Arthur Edmund Ramshaw
S.S. Domingo de Larrinaga
Hilfskreuzer Pinguin
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Arthur Edmund Ramshaw, one of 8 children, all of whom survived, was the 4th born of 6 sons and 2 daughters. His father William Ramshaw born September 17th 1870 at South Hetton, County Durham, married during the 2nd quarter 1891, in the district of Sunderland, to Mary Elizabeth Greenwell of Haswell, County Durham, born September 8th 1869. William Jnr was born at South Hetton in 1892 where his father was employed as a joiner, Charles Frederick in 1895 at Sunderland, Thomas Mavin, May 6th 1896 and Arthur Edmond 1899 at Haswell, Edwin, October 27th 1900, Evelyn 1902, Ernest Vivian 1905 and Mary Elizabeth 1906 at Sunderland. William’s work must have taken him away from home as in 1911 his wife is listed as married and head of the household at 99, Fulwell Road, Sunderland. William Jnr (19) was employed by a shipbuilder as a ship’s draftsman apprentice, his brother Charles Frederick (16) an apprentice joiner and Thomas Marvin (14) was a messenger at a cafe, their younger siblings were all scholars.
Arthur Edmund left his family home at 27, Mount Road East, Sunderland and joined the Mercantile Marine at The British Mercantile Marine Office Sunderland, February 24th 1919. His passport number 19611 and details were checked firstly by the British Board of Trade and then by the American Consulate at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland and he departed from the port of Sunderland as part of the crew of the Screw Steamer G. R. Crowe, March 19th 1919, a cargo ship bound for New York, arriving April 6th 1919. He obtained his certificate of competency as Second Mate, February 9th 1920, First Mate for foreign-going steam ships only, March 21st 1923 and married in the district of Sunderland during the 2nd quarter (Apr/May Jun) to Emmeline Margaret Watt, born January 17th 1902 in the City of York, Yorkshire, daughter of Robert Watt, a dealer in thoroughbred race horses for his own account and wife Jane Ann. Their daughter Patricia was born in 1928 and Peter in 1938 both registered in the district of Sunderland.
In 1939, when war was again declared with Germany, Arthur Edmund Ramshaw was Chief Officer in the Merchant Navy aboard the cargo ship S.S. Domingo de Larrinaga, with a crew of 36. The ship set sail from Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina with a cargo of grain, some records state bound for Belfast and Hull others Newcastle.
The Hilfskreuzer Pinguin, formally known as the freighter Kandelfeis, in the winter of 1939-40 was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine and converted to a warship. The Pinguin was the first wave of raiders sent out disguised as an anonymous naval transport ship and June 20th 1940 entered the North Sea headed for Norway, passing Bergen and carried on to Sorgulenfjord. In the fjord she was disguised as the black-hulled Soviet cargo ship Petschura with hammer and sickle markings and set sail, June 22nd, having been loaded by her escort torpedo boats with torpedoes, to rendezvous and replenish the submarine UA off Cape Verde, then to disrupt traffic in the Indian Ocean, lay mines off Australia and Indian ports then finally to head south to seek out the British and Norwegian whaling fleets in the Antarctic. Intercepted several times by submarines she was ignored due to her markings and by June 29th sailed through the Denmark straights and into the Atlantic, July 1st. July 18th she was re-camouflaged as the Greek Kassos and met up with UA with the intension of transferring the torpedoes and fuel, however, due to bad weather this was cancelled and they sought calmer waters 700 miles SW of Cape Verde and began the replenishment, the first of its kind ever accomplished, which was concluded by July 25th. Pinguin towed UA in order for her to save fuel until they reached the shipping lanes off Freetown.
July 31st 1940, 300 miles NW of Ascension Island, a ship was sighted by Pinguin who gave chase, it was the Domingo de Larrinaga. Pinguin ran up her battle flag, dropped her camouflage and signalled the vessel to stop and not to use her wireless or she would be fired upon. The Domingo de Larrinaga ignored the request resulting in warning shots being fired across her bows, followed by 4 more warning shots but still she did not stop and continued sending distress signals. The Pinguin saw her crew were manning their stern mounted gun and opened fire on the Domingo de Larrinaga’s bridge making several hits which set her on fire bringing the British freighter to a halt and her crew were given the order to abandon ship. A heavily armed boarding party and a surgeon and 2 sick bay attendants were sent on board to attend to the wounded. Scuttling charges were placed in the Domingo de Larrinaga’s engine room which did not explode and she had to be sunk by a torpedo. The survivors were taken on board Pinguin. Chief Officer Ramshaw was amongst the survivors and became a prisoner of war, his family however were informed that he had gone down with his ship.
Pinguin was the most successful commerce raider of the German Fleet during WW2. When she too met her fate, May 8th 1941, sunk by HMS Cornwall, 532 persons, including 200 prisoners of war, were lost with the ship. HMS Cornwall managed to save 60 of her crew and 22 POWs who were originally the surviving crew of the 32 merchant ships the Pinguin had either sunk or captured.
After the sinking of the Pinguin details surrounding the death of Chief Officer Arthur Edmund Ramshaw were corrected. He was deemed to have drowned on or since October 23rd 1940, “lost in enemy vessel”. At the time of his demise he was 41 years of age. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 36,087 names inscribed on Tower Hill Memorial, London, standing on the south side of Trinity Square, commemorating men of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who have no known grave or were lost or buried at sea where no permanent memorial could be raised.
August 3rd 1941, as per his will, the effects of Arthur Edmund Ramshaw of 2 Broadmayne Avenue, Sunderland, in the sum of 318 pounds 15 shillings, were assigned to his widow Emmeline Margaret.
During WW1 Arthur’s eldest brother Sergeant William Greenwell Ramshaw Durham Light Infantry died of wounds, May 24th 1915 whilst on active service in Belgium and during WW2 his older brother Thomas Mavin Ramshaw also served with the Merchant Navy 1939-1945 and survived the conflict.
Emmeline Margaret Ramshaw nee Watt of Wearside House, 15, Thornhill Gardens, Sunderland died June 15th 1985.
In 1939 Arthur’s parents, William, a retired joiner, and Mary Elizabeth Ramshaw were living at 43, Whinfield Road, Darlington, County Durham. Details of their demise, unknown.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Arthur Edmund Ramshaw is remembered in Sunderland on S140.012 and in S140.159 at Haughton Le Skerne on H117.02 , at Darlington on D40.035 and on our List of Ships’ crews
