RMS "NIAGARA" - Ship Passenger List

[Didlinghill]

Hi everyone,

A Google search brought up a very old mention of the Niagara in this Common Room, way back in 2008, and as I don't know where else to start I thought I'd come to the same place.

Can anyone point me to a Crew and Passenger List for the ship RMS NIAGARA (No 135193) which left Sydney on 13 Nov 1916 for Vancouver?

I have a very pressing need to find this. My grandfather, Alfred Ernest Hammond (born 16 Feb 1884 in Battersea) was a Ship's Steward since January 1913. He wrote to my grandmother telling her that he was catching this ship, and possibly then settling in Canada. The Purser's Office was convinced that he had been seen on the ship, but there is no record off him having disembarked. Moreover, his Union reported that he had not joined another ship since he left his previous one.

At the time, the usual searches brought no news to my grandmother, and Alfred was eventually declared to be "missing, presumed dead". I am hoping that now, with so many records digitised, I may be able to throw some light on the matter.

It's actually a very intriguing story, even though it lacks an ending, and I have the ship's papers, photos, descriptions, even menu cards and route maps, for all his previous worldwide voyages on the Tainui (where he survived its near-sinking in a collision), Philadelphia, Osterley, Marama, Canberra, Indarra, and (on previous voyages) Niagara.

[cath151]

Hi
Welcome to Rootschat
There is this website which might be useful, possibly he arrived in 1917?
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/immigration/immigration-records/passenger-lists/passenger-lists-1865-1922/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=16189&
Cathy

[MaureeninNY]

Hi and welcome to RootsChat from me as well!

 Just a question- is the departure date certain? I'm only seeing one for Nov 23 1916 which seems to have arrived Vancouver Dec. 15 1916.

 Very intriguing story!!!

Maureen

[dbree]

Hi and Welcome from me as well.

Is this the one Maureen?
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01qcc/

DB

[MaureeninNY]

Hi and Welcome from me as well.

Is this the one Maureen?
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01qcc/

DB

I think so,Debs.
Not a clue as to how long a voyage would take from Sydney to BC in 1916.

Maureen

[dbree]

I think it's 3ish weeks.

On the first page of that manifest, it left Sydney 23 Nov. arrived Vancouver 15 Dec.

The manifest pages are hard to read but I don't see a Hammond on there. The last page seems
to be the crew.

DB

[Didlinghill]

Hi and welcome to RootsChat from me as well!

 Just a question- is the departure date certain? I'm only seeing one for Nov 23 1916 which seems to have arrived Vancouver Dec. 15 1916.

 Very intriguing story!!!

Maureen

Thanks for that, Maureen - I rechecked and you are probably right about that, as I was unable to locate those papers.

Anything more you have would be of great interest - thank you!

Alec

[Didlinghill]

I have now had a chance to study each page - that you all for your welcomes and for the links.

The link from dbree was definitely the right one... leaving Sydney on Nov 24 and arriving at Vancouver  on Dec 15. It only took 22 days, but then it's a straight north-easterly route across the Pacific. Nowhere near the States where he also once hinted he'd like to live.

Unfortunately this Manifest doesn't include the crew list. The supplement on page 14 was just a supplement of additional passengers, presumably late bookings, there was an "Occupation" against each of them and not a seaman or steward to be seen. So at least I know the elusive Albert wasn't travelling as a passenger; moreover, his union indicates that he wasn't working anywhere as a crew member since several months earlier.

However, that is still very helpful, as it now seems almost certain that my grandfather remained in Australia. Either he came to grief while carrying no identification, or he joined the Australian navy as he once hinted, or just re-invented himself with possibly a new partner for a new life.

I found three marriages for an Albert Ernest Hammond, with a Lynch, a Smythe and a Gillingham - none of these checks out. Also the same name appears on the Electoral Roll for Kew, Kooyong, Victoria in 1954, but how to confirm that?

An Albert E Hammond, correct birth year, was repatriated after the war in 1919 as a steerage passenger to London but that manifest shows occupation as "Royal Navy" not "Merchant Navy Steward". If he had got that far he would surely have returned home - or at least have written.

And an Albert Ernest Hammond of the right age was buried in May 1958 at Box Hill, Whitehorse City, Victoria. Worth investigating, guess I'll have to invest in a certificate - and then find it's one of the three incorrect married Alberts!

Perhaps the 1921 Australian Census will show the correct Albert somewhere, when it's released this spring. Apart from that, can anyone suggest where else I could search? A trip to Australia might be productive, but at 84 my long-distance travelling days are sadly over!

Thanks again to all,

Alec.

[seaweed]

I think so,Debs.
Not a clue as to how long a voyage would take from Sydney to BC in 1916.

Maureen
[/quote]

The only accurate way to find out the correct voyage time, is to examine the ships logbook around those dates. Unfortunately both her logbook and crew agreement for the dates in question seem to have been lost or destroyed.
Her regular route was Sydney – Auckland – Suva – Honolulu – Vancouver.
Sydney NSW to Vancover direct is 6818 nautical mile. Assuming that the vessel was sailing at 17 knots (educated guess) this would take 16 days and 17hrs.
Allow for time calling at ports en route and course deviations to avoid German raiders which were known to be in the area.  A voyage of 22 days would be about right.