Charles G. Black - (1926-1940)

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ESSO International Tankers 1920-1929

Launch of the "G. Harrison Smith", 20 000-ton combination ore and oil carrier, at the Sparrow's

Point plant of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation.

Source : Pacific Marine Review, October 1921

LARGE OIL AND ORE VESSEL LAUNCHED

THE first of the combination ore and oil vessels building at Sparrow’s Point plant, Sparrow’s Point, Maryland, of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Ltd., was launched on July 12, 1921.

Delivery is scheduled for about the middle of September. This vessel, the G. Harrison Smith, is being built for the International Petroleum Company and is one of four ships of this type under construction at Sparrow‘s Point, the other three being for the Ore Steamship Corporation.

The G. Harrison Smith is distinctive in that it is the largest vessel ever constructed at this plant, having a deadweight capacity of 20,000 tons and a length overall of 571 feet, 6 inches. It is designed for carrying a full cargo of either ore or oil in separate compartments. The ore cargo will be carried in a narrow elevated hold 30 feet wide and 360 feet long. It is divided by watertight bulkheads into three compartments, each of which is served by three large hatches extending the full width of the ore hold.

The oil space, alongside and be- low the ore space, is divided by a longitudinal bulkhead extending from the keel to the ore hold. The foremost and aftermost compartments are for fuel oil and the tanks between these are for cargo oil. There are no summer tanks.

The wing spaces, acting as expansion trunks, on account of their depth afford the greatest possible flexibility for carrying liquid cargoes of varying density and adjusting the trim under all conditions of load.

Combination oil and ore steamer "G. Harrison Smith", recently delivered to the International Petroleum

Company by the Sparrow's Point plant of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation.

Source : Pacific Marine Review, November 1921

Combination Ore and Qil Steamer

"G. Harrison Smith". Delivered to International Petroleum Company

THE G. Harrison Smith, 20,000-ton combination ore and oil vessel built at the Sparrow’s Point plant of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Ltd., for the International Petroleum Company, was delivered to her owners on September 12, after a very successful trial, which was run on August 30 at Sparrows Point, Maryland.

The vessel has a length overall of 571 feet 6 inches, a breadth of 72 feet, and a depth of 44 feet. She is equipped with three singleended Scotch boilers and triple-expansion reciprocating engines with cylinders 25x41x68-inch diameter and 48-inch stroke. The boilers are equipped with the Bethlehem-Dahl mechanical oil burning system ?tted with Howden type of forced draft.

Built as the first "G. Harrison Smith" in 1921, she became in 1926 as Esso tanker "Charles G. Black" .

The ship was sold in 1940 to the Ore Steamship Comp. and renamed "Venore", There where no sisterships.

Torpedoed and sunk off Diamond Shoals in january, 1942.

USS "Satterlee" bunkered by the "Charles G. Black". As HMS "Belmont", the destroyer was lost two years later.

In 1926 she was acquired by the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey, New York and renamed "Charles G Black", as show in this

photograph.

"Charles G. Black", ex. "G. Harrison Smith", on July 23rd, 1942.

She was sold to the Ore Steamship Corporation, New York in 1940 and converted to an ore carrier and renamed Venore. On 24 January 1942 she was on voyage Cruz Grande, Chile to Cristobal and Baltimore with 8,000 tons of iron ore when at 02.40 hours she was torpedoed by U-66 which fired two torpedoes at the unescorted and unarmed Venore commanded by Master Fritz Duurloo. One torpedo missed and the other struck amidships forward of the boiler room and set her on fire. Her master tried to escape by zigzagging at full speed, but some of her crew of 8 officers and 33 crewmen panicked and launched three lifeboats. Two of these broke up upon hitting the water with most of their occupants being drowned. There were only two men in the surviving boat and they made landfall after two days.

At 03.24 hours a second torpedo hit the Venore on the port side at No 9 hold. The remaining crew abandoned ship in the last lifeboat and at 04.05 hours the ship capsized to starboard and sank. The master, one officer and 15 crew members were lost while the survivors in the last boat were picked up by the Tennessee about 62 miles north of Diamond Shoals and landed at Norfolk.

