Trawling through the New Zealand shipping records for departures from New Zealand to Sydney for 1947-1948, it turns out that there were quite a few more to consider than just the Wahine. And so I went through them all. Though I filtered names out where I could (based on age), I included names where no age was given – but hopefully most of those will be easily cross-off-able.
What may be most interesting for some researchers is that the Marine Phoenix travelled from San Francisco to Sydney via New Zealand: and so, in one fell swoop, would seem to have the capacity to possibly join the American clues (Juicy Fruit + tailoring) and the New Zealand clue (Whitcombe and Tombs’ Rubaiyat) to the dead man in Australia.
According to this very interesting page:
She was launched on the 9th. of August in 1945 by the Kaiser Shipyard at Vancouver Washington. 12,420 tons, 523 feet long with a 71.2 foot beam. One funnel, engine aft with a single screw and a speed of 17 knots. Built with accommodation for 3,800 troops.
The ship was thus too late to play any part in WW2.
Troopships were operated by Army Transportation Service with civilian crews, by the US Navy, or by the War Shipping Administration. The ship was managed by the Moore- McCormack Line for the US Maritime Commission.
Her maiden voyage on the 12th. of December 1945 was from Seattle to Nagoya Japan. She seems to have carried troops from Japan to Tacoma WA over the period 5th. of January/ 17th. of January 1946.
My report states she was laid up in Suisim Bay at San Francisco in 1947, but you thought your family sailed in her in 1948, perhaps that was, in fact in 1947, before the ship was laid up.
Anyway, here are a whole sackful of Eastern European names culled from these lists, make of them all what you will: I’ve carried out simple NAA searches where I can, but many of you can doubtless proceed much further if you so wish. 🙂
“Marine Phoenix” to Sydney, 26 May 1947
* Mr Herech Gildener (42) + Mrs Henryka Gildener (42) + Miss Renata Gildener (11) + Edyta Gildener (1) – Poland
* Mr Wolf Lewenkopf (47) + Mrs Mirla Lewenkop (37) – Poland
* Mr David Litman (52) – Poland
Hersch Gildener and David Litman are both listed in the NAA, but I couldn’t see the Lewenkop[f]s there at all.
“Marine Phoenix” to Sydney, 28 Jul 1947
* Mr Alush Emin (52) – Albania
* Mr Ludwik Menasohn (45) + Mrs Augusta Menasohn (37) – Poland
* Mr Jozef Perlen (52) + Stefanica Perlen (30) + Hyvka S. Perlen (39) + Ludwik Perlen (9) – Poland
Alush Emin is in the NAA (1947-1972), Ludwik Menasche [corrected spelling] likewise (1947-1947), and Josef Perlen (1947-1955). The Menasches appear in a paywalled 1968 Sydney Morning Herald, so we can rule them out. Jozef Perlen seems to have been born in 1903: his pre-war address is given here.
“Largs Bay” to Sydney, 04 Sep 1947
* Mr V Mischenko (42) Police Officer + Mrs V Mischenko (31) Domestic Duties + Master D V Mischenko (7) Student – Siberia
* Mr B Zarimba (38) Electrical Engineer – Russia
Vladimir Mischenko (born 24th July 1904, NAA files 1930-1947, but also document dated 1952), “B Zarimba” (“Zaremba”?) not found on NAA.
“Marine Phoenix” to Sydney, 06 Nov 1947
* Mr O Hanker (?) – Poland
* Mr J Pakula – Poland
* Mr J Zylber – Poland
According to the NAA, Oscar Hanner was born on 24th January 1922 (so would be too young for us); Jozef Zylber’s file is 1947-1972; while Jozef Pakula’s file is 1947-1947 (barcode 8781463 – note that there are two Jozef Pakulas as well as a Jozek Pakula listed).
“Annam” to Sydney, 19 Nov 1947
* Joe Lateiner (51) Hairdresser – Poland
No sign of Joe Lateiner: lots of hits for the pianist Jacob Lateiner, though.
