S.S. Leeway

The S.S. Leeway was launched on 03/03/1897 originally named SS Sahara built by Alexander Stephen & Sons Glasgow; Ship Type: Cargo Vessel, Tonnage: 4089 grt, Length: 370.1 feet (BP), Breadth: 48 feet. Propulsion: Steam, triple expansion, single screw. The ship was renamed several times; 1920 Marshal French, 1922 Leeway, 1925 Charterhurst and finally Bianca Bianchi in 1927. The ship had several owners: Glasgow Nav. Co. (Maclay & McIntyre), Glasgow, 1915 Houlder, Middleton & Co., London, 1919 Saint David's SN Co., Cardiff, 1922 St. Mary SS Co., Cardiff, 1925 Charter Shipping Co., Cardiff 1927 G.R.Bianchi, Genoa. The ship was scrapped on 17/07/1928.

Lowry refers to the ship in his novel Ultramarine; "One of those bloody St Mary Axe Boats; the Leeway is knocking around here. Only its wings aren't clipped." (Pg. 33), "Then we were standing on the wharf, looking up at the soaring stern of the S.S. Leeway from Swansea which had docked forward of the Martensen." (Pg. 101); "He spat; the spittle landed on the "Y" of Leeway and dribbled down slowly into the harbour." (Pg. 102).

Lowry's reference to the ship is probably due to members of the crew of Pyrrhus, on which Lowry sailed to the Far East, being familiar with South Wales where the Leeway had been based and the fact that the former owners St. Mary SS Co. were being investigated by the authorities for the loss of one of their ships the SS Eastway co-owned with Mr. Watkin James Williams. (See St Mary Axe Boats).

St Mary Axe Boats

Lowry uses the phrase "St Mary Axe Boats" in his novel Ultramarine; "One of those bloody St Mary Axe Boats; the Leeway is knocking around here. Only its wings aren't clipped." (Pg. 33).

Lowry's seems to be using a slang/colloquial phrase perhaps used by sailors to refer to the Baltic Exchange which was located at 30 St Mary Axe in London.

The Baltic Exchange is the world's only independent source of maritime market information for the trading and settlement of physical and derivative contracts. Read more on Wikipedia. 

Lowry's reference may also have an ironic link in that the Leeway had been part owned by the St Mary's Steam Ship Co. Lowry's reference to the ship is probably due to members of the crew of Pyrrhus, on which Lowry sailed to the Far East, being familiar with South Wales where the Leeway had been based and the fact that the former owners St. Mary SS Co. were being investigated by the authorities for the loss of one of their ships the SS Eastway co-owned with Mr. Watkin James Williams. The case was reported in the Times and a full report can be read here.

Lowry's reference may refer to the idea that the Leeway maybe being set up to be "lost" as an insurance scam though this was not a conclusion of the inquiry into the loss of the Eastway. Lowry may have heard of  "death ships" - any boat so decrepit that it is worth more to its owners over-insured and sunk than it would be worth afloat. Lowry later would become familiar with B.Traven's novel The Death Ship, about such ships, originally published in 1926 but not translated into English until 1934 when Lowry probably read the novel as his German was poor.

MV British Motorist

MV British Motorist was a 6,891 ton tanker, built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1924 for the British Tanker Company.

While under charter to the merchant navy, she was in port in Darwin, Australia when on 19 February 1942, she was hit by two bombs during the Japanese air raid on Darwin and was sunk. Read more

Lowry refers to the ship in his incomplete novel La Morida: "it were eponymous, and certainly not so unimaginative as the beautiful horrible romantic old freighter he'd seen in the Indian Ocean, the British Motorist — the ship has a cargo of rolls of rusty barbed wire. Ugly ships. Possibly she'd done yeoman service in the war. Had oil-tankers got souls? Could their captain love these diesel-engined monstrosities to the extent, like his grandfather, of going down with them?" Pg 188

We can assume that Lowry saw the MV British Motorist on his Far East voyage in 1927 while sailing across the Indian Ocean.

PS Empress Queen

P.S. Empress Queen launched 4-3-1897 Gross Tonnage 1,240. 23 Length (OA) 372ft.  Pass Acc 1st Class 1509. 3rd Class 485 Trial speed 21:75 knots. Named in honour of Queen Victoria’s jubilee.

