I am 90% certain that my father came to Australia as a displaced person on the S.S. Goya you discuss in October 1949. You mention not being able to find passenger lists for the ship. I found the list for my father’s voyage at the National Archives of Australia, the file of that voyage is A434, 949/3/21770, which is available at the NAA site. (details of my search are at my blog http://completepeter.blogspot.com/)
I am interested in where or how you found the details of the ship, her changes of name, etc. And do you know of anywhere I could find a photograph?
I enclose the original posts for context.
Letters
There are two ships named, Goya
Dear Mac,
There must have been 2 ships named/renamed Goya as my Italian/Yugoslav friend said he arrived in New Zealand, in 1951, Auckland and was a WW2 refugee during the resettlement program but I cannot, find anywhere the Ships List, let alone, passenger lists.......have tried many sites but so far to no avail. Goya also visited Sydney in 1952.
Maybe a rename could have occurred but I have turned up zilch!!
Have tried NARA, but find this site difficult. Have surfed Ships List, and ISTG, both sites fantastic and easy to use but still nothing!!!
HELP please....
Hello,
There were indeed two Goya's, the one I wrote about with the German refugees, and another, but that one was built in 1938 at Hamburg, a 5,042 ton ship for the German East Africa Line, and firstly named Kamerun, in 1945 she was captured by the Allies and in 1947 went to Norway to be owned by A/S J Ludwig Mowinckels Rederi of Bergen, she now was renamed Goya. The ship was used for Emmigration over 1949-1952.
I found a record of her in Auckland in 1951, and in Sydney in 1952. But I could not turn up any passenger lists.
The ship now changed hands a number of times with these name changes, Goya to Reina/ Reina to Svanholm/ Svanholm to Hilda/ Hilda to Mellina.
As Mellina she was sold to a Taiwan ship breaking up company and broken up in the 1960's.
This may not be a great deal of use to you, but at least gives you some history.
Best regards,
Mac. Gregory.
