The Goya had a vital part in my dad's story as the ship he journeyed to Australia in. Since identifying her and her role in my family history I wanted to know more about the ship, and her fate, in particular I wanted to locate a photograph. I searched high and low on the Internet, hoping to find something quickly, I did find some scraps of information and gleaned a few facts (e.g. at the time of my father's voyage the Goya was Norwegian owned and flagged), however, no photograph anywhere. Goya has a Wikipedia article, but alas, no picture. Much frustration, no satisfaction. I refined my search and googled again, finding nothing of use I gave up for the night ... fade to black.
And her fate? Reading through Peter Plowman's book shows me that the Goya was a typical merchant/passenger ship -- not much glamour and a hard, hard life. The vessel started life in 1938 as the German cargo ship Kamerun; performed war service with the German navy until taken as spoils of war and allocated to the Norwegians; six changes of name; several owners; a migrant ship for only part of her life. Finally, in 1969, named Melina she was sold for the last time and was broken up for scrap at Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It appears that Goya's most famous voyage was her March-May 1951 journey to New Zealand. The 50th anniversary of that event was marked, in September 2001, by a celebratory dinner (see the New Zealand Government Internet site, beehive.govt.nz for details).
A last note, the Goya I discuss here is not to be confused with another German ship named Goya, which was sank with great loss of life by the Soviet navy in 1945.
The book's details: Australian migrant ships 1946-1977 / by Peter Plowman. Dural, N.S.W. : Rosenberg, 2006; ISBN: 9781 8770 5840 0; price $AUD 29.95.
38 comments:
Hi Peter, from one librarian to another, thanks for the photo of the 'Goya'. My parents and brother came on that ship, arriving on 26/12/49 as DP's. I had been under the misapprehension that they arrived on the Castel Felice but recent research revealed otherwise. Keep up the good work!
Hella
The SS Goya also carried refugees to Canada. We travelled from Bremerhaven to Halifax in Sept-Oct 1950 when I was still an infant. I was told that the ship had just returned to Bremerhaven from Australia before we left.
In Halifax, "DP" (Displaced Persons) ships arrived at Pier 21, where there is now a museum dealing with Canada's immigration history. On their web site, which is not especially good, unfortunately, I found two photos of the SS Goya. One is the same as you have from Plowman, but the other is different. You can access it through http://www.pier21.ca/research/faq/ship-images/.
N.
Please ring me at 094448011 I want to talk with you about your article about Goya. Please ring me or give me your telephone number. Thank you very much Francisca
Thanks for the research. I have been looking for a photo of the Goya for a while now. My Father travelled on her in June 1949 as a DP. He is originally from Estonia. Where were your parents originally from?
Danny.
Thanks for the photo of the ship. I have only found out today that my mother, uncle and grandparents arrived on the Goya - around Christmas 1949. From what I can gather at this stage, they were in a DP camp in Germany and caught the ship from Naples in November 1949. They were originally from Lithuania. I'd be interested to hear any stories from passengers onboard the ship. What was the trip like etc. Did people go to Somers or Bonegilla? Amanda
Thanks for all who are working on the Goya.My partner`s Mum and Dad Josef Schmidt came over from Germany 1949 to Australia on it.Even married couples had to sleep separately in men/women`s quarters.His father worked his way across as a cook.They were only allowed to meet each other on deck in between on the passage...
Lara
realisbest@bigpond.com
hello my name is daina and my mother and father brother and sister arrived on that ship I have a picture of the Goya coming into the melborne harbor with a tug along side.how do I put it on your blogger.
My husbands mother, aunty, grandmother and great grandmother arrived in New Zealand on the Goya in 1951. My mother in law was only a year old and her sister only 4. We have no idea about what happened to her father or grandfather as she either can't or won't tell us.
They came from Austria but their mum and grandmother were originally from Sarajevo.
I arrived in Melbourne in 1950 on the Goya from Germany. I was 5 years old, with Wally and Janek Babula the carers who united me with my mother and father already here in Australia. We were sent to Bonigilla.
Thank you so much for the photo. I arrived on it in May 1951 to Wellington along with many other Greeks and East Europeans. Does anyone know the name of the Captain? Any other links, photos and details would be most welcome. I do remeber my mother telling me the ship was segregated by sex.