P.S. Empress Queen  was the largest and fastest paddle steamer built for cross-Channel service. She was the first Isle of Man Steam Packet Company ship to be fitted with wireless and her speed was such that she recorded a voyage from the Rock Light, New Brighton to Douglas Head in 2 hours and 57 minutes. However she was to be the last paddle steamer ordered from a shipyard by the Steam Packet Co She set a trend in design for all. Subsequent Steam Packet Company ships by being fitted with a bow rudder to increase manoeuvrability.

In World War 1 being requisitioned by the Admiralty she served as a troop ship ferrying soldiers between Southampton and Le Havre This beautiful ship met her end on 12-1-1916 when she ran aground in thick fog on the Bembridge Ledge, Isle of Wight, whilst carrying 1300 troops returning to England on leave, attendant destroyers took off the troops safely but an ensuing gale smashed the ship beyond salvage.

In a letter dated 27th July 1912 to Lowry, Florence Bell mentions seeing the PS Empress Queen in the River Mersey from the deck of the RMS Teutonic.

Petropavlovsk

The Petropavlovsk was the lead ship of the Petropavlovsk class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy. She displaced 11,854 long tons (12,044 t) at full load and was 369 feet (112.5 m) long overall, and mounted a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns in two twin turrets. Petropavlovsk participated in the Boxer Rebellion, and during the Russo-Japanese War was the flagship of the First Pacific Squadron, taking part in battles against the Imperial Japanese Navy. On 31 March 1904, the battleship was sunk after striking two mines near Port Arthur. 652 men and 27 officers died, including the Fleet Admiral Stepan Makarov and renowned war artist Vasily Vereshchagin. The loss of Petropavlovsk and Makarov greatly hindered the Russians in the war.


Lowry mentions 2 famous warships docked in Dairen in Chapter 3 of Ultramarine which would have been impossible for Dana to have seen including the Petropavlovsk ; "We came to another wharf, passing slowly other great ships: Petropalovsk, Erzherzog, Franz Ferdinand -" (Pg.84).A rare exception to Lowry's usually accurate references without an immediate explanation other than she sank near Dairen.

West Hardaway

West Henshaw

Lowry originally used the name of the ship in an early short story 'On Board the West Hardaway' which was an based on his 1927 voyage to the Far East. The ship re-appears in his first novel Ultramarine; "He watched the oil tanker come right in— she was an American— West Hardaway, Portland, Ore." (Pg. 152)

The West Hardaway was a 5,702 tons steam ship built in March 1919 by Columbia River Shipbuilding Corp, Portland for US Maritime Commission, Washington DC, later laid up as part of the reserve fleet. Owned by Isthmian SS Co, New York during WW2. Sunk by U-502 (Jürgen von Rosenstiel) in 1942 en route Baltimore, Maryland - Hampton Roads - Trinidad - Table Bay - Suez with 7000 tons of war supplies and coal.

At 20.15 hours on 15 Jun, 1942, the unescorted West Hardaway (Master Karl W. Jaenicke) was attacked with a spread of three torpedoes from U-502 while steaming on a zigzag course at 6 knots about 30 miles west of Grenada. One torpedo passed ahead, another astern and the third struck on starboard bow in the #1 hold. Distress signals were sent and the gunners fired five shots at a "slick". The ten officers, 27 crewmen and 13 armed guards (the ship was armed with one 4in, four 20mm and two .30cal guns) abandoned ship in four lifeboats and four rafts, but after 20 minutes the gun crew, the second mate and two crewmen reboarded the vessel. The gunners fired another round at the "slick", but the ship was then hit in the #2 hold by another torpedo and sank about one hour later. All hands survived and made landfall on 17 June at Margarita Island, Venezuela and were three days later landed at Trinidad by the Venezuelan steam merchant. Uboat.net

Note: West Henshaw - same design as West Hardaway but built at Duthie & Co., J. F.Seattle WA.

Jefferson - Seattle

Lowry refers to a US ship in his first novel Ultramarine when Dana Hilliot is walking around the wharves of Dairen; "A second receding stern loomed up before us. Jefferson - Seattle."  An obscene monster, with ashes pouring out of her side." (Pg. 84) and "They were American. Passengers? Yes, obviously - off the Jefferson.(Pg. 110).

