Papers of Capt. Joseph Kendrick

This small collection contains a short photocopied account of the sinking of the SS Apollo written by Joseph Kendrick, Captain of the Apollo at the time of its sinking.

The SS Apollo was a steam passenger and cargo ship built in 1865 by Earles Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd Hull for the Wilson Line, Hull. It weighed 1336 tons and measured 76.8x9.8x6.1m with a power of 150 n.h.p. The Apollo sank in the Bay of Biscay on 7 March 1882 following a collision in fog with the French steamer Precurseur. The Precurseur, which was also significantly damaged in the collision, was able to rescue the surviving crew of the Apollo and make it safely to harbour for repairs.

Captain Joseph Smith Kendrick was born in 1847 in Liverpool to Robert and Elizabeth Kendrick. He joined the Wilson Line in 1869, first serving as a Second Mate before being promoted to First Mate in 1872. A year later he was promoted to Master. He served on various ships as Master including the Borodino, Argo, Otto, Toledo, Hero and Rialto, and in many places across the globe but particularly in the Baltic. He left the Wilson Line on 26 Dec 1906. By 1911, he is recorded as living at 23 Linneaus Street, Hull with his wife Theresa and their three children Theresa, Annie and Jane. Described as a retired Master Mariner he had remained in some capacity in the Ship Business. He died in 1923.

Access will be granted to any accredited reader

Donated by Ian Kendrick, Hong Kong, 17 December 1996

Ellerman's Wilson Line [U DEW]

Earle's Shipbuilding and Engineering Company [U DEA]

Other repositories:

Artefacts, photographs and other Wilson Line ephemera, Hull Maritime Museum [GB 0323]