| Type | Limited Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping |
| Founded | 1882, as Messrs. Evan Thomas, Radcliffe and Company in Cardiff, United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Cardiff, United Kingdom |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Captain Evan Thomas, Henry Radcliffe (founders) |
One of the more prosperous and best-known of Cardiff based shipowning companies was that of Messrs. Evan Thomas, Radcliffe and Company, established in 1882 by a West Wales sea captain, Evan Thomas, and a Merthyr Tydfil businessman, Henry Radcliffe. Prior to 1939 one of the principal activities of the company was the transportation of Welsh steam coal, this trade reaching its peak in the years immediately prior to the First World War. The company was finally wound-up in the 1980s.
Contents |
In 1881, Evan Thomas, a Master Mariner from Aberporth in Cardiganshire who had served with Jones Bros. of Newport an J. H. Anning of Cardiff, went into partnership with Henry Radcliffe, a Merthyr Tydfil businessman and they purchased their first ship together. The combination of master mariner and businessman as partners was not uncommon at this time in Cardiff.
It was not hard for the partners to raise money to buy their first ship, with most of the capital being raised in Wales. The partners risked very little of their own money, instead purchasing the ship on mortgage. The capital being raised as shares in a single ship company.
Captain Evan Thomas was a Master Mariner from the West Wales village of Aberporth in Cardiganshire. His family resided at Dolwen, a substantial house overlooking the beach. He was the son of Hezekiah Thomas (1805–1869) who owned a 47 ton ketch, Pheasant, and part-owner of a number of other vessels. From Aberporth coal and limestone was imported by coastal vessels from South Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay. Evan Thomas's brother, Thomas Thomas (1836–1911) was a part-time sailor, part-time farmer, and became secretary of the Aberporth Mutual Ship Insurance Society.
Capt. Evan Thomas obtained his master's certificate and after eight years as Master in Steam in the tramps of the Baltic, Mediterranean, Black Sea, and United States of America proposed the setting up of a new ship-owning company in Cardiff, the booming coal metropolis.
Evan Thomas commanded the first vessel purchased by Evan Thomas, Radcliffe, namely the Gwenllian Thomas. By 1884 Evan Thomas gave up the sea, and upon his death at the age of 59 on the 14 November 1891 the company he had established less than ten years previously owned as many as 15 tramp steamers.
Evan Thomas had issue, a son and four daughters.
Henry Radcliffe (1857–1921) was a businessman from Merthyr Tydfil an important Welsh industrial town. Upon the death of Evan Thomas in 1891, Henry Radcliffe took into partnership his younger brother Daniel. Henry Radcliffe died in 1921 at the age of 66 at his home in Druidstone, St Mellons. He left issue, a son, Wyndham Ivor Radcliffe and two daughters, Clarissa Gwendoline Gwynne Maitland and Sarah Ethel Radcliffe. He was an extensive owned of land in the Vale of Glamorgan and included shareholdings in a large number of companies in South Wales including the Taff Vale Railway, Barry Railway Co., Vale of Glamorgan Railway Co., Tempus Shipping Co., Cardiff Port Iron & Coal Storage Co., North's Navigation Collieries Ltd., Great Western Colliery Co. Ltd., P. & A. Campbell Ltd., Cambrian Railways, Alexandra Docks Newport and Guest Keen & Nettlefolds.
Upon the death of Henry Radcliffe, the chairmanship of the company passed on to his younger brother Daniel.
Daniel Radcliffe of Tal-y-werydd, Penylan, Cardiff, joined the company at the age of 24 in 1892 having previously worked for Cardiff shipowners J. H. Anning and the Turnbull Brothers. Upon joining the company he promoted rapid growth with the result that in 1900 the business owned a total of 24 ships.
Daniel Radcliffe died on 29 March 1933.
As Evan Thomas, Radcliffe's business succeeded, more and more ships were added to the fleet. As many as 31 single-ship companies were registered in the company's name. The Gwenllian Thomas went to sea under the command of Evan Thomas, his partner taking charge of the office at 4 Dock Chambers and all the chartering arrangements. In 1882, a second vessel, the Iolo Morgannwg (1,292 tons) was purchased from Palmers of Newcastle who has already built the Gwenllian Thomas. In 1883 came the Kate Thomas (1,588 tons) and the Anne Thomas (1,419 tons) followed by the Wynnstay (1,542 tons) in 1884. Around this time Evan Thomas gave up the sea.