Lowry is possibly referring to the Jefferson Myers. A cargo steamer built 1920 7582 grt. Built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. Ltd. (Bethlehem Steel.Named SS Hannawa owned by US Government 1920-1928. According to Wreck Ships site sold to States Steamship Co. (States Line), San Francisco. Jordan has ship owned by Pacific Atlantic Ship Company in 1939 based in Portland Oregon. Foundered 22/11/1957. By coincidence there was a Jefferson built for Alaska Steamship Company in 1904 by E. W. Heath, Tacoma. Scrapped in Seattle in 1925.

However, Lowry may have noted the name of an Eastern Steamship Company ship while on his 1928 trip to America as the ship is mentioned in the company's brochure for that year and fits the description of having passengers on page 110:

Eleven Coastwise Services - Boston-New York Boston-Bangor Boston-Portland Boston-St. John,N.B. New York-Yarmouth New York-Portland New York-Richmond New York-Norfolk, From July 1928; includes rates and deck plans of Boston/New York, Belfast/Camden, Governor Dingley, Prince Arthur, Evangeline, North Land, George Washington, Hamilton/Jefferson, Yarmouth and Prince George

S.S. Peleus

"Yis, I was in a typhoon once, in an empty ship, the Peleus it was. She was a proper old bastard, the Peleus, and no frige on her: an icebox, you know. And roll— by crimes we nearly rolled the sticks out of her going across the Western ..." (Ultramarine Pg. 174)

Lowry is most likely referring to a ship sailed by the Blue Funnel Line. Peleus (1) was built in 1901 by Workman, Clark & Co. Ltd. at Belfast with a tonnage of 7441grt, a length of 454ft 8in, a beam of 54ft 1in and a service speed of 10 knots. The first of a new class of four larger ships she started her career badly when she stuck on the ways when she was launched on 23rd February 1901 and it was week before she she completed her launch. On 21st September 1915 she collided with the Marchioness and the tug Flying Wizard near Greenock. After thirty years of service she was sold to Madrigal & Co. of Manila, renamed Perseus and two years later was broken up at Osaka in Japan.

It must be noted that there was another ship with same name - S.S. Peleus was a steam merchant ship built in 1928 by Gray and Company of West Hartlepool. Originally named Egglestone, she was acquired by the Nereus Steam Navigation company later that year and renamed after Pēleús (Greek: Πηλεύς), the mythical King of Aegina, and father of Achilles. She had an uneventful career in peacetime, and later during the Second World War: Then she worked under charter for the British government and operated in the South Atlantic, until her loss in March 1944. Read more on Wikipedia

S.S. Wolfsburg

The Wolfsburg is a ship on which the character Hans Popplereuter, a German sailor is sailing on in Lowry's novel Ultramarine. 


The Wolfsburg 6201grt. was launched in 1916. In 1919, surrendered to Britain as war reparations, 1920 sold to Hogarth Shipping Co, renamed Baron Lovat, 1924 repurchased by Hansa Line.

In 1940, the British cruiser HMS Berwick stopped the Wolfsburg, which was disguised as Norwegian ship Aust, north of Iceland. Wolfsburg was scuttled by her crew of 54, who were all subsequently rescued by Berwick. Berwick sank Wolfsburg by gunfire before departure.

"I am on the Wolfsburg" (Pg. 83); "That is the Wolfsburg." The German pointed. "So". I looked at a silhouette, with a dancing reflection of mast lights in the water." (Pg. 83) "Well what do you say you let the Wolfsburg look after herself for the time being and come into the town?" (Pg. 83); "The Wolfsburg is a tramp ship, though". (Pg. 83); "There was a sustained bass roar in reply, and the Wolfsburg, with her black hull and one large black smokestack, glided by, butting the translucent silver of the bay." (Pg. 152)

D/S Hilda

Delivered in Aug.-1925 from Trondhjems mek. Verksted A/S, Trondheim as Hilda (189) to A/S Djerv (Bachke & Co.), Trondheim. 1236 gt, 670 net, 1875 tdwt, 237' (loa) x 36' 4" x 16' 8", Triple exp. steam engine, 690 ihp.Owner: A/S Djerv Manager: Bachke & Co., Trondheim. Hilda was bombed and sunk by British aircraft on Oct. 21-1941, while in a German convoy, on a voyage from Rotterdam to Gothenburg with a cargo of coal. No casualties.

Lowry refers to the ship in his novel Ultramarine; "Let me tell you this when I was in Belawandelli, it was on a Norwegian bastard out of Trondheim, the Hilda—" (Pg. 128).

