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Captain T. Stephens

Captain T. Stephens, Cunard Captains and Chiefs, 1905.

Captain T. Stephens, Cunard Captains and Chiefs, 1905. GGA Image ID # 12eb8b68e3

CAPTAIN T. STEPHENS, of the Umbria, has been in the Cunard service for 30 years. He was bred to the sea. His father was a famous commander in the Australian trade, and, in common with all true sailors, the son commenced his sea training aboard a sailing ship.

He mounted the ladder until he gained the command of one of those graceful and speedy tea clippers whose wonderful races home from the China Seas were the marvel of the period.

When he joined the Cunard fleet, he had a spell as chief officer on the Atlantic routes, and was given his first command, the British Queen, in 1887. Afterwards, he commanded, in turn, vessels of the Line in the Mediterranean, the Boston, and the New York services.

He took the Ivernia, the splendid steamer of 14,280 tons, on her maiden trip in I900. During his service as master in various ships, he has to his credit a number of gallant rescues at sea.

It was while he held command of the Etruria, in 1902, that his ingenuity triumphed over a disaster to the ship's rudder, a clever jury contrivance being successfully rigged and utilized to steer the vessel to port. Captain Stephens has sailed practically in every sea and every clime.

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The Folks Behind the GG Archives

The GG Archives is the work and passion of two people, Paul Gjenvick, a professional archivist, and Evelyne Gjenvick, a curator. Paul earned a Masters of Archival Studies - a terminal degree from Clayton State University in Georgia, where he studied under renowned archivist Richard Pearce-Moses. Our research into the RMS Laconia and SS Bergensfjord, the ships that brought two members of the Gjønvik family from Norway to the United States in the early 20th century, has helped us design our site for other genealogists. The extent of original materials at the GG Archives can be very beneficial when researching your family's migration from Europe.