All the Evan Thomas, Radcliffe vessels were tramp steamers, sailing not along fixed routes but to whatever port in the world the charterers wished. Nevertheless, from 1882 when the company was established until about 1914 there was a pattern of trading with the vessels taking out cargoes of coal from the Tyne ports and South Wales to west European or Mediterranean ports, then proceeding in ballast to the Black Sea, to such ports as Odessa, Taranrog and Novorossisk, returning to British, but more likely a continental port, with grain. This became so much the normal pattern of trading that the annual reports of the company constantly refer to the Black Sea traffic.
This pattern of trading was repeated for almost all the Evan Thomas, Radcliffe ships with little variation until 1912-13 when there was a decline in the trade. Gradually the Black Sea trade declined and Evan Thomas, Radcliffe, in common with other Cardiff shipowners, had to look elsewhere for their trade. The Black Sea trade in its heyday was a very lucrative business and the carriage of coal from South Wales outwards and grain from southern Russia inwards really provided the basis of success for Evan Thomas, Radcliffe. Vessels rarely sailed in ballast except for short voyages from the points of discharge of coal to the Black Sea and from continental ports to Cardiff or Barry.
The Black Sea trade did continue until the early years of the First World War, but some of the vessels were making more frequent appearances in America and south east Asia. For example, the S.S. Washington, from its construction in 1907 until December 1912, was concerned exclusively with the carriage of coal from South Wales to the Mediterranean and the carriage of grain from the Black Sea ports to Hamburg, Rotterdam and Marseilles. In December 1912 she sailed from Barry with a cargo of coal from Rio de Janeiro. She then returned from Bahía Blanca to London with grain and left on another voyage from Barry to Rio de Janeiro returning to Rotterdam with general cargo from New Orleans. She then returned to the Black Sea trade for another five voyages before sailing in ballast after unloading coal at Taranto for Pondicherry, returning with a cargo of ground nuts for Marseilles. She then sailed across the Atlantic to New Orleans returning to Marseilles in February 1914 with a cargo of wheat.
The S.S. Llangorse, to quote another example, was used exclusively for the normal Black Sea coal and grain trade from 1907 to 1912; she then crossed the Atlantic to Baltimore returning to Hamburg with grain. After six more voyages to the Black Sea the vessel visited Galveston, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Philadelphia, Rosario, San Nicholas and Aguilas being concerned with the transport of grain and iron ore, to Naples, Barcelona, Glasgow, Genoa and Avonmouth. Gradually, the trans-Atlantic trade was becoming more and more important in the activities of Cardiff shipowners.
At the outbreak of war in 1914, Messrs. Evan Thomas, Radcliffe were the largest of the Cardiff shipowners owning a fleet of 28 vessels. During the First World War the company was to suffer considerable losses, a total of 20 ships being sunk.
Although substantial sums of money were received in compensation for the vessels lost during the war, Evan Thomas, Radcliffe, unlike some other Cardiff shipowning companies, did not immediately enter the post-war market for very expensive ships and only one vessel, the Ethel Radcliffe, was purchased in 1920 as a replacement for the 20 vessels lost in the war. In 1919, the company owned nine vessels only, with a total gross tonnage of 41,254.
Luckily for Evan Thomas, Radcliffe, no attempt was made in 1918 and 1919 to purchase extra ships, so that the company, unlike some others in Cardiff was well able to weather the storm of the slump in the 1920s. The one new vessel, the Ethel Radcliffe, of 5,673 gross tons was built for the company by Craig Taylor & Co. of Stockton-on-Tees at a greatly inflated cost of £274,019 and she sailed on her maiden voyage under the command of Capt. M. Mathias of Cardigan with a cargo of coal for Port Said; she then sailed in ballast to Mauritius returning to London with a cargo of sugar, then to Norfolk, Virginia in ballast to return to Immingham with a cargo of coal.
In 1919 and 1920 many of Evan Thomas, Radcliffe's vessels were time chartered to other companies, but 1921 saw the slump really biting with the result that many of the company's vessels were laid up for extended periods simply because no cargoes were available to them. Despite this, some of the Evan Thomas, Radcliffe vessels were fully occupied during the first few years of the 1920s, although substantial losses were made on many of the voyages. Despite the fact that some of the vessels were in constant employ in the early twenties, the golden era was obviously over and the annual reports of the various single ship companies that made up Evan Thomas, Radcliffe & Company reflect the general gloom and depression that seemed to have prevailed among the Cardiff shipowners in the early twenties.
In anticipation of those better times, Evan Thomas, Radcliffe surprisingly began to invest money in new vessels in 1925. The new vessels were considerably cheaper than the Ethel Radcliffe of 1920, built when the prices of new and old ships were greatly inflated. Nevertheless, in the 1920s substantial losses were made in the trading of all the vessels.