D/S Marstenen

Lowry refers 9 times to a ship called Martensen in his novel Ultramarine. The ship is Norwegian out of Oslo. The only ship with a name that is near to the Martensen on the Norwegian records is the D/S Marstenen. Given Lowry's prolific mis-spelling of names then the ship he refers to in the novel is more than likely the Marstenen.

Built in Fredrikstad, Norway in 1915. Tonnage: 1832 gt, 1114 net, 3050 tdwt. 8/1915: A/S D/S Marstenen (Vilh.Torkildsen) Bergen;  2/1938: Skibs A/S Vilhelm Torkildsens Rederi(Vilh.Torkildsen) Bergen   Launched as Viv. Manager: Vilhelm Torkildsen, Bergen. Sank 1940 - See her fate on War Sailors.

"The last ship on the wharf was the Martensen, from Oslo. But the Martensen was as silent as a graveyard on a dead planet. (Pg. 84); "There's a Norwegian ship in dock, Norman," I said. "Let's go there. What ship?" "T.S. Martensen" (Pgs. 97-98); "On - on to the Martensen" (Pg.100); "the S.S. Leeway from Swansea had docked forward of the Martensen." (Pg. 101); "Come on, let's all go to the Martensen." But the Martensen still seemed deserted." (Pg. 102); The Martensen was following close to stern." (Pg. 155); The Martensen changed he course eastward, their firemen were now dumping ashes overside." (Pg. 155).

D/S Nina

Painted by, Jan Goedhart, Holland

Gordon Bowker in Pursued By Furies relates how Lowry, upon arriving in Alesund aboard the S.S. Fagervik on his trip to Norway on 1931, tries to get a job on a ship to continue to Oslo to meet Nordahl Grieg. (Pg.125)

Captain Skaugen of the S.S. Fagervik introduced Lowry to a captain of a collier from Danzig (Gdańsk) to try and get him a job. The ship's name was the Nina which appealed to Lowry as by coincidence he had been shown a poem by a teacher from Alesund about Nordahl Grieg written by a "Nina". However, Lowry failed to get a job due to the captain wanting only to hire Norwegians.

The Nina was probably a ship owned by J.Kielland Peterssen as that is the only ship ever registered in Norway with that name.

Built in May 1917 by Olsen Brothers, CA and named Holm. Length: 240.2 Width: 36.2 Draft: 16.8. Gross tonnage:1371 Net tonnage:803 Dead weight: 2255. 1919: D / SA / S Holmen (Olsen Brothers) Stavanger do;12/1921: A / S Eidsvold (ATSimonsen) Kristiania / Oslo Eidsvold, 1/1929: Rederi A / S Nina (J.Kielland Peterssen) Oslo Nina;  8/1933: Rederi A / S Nina (Jan Dedichen) Oslo do;  1/1935: Rederi A / S Nina (Erling Mortensen) Oslo do; 10/1944.

There is conflicting information about the ship's fate in WW11 - possibly struck a mine and sank on Oct. 27-1944 at Schulz's Grund, in the Kattegatt; or sank in the RAF minefield "Silver XIII", 56 12N 11 20E on the above date. Some confusion here; on another page he says that the steamer Nina (this time he gives her 1371 gt) was sunk on Dec. 27-1944 in 56 10N 11 17E. War Sailors

There is another possible non-Norwegian ship called the Nina which might have been the ship Lowry tried to ship out of Alesund on which looks more like a collier. The ship below is flying the Finnish flag and registered to the port of Loviisa in South Finland.

The Nina was built 1899 by A.G. 'Neptun', Rostock as Martha Russ Ernst Russ, Hamburg. 2007 grt. Surrendered to the Shipping Controller 1920.Bought by Calvert in 1921 and renamed Fredrick Larssen. Sold in 1927 as Nina to R. Nordstrom of Loviisa, Finland.Broken up in July 1963 at Helsinki. The photograph below shows the ship being loaded with coal at Goole. (Information and photograph courtesy of  Goole Ships)

S.S. Leeway

The SS Leeway was launched on 03/03/1897 originally named SS Sahara built by Alexander Stephen & Sons Glasgow; Ship Type: Cargo Vessel, Tonnage: 4089 grt, Length: 370.1 feet (BP), Breadth: 48 feet. Propulsion: Steam, triple expansion, single screw. The ship was renamed several times; 1920 Marshal French, 1922 Leeway, 1925 Charterhurst and finally Bianca Bianchi in 1927. The ship had several owners: Glasgow Nav. Co. (Maclay & McIntyre), Glasgow, 1915 Houlder, Middleton & Co., London, 1919 Saint David's SN Co., Cardiff, 1922 St. Mary SS Co., Cardiff, 1925 Charter Shipping Co., Cardiff 1927 G.R.Bianchi, Genoa. The ship was scrapped on 17/07/1928.