U-66 did not survive the war as she was sunk on 6 May 1944 west of the Cape Verde Islands by depth charges, ramming and gunfire from Avenger and Wildcat aircraft and by the destroyer escort USS Buckley. There were 24 dead and 36 survivors from her crew. Her commander at the time of the Venore sinking was Richard Zapp. He survived the war and died, aged 60 years, in 1964.

Additional Info by Starke & Schell Registers :

1921 - G. HARRISON SMITH CA 2T (aft), (11½)

15,371GRT for International Petroleum Co., Ltd., Halifax, N.S., 550.6 x 72.3

Ore/Tanker Built by Bethlehem SB. Corp., Sparrow's Point, Md., (9), #4210, 141674

1926 - CHARLES G. BLACK Standard Oil Co. (New Jersey), Bayonne, N.J. USA , 226114

1927 - Standard Shipping Co., Inc., Wilmington, Del.

1935 - Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey, Wilmington, Del.

1940 - VENORE Ore Steamship Corp., New York - converted to ore carrier, 8,017 grt.

Torp. and sunk by U 66, 23 Jan 1942, in 34.50N-75.20W, (20 miles SE of Cape Hatteras),

voyage Cruz Grande - Baltimore, iron ore.

The Miramar Ship Index for "G. HARRISON SMITH"

IDNo:	1141674	Year:	1921
Name:	G.HARRISON SMITH	Keel:
Type:	Ore/oil carrier	Launch Date:	12.07.1921
Flag:	CAN	Date of completion:	09.1921

Tons:	15371	Link:	-
DWT:		Yard No:	4210
Length overall:		Ship Design:
LPP:	167.8	Country of build:	USA
Beam:	22.0	Builder:	Bethlehem
Material of build:		Location of yard:	Sparrow's Point
Number of screws/Mchy/Speed(kn):	2T-11.5

Subsequent History:

1926 CHARLES G. BLACK - 1940 VENORE

Disposal Data:

Torpedoed and lost 34.50 N / 75.20 W on 23.01.1942 (17 dead)

History :

ON	LR/IMO	ID	Year	Name	Tons	Change	Registered Owner
141674		1141674	1921	G. HARRISON SMITH	15371		International Petroleum Co., Ltd.
226114		1141674	1921	CHARLES G. BLACK	15371	1926	Standard Oil Co., of New Jersey
226114		1141674	1921	CHARLES G. BLACK	15371	1927	Standard Sg., Co., Inc.
226114		1141674	1921	CHARLES G. BLACK	15371	1935	Standard Oil Co., of New Jersey
226114		1141674	1921	VENORE	8017	1940	Ore SS Corp.

Additional information from Uboat.net :

Name: Venore

Type: Steam merchant

Tonnage: 8.017 tons

Completed: 1921

Owner: Ore Steamship Corp, New York

Homeport: -

Date of attack: 24 Jan, 1942

Nationality: American

Fate: Sunk by U-66 (Richard Zapp)

Position: 34.50N, 75.20W - Grid CA 7968

- See location on a map -

Complement: 41 (17 dead and 24 survivors).

Convoy: -

Route: Chile - Sparrows Point, Maryland

Cargo: Iron Ore, 8000 tons

History: -

Notes on loss:

The unescorted and unarmed Venore (master Fritz Duurloo) followed two miles behind the British Motor tanker Empire Gem. At

02h40 the British ship was sunk by U-66. Zapp spotted the Venore and fired only three minutes later two torpedoes. The first struck-

ed amidships and set her on fire, but the second missed. The master tried to escape with high speed, but some of the crew panick-

ed and launched three lifeboats, two of them disintegrated upon hitting the water and the most men drowned. In the surviving boat

were only two men and they reached land after 49 hours.

After 40 minutes she was hit by another torpedo from U-66 and the remaining crew abandoned ship in the last lifeboat. The Venore

capsized and sank over an hour later. This 21 survivors were picked up by the American steam merchant Tennessee (sunk on 23.

Sep, 1942 by U-617) on 25. January and landed them at Norfolk. One man floated on wreckage until he was picked up by the

American motor tanker Australia (sunk on 16. Mar, 1942 by U-332) on 25. January.