The Second World War was as disastrous for Evan Thomas, Radcliffe as the First for an appreciable proportion of the fleet was lost. No fewer than 11 vessels were sunk:
27 June 1940 - Llanarth - torpedoed off Lands End 47.30ºN 10.30ºW on voyage from Melbourne with flour. 11 August 1940 - Llanfair - torpedoed on a voyage from Mackay and Bowen (Queensland) to U.K. with sugar 54.48ºN 13.46ºW. 23 August 1940 - Llanishen - bombed and sunk SE of Wick 58.17ºN 2.27ºW on voyage from Three Rivers (Quebec) to Leith with maize. 26 February 1941 - Llanwern - bombed by aircraft off south west coast of Ireland. 54.67ºN 17.06ºW on voyage from Sorel (Quebec) with grain and timber for Avonmouth. 17 April 1941 - Ethel Radcliffe - torpedoed by E. Boat off East Anglian coast on a voyage from St. John's New Brunswick to Yarmouth with maize. Beached on Yarmouth sands, but bombed and made total loss on 14 May 1941. 12 May 1942 - Llanover - torpedoed in North Atlantic 52.50ºN 29.04ºW on voyage from New York and Halifax, Nova Scotia for London with wheat, apples and tanks. 2 November 1942 - Llandilo - torpedoed south of St. Helena on voyage from New York. 27.03ºS 02.59ºW. 17 February 1943 - Llanashe - torpedoed off Port Elizabeth 34.00ºS 28.30ºE on voyage from New York. 10 March 1943 - Clarissa Radcliffe - torpedoed with loss of all hands, 42.00ºN 62.00ºW on voyage from Pepel with iron ore. 30 May 1943 - Llancarfan - bombed and sunk 2 miles south of St. Vincent while on a voyage from Glasgow to Lisbon and Melitta with coal and coke. 30 March 1944 - Vera Radcliffe - handed over to the Ministry of War Transport for use as a blockship on Normandy beaches.
This left the company with a greatly depleted fleet, for only 5 vessels came through the war unscathed. They were Llanberis, Llangollen, Peterston, Flimston and Llandaff. British sips were being lost much faster than they could possibly be replaced and the Government decided that it would be impossible to back a new shipbuilding programme entirely in this country which was so vulnerable to enemy attack. With this in mind a British Merchant Shipbuilding Mission left for the U.S.A. in September 1940 and the terms of their brief was to endeavour to obtain at the earliest possible moment the delivery of merchant tonnage...of vessels of the tramp type of about 10,000 tons deadweight.
A total of 354 'Fort Type' vessels were also delivered from Canadian yards in addition to the 'Ocean' and 'Liberty' ships obtained from U.S. yards. Evan Thomas, Radcliffe obtained 6 of these vessels together with the Samskern a vessel lent to the Ministry of War Transport under the Lease-Lend system at a charter rate of a dollar a year.
With the great depletion in the fleet as a result of war, the company was forced to look elsewhere for extra tonnage. American and Canadian standard vessels of the 'Fort' type were obtained.
The period after 1945 was a period of reconstruction and rebuilding, although Evan Thomas, Radcliffe, in common with all other South Wales shipowners, was never to enjoy the prosperity of the pre First World War period. Cardiff was to witness a gradual decline in the fortunes of its docks as the export of coal diminished, for Cardiff, above all, was a coal exporting port and its fortunes had been built on the export of that one single commodity. Many of the Cardiff tramp steamers were concerned in the coal trade and the vessels owned by Evan Thomas, Radcliffe were principally designed for transporting coal. The company, therefore, had to look elsewhere for its freight and with the change of ownership to the Evans and Reid group, as a fully integrated company within the group after some years in partnership with Evans and Reid, the Radcliffe fleet was principally an oil tanker fleet.
In 1946 the company possessed only 5 ships of its own: Llanberis (built 1928); Llangollen (built 1928); Peterston (built 1925); Flimston (built 1925) and Llandaff (built 1937). It was operating another eight standard vessels on behalf of the Ministry of Transport or on charter.
The pattern of trading had changed considerably; the tankers were of course mainly concerned with the carriage of oil from the Persian Gulf, Sumatra and elsewhere to European ports, but the other steamers - the Llanover and Llanwern were concerned with world-wide tramping, rarely visiting their home port of Cardiff.