Lowry refers to the ship in his novel Ultramarine; "One of those bloody St Mary Axe Boats; the Leeway is knocking around here. Only its wings aren't clipped." (Pg. 33), "Then we were standing on the wharf, looking up at the soaring stern of the S.S. Leeway from Swansea which had docked forward of the Martensen." (Pg. 101); "He spat; the spittle landed on the "Y" of Leeway and dribbled down slowly into the harbour." (Pg. 102).

Lowry's reference to the ship is probably due to members of the crew of Pyrrhus, on which Lowry sailed to the Far East, being familiar with South Wales where the Leeway had been based and the fact that the former owners St. Mary SS Co. were being investigated by the authorities for the loss of one of their ships the SS Eastway co-owned with Mr. Watkin James Williams. (See St Mary Axe Boats).

City of Kobe

A 4,373 ton ship built in 1924 originally named ‘Malvernian’ Ellerman & Papayanni. Transferred to Ellerman's Hall Line in 1925 and renamed ‘City of Kobe’ in 1927. In 1939 mined and sunk off Great Yarmouth. One of several ships mentioned by Lowry in his works to meet an untimely end. Lowry may have referred to the ship in his short story as an echo of his own visit to Kobe on his voyage to the Far East in 1927.

"And two able seaman, paid off that day from the City of Kobe, and in consequence, very, very drunk, joined in the chorus Ser-a-phina." ('Goya The Obscure' Pg. 270).

S.S. Dimitrios N. Bogiazides

A cargo ship built in 1908 at Hoboken, Belgium by Chantiers Naval Anversois. 3495 grt.


The ship is referred to many times by Lowry for not apparent reason except we must assume he was intrigued by the name. As ever with Lowry he incorrectly spells the name as the Dimitrios S. Boglazides. Originally a German steamer named the Ingelfingen (1908-1912), she was in turn Danish (Orissa), Russian (AZ) and British (Maid of Corfu), before acquired by the Greek company N.D. Bogiazides & Sons, and re-named the Dimitrios N. Bogiazides from 1924-1939. As the Alba, she sailed under the Panamanian flag (1939-1942), but was seized by the Germans and as the Aquila sunk by British aircraft off Midtugulen, North Norway (8 Nov. 1944).

Lowry refers to her  in 'Goya the Obscure'; "King Goya, late trimmer of the Dimitrios S. Boglazides bound for the Spice Islands" ('Goya The Obscure' Pg. 274; again in Ultramarine as "On an old Greek bastard of a tramp steamer - they piled her up on Lundy in the end - called , what do you think? I remember the name because I had to paint it on the lifebelts: the Dimitrios N. Bogliazides.... We had a hell of a time, back in 1923, this was. We were bringing a cargo of timber from Archangel to Garston, you know." (Ultramarine Pg 72); in the poem 'From Helsinki to Liverpool with Lumber' (Collected Poetry 77), she steams down the Mersey; and in the poem 'Reflection to Windward'  (Collected Poetry 124) she rolls seaward on high tempestuous seas. She turns up in Lowry's screen-play, Tender is the Night (Pg 239) arriving too late to rescue a doomed Dick Diver.

Lowry maybe referring to the ship or S.S. Fagervik in his short story 'Hotel Room In Chartres', when he describes a ship with "stacks of timber from Archangel beside her" (Psalms Pg. 23)

We can assume that Lowry saw the ship in the Mersey and noted the name. There is a record at Lloyds concerning a claim against the ship:

Salvage or towage-Services rendered by tug Brockenhurst to steamship Dimitrios N. Bogiazides in River Mersey- Anchors down-Wind strong but moderating -Disputed position of vessel as regards north wall-Request for tugs - Whether evidencing danger - Practice -Evidence-Pilot in charge of defendant vessel (foreign) approached by plaintiffs-Comments by Bateson, J.- Held, that the steamship was in no substantial danger and that the services rendered were no more than towage services. Volume 37, 1930

S.S. Fagervik

Lowry sailed on S.S. Fagervik from Preston Docks, England to Norway on the 11 August 1931. This journey was the basis for his re-discovered novel In Ballast to the White Sea.

