SS Jolly George

	A Soviet stamp depicting a dramatised version of Harry Pollitt's agitation against the loading of the SS Jolly George
History
United Kingdom
Name	SS Jolly George
Operator	Cia Maritima, Barcelona (1894-1898) ; Balboa Steamship Co Ltd (1898-1916) ; Entente Steamship Co Ltd (1916-1920) ; Walford Line Ltd (1920-1923) ; Barzilay & Benjamin (1923-1944) ; TC Munakalat Vekaleti Devlet Denizyollari ve Limanlari Isletme (1944-1951);
Builder	Wood, Skinner & Co., Bill Quay, Newcastle-on-Tyne
Launched	30 August 1894
Completed	November 1894
Renamed	Balboa (1894-1920); Jolly George (1920-1923); Sebat (1923-1951);
Fate	Broken up for scrap at La Spezia, 1951
General characteristics
Class and type	Cargo vessel
Tonnage	1,336 GRT
Length	238.8 ft (72.8 m)
Beam	33.2 ft (10.1 m)
Draught	12 ft 6 in (3.81 m)
Propulsion	154nhp; single screw;
Speed	9.5 kn (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph)

Last updated May 28, 2023

SS Jolly George was a cargo vessel operated by Entente Steamship Co Ltd (AKA the Walford Line) during the period 1916-1923. She was originally launched as the Balboa in 1894, and renamed Jolly George in 1920. The ship was subsequently known as Sebat in Turkish service. The ship played a prominent role in carrying arms to Poland during the Polish-Soviet war.

History

The ship was ordered from Wood, Skinner & Co. by the Cia Maritima company of Barcelona, Spain, and was built in Bill Quay on the Tyne. She was equipped with a 154 nominal horsepower engine supplied by North-Eastern Marine Engineering Co Ltd, Sunderland, and was launched as Balboa in 1894. In 1916 she was obtained by the Entente Shipping company (Leopold Walford Ltd), which later became known as the Walford line, and renamed Jolly George in 1920 .^[1] Her new name matched those of other ships operated by the Walford Line, including Jolly Angela, Jolly Bruce, Jolly Inez, and Jolly John.^[2]

In May 1920, whilst loading in the East India Docks of the port of London, the ship was the subject of an industrial dispute related to her cargo of weapons that were bound for Poland, then involved in the Polish-Soviet war against Soviet Russia. Stevedores involved in the loading of the ship noticed that she was being loaded with crates containing 18-pound artillery guns and ammunition which were marked "O.H.M.S. Munitions For Poland". Partly due to agitation by future communist party leader and one-time national organiser of the "Hands Off Russia" campaign Harry Pollitt,^[3] a deputation regarding the matter was sent by the dockers to Ernest Bevin, at the time a senior official in the docker's union. Bevin responded that the dockers would have union support if they refused to load or coal the ship. The ship's owners at the time, the Walford Line, were forced to acquiesce and the Jolly George sailed on 15 May 1920 without the offending weaponry.^[4]

In 1923 the ship was sold by the Walford line to the Turkish Barzilay & Benjamin line which renamed her Sebat. She continued in Turkish service until 1951 when she was sent to be scrapped. She arrived for scrapping at La Spezia, Italy on 27 July 1951, after more than 50 years of service.^[1]

Related Research Articles

SS West Hosokie was a steel–hulled cargo ship built in 1918 as part of the World War I emergency wartime shipbuilding program organized by the United States Shipping Board.

Yelkenci was a 7,052 GRT refrigerated cargo ship which was built in 1943 for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) as Empire Camp. She was sold in 1946 and renamed Valacia. In 1951, she was sold and renamed New York City. A further sale in 1955 saw her renamed Loch Morar. A final sale to Turkish owners saw her renamed Yelkenci. She served with them until scrapped in 1971.

The Hands Off Russia campaign was an international political initiative first launched by British Socialists in 1919 to organise opposition to the British intervention on the side of the White armies against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War, as well as to oppose support for Poland during the Polish-Soviet war. The movement was funded partly with financial support from the Bolsheviks themselves. Their most prominent success was in stopping the sailing of the SS Jolly George with munitions bound for Poland. The movement was encouraged by the fledgling Communist International and ultimately emulated in several other countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.

References

1 2 Robinson, George; Waller, David. "Balboa". Tyne Built Ships: A history of A history of Tyne shipbuilders and the ships that they built. Shipping and Ship Building Research Trust. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
↑ Davis, Joanna (1 August 2019). "Mystery of a 'jolly' vessel in harbour". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
↑ White, Stephen (17 June 1979). Britain and the Bolshevik Revolution. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 41–42. ISBN 9781349042999 . Retrieved 18 October 2021.
↑ Ramsay, James Ullman (12 March 2019). Anglo-Soviet Relations, 1917-1921, Volume 3 The Anglo-Soviet Accord. Princeton University Press. pp. 51–54. ISBN 9780691656076 . Retrieved 18 October 2021.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Robinson_&_Waller-1] 1 2 Robinson, George; Waller, David. "Balboa". Tyne Built Ships: A history of A history of Tyne shipbuilders and the ships that they built. Shipping and Ship Building Research Trust. Retrieved 18 October 2021.

[Davis-2] Davis, Joanna (1 August 2019). "Mystery of a 'jolly' vessel in harbour". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 18 October 2021.

[White_41-42-3] White, Stephen (17 June 1979). Britain and the Bolshevik Revolution. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 41–42. ISBN 9781349042999 . Retrieved 18 October 2021.

[Ramsay_51-54-4] Ramsay, James Ullman (12 March 2019). Anglo-Soviet Relations, 1917-1921, Volume 3 The Anglo-Soviet Accord. Princeton University Press. pp. 51–54. ISBN 9780691656076 . Retrieved 18 October 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]