In the current Forum and the earlier one, I have seen various places where people have mused whether the name of the
Norwich City was visible in July 1937, and thus whether it might explain why in Betty's Notebook the letters NY occur multiple times. Conversely, others question why in any other post-loss messages there's no instance of an attempt to name the island or the shipwreck as a reference for rescuers to use.
In the
Ameliapedia article on SS Norwich City, one of the Coast Guardsmen at the LORAN station on Gardner Island, Dick Evans, is quoted with his recollection many years later as to whether the ship's name was visible. Earlier in that article, there appears a detailed list of references to this shipwreck as a Gardner Island landmark. Nowhere in that list is there a reference tied to the survey visit in 1939 of USS
Bushnell. I've just taken the time to sift through the
many pages of barely legible reports made by Bushnell's captain, William B. Coleman. Below are three extracts from his reports that make me seriously question whether the
Norwich City's name was visible on the shipwreck in 1937.
My reading of the first extract below leads me to think that there was no external evidence of the stranded vessel's name in mid-November 1939. In fact, it's stated that, "All nameplates and articles of value have been removed." Only after information was received from someone in Samoa does Captain Coleman, a month later, report the name of the shipwreck. Notice that the tonnage of
Norwich City and the date of its grounding as given in the report are both incorrect.
From page 21 of the progress report of W. B Coleman, captain of USS
Bushnell, to the Hydrographer of the U.S. Navy, dated 16 November 1939.
The party sent to hoist an electric beacon on the stranded steamer at GARDNER ISLAND reported that the steamer apparently was once owned by the W. R. Smith Company of England, as evidenced by the firm name on crockery and old silver pieces found in the Captain's cabin with inscribed name "Normanby". The ship is in an upright position on the coral ledge, the forward half high and dry, the after part submerged to the upper deck. A fire apparently gutted the ship before or after stranding. Both anchors are housed although the stoppers were released. The hull is broken on both sides amidships and, on the port side, a huge opening extends to the keel line. No one on the island seems to know when the steamer grounded. From the state of deterioration of the hull and the wooden boats, it is believed to have stranded at least 3-4 years ago. All nameplates and articles of value have been removed. Three clinker-type boats, believed to have belonged to the ship, were found on the beach. The ship's name had been removed but the barely legible name "BIDEFORD" was discerned on one boat. Kodak pictures taken from the BUSHNELL, at a distance of about 1000 yards, are forwarded with this report as enclosure (A).
From the memo, Subject: Sailing Directions Gardner Island, from the captain of USS
Bushnell to the Hydrographer of the U.S. Navy, dated 17 December 1939, on the first page:
The most conspicuous object from the sector north through west to south is the wreck of the steamer Norwich City (Sir W. B. Smith and Sons, Ltd.) which was stranded on the west side near the north point in 1931 (Information as to identity from Burns Philp Co. Manager, Tutuila). The ship was a freighter of about 3500 tons. She has been gutted by fire. She stands upright with more than half her forward length on the reef. The after portion is broken and twisted through an angle of about 20 degrees. The foremast remains in place.
From the progress report of the captain of USS
Bushnell to the Hydrographer of the U.S. Navy, dated 19 December 1939, under ITEMS OF INTEREST on page 20:
The stranded steamer at the lagoon entrance on the west shore of GARDNER ISLAND is the "NORWICH CITY", which grounded in 1931. The crew was rescued by two ships sent from APIA. This information was received from Mr. MacFagen, manager of the Burns Philp Ltd., of PAGO PAGO.
I have not run across anything in the vast store of TIGHAR documents that would indicate that souvenir hunters or anyone else visited the island in the period from July 1937 to November 1939 (aside from the PISS visit in late 1937, the Kiwi Survey in late 1938, and the subsequent colonization) to make off with any prominent sign of the ship's name on its bow or elsewhere. But it's plain to me that Captain Coleman could not identify SS
Norwich City by that name from anything painted on its hull, and had to rely on information received from Mr. MacFagen in Samoa.