In 1950 and 1951 too, the Llandaff and Llangollen of pre-war vintage were disposed of which left the company with one vessel only, the tanker Llanishen of 1945 with a new motor vessel, the Llantrisant, a freighter of 6,140 tons built at Bartram's yard in Sunderland. The vessel was launched on 27 March 1952 and delivered to its owners on 5 September 1952. This vessel was destined to remain in the fleet for only five years for in 1957 she was sold to a Vancouver company as the Lake Burnaby. While she was an Evan Thomas, Radcliffe vessel, the Llantrisant was concerned with world-wide tramping.
In the early 1950s the company had few ships, so a number were chartered. Following the delivery of the Llantrisant in 1952, another new vessel, the oil tanker Llandaff was built by Lithgow's of Glasgow. She remain in the fleet until 1960, for much of the time being chartered to the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company Ltd. but on 16 February 1960 she was sold to the Island Shipping Company of Bermuda.
In 1957 a new motor vessel, the freighter Llantrisant was delivered by Bartram's of Sunderland while in the following year the oil tanker Llanishen was delivered from Swan Hunters yard at Wallsend-on-Tyne. In 1960 the tanker Hamilton, built at Tamise, Belgium, was delivered on time charter and the tanker Llangorse built by the Furness Shipbuilding Company of Haverton Hill was delivered. In October 1962 the freighter Llanwern was delivered by Bartrams of Sunderland.
In 1964-5 therefore, the Evan Thomas, Radcliffe fleet consisted of five vessels. By 1970 the Llanwern and the Llantrisant had been sold and in 1971 the last vessel to be built especially for the company the Stolt Llandaff was delivered by S.A. Boelwerf of Tamise, Belgium. She was a specialised oil and chemical tanker and remained as an Evan Thomas, Radcliffe vessel on charter to the company from the Stolt Corporation of Monrovia until December 1981. With the sale of the Hamilton, Llangorse and Llanishen, the Stolt Llandaff was to remain the sole vessel in the fleet until 1980 when two small coastal vessels - the Radcliffe Trader and the Radcliffe Venturer were purchased.
b. 1905 W. Rodgers & Co., Port Glasgow as Craigmore for Craig Line S.G.Co. Purchased by ETR in 1908 1915 - sold to Colonial Coal & Shipping Co. as Thysa: renamed Kostis 1934 - sold as Azbassein 1936 - sold to USSR as Georgi Dimitrov
Built by J. Priestland, Sunderland as Constantinos XII; then Ionia, then Nicos Purchased by ETR in 1938 and named Alex 1943 - sold to S. Casteli & Co. - no change of name 1946 - renamed Noemi 5 June 1958 - scrapped at Split
Built by J. Priestland, Sunderland. Managed on behalf of Shipping Controller 1919-26
Built by Palmers of Jarrow Sold Grogstad & Co., Norway - Lord
Built by Palmers Co. Ltd., Newcastle 1908 - renamed Bonvilston Attacked three times in 1916 and 1917 and was finally sunk by torpedo 17 October 1918, 9.5 miles NW by W of Corsewall Point
Built by Northumberland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. Managed on behalf of Shipping Controller 1919-20
Built by William Gray & Co., West Hartlepool Sold in December 1903 to the Glanhowny S.S. Co. (Bartlett & Owen) as the Glanhowny. Like Evan Thomas, Capt. Thomas Owen was a native of Aberporth and H. A. Bartlett was a Cardiff businessman. The vessel was sold for £8,750 and sailed under the command of Thomas Owen, who died aboard the vessel on her third voyage to the Black Sea.
Purchased Societo al Navigazione Tomei, Genoa, 29 April 1949.
Built by John Blumer & Co., North Dock, Sunderland for £26,500 3 May 1928 - name changed to Llangorse 20 February 1930 - sold to Tallinn Shipping Co. of Estonia for £17,244 - Maret 1941 - U.S.M.C. named Sysonby 28 September 1951 - Broken up
Built by Craig, Taylor & Co., Stockton-on-Tees. Cost £99,439 23 February 1935. Abandoned after stranding off coast of Japan (Master - T. Owens, Aberporth, Cardiganshire) Insured for £70,868
Built by Palmers of Jarrow On a voyage from Odessa to Rotterdam with a cargo of grain, the vessel met a gale off Cape St. Vincent on 30 December 1897. The cargo shifted and the vessel sank with the loss of 16 lives.
