Anna has very kindly sent me lots of information and photographs of her family, including Captain Robert James Gant b. 1856 Wiveton, Norfolk. Robert James Gant was Captain of the steamship Homer, which disappeared with the whole of her crew after a collision with the Russian barque Hoppet off Spurn Head, Yorkshire in 1901.
Captain Robert James Gant
February 20, 2007 by Linda
Greetings from Finland!
Did you know that tha captain of the Russian (actually Finnish, but Finland was at that time ruled by Russia) barque Hoppet, Captain R.K. Lindblom, disappeared together with Captain Robert James Gant on s.s. Homer? A sailor from s.s. Homer survived. He had jumped (?) onboard the barque.
How come I know this?
The fact is that I have a letter in my possession, describing the tragic event. The letter quotes the words of the mate of “Hoppet” and is addressed to my great grandfather, captain of the Russian (Finnish) barquentine Laura, sent to him by his brother-in-law. The mate of “Hoppet” was from the same village as the writer and my great grandfather.
Of course i can’t have much details about the s.s. Homer but if you are interested to know more, please contact!
Best regards
Bodil Soderblom
e-mail as above, phone +358-500 539 752
Add. to my previous mail:
Can anybody tell me more about the collision or where I can find information about the shipowners of Homer? I am also interested to know what happened to the wooden ship Hoppet e.g. damages etc. Did the newspapers write about the tragedy?
With thanks in advance.
Bodil Soderblom
Greeting Basil,
I have a copy of an unidentified newspaper report which refers to the Homer as the Humber which tells of the sinking. the name of the Homers surviving crew member was J McAlister who lived in London.He was the lookout & saw the vessel bearing down on the Homer But collision could not be avoided.The captain of the Homer was my Gt grandfather.
Homer belonged to Messrs Dick & Page but I have been unable to find out any info on them.
The Times newspaper Feb 21,1901 page 11 carried a report of the supposed loss of the steamer, which said that the Hoppet lies in Grimsby Docks with a rent in her bows.
I did find an earlier report on the Hoppet which said that it had been involved in a collision in Australia, but cannot find it at the moment.
Best Wishes Anna Hays
Hi Anna,
Have you found out something more about your gt grandfathers ship, the Homer?
Have a nice summer!
Rgds
Bodil
Hi Bodil,
Apologies for calling you Basil, I seem to have misread your name.
Haven’t found any more info on Capt Gant & Homer, but sometimes inspiration strikes & digging starts anew.
Regards Anna
Hi Anna!
Noticed that you have photos of captain Robert James Gant!
Do you happen to have some of his ship the Homer also?
Or a photo taken in, on or by the steamer? I have tried to find some in several years but it seems impossible.
I am still writing and intend to publish a book, or a serie of artichles about the sailing ship, her captain/owner and the mate, including other things connected to the dreadful event! I would not like to bother you but when coming this far, one cannot leave any stones unturned!
All the best!
Bodil Soderblom
08022010
Hi Bodil,
The only picture we have of the Steamship Homer is on a newspaper cutting that my gt grandmother kept.
It is a drawing rather than a photograph together with the report of the disaster & the crew list.
If you are interested I can email you a copy suppiosing that I can work out how to do it !
Regards
Anna
Hello again, Anna,
I found the headline of the report on the Hoppet in Australia.
That iron ship had the same owner as the much smaller wooden barque, as well as the same name! A ship of softwood, only 163 ft long, would never have made it through the “Roaring Fourties”, being much too vulnerable. The softwood ships did sail to Africa, South-America and the West-Indies from Europe and Scandinavia but tried always to avoid waters where the ship worm could make the voyage a fatal disaster.
It was probably the steel barque that collided.
Here is some info about her. I saw it in the Internet years ago:
Quote
Her sister, the Knight of the Thistle, became the Russian Hoppet when sold to G. Granuld /should read Granlund/ of
Raumo, replacing his older wooden barque of the same name, before a further sale in 1907 led to
her becoming the Norwegian Novo. /…/
Renamed Dondiego under the Bolivian flag for a short period, she was broken up in 1928.
