The winner of the September 2014 competition was John Jordan of County Cork.

John Jordan writes:

This ship is SS New Zealand built in 1936 by Barclay Curle of Glasgow. Her owners were the Currie Line of Leith. She was of 1,433grt, with triple expansion 3 Cylinder steam engine delivering 12 knots. On 28th June 1942, Captain Branagan in command, she was sunk by torpedo by U-97 off Haifa, with the loss of 10 crew and 4 gunners. The Captain survived.

AD Frost writes:

September’s ‘Unknown Ship’ is J.Currie’s (Currie Line) ss Zealand (II), built 1936 by Barclay, Curle. She was sunk by U-97 6th June 1942, 10nm S. of Mt. Carmel, near Haifa.

Alan Blackwood writes:

September’s ship is the 1,433 grt steamer Zealand, the second of two identical sisters built to the order of the Leith based James Currie & Co. for cargo only operations on the Company’s ‘liner’ routes from UK ports to Germany and the Baltic and London to Portugal and onwards to the Mediterranean. She was completed by Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd. at their Clydeholm Yard, Whiteinch during January 1936 to replace an earlier namesake constructed at this same yard 30 years earlier and sold during 1935 to the Ulster Steamship Co. (G. Heyn & Sons) of Belfast. The subject Zealand had overall dimensions of 262′ 1″ x 40′ 4″ x 26′ and was powered by a 900ihp triple expansion engine constructed by her builder to return a service speed of 10 knots. During the early afternoon of 28th June 1942 whilst underway between Port Said and the Cypriot port of Famagusta (now Gazimagusa) as a unit of Convoy Metril and carrying a cargo of aviation spirit in drums, she was attacked and sunk by U- 97 some 14 miles SW of Haifa. Of her wartime crew complement of 33, only 19 survived.

Peter Sommerville writes:

I think this ship is the Zealand (1,433grt) of Currie Line. She was built by Barclay, Curle Glasgow in 1936 and was torpedoed on the 28th June 1942 by U-97 off Haifa. 10 crew and 4 gunners lost their lives.

Doug Burn writes:

The mystery ship in the September issue is the Zealand 2. She was built at Barclay, Curle, Whiteinch, Glasgow in 1936. She was of 1,433 GRT and 2,450 dwt, and was built for the Leith, Hull Hamburg Line, J.Currie & Co. She was a steam ship with a 3 cylinder expansion engine giving a speed of 12 knots. There were 4 ships in the Currie fleet that carried the name Zealand your photograph shows the second one. She was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-97 when S by SW of Haifa with the loss of 10 crew members and 4 gunners. The Master, Captain L. J. Branagan survived.

Laurance Ward writes:

This ship is the Zealand, built by Barclay, Curle & Company, Whiteinch, Glasgow for the Leith, Hull & Hamburg SP Company, Leith, James Currie & Co., managers. Launched 11/11/1935 and completed in January 1936, registered in Leith. Dimensions: 1,433grt, BP length 262.10ft, beam 40.40ft, draught 15.90ft, single screw. Force draft coal fired boilers supplying steam to a triple expansion 3cyl., 15″, 25″ and 41″ diameters, and 33″ stroke, giving a service speed of 12.00 knots. Accomodation provided for 12 passengers in 6 two berth cabins. Built for the owners Leith to Mediterranean run, loading coal outward and general cargo inward. Regretably, her career came to an untimely end on the 28/06/1942, when she was torpedoed by U-97, SSW of Haifa. Unfortunately, 10 crew members & 4 gunners were lost.

Charles Baxter writes:

This month’s unknown ship is the ss Zealand, 1,433grt, built 1936 by Barclay, Curle, Glasgow for the Currie Line of Leith. She was built for the Mediterranean trade from London. On 28th June 1942 she was torpedoed and sunk by U-97 in the Mediterranean, near Cape Carmel, Palestine, while on government service on a voyage from Port said to Famagusta, Cyprus as a member of the convoy code-named ‘Metril’. The Master, 12 crew and 6 gunners were rescued by H.M. Trawler Islay and landed at Haifa. 10 crew and 4 gunners were lost.

Mick Filbee writes:

The unknown Ship this month is the cargo ship SS Zealand which belonged to Curries of Leith. She was built in 1936 by Barclay Curle Ltd at Whiteinch Glasgow, However sadly she was torpedoed and lost in a position S W of Haifa. In 1966 I served as an AB onher namesake the M/V Zealand also a fine ship, built in 1955 by the Henry Robb yard in Leith, at that time we were on charter to General Steam running down the Italian Coast from the Surrey Commercial docks.

Mike Goadby writes:

This month’s unknown ship is the 1,433 grt steamship Zealand, owned by Currie Line of leith and built by Barclay, Curle at Glasgow in 1936. She was torpedoed by U-97 south-west of Haifa on 28th August 1942. Ten of her crew and four gunners were lost. Captain L.J. Branagan survived the sinking. Her sister ship was ss Rutland.