Built by Ropner, Stockton-on-Tees (Yard No. 410) A trunk-decked vessel Renamed Llanover 1913, Llangorse 1917 1926 - Sold to Watts, Watts & Co. as Laleham for £17,758 1930 - Sold to A. A. Kyrtaras, Andros as Marionga D. Thermiotis 1947 - Sold to Ciu de Nav. Ponanza Ltd., Panama - Antonios K. 25 May 1952 - scrapped at Milford Haven
Built by Craig Taylor & Co., Stockton-on-Tees in 1915 as the Windsor. Cost £251,000 Renamed Gwent in 1916 and Clarissa Radcliffe in 1917. On 5 March 1943 the ship left New York for Barrow-in-Furness with a crew of 41 and 10 gunners. She was never heard of again and was presumably torpedoed on 10 March 1943 in position .
Built by Palmers Co. Ltd., Newcastle March 1908 - name changed to Iolo August 1909 - sold to Frederick Childs - Selworthy Lost March 1910.
Built by Ropner of Stockton-on-Tees, launched 2 October 1896. The name of the vessel was changed to Sarah Radcliffe on delivery of a new Dunraven in 1910. Sunk 11 November 1916 by submarine 170 miles SW of Ushant.
Built by Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Co. Willington Quay on Tyne. 1917 - Transferred to Royal Navy as Q. ship 10 August 1917 - sunk by torpedo and guns in Bay of Biscay.
Built by Wm. Gray, West Hartlepool
Built by Walker Shipyard, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Built by Craig Taylor & Co., Stockton-on-Tees. Cost £274,019 17 April 1941. Damaged by E-boat and put into port at Great Yarmouth. The vessel was bombed and sunk at that port on 16 May 1941.
Built by Ropner & Son, Stockton-on-Tees. Delivered 19 July 1898 1910 - name changed to Gileston 1926 - sold to Greek owners for £8,400 as Haralampos P. 1929 sold to W. G. Walton, Cyprian Shipping Co. Ltd. as Danubian 18 February 1954 - stranded in fog off Kilyos in Black Sea on voyage in ballast from Alexandria to Constanza.
Built by Craig Taylor & Co., Stockton-on-Tees. 18 December 1916 - captured and scuttled by a German submarine 21 miles NE by E from Ushant.
Built by Bartram, South Dock, Sunderland. 1948 - sold to Woodham S.S. Co. Cardiff as Woodham Rover 1950 - sold to Schulte & Bruns as Konsul Schulte 14 January 1960 scrapped at Tamise.
Built by West Coast Shipbuilding, Vancouver.
Built by Vancouver Ship Repairers Ltd., Vancouver.
Built by Marine Industries Ltd., Soull, Quebec.
Built by United Shipyards Ltd., Montreal In fleet 1942-49
Built by Grand Trunk Pacific Development Co. Ltd. Prince Rupert, British Columbia. In fleet 1946-49
Built by North Vancouver Shiprepairers Ltd.
Built by Manitoba S. B. Co., Wis. ex. Catherine, Stratford, Lake Greenwood. Owned by Culliford Shipping Co. Ltd., liquidated 1947, management of vessel taken over by ETR for 1 year.
Built by Palmers Co. Ltd., Jarrow-on-Tyne. Delivered Cardiff 24 June 1882 and sailed with a cargo of coal for St. Nazaire, returning to Cardiff with iron ore from Bilbao. She was commanded by Capt. Evan Thomas. Sold December 1905 as Richard
Built 1901 as Evangeline by R. Thomson, Sunderland Purchased from Anglo-Grecian S.S. Co. 1909 for £17,350 1912 - sold for £22,589 to London-Piraeus S.S. Co. Sain Dimitrios 2 March 1918 - sunk
Tanker built by C. Boel et Fils, Tamise, Belgium. Launched 28 January 1960. Still in service as Feoso Sun.
Built by J.L. Thompson and Sons, Sunderland, for Woodruff Shillito & Co., Cardiff in 1902. Purchased immediately by Evan Thomas Radcliffe April 1912 - sold to Tom Lewis & Co. 30 May 1917 - sunk off Irish coast by torpedo, 95 miles west of Bishops Rock - 1 life lost.
Charter by ETR 6 March 1957 (Owners Velmont S.S. Co.) Sold to Pieter Hougerverff, Deest (Holland) 23 July 1958 Still sailing as Hamnfiord
Built by Davie Shipbuilding, Lauzon-Levis, Quebec.
Built by Palmers of Jarrow Sold December 1905 as Pontus, later Held (Swedish flag)
Built by Ropner, Stockton-on-Tees August 1911 - sold to Otto Weens of Malmo, named Hjalma
Built by Palmers of Jarrow Lost near Ceuta 21 October 1895 on voyage from Cardiff to Brindisi with coal.
Built by Palmers of Jarrow for Hall Bros., Newcastle Chartered by Daniel Radcliffe 1890-91 Sunk in Dover Straits 1891.
