Medjerda - a general history

The Medjerda was launched on May 19th, 1924 and completed in June of the same year. She was built for the London & Paris Steamship Co. Ltd., and in 1924 transferred to La Tunisienne Steam Navigation Co. Ltd: both these companies were established by Frank Strick.

The contract price for the ship was £73,000, of which £19,400 was for the machinery. Of this amount, 1/5 was payable on the Signing of the Contract; 1/5 by acceptance at 6 months from the dtae of laying the keel; 1/5 in cash when the steamer was framed; 1/5 by acceptance at 3 months from being plated and the balance of £14,600 in cash on delivery.

For the machinery, 1/5 when the engine cylinders were cast; 1/5 when the boiler shells were rivetted; 1/5 when the cylinders were bored and faced; 1/5 when the engine was erected and the boilers tested; and the balance of £3,880 when installation on board was completed.

The following information is from the website www.convoyweb.org.uk
At 04.00 hours on March 18, 1941, SS Medjerda (sailing to Middlesbrough with a cargo of iron ore from Pepel) was straggling from convoy SL.68 when she was torpedoed and sunk by U-105. The position was 17N, 21W (E of the Cape Verde Islands). Fifty-one crew members and two DEMS gunners lost their lives, including two from the Hartlepools: Charles Edward Banks, Master aged 34, (son of Edward Beasley & Emma Jane);and Hutton Kitching, Fireman/Trimmer aged 28.

Other lives lost were:

Anderson, Magnus, able seaman, 23 (son of James & Jemima); Anderson, Robert, donkeyman, 43, Middlesbrough; Catchpole, Kenneth, able seaman, 26, Harrow Weald, Middlesex; Cozens, Harry Cubitt, 4th engineer, 21, Blyth, Northumberland; Crozier, Robert Cheshire, fireman/trimmer, 24, South Shields; Cushley, William, fireman/trimmer, 38 (son of William John & Margaret); Dark, Islwyn, able seaman (Royal Navy) aged 28, Worcester; Dooley, James, Harrison, 3^rd engineer, 24 (son of William & Isabella); Edge, Frederick William, sailor, 26, Middlesbrough; Elder, Clifford, assistant steward, 20; Franklin, Raymond George, ordinary seaman, 16, Middlesbrough; Gunn, William, steward, 34 (son of Fred & Harriet); Hurrell, Albert, sailor, 22; Karlson, K, fireman/trimmer, 59; Lawrenson, Franklin Davison, 2^nd engineer, 34, South Shields; Longster, Clemence James, able seaman, 34; Lye, Arthur, cook, 31, Barry, Glamorgan; McDonald, Joseph, 2^nd officer, 27 ; McLevy, John Charles, 3^rd radio officer, 19, Dundee; Myers, George, chief officer, 53, Pool, Yorkshire; O’Kane, John Andrew, ordinary seaman, 17, Middlesbrough; Pearce, Frederick William, able seaman (Royal Navy) aged 21, Plumstead, London; Phillips, Robert, 3^rd officer, 28, South Shields; Preston, Edward James, (Royal Marines) aged 47, Northend, Portsmouth; Roberts, Harry, sailor, 26; Roberts, Robert David, boatswain, 29, Mountain Ash, Glamorgan; Rutherford, John, fireman/trimmer, 25; Sanders, James, fireman/trimmer, 33; Stewart, John George, chief engineer, 38, South Shields; Suggitt, Robert William, galley boy, 26, Middlesbrough; Volkaerts, Louis, able seaman, 45; Wilkinson, Hubert, 1^st radio officer, 41, Chorlton, upon, Medlock, Manchester.

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