Dee Why, N.S.W., on 9 December 1976, at Latitude 33,43.2,00, Longitude 151,20.5,00.
| Reg. No. 164702, code lettering GYXG, a twin screw steamer classed 100A1, of 15007 gross register tons. She was built by Harland & Wolff of Belfast in 1936 for the Union Castle Mail Steamship Company Ltd. Launched 26 March 1936 and delivered 27 August, she had a length of 540 feet, a width of 71.9 feet, and a depth of 37.8 feet. |  |
She was requisitioned by the Royal Navy in September 1939 with her sister ship Dunnottar Castle and converted by her builders to an armed merchant cruiser.
Sub-Lieutenant (E) John Sidney Brew, R.N.V.R., was serving on her, part of a convoy escort under the command of Captain H. Ardill, when she was torpedoed by the German U-Boat U46 while 120 miles/220km off the SW Irish coast on 27 August 1940. Four Officers and 23 Ratings were killed and 12 were wounded. 250 survivors, including John Brew, were landed in Scotland. Dunvegan Castle sank next morning at 54°50"N, 11°W.
For further information, see also 'The Sinking of Dunvegan Castle'.
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Fremantle Class Patrol Boat of the Royal Australian Navy, #203, of 220 tons. Commissioned 17 March 1980. Peter John Brew served on board Fremantle in the rank of Lieutenant RLEX (Deck Officer) from 1989-1993 as a member of the Royal Australian Navy Reserve. |