John Brambora's Merchant Marine Page

The SS Daisy Gray : Was a redwood lumber schooner

The SS Windrush : Was a steel ship that sailed to Africa,Cape town,Mombasa,The Red Sea,Aden,Port Elizibeth, around 1940.Dad tells stories of seas so rough they had to tie themselves in there bunks. When the ship was in the bottom of the swells the ship was almost covered in water, and when it would reach the crest of the swells the propellers would come out of the water and shake the whole ship. How could they ever sleep at all. Dad thinks it was owned by the Dollar Steamship Co.
this email was sent to me i'll pass it along to you:
Joseph Stropole sailed aboard the SS WINDRUSH ! NOTE: THE SS WINDRUSH (PORTLAND ME) WAS BUILT IN 1919, HOG ISLAND WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT BY SHEPHERD LINES, AND RAN BY THEM THROUGHOUT WWII WAS ACCOMPANIED BY ONE SISTER SHIP -SEA RUSH (SUNK 1942) WAS ON NORTH ATLANTIC CONVOY RUNS TO MURMANSK AND ARKANGEL 1942-1944 WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE RUSSIAN AS TAIL END OF LEND-LEASE/MARSHALL PLAN- 1947 DISPOSITION UNKNOWN (SEE OLD ABS RECORDS) MY FATHER- FIRST TRIP- 1937, TRAMP STEAMING TO PERSIAN GULF, ALEXANDRIA, PORT TUFIC, ETC... MY UNCLE- OILER FROM 1942- 1943 (Peter Novak)
More on the windrush Click Here For A Photo

The SS George Olson : A freighter that was built in 1919 as the Castle Town and was a steel steam schooner. thanks to Phyllis J. Kelly from the Puget Sound Maritime Research Library for this information.Was Owned by the Oliver J. Olson Co.Sailed in april,1943 on a 28 day schedule between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Puget Sound and Grays Harbor. She was a 3500 ton World War 1 Shipping Board steamship,later operated by the Coos Bay Lumber Co. as the Lumbertown and Coos Bay and was taken over by the Santa Ana Steamship Co. from Oliver J. Olson Co.for service on the Puget Sound - Kuskokwim River route. The former steel steamship George Olson in use as a towed lumber barge, went adrift while being towed across the Columbia River Bar by the Tug Mikimiki (2) in february 1964 outward bound for Los Angeles with 3,500,000 feet of lumber. Three Coast Guard boats attempted to retreive the heavely laden barge, but she began to take on water and became unmanageable. She eventually went on the rocks of Jetty (A) on the north side of the river entrance,and was broken up.For many days fishing vessels arrived at Astoria, their decks laden with salvaged lumber until they resembled miniature steam schooners.

The SS Cynthia Olson : a steel steam schooner Hauled lumber from Coos Bay Oregon to Honolulu Hawaii.Owned by Oliver J. Olson , in the late 1950's, the George Olson and Mary Olson still were operating along the west coast.

This information I got off the net from the Navy Armed Guard,this report tells of the Cynthia Olson being sunk at Honolulu Harbor Dec.7,1941 all hands on board were lost. I'm still checking and will update as soon as possible. Dad sailed her previosly and got on the Oliver Olson.
Click Here To See A Picture Of The Cynthia Olson

The SS Oliver Olsen : Left Honolulu Harbor Dec.6,1941 for Coos Bay Oregon in the evening I'm not sure of the time and I will check again on the destination the skipper's name was Johnson.She was originaly built the Point Bonita in 1918 in Portland Oregon. Later named the San Pedro and then the Oliver Olson.

The SS John A. Johnson : hull # 2027 a Liberty Ship sailed the South Pacific hauled ammunition and 500 lb. bombs. Sailed to Austrailia,New Guiney. new information; Thanks to Bill Humm, John A.Johnson built june 1943 by Oregon Shipbuilding Corp. 10/30/44 Damaged by Japanese sub (I.12)in pacific (29.55N 141.25W)on a voyage from San Francisco to Honolulu(carrying war supplies and explosives). Broke in two and abandoned. Both sections shelled by sub and sank.