Ashlea (1929)

Builder:
Sir John Priestman & Company
Sunderland, England
Ordered:
N/A
Keel Laid:
N/A
Year Built:
1939
Launched:
December 12, 1928
Type:
Cargo
Completed:
February 1929
Fate:
Captured and sunk Oct. 7, 1939 by the German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee.
Sunk with four charges, sank in ten minuets.

Location: South Atlantic, 752 miles ESE of Ascension Island.
(09.52S - 03.28W)

All 35 crew taken POW, no casualties.


Owner
Cliffside Shipping Company
Newcastle-on-Tyne, England


Dimensions, machinery and performance
Length:
380'
Engines:
Triple expansion
Beam:
51' 6"
Boilers:
N/A
Draft:
24' 1" (depth)
Shafts:
1
Gross Tons:
4,222
HP:
N/A
DWT:
8,000
Speed:
10 knots
Crew:
N/A
Funnels:
1


Captains
From
To
Name
N/A
Oct. 7, 1939
Charles Pottinger


Notes
Oct. 7, 1939:
Ashlea is captured by surprise, however the captain had time to throw overboard all
important papers. The crew was taken POW and two tons of supplies were removed
before the ship was scuttled.
Oct. 18, 1939:
Crew transferred to the Altmark.
Nov. 29, 1939:

Capt. Pottinger and three others, W. M. Guthrie (Radio Officer), A. Miller (Chief Officer)
and G. W. Strong (Chief Engineer) were transferred back to the Admiral Graf Spee, they
remained POW's on the Admiral Graf Spee until released in Montevideo, Uruguay
Dec. 14, 1939 following the Battle of the River Plate.

Feb. 16, 1940:

The 302 crewmen from Newton Beech, Ashlea, Huntsman, Trevanion, Doric Star and Tairoa
being held prisoner on the Altmark were rescued by the HMS Cossack F-03 in Jøssingfjord,
Norway after the crew of the Cossack forced the Altmark to ground and boarded the ship.



Crewmen rescued from the Altmark
Aadahl, D. L. (Assistant Steward)
Jusen, L. B. (Fireman & Trimmer)
Benjamin, T. B. (Head Fireman & Trimmer)
Mangun, C. (Carpenter)
Bevan, N. (Ordinary Seaman)
McAlinden, M. (Ordinary Seaman)
Borge, E. A. (Donkeyman)
McCaffrey, J. T. (Able Seaman)
Campbell, S. J. (Fireman & Trimmer)
McRitchie, D. (Able Seaman)
Davies, T. (Fireman & Trimmer)
Miller, R. K. (3rd Officer)
Dixon, G. (Fireman & Trimmer)
Ocran, J. B. (Fireman & Trimmer)
Dumble, W. L. (Able Seaman)
Old, T. (Ship's Cook)
Earl, S. (Galley Boy)
Everitt, T. A. (Able Seaman)
Robinson, George (Sailor)
Francisco, J. K. (Fireman & Trimmer)
Rockett, J. W. (Bosun)
Goss, R. (2nd Officer)
Talbot, W. W. (Mess-Room Boy)
Guy, J. (Ordinary Seaman)
Walker, A. E. (4th Engineer)
Hair, W. T. (3rd Engineer)
Warren, P. M. J. (Cadet)
Harris, T. (Fireman & Trimmer)
Young, C. (Chief Steward)
Jacks, A. S. (2nd Engineer)


Additional information for this page was provided by General Enrique R. Dick and Hugo R. Sochi.


Builder's Data
Page published Mar. 16, 2008