“Rangitiki” to Sydney, 30 Nov 1947
* Mr M Sumic (47) Orchardist – Yugoslav
* Mr P Braun (43) Manufacturer – Czechoslavakian
No sign of either of these men in the NAA. Howeverm Trove has an advert for grapes on 26th February 1939:
GRAPES for Sale, White and Red Muscat. Passenger train 6/6 freight paid, M. Sumic, Swan View.
There appear to be plenty of Sumich family members in Swan View.
“Marine Phoenix” to Sydney, 29 Dec 1947
* Mr Solomon Berglas – Poland
* Mr Leon Bilczewski + Mrs Leon Bilczewski + Master Jacob Bilczewski (1) – Poland
* Mr David Fromberg + Mrs David Fromberg + Miss Miriam Fromberg + Master Grzegorz Fromberg (8) – Poland
* Mr Lew Frydman + Mrs Lew Frydman – Poland
NAA has a Salomon Berglas “[Austrian – arrived Sydney per Oronsay, 5 February 1940]” (file 1940-1947); NAA barcode 4309696 refers to “[Application for admission of Leon, Luba and Jakob BILCZEWSKI to Australia]”; but no sign of the Frombergs or the Frydmans.
I think Lewenkopfs can be struck out (as I suspect you expected).
4 records in NAA:
Lewenkopf M and Lewenkopf W both have some activity 1950-1952 (“Correspondence files, multiple number series, Class 14 (Migrants L-N)”)
There’s a Mirla Lewenkopf in a 1952 (lodged Feb 1948, Granted 1952 as best I can tell) Alien Registration record (indicating arrival 1947) – scanned copy exists too, and lists husband Wolf, Son Bernard (aged 9)
Finally there’s a “Application forms (culled from other file series) for admission of Relatives or Friends to Australia (Form 40)” which appears lodged by a “WHITE Stuart Allan” for “LEWENKOPF Wolf LEWENKOPF; LEWENKOPF Bernard” (yes, they seem to have an extra surname thrown in for good measure).
Note: The Alien Registration record is listed as date range 1948-1952…even though it’s one item. This was sort of one of my points about Szuchmacher – that the office updating the record in 1955 would have marked the record as being in the range to 1955 – but that activity might be purely administrative (such as marking a record “inactive” or even that the PoI can’t be located)
Note 2: there was a Peter Sumich who played Aussie Rules for West Coast in Perth during the late 80’s early 90’s.
There’s 2 records for a ZAREMBA Berit (but the earliest is 1950 with an Alien Registration in Fremantly (opposite end of the country to Sydney) – and I can’t really imagine that happening 3 years after the fact).
I wonder whether there’s polish names where the first letter changes for an informal name (like the English William->Bill). I thought most Polish names the other end modifies (eg Yaroslaw->Yarek)….
My family travelled on SS Marine Phoenix from San Francisco to Auckland departing 7 July 1948. It was a “converted” troopship but we were at a loss to discover what had been converted! Hard grey steel decks, 12 berth cabins and limited facilities. I was eight years old and have photos taken aboard the ship. I believe that the ship was laid up after that voyage. (See photos on my Facebook pages)
My mother and I departed San Francisco for Auckland on SS Marine Phoenix March 23rd, 1948. I have a copy of our one way cabin class ticket and also a copy of a rail ticket from Auckland to Palmerston North on April 9th, 1948. As has been stated the last sailing for the Marine Phoenix was to have been in 1947 but with demand still high, the charter of Marine Phoenix was then extended into 1948 for a further five voyages. The fifth, and last of the voyages under the extended charter departed San Francisco on 6 July 1948 for the South Pacific, terminating in Sydney on 30 July, passed through Auckland on 3 August, and arrived back in San Francisco on 17 August, 1948. On 26 August Marine Phoenix was handed back to the US Maritime Commission, and towed to Suisan Bay to be laid up.
My Grandfather and his wife and 2 sons travelled from San Fran to Auckland in July 1947. Surname was Pollard. I am looking to find more details out if anyone can help.