Built by Ropner, Stockton-on-Tees for £34,000 Jan 1910 - name changed to Badminton 10 February 1912 - sold for £8,500 to Coroniadis Bros. - Coroniadis 1914 - sold as Malgas 1916 - sold as Georgios Markettos
Built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Wallsend-on-Tyne for 86,573 Launched 12 October 1927 1950 (17 February) sold to Basil J. Mauros, Piraeus as Theoskepasti 1956 - sold as Valente
Built by White's Marine Engineering Company, Hebburn-on-Tyne as Biddlestone for White Shipping Co., Newcastle. 1940 - Purchased and renamed Llancarfan. 30 May 1943 - Bombed and sunk 2 miles south of St. Vincent.
Built Bartram, Sunderland. First voyage to Port Said - Poti - Baltimore under the command of J. R. Jenkins, Aberporth. 1 October 1951 - sold to K. G. Bornhofen of Hamburg as Max Bornhofen 1959 - sold to Greek owners as Pilastassios Ran aground Esbjerg 20 February 1959, refloated 7 March 1959. Scrapped at Ghent 10 September 1959.
Built at Lithgows of Glasgow. Launched 26 January 1952 17 February 1960 - sold to Island Shipping Co., Bermuda as Wheat King.
Built by Bartram & Sons, Sunderland. Delivered 6 February 1928. Maiden voyage Tyne - Algiers (Coal) - Rosario - La Plata - Hamburg (grain) under the command of T. Jones, Aberarth, Cardiganshire. (Twm Cadno) 2 November 1942 Torpedoed south of St. Helier in position
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees 18 May 1917 - sunk by torpedo 165 miles NW by W of Fastnet.
Built by Ropner & Son, Stockton-on-Tees. Delivered 26 July 1897 1910 - renamed Llanberis 1927 - sold to Richards, Longstaff & Co., London as Yorkminster.
Built by Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Co., Willington Quay-on-Tyne. 1 August 1917 - Captured and sunk by submarine 110 miles SW of Porquerolles Island, Gulf of Lyons. 1 lost life.
Built by Bartram & Sons, Sunderland. Maiden voyage to Port Said with coal, Cuba to Liverpool with sugar (Master Samuel H. Mathias, Newport, Pembrokeshire) 11 October 1940 - torpedoed .
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees. Cost £49,371 Sold 4 October 1926 to Greece as Issidoro for £13,500. The vessel completed 81 voyages for Evan Thomas Radcliffe.
Built by Hawthorn Leslie & Co., Wallsend-on-Tyne Cost £86,990 (1st Master - D. G. Evans, New Quay, Cardiganshire). 8 February 1950 - sold to Nicholas A Simbouras, Athens, as Aretis 1952 - sold as Maria Christina 1960 - sold as Kettara II 7 February 1960 - scrapped as Nagoya.
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees. Cost £45,114 8 September 1916 - torpedoed 48 miles WSW off Cape Matapan. Insured for £120,450.
Tanker built, Furness Shipbuilding Co., Haverton Hill. Delivered August 1960. In fleet until c. 1966
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees 9 August 1917 - torpedoed and beached 8 miles N by E of Cape of Crevs, Gulf of Lyon. Total loss.
Built by Bartram, Sunderland for £82,568. Delivered 29 April 1929 and left on maiden voyage from the Tyne to Santos with coal (Master R. Roberts, Aberdovey, Merionethshire) 23 October 1941 - Bombed and sunk south east of Wick. .
Tanker built as Rye Cove. Purchased from Ministry of War Transport in 1947. 31 May 1956 - sold to Panama as Anna O. 25 December 1962 - arrived Castellon, Spain for scrapping.
Tanker built Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend-on-Tyne Delivered 17 January 1958. Renamed Petrola 19.
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees Renamed Paddington February 1913 Renamed Iolo February 1917 Torpedoed and sunk 42 miles SW of Fastnet 17 February 1917. 2 dead. Master, Chief Engineer and 2 gunners made prisoner.
Built by Pickersgill, Sunderland 1917 - sold to Johnston Line as Linmore 1920 - sold to Dr. T. G. Adams as Shannonmede 1924 - sold to Edw. Nichol & Co. as Littleton 1932 - sold to Heirs of L. Z. Cambanis, Andros as Leonidas Z. Cambanis 3 April 1941 - torpedoed SE of Cape Farewell.
Built by Bartram, Sunderland (Launched 4 November 1927 Master John James, Aberporth, Cardiganshire. 12 May 1942 - torpedoed North Atlantic .
