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Mstr. Ernest Mason
Merchant Marine SS City of Brisbane
(d.45 Queensway, Liskard, Cheshire)
My father became a wireless telegraphist with the Merchant Marine in 1918. His first posting was to the Ellerman Line’s SS City of Brisbane (reg no 140561). Her maiden voyage was from London Tilbury, commenced 10 June 1918, to Plymouth arr 12 June; dep Plymouth 14 June for Boston, Mass, USA, arr June 24; dep Boston 8 July for Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, arr 10 July; dep for London 11 July, arr 23 July 23 1918. I was able to obtain these details from the ship’s log book at the Maritime Museum in Newfoundland. The log book lists Ship’s Master Ernest Mason and most of the crew. The Museum did not have the ship's log belonging to the second voyage, destination Buenos Aires, when she was torpedoed off Newhaven, Sussex on 13th of August 1918. All the crew survived, reaching shore by lifeboats.
I recently obtained from the National Archive a copy of a chart showing the site where the City of Canberra's wreck is located, and a file released by the Air Historical Branch Air Ministry only in 1967, but kept closed until 1969. The ship was originally identified as the SS Lincoln, but then altered by hand to the SS City of Brisbane (Battery Commander Report of 13.08.1918 relating to the Newhaven Garrison, of action taken at the time) The Fire Commander (Maj. Playfair, RGA) of the 10th Kent and Sussex Fire Command stated that as no submarine had appeared active at the time in the vicinity, it was not certain whether the ship had been torpedoed or had struck a mine
Later, it was confirmed that the SMS UB 57 had torpedoed the ship. The submarine was commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Johannes Lohs, and was heading back to base at Zeebrugge when contact was lost on 14 August 1918. It was believed to have hit a mine, and all 34 of her crew were lost. Before he became a submariner, it seems that Johann Lohs had also been a radio operator.
This year (2019), I found the details for the UB-57 on Wikipedia, and what had happened. I think these details became available only in 2014, because when I tried researching in 2005 there was little information. If you require any reference numbers relevant to any of the documents I have referred to, let me know. The chart is a rough sketch that determines the wreck’s position by using a buoy known to have been anchored to the shore battery on the cliff, and by sightings from the battery’s gun emplacement. The lifeboats had started leaving the ship at 5:35 pm, and Torpedo Boat 14 left Newhaven Harbour at 5:40 pm. At 5:52 pm, a depth charge was dropped by the trawler Rye, presumably after the City of Brisbane's crew had told them they had been torpedoed. More depth charges were dropped between that time and 6:30 pm by trawlers and P-Type torpedo boats (REF: AIR 1/562/16/15/67 RC 1644035). The wreck was visited by a diving team (Scuba Diving UK Scuba Steve). I forwarded what brief details I knew to them, but they were unable to dive again on the 100th anniversary of the event due to unfavourable conditions in the English Channel. As yet, the missing log book has not been located, but it may have been lodged with the Board of Inquiry held after the sinking. I wondered what cargo had been lost, but no one seems able to supply any details.
Ship’s Master Ernest Mason died in 1963, my father died in 1955, and no one seems to be researching the Mason family, although I was able to find he had married Louisa Mary Shuttlebotham Hess at Birkenhead, Cheshire, in 1909. He was born at Egremont, Cheshire in 1870, and his home address in 1918 was given as 45 Queensway, Liskard, Cheshire.