Thanks for this connection with the ship "Goya". As a child not quite 5 I crossed the Atlantic in her with my family from Bremerhaven to Halifax, Nova Scotia, arriving 4 October 1951. I still remember a little of the crossing, and even have a few family photos taken on board. I looked at the Pier 21 website arrivals database but neither the Goya nor any arrivals on that date are listed. There is a disclaimer which says: “Some crossings, such as those chartered by refugee assistance organizations, may not be reflected”. There was a lot of prejudice against non-Anglo immigrants in Canada at the time, but as there was a high demand for labour, DP's sponsored by contractors were, perhaps, "brought in under the radar". Here in Australia in 2015 those kinds of prejudices are still being played out against asylum seekers.
Hi
My grandparents, mother and an aunt came to Canada on the M/V Goya. I am not sure if they arrived in Dec. 1950 or Jan.1951. One document I have has 2 stamps with dates. That has me trying to track what the original entry date was for them. I do have a card that was issued to my grandfather which states his dorm and berth number. The one for my grandmother mentions that her name appears on return sheet 4 line 21.
Gary
My mother-in-law and her mother arrived in Halifax aboard the Goya in the fall of 1951. They were Holocaust survivors who fled Hungary after it fell behind the iron curtain. I tried to get information about their voyage at Pier 21, the museum in Halifax, but they did not have a passenger list. All I was able to obtain was a photograph of the ship. It is ironic that they fled to Canada and safety board a ship that had originally been a German vessel and part of the German navy during WWII. Thanks so much for posting this information and providing a bit of a glimpse into the history of our family.
Complete passenger lists with annotations for the Goya voyages Naples to Wellington
(i) 9th July 1951 to 13 Aug 1951 (886 persons)
(ii) 7th Nov 1951 to 14 Dec 1951 (460 persons)
are available by clicking on "Goya" at this page
https://familysearch.org/search/image/index?owc=MP7G-3YQ%3A119260801%2C119038001%3Fcc%3D1609792
Cut and paste the whole string and click on Goya. I stumbled upon them while doing some genealogy and quickly became sub merged in the huge task of the International Refuge Organization and the Group Resettlement To New Zealand (S/S Goya). From comments on this blog it's easy to deduce that the S/S Goya was involved for over two years shuttling between the collection points in Europe (mainly Naples and Piraeus and Seaports in the commonwealth eg Wellington, Melbourne and Halifax. Each voyage took about ten weeks out and return. a quick calculation gives a "back of a bus ticket" estimate of 5,000 men, women and children. The documentation is painstaking and impressive.
I found I needed to go to wikipedia to read up about the post-war [1945-48] "Zones of Occupation" After World War II Germany was was broken into four zones i.e. Germany A Zone to Germany D Zone . Each of the major allies Britain, USA, France and Russia was allocated one piece. Berlin the capital was also split into four pieces. This is well described in the Ower point slide presentation.
http://www.slideshare.net/wswitala/berlin-wall-3218988.
My grandfather arrived in Melbourne from Germany in 1950. We are talking about it with him right now! Thanks for the photo!
We arrived in Sydney on 18th August 1949 on the Goya leaving Naples in July. My daughter has since obtained a passenger manifest for that voyage and if anyone is interested you can contact me at yeremazing@gmail.com. Cheers ...... Alex Yeremeyev
My father arrived in Canada supposedly on the SS Goya in 1951. I would like to hear from anyone who has information about this voyage and its passengers. Lets try to exchange information and pictures and see what we can learn from each other!
Hi Norine G. You've obviously read my post above. Yes I crossed the Atlantic on the Goya in October 1951 as a child with my parents. I have a few photos and a few memories I'm happy to share. Contact me at a.romanoff@iinet.net.au
Well, since I left my previous post in August 2015 I have not been able to find any reference to the S.S. Goya ever having docked in Halifax, N.S. in January 1951. Then I filled in a form online with the I.T.S. in October 2015. Despite the length of time between then and November 2017 I got a response. One document that was scanned and sent was what I was looking for and that was the passenger list with my grandparents, mother and aunt listed. It had me happy because it cleared up a couple of questions. If anyone else had family arrive into Halifax in Jan. 1951 that would like a copy let me know.
Gary, I believe my father and his family arrived in Halifax aboard the S.S. Goya in early 1951. I have a few outdoor shipboard photos showing Goya's name on a life preserver. I'd be interested in seeing a copy of your passenger list if their names are on it.
Thank you, Peter, for your blog. It made one of my new Australian friends very happy when I sent him the link.
My father took quite a few photos when we crossed the Atlantic on the Goya ship to Canada, arriving March 11, 1951,in Montreal, with quite a few E. European immigrants. I could share if wanted.