Built by Brunswick, Georgia, USA by J. A. Jones Construction Inc. as Samlorian and sold in 1944 to Strath S. S. Co. of Cardiff as Helmspey. 27 October 1949 - Purchased by ETR - renamed Llanover. 19 November 1951 - sold to Liberian Shipping Inc as Capestar 1960 - Resold as Athlos
Motor vessel built by Bartram, Sunderland. Delivered 5 September 1952 1957 - sold to Western Canadian S.S. Co., Vancouver as Lake Burnaby 3 November 1958 - stranded on Bancorran Reef, Philippines - total loss.
Built by Bartram, Sunderland. Delivered March 1958. Transferred to Elenmaris Corp. Piraeus as Eleni M
Built by Bartram, Sunderland (launched 1 September 1928) Maiden voyage to Cardiff-Santos (coal)-Rosario-Buenos Aires-Avonmouth (grain and wheat). Master G. Clark, Plymouth. 26 February 1941 - bombed and sunk west of Ireland in position .
Built as Nailsea Moor for Nailsea S.S. Co. by Bartram of Sunderland. Purchased by ETR 11 June 1949, renamed Llanwern 21 September 1957 Sold to Inui Kisen Kabushlui of Kobe, Japan as Kenkon Maru. 1961 - resold as Fujisan Maru (to become fish factory)
Built by Bartram, Sunderland (launched 19 July 1962) Renamed Captain Michael later Agios Penteleimon.
Built by William Gray & Co., West Hartlepool. February 1912 - sold to Artaza & Co., Bilbao - Arcotis later L. C. Stensland; Hitteroy Browton and lastly as the Russian Voikov.
Built by William Gray of Hartlepool Chartered from 28 July 1925 to 21 November 1929
Built by Palmers & Co., Newcastle upon Tyne May 1908 - sold to the Glanhowny Steamship Company (H. A. Bartlett) as Barto October 1909 - sold to Samuel Rowe as Jane Rowe
Built by R. Thompson & Sons, Sunderland Norwegian vessel owned by A. Skibs. Chartered from Ministry of War Transport 1941-46 Sunk by German submarine U-1302 on 2 March 1945 at position
Built by Ropner & Sons, Stockton-on-Tees. Name changed to Iolo March 1913 11 October 1916 - sunk by submarine 153 miles N of Vardo, off north coast of Norway.
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees. Renamed Swindon 1913 Renamed Paddington 1917 21 July 1917 - torpedoed and sunk 250 miles west of Fastnet.
Built by Craig Taylor & Co., Stockton-on-Tees (Yard No. 154) Torpedoed 15 September 1915, 10.5 miles NE of Odessa.
Built by Craig Taylor & Co. Ltd. Stockton-on-Tees 11 October 1918 - torpedoed and sunk 145 miles SW by S of Nantucket.
Built by Thomas Turnbull, Whitehall Dockyard, Whitby. Daniel Radcliffe received his early training with the Turnbull Brothers who were also shipowners in Cardiff where he was for some time a clerk. Evan Thomas Radcliffe in the early days of the company had their offices at Philip and Lewis Turnbull's premises. 1913 - sold to Artaza & Co., Bilbao named Arpillao
Built by Bartram & Co., South Dock, Sunderland. Cost £84,647 Delivered 23 February 1925 1948 - sold to Gowan shipping Co. as Burhaven 1950 - sold A. G. Tsauliris as Andrew T. 1953 - sold Shamrock Shipping Co. as Raloo 1957 - sold to Costa Rica as Paraporti 27 July 1959 - scrapped at Antwerp.
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees. Cost £48,939 23 May 1927 - sold to Williams & Mordey Ltd., Cardiff for £24,132 as Seven Seas Transport 1927 - sold to German owners W. Kunstmann - named Heinz W Kunstmann 1937 - renamed Herta Engelin Fritzen (same owners) 25 October 1941 - lost off Hook of Holland.
Built Smiths Dock, Middlesbrough for French owners.
Built by W. Gray & Co. Ltd., West Hartlepool for Greek owners. Chartered 1921-1933
ex Silloth Trader (1980), ex Rosemary D. (1974), ex Valerie B (1973), ex Sarsfield (1970), ex Edgefield (1965), ex Spolesto (1956). Built by Noord Nederlandse Scheepswerven N.V., Groningen. Purchased by ETR from Gillie & Blair Ltd. (Stag Line).
ex Bea (1980), ex Hattstedt (1974), ex Henriette (1972), ex Tilly (1969). Built by N. V. Bodewes Schps., Martenshoek, Netherlands. Purchased from Baltic Schooner Association, Cayman Islands June 1980.