For many years, there was considerable speculation by Lowry commentators about Lowry's voyage to Norway. The speculation arose mainly because of the lack of documentary evidence of the trip, conflicting accounts by Lowry, misunderstandings by Margerie Lowrie drawn from what Lowry had told her of the trip and statements from his brother Russell Lowry.

The evidence for the trip was analysed by Hallvard Dahle in his article "A Norwegian At Heart": Lowry and the Grieg Connection in Sherrill Grace's 1990 book Swinging The Maelstrom: New Perspectives On Malcom Lowry. Further detail on Lowry's trip to Norway can be found Gordon Bowker's Pursued By Furies Pgs 124-131.. We can assume that Fagervik was "in ballast" on her return trip to Norway hence the title of Lowry's proposed novel. She appears to have been involved in the lumber trade from Scandinavia as can been seen in the above photograph which shows her in Bristol near the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The timber unloaded at Preston was destined for the Lancashire coalfields for use as pit props. The photograph below of Preston Docks in the 1930s shows the extent of the trade.

S.S.Fagervik was built in Larvik, Norway in 1922. By coincidence Larvik was the place in Southern Norway, where another of Lowry's literary heroes Knut Hamsun was living when he wrote Growth Of The Soil which was instrumental in him winning the Noble Prize For Literature in 1920.

The Fagervik kept that name until 1934. Her pre war history consisted of being delivered from Hølens Verksted, Larvik in December 1922 as turbine vessel Fagervik to Nilson, Nyquist & Co. D/S A/S, Oslo, 1758 gt, 1032 net, 261.2' x 41.2' x 17.8', 2 TU (de Lavals Ångturbin A/B, Stockholm, Sweden), 222 nhp. She was sold in January 1934 to A/S Havlide (O. & H. Holta A/S), Skien and renamed Haalegg. She was converted to steamship in 1935 when a 4 cyl. Compound, 850 ihp engine was installed (Fredrikstad mek. Verksted, Fredrikstad).

She was bombed and sunk by German aircraft at Narvik on May 17-1940, or sunk by British warships at Narvik on Apr. 13-1940? (or possibly both?).

After the war, she was raised and repaired in 1945, renamed Bodø for A/S D/S Vestfart (Erling Sannes), Bodø; owned by Erling Sannes, Bodø from 1947. Sold in September 1951 to Olaf Pedersens Rederi A/S, Oslo and renamed Sunny Boy. Sold again in January 1952 to Aug. Bolten, Wm. Miller's Nachf., Hamburg and renamed Otterberg. Sold in 1959 to Cia. de Vapores Kyrinthos S/A, Beirut and renamed Taxiarchis, renamed Archangelos Michael in 1960. Sold in 1965 to A. Frangistas, Piræus and renamed Diamondo. Broken up at Split in 1969.

Lowry maybe referring to the S.S. Fagervik in his short story 'Hotel Room In Chartres', when he describes a ship with "stacks of timber from Archangel beside her" (Psalms Pg. 23)

S.S. Mentor

Owned by Ocean Steam Ship Co. (Alfred Holt), Liverpool (Blue Funnel Line). Built at Scotts S.B and E C Greenock. Launched 05/09/1914, 7585 grt, length 455.2 feet, breadth 56.2 feet

Lost May 28th 1942 to the U-106 by torpedo off Key West, Florida on route from New Orleans via Table Bay for India. Four engineers and three Chinese crew were killed when the torpedo struck on the port side wrecking and flooding the engine room. She was hit by a second torpedo which almost cut her in half, Captain A.Pope was in command. 

Lowry refers to ship in his short story 'Hotel Room In Chartres'. One of many ships referred to by Lowry that was wrecked.

There is no record that Lowry sailed on the ship. One of several Blue Funnel ships mentioned by Lowry in his work. Possibly he referred to the ship as a joke. Mentor was Odysseus's (Ulysses) trusted counselor. He was placed in charge of raising Telemachus when Odysseus went off to the Trojan War. He did an exceptional job as Telemachus grew up to be an almost perfect son - something not applicable to Lowry.