Bussorah Gallery

In 1866, Thomas Appleby and Robert Ropner founded the shipping company of Appleby, Ropner & Co. This partnership was dissolved in 1874, with each partner establishing their own companies: T. Appleby & Co., and R. Ropner & Co.

The vessels listed below under ship are those that were built at West Hartlepool and those that were built elsewhere are listed under a general history.

Family History:

Thomas Appleby was born at Garmondsway, Durham in 1839 to parents John (farmer) and Elizabeth Davison (nee Richardson) Appleby. He married Harriet Wearmouth at Pittington on 9^th December 1868. In 1871 the family were living at Seaton Carew. By 1881 the couple were living at Ashfield House, Greatham with their five children. Harriet died in December 1904.

Thomas was chairman of the Hartlepool Gas Company, president of the South East Durham Conservative Association and a J.P.

Thomas died at Greatham aged 69 on 24^th November 1909 leaving effects of £116,954.

Official No. 97390: Code Letters LQRP.

Owners: 1890 Thomas Appleby & Co, West Hartlepool 1891-renamed Greatham: 1906 Clydesdale Navigation Co Ltd (Nisbet, Calder & Co) West Hartlepool (Glasgow): 1913 Clydesdale Navigation Co Ltd (G Nisbet & Co) Glasgow: 1916 Dawson SS Co Ltd (FL Dawson) Glasgow: 1917 Coombes, Marshall & Co Ltd, Middlesbrough

Masters: 1890-93 W Humphries: 1895-1906 R Gowing: 1908 OJ Andersen: 1909-11 GAJ Chalmers: 1915 JM Mackay: 1916 RH McClean: 1918 R Harrison.

On a voyage from Grimsby for Blaye, France with 3,100 tons of cargo including coal & a total crew of 26 the defensively armed merchant ship Greatham was torpedoed without warning by German submarine (UB-31 Thomas Bieber) & sank in 50.18.15N/3.30.21W about 3 miles SE of Dartmouth on 22 January 1918. 7 lives lost.

Lives lost January 1918: Austin, Alexander, sailor, 21, b. Glasgow; Carter, Albert, ship’s cook, 44, b. Herefordshire, resided Old Cartergate, Grimsby; Nagi Ali, fireman/trimmer, India; Peggs, Arthur Clifford Sydney, wireless operator, 18, Essex; Readman, Herbert Isaac, boatswain, 35, Spring Bank, Hull; Saleh Yahya, fireman/trimmer, India; South, Frank Arthur, 1^st mate, 47, b. Bristol, resided Linthorpe, Middlesbrough

This section will, in time, contain the stories of more than 450 merchant ships built or owned in the Hartlepools, and which were lost during the First World War. As an illustration of the truly global nature of shipbuilding, these ships were owned by companies from 22 different countries, including more than 30 sailing under the German flag at the outbreak of war.