Built by Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore.
Built by Ropner, Stockton-on-Tees April 1910 - renamed Iolo May 1914 - Sold to Constantine Hadjipateras of Greece as Archimedes; renamed Olteria then sold to Romania as Latium. 1930 - sold to D. B. Georgiades, Piraeus as Margarita 3 June 1952 - Broken up.
Built by Union Ironworks, Alameda, California, USA Norwegian vessel owned by Skibs A. Chartered from Ministry of War Transport 1941-45
Tanker built by N.V. Boelwerf S.A., Tamise, for Anthony Radcliffe S.S. Co. Ltd. The company was taken over by the Stolt Corporation and the vessel was leased back to ETR until December 1981.
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees Named Badminton 1912 1914 - sunk by submarine gunfire 63 miles NE by N of Cape Carbon, Algeria (23 July)
Built by W. Pickersgill & Sons, Sunderland 1917 - sold to Johnston Line as Cottesmore 1920 - sold to D.&T.C. Adams as Avonmede 1924 - sold to J.&.C. Harrison as Harpalion 1931 - sold to N.G. Livanos, Chios as Theofano 1937 - sold to V.J. Pateras, Chios as Dirphys 8 June 1941 - torpedoed NE of St. Johns, Newfoundland
Built W. Doxford, Sunderland Owned by Westfal-hausen & Co. Norway Chartered from Ministry of War Transport 1942
Built by Great Lakes Eng. Works, Ashtabula, Oregon, USA Norwegian vessel owned by A/S Malmfart. Chartered from Ministry of War Transport 1941-46
Built by Craig, Taylor & Co., Stockton-on-Tees. Delivered 6 January 1925 for £99,393 June 1944 - sold to government for £75,000. Sunk as blockship on Normandy beaches.
Named after Captain Evan Thomas's only son Walter Hezekiah Thomas. Built by Palmers of Jarrow Sunk 12 July 1901 after collision with Romney off Europa Point, Straits of Gibraltar on a voyage from Penarth to Derindje.
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees. Cost £52,392 3 May - torpedoed and sunk off Genoa (Rapallo Bay) while on time charter to Italian State Railways.
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees for £35,556 On 7 November 1910 she was lost at Tolpedu off Polperro, Cornwall, while on voyage in ballast from Rotterdam to Barry. There were no casualties.
Built by Craig, Taylor & Co., Stockton-on-Tees. Cost £54,011 1936 - sold Halcyon Lign, Rotterdam, named Stad Schiedam for £16,006 16 September 1940 - sunk after explosion, believed sabotage 37ºN by 64ºW on voyage from Bermuda to Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Built by Ropner & Son, Stockton-on-Tees. Delivered 21 July 1897 27 November 1911 - name changed to Jane Radcliffe Torpedoed and sunk 2 miles SW of Antimilo, Greek Archipelago, 28 November 1917.
Built by Craig, Taylor & Co., Stockton-on-Tees. Delivered December 1911 (Yard No. 148) Sunk by gunfire from submarine 70 miles SW of Lizard, 21 October 1915.
Built by Palmers Co., Newcastle. Sold in 1903 to the Aberporth S.S. Co. (Dan Jenkins) renamed Aberporth Wrecked. The Jenkins Bros. were well known Cardiff shipowners with a substantial fleet. One member of the family, Daniel (Bryntirion, Aberporth) broke away from the family group to establish the Aberporth S.S. Co. It was a failure and the firm was soon bankrupt and the ship wrecked.
Built by Richardson, Duck & Co, Thornaby-on-Tees (Wyndham Ivor Radcliffe was Henry Radcliffe's son) Renamed Llancarvan - 13 March 1917 Torpedoed and sunk 370 miles E by N from San Miguel, Azores, 16 May 1918.
Built 1913 as Clarissa Radcliffe by Craig, Taylor & Co., Stockton-on-Tees, delivered April 1913 (Yard No. 155) 1917 - renamed W. I. Radcliffe 12 March 1918 - torpedoed by submarine in English Channel, but made port. 18 April 1935 - sold to N. Eusthattion & Co., Piraeus, named Marietta 1939 - sold to Leonhardt & Blumsey - Karl Leonhardt 16 March 1946 - Scuttled with ammunition in Skaggerak.
Built by Palmers of Jarrow. Sold in June 1902 for £9,500 to L. Overgaard, Norway - Nora.
Evan Thomas Radcliffe brand was sold to the Evan Reid Group of Cardiff.