Part of the
Acorn Archive
Hearts of Oak
Athel Line
Ships
Tankers Ltd
Ships
Scottish Bard
SCOTTISH
BARD
5,549 grt
400ft
x 52ft 4ins
Built
1918 by Sir James Laing & Sons, Sunderland
as
the WAR PUNDIT
for
The Shipping Controller, London managed by Stephens, Sutton & Stephens.
1920
sold to Tankers Ltd (British Tanker Co, managers)
Renamed
SCOTTISH BARD.
1930
sold to Corrado S.A. di Nav., Genoa renamed BACICIN PADRE.
June
1940 BACICIN PADRE laid up at Puerto
Cabello.
This
points to an interesting part of the history of WWII, where the seizure of all Italian
and German ships in American ports had been declared by Franklyn D. Roosevelt
on the 29th March 1941.
Opposite
the beach at Guaicamacuto is located Isla Larga, on the Puerto Cabello,
Venezuela. Here lay the Italian ships BACICIN PADRE, TERESA ODERO, JOLE FASSIO
AND TROTTIERA, as well as the SESOSTRIS, a German ship, set afire by its own
captain on the 18th April 1941. The captains had all decided to burn
their ships, to prevent being seized. The local inhabitants were up in arms. Thanks
to the quick intervention of the Venezuelan authorities, the Italian tanker BACICIN
PADRE was not set alight. She had 8,000 tons of petroleum in her tanks. This
could have had serious consequences for the area with great danger for the port,
the houses, the people and their boats, their livelihood. Also laying there
were the Italian ships ALABAMA and the DENTICE.
SESOSTRIS 4015grt; Captain Ueding ordered his crew to
set the ship ablaze in order to avoid it falling into the hands of the allied
forces the evening of the 31st of March 1941. The Sesostris was later sunk in
1946 in Isla Larga, Venezuela.
The
ships which had been set alight, JOLE FASSIO, TROTTIERA and TERESA ODERO were
refloated. All except the TERESA ODERO were
sold to the joint E.E.U.U. as well as the three Italian ships that were in the
bay, the BACICIN PADRE, ALABAMA and the DENTICE. The TERESA ODERO was acquired
by Argentina.
The
German ship SESOSTRIS was so destroyed by fire, its reconstruction was
impossible, and by order of president Isaias Medina Angarita was taken apart,
towed and left near Isla Larga, Puerto Caballo, where it remains as a silent witness,
her stern and mast standing above the water.
US
Naval Records show the following ships taken over by them.
BACICIN
PADRE Renamed SWIVEL/ST. MARY/CLYDE/SWIVEL
ALABAMA
Renamed OSMOND/QUIROS
DENTICE
Renamed FAIRENO/ARAYAT
TROTTIERA Renamed ORISSA/USS MALVERN
JOLE
FASSIO Renamed ALCIBIADES/ANDREW DORIA IX 32
TERESA
ODERO 8196grt was Scuttled 30th November 1942, but refloated and
taken over by Argentina.
1941
BACICIN PADRE seized by Venezuelan Government renamed MANZANARES.
From
here on, the history is inconclusive.
Some
records indicate she was taken over by USA, and named SWIVEL, yet
US
Naval Records show that the SWIVEL was in fact built under that name in 1918.
Also, US Naval Records show for the CLYDE II had the history that sequenced with
her being named SWIVEL / ST MARY / CLYDE II / SWIVEL, having been transferred
from Brisbane War Shipping Administration.
Clyde
II. IX - 144: dp. 4,800 l. 409'8'' b. 52'5''
dr.
25'3'' s. 11k. cpl. 97 a. 1 x 4'', 1 x 3''
Complement
97
Armament
one single 4" gun mount,
one
3"/50 dual purpose gun mount, eight single 20mm gun mounts
The
second Clyde (IX-144) was built in 1918 by Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Works,
Newcastle, England, as tanker SWIVEL; transferred from the War Shipping
Administration at Brisbane, Australia, 9 February 1944; and commissioned 14
March 1944 as ST. MARY, Lieutenant H. I. Ross, USNR, in command; and renamed CLYDE
on 10 June 1944. CLYDE served as station tanker at Langemak and Hollandia, New
Guinea, from 25 June 1944 until damaged in a collision 1 November. She remained
at Hollandia as dead storage until 22 October 1945. On 9 April 1945 she was
decommissioned and placed "in service''. Towed by way of Manus, Admiralty
Islands to Subic Bay, Luzon ( 11-24 December 1945) she was returned to the War
Shipping Administration at Subic on 7 February 1946. She was stricken from the
Navy List on 5 May 1946.
www.hazegray.org/danfs/ix/ix144.htm
www.navsource.org/archives/09/46144.htm
Whether
or not the following constitutes the
remaining
history of the SCOTTISH BARD is inconclusive.
July
1942 renamed SWIVEL for U.S. War Shipping Admin., Panama.
March
1944 renamed ST. MARY for U.S. Navy.
June
1944 renamed CLYDE, U.S. Navy
1944 1st November damaged in collision
at Hollandia, New Guinea and used as storage hulk. Determined as Constructive
total loss.
November
1945 laid up at Manus Island.
February
1946 reverted to SWIVEL for U.S. Maritime Commission, Panama
1948
Scrapped.
Raymond
Forward