Jan Thompson: here’s a link to the first page of the passenger list of the Marine Phoenix as it arrived in Auckland on 20th April 1948:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-695C-FG?i=6&cc=1609792
I’m guessing your party of two was Isne L. Richards (F, 32) of Canada travelling with Janice Richards (F, 10) of Australia:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-695H-LQ?i=7&cc=1609792
Thanks very much for letting me know about the extended charter! 🙂
Philip Neville: I’m afraid I can’t see anything obvious in the New Zealand Shipping Lists online, sorry. Could I ask your grandfather’s first name or initial? That might be enough to find the group. An approximate year of birth would be helpful too.
Nick: I wonder did you ever check the manifest for MP’s San Francisco to Sydney via Suva and Auckland crossing in September ’47, the one in which an intending NZ immigrant Mrs. Julian Manning claims that a male passenger went missing. Of course that was not the Sydney leg but, in that his fate was never determined, it could well be that the fellow was on the run and got himself lost on board, later managing to make landfall without presenting credentials. That episode could well have fitted SM’s uncertain itinerary and someone good with ‘papers past’ might be able to find the story.
OK, so Julian Manning was the informant, talking about his mum-in-law Kathleen Emmanuel or Beach who was an Auckland arrival with husband Tony and daughter Sally in September 1947. Shouldn’t be too hard to get the passenger list comprised mainly of women and kids, the rest being ex US? world war two male veterans. The log would probably say something about the missing man on an attached incident report. Unfortunately the Auckland/Sydney leg is not even noted on NAA lists or any record of Marine Phoenix for that matter which is an all too common feature in Australian indices.
Trying to figure out why Kathleen (Kitty) mentions a port call at Pitcairn Is. on the outward journey from San Francisco to Auckland 2-18/9/47, yet Kathleen (Kate) Hargreaves recalls Pago Pago and Suva then Auckland on her way to Sydney with arrival on 22/9/47 as a child. I noticed that the Matson Line luggage label of the period is rectangular but almost square and would not look out of place on the vacant semi visible label removal mark on the ‘Keane’ suitcase.
Peteb: Certainly I can’t say that I’ve scooored like CG did with his letter ‘Q’ or something similar in June 2015, but a little bit of interest in that we’ve managed to track down a 24 year old P. Thomson, tourist of Melbourne along with Harley Burch, Prosper’s marriage witness and mob boss from Kansas who may have caught up in Auckland NZ in May,1937 prior to the latter’s departure stateside. A well known ballet star Tadeusz Slavinsky also showed up in May with his Ballet Russes tour, though strangely he didn’t get a hit in Dec. ’44, which meant he could possibly have missed his own demise a month later in Dunedin.
A couple of W. Cohen (Wolf?) types, naissance ’02 and ’04 entering NZ pre war 30’s from Sydney and Melbourne. Then a Marine Phoenix Sydney/Frisco passenger W. Cohen (Wolf?) arrives Auckland 18/4/47 but no particulars recorded so possibly a stateside full journey fare. Must see if we can catch him on his return to Sydney, noting of course that the name Wolf Cohen (var.) may not mean anything to most out there.
According to ticket receipts, my mother left Sydney on the Marine Phoenix on 30 July 1948 and arrived in San Francisco on 17 Aug 1948.
My mother and I sailed on USNS Marine Phoenix from San Francisco in December (I think 1947) and landed in Auckland about early January 1948? We had traveled from Vancouver, Canada to San Francisco to join the ship. I was 7 years old and remember we crossed the date line on Christmas eve, missing Christmas day. We stopped in Honolulu and Pago Pago. I remember it was very austere and landed in Auckland on a nasty dark wet day. I wanted to go home! I would love to hear from anyone who traveled on her.
My father was a soldier that sailed to Korea to fight. He didn’t care for the ride.
To Joan Jameson (Coulter)
My family and I left on the same ship going to Australia – leaving from San Francisco on December 12th, 1947 and landed in Sydney Australia on December29th, 1947. I had just turned 16 on December 9th.
My father passed away on the ship an was buried at sea. We left Victoria on my birthday to go to Seattle on to San Franciso.
We moved to my brothers in West Australia.
My name is Brian Layland. We moved from Monte Creek in BC