Unquote
Messrs Dick & Page:
Nothing in Internet. But I have mailed the builders of the steamer some guestions today. The Page-part of the first owner Messrs. Dick & Page could be the very same John Page who bought a tug boat in 1902. Some two years later the tug was owned by the Elliot Steam Tug Company of London, mentioned as the owner of Homer in a news paper.
The information of the ship owners Ellito…was published by New York Times 19.2.1901.
Quote
LOST WITH CREW OF SIXTEEN
British Steamer Homer Disappeared After Collision.
LONDON, Feb. 18.- The Russian bark Hoppet, Capt. Lindblom, which sailed from Hull om Feb. 14 for Sapelo has been towed into Grimsby with Bows seriously damaged by a collision on the night of Feb. 15 with the steamer Homer, from Libau.
The Homer disappeared after the collision, and is believed to have foundered with the loss of sixteen lives.
The Homer was built at North Shields in 1880. She was 250 feet long, 34 feet beam, and 17 feet deep. She was of 819 tons net register, and was owned by the Elliot Steam Tug Company of London.
Unquote.
Best regards
Bodil
Sailing female
Dick & Page Ltd. were shipbrokers of London. They acquired Elliott Steam Tugs in 1881 and were one of the main tug fleets on the Thames. John Page was indeed one of the partners, handing the business over to his sons John and Harry Gould Page. They were only officially called Elliott Steam Tug Co. Ltd from 1897, and their tugs are sometimes known as Dick & Page Tugs even now. In 1959 they combined with other Thames tug companies to form Ship Towage (London Ltd.) under Col. A J Page, son of Harry G Page.
Geoff Ayres
W Sussex UK
Mr Geoff Ayres,
Very interesting details about the Messrs. Dick & Page! Thanks!
Do you happen to know whether there are any documents somewhere? I lack the records from the Court Proceedings!
I am writing a book about the collision, the ships and the men – the captains and the chief officer – as well as about other matters, the North sea, the weather etc. My story would not be complete if I couldn’t tell anything about the inquires, hearings and records. I only know that the proceedure took 7 months. I have looked through many online archives and libraries but it is difficult to find anything from here, Finland.
F.y.i.: I am able to follow the wooden barque from the launching in 1878 to the end, as a demasted lodging ship. I have letters from two of the captains, whereof one was the chief mate at the time of the collision, as well as other shipping documents.
I would be extremely happy about the smallest amount of information. Therefore I am much obliged for the above news.
Kind regards
Bodil Soderblom
Valhallastigen 2
FIN-25719 VRETA
Finland
Dear Anna,
A couple of years have passed. Today I saw your information about the picture in the newspaper! I would very much appreciate both the article and the picture but in case you have difficulties to email them, it would be great to know in what newspaper it was. I have pictures from both the Hoppet and the Najaden (she towed the Hoppet to Grimsby).
I am still getting more details for the book. By now I have written about 70-80 pages. Nearly the same amount has still to be written.
I have a request. Would you kindly permitt me to include the above photograph of captain Robert James Gant in my book? I do not know whom to contact in the matter and I need to get persmission!
I do hope that you get this message.
My e-mail address is bodil.soderblom@kolumbus.fi, or jobbis.soderblom@gmail.com
It would be nice if we could communicate directly.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Kind redards
Bodil Soderblom
Finland
Hi Anna! Years have passed since last time! Do you have the date and the name of the newspaper (also page?) where the drawing of the steamer Homer was shown? I have desperately tried to find a photo or a drawing of the ship.
I even succeeded in getting a couple of photos of the steamer Najaden. That ship came up to the place where the collision occured some hours after the collision.
If i would get the details, I might have possibilities to get a copy from some newspaper archive.
With kind regards,
Bodil
This is my great grandfather, father to my grandfather.