I would love to see the pictures. could you please send them to me.
thanks N,
Please note this is the first time I am acessing a blog so be paitient with me!
Just for information, I have been looking for information on the ss goya from everywhere and recently discovered a friend of mine, who knew my father, she met him on the voyage over on the ss goya. She is still alive and a delightful person. I have been volunteering with her for over 2 years!
Hello Peter and other people who had their families at the vesael Goya. My father worked on this ship - a Norwegian with the name Johannes. You can see a Picture of him on my Facebook page "Mary Ann Myrvang". In a museum for immigration in Adelaide, Australia, I found out that the ship arrived at The Port of Adelaide 29. of April/May in 1949. Here is a link to a picture and information about Goya arriving in Australia wiht migrants - and the klondike that existed at that thime. My father loved Adelaide and wanted to move to there, but my mother was not alke to. I am very happy to read about the stories my father may have experienced on Board, he was at that time 29 years of age.
http://passengersinhistory.sa.gov.au/node/926913
My Mother came on the SS Goya to Canada on Oct 4th 1951. I would like any picture of document that anyone would send. Who knows she could be in the background.
Gary I too would like a copy of the passenger list please and thank you
My parents and two siblings traveled from Germany, as Jewish refugees, on the Goya, landing in Halifax in October 1951. The Pier 21 site shows two arrivals in October 1951; October 4 and October 24. I don't know which one my family was on. I do have a photo of them in front of the Goya, and I remember that my father was tasked with cleaning restrooms on the trip, as he was not prone to seasickness. I would be very interested in finding a passenger list with their names, or any other information about that trip.
Regarding my post above; the photo includes the words "Boat Station no. 3", and in the background is a seated woman with a kerchief and a small child on her lap.
Hi ..my father came from Europe on the same ship 1951.. January 1951....I am trying to find his passport so that I can review the route .. when I find it I will be in touch...I would really like to exchange information...
I believe my parents came on a different ship, as they arrived in Halifax in October 1951, not January. I am still looking for that trip information, would be so great to find a ship roster with their name on it.
My mother and I were on the Goya and landed in Halifax on January 1951. Would love to see a copy of the passenger list and also any photos of this ship. Thank you.
I would love to get a copy of the passenger list on the Goya landing in Halifax in January, February or March 1951.
As I mentione earlier I have a friend who was on the ship with my father and she says they landed in February 1951. How many trips to Halifax were made by the Goya in early 1951?
My Great grand mother was on the SSGoya. She was a widow aged 59 when she came to Canada to start a new life. I believe her husband died in the war. She traveled in 1951. I want to know if anyone has any information or know where I can look. She came from Bremerhaven. Her name is Anna Steyer and Josef Steyer is her husband.
Hi Alex,
My parents made the same voyage, your name is familiar. We settled in Marayong 1951.
Cheers
Mark Stass (Staszowski)
Thanks for an interesting blog. My father was a crewmenber on board. He started his professional career as a 3rd engineer after a technical education. I am interested in getting in touch with people who can tell me more about the journeys
.
a) Personal accounts of immigrants who were with Goya
b) Photo from the trip / ship
c) Photos and personal stories from the camp in Bagnoli
d) How the refugees got to the IRO camp in Bagnoli
Correspondingly, I can possibly send over what I have received from the shipping company.
My email is jorn.folkestad@outlook.com
I finally found the three shipboard photos I mentioned back in 2018, and have posted them to a public album on Facebook "MS Goya Canada 1951". Perhaps some of you will recognize your relatives in them. My Estonian father, his brothers, and their mother departed Ludwigsburg, Germany for Bremen just before Christmas, 1950, and the timing suggests that they arrived in Halifax aboard the Goya on January 3, 1951, supported by some newspaper articles at the time.
Hello from Wellington, New Zealand. The Goya also transported displaced peoples from Europe to Wellington, arriving 13th August 1951 and passengers disembarking 14 August and relocated to a Paihatua (refugee settlement facility). Two passengers aboard the ship were from Lativa, mother and daughter (Mirdza Robins). There is a plaque to the Goya here in Wellington. This article makes reference to how the two women came to leave Lativa and some time later travel from Naples and then arrive in New Zealand. https://www.earlymedwomen.auckland.ac.nz/2022/10/16/mirdza-palmer-nee-robins/
The NZ archives also has transcripts of the conditions experienced by passengers aboard the Goya sailings that arrived in Wellington and photos of immigrants who arrived in May 1951 here https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22348051?search%5Bi%5D%5Bname_authority_id%5D=-95310&search%5Bpath%5D=items
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