View source for SS Walnut

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2019}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = HMS Walnut.jpg
| Ship caption = HMS Walnut, T103 in WW2 Royal Navy configuration
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United Kingdom
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|UK|naval}}
| Ship name = HMS ''Walnut''
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship yard number = 755
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = June 15, 1939
| Ship launched = August 12, 1939
| Ship builder = [[Smiths Dock Company]], [[South Bank, Middlesbrough]]
| Ship completed = December 31, 1939
| Ship christened = 
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship maiden voyage = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship registry = 
| Ship identification = [[Pennant number]] T103
| Ship fate = Sold to Stem Olson Company Limited 1948
| Ship notes = Source: [http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/ship/show?nameid=180002&shipid=75917 Miramar Ship Information Database, Record No. 5185985]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = title
| Ship country = 
| Ship flag = 
| Ship name = SS ''Walnut''
| Ship registry = {{flagicon|Sweden|civil}} [[Gothenburg]], Sweden
| Ship acquired = 1948
| Ship owner = Stem Olson Company Limited
| Ship commissioned = 
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship honours = 
| Ship fate = Sold to Compania Maritima Walnut S/A in 1948
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = title
| Ship country = 
| Ship flag = 
| Ship name = SS ''Walnut''
| Ship registry = {{flagicon|Panama|civil}} [[Panama City]], Panama
| Ship acquired = 1948
| Ship owner = Compania Maritima Walnut S/A
| Ship commissioned = 
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship honours = 
| Ship fate = Court Auction in 1949, Salvaged, Sold to Borromee Verreault Company 1951
| Ship notes = Source: [http://www.walnutship1948.ca/Walnut_ship_Estonian_Refugees_statistics.htm "Ship Statistics", ''SS Walnut 1948 – Voyaged to Freedom'']
}}

{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = title
| Ship country = 
| Ship flag = 
| Ship name = ''Keta''
| Ship owner = Borromee Verreault Company
| Ship namesake = 
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship registry = {{flagicon|Canada|civil}} [[City of Halifax|Halifax, Nova Scotia]]
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship fate = Broken up [[Les Méchins, Quebec]], December 1976 by Nittolo Metal Company
| Ship notes = Source: [http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/ship/show?nameid=180002&shipid=75917 Miramar Ship Information Database, Record No. 5185985]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{sclass2|Tree|trawler|3|naval}}
| Ship displacement = 545 tons
| Ship length = {{convert|164|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|27|ft|8|in|abbr=on}}
| Ship draught = {{convert|11|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}} (mean)
| Ship draft = 
| Ship propulsion = One [[Triple expansion engine|triple expansion]] [[reciprocating engine]], 1 shaft, {{convert|850|ihp|abbr=on}}
| Ship speed = {{convert|12.25|kn}}
| Ship range = 
| Ship complement = 40 (as naval ship)
| Ship crew = 18 (as civilian ship)
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = *1 × [[QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun|QF 12-pounder (76 mm) anti-aircraft gun]]
*3 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm Oerlikon]] AA guns
*30 × [[depth charge]]s
| Ship armour = 
| Ship armor = 
| Ship aircraft = 
| Ship aircraft facilities = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''SS ''Walnut''''' was a refugee ship converted from a British [[minesweeping]] [[Tree-class trawler]] which carried Baltic refugees from Sweden to Canada in 1948. The refugees' arrival at [[Pier 21]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]] led to a controversy which played an important role in shaping Canada's postwar refugee policies.<ref name=raska>{{cite web |url=https://www.pier21.ca/blog/jan-raska/baltic-refugees-canadian-immigration-policy-and-the-arrival-of-ss-walnut |first=Jan |last=Raska |title=Baltic Refugees, Canadian Immigration Policy and the Arrival of SS Walnut |publisher=Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 |accessdate=April 3, 2016}}</ref>

Initially entering service during the [[Second World War]] as '''HMS ''Walnut''''', the trawler was sold for commercial purposes following the war. Converted for use as a cargo ship, the vessel retained the name ''Walnut'' until 1959 when sold and renamed '''''Keta'''''. The ship was [[Ship breaking|broken up]] in 1976.

==Design and description==
Tree-class trawlers were designed to [[Displacement (ship)|displace]] 545 tons standard and 770 tons at deep load. They were {{convert|164|ft|m}} [[Length overall|long overall]] with a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|27|ft|8|in|m}} and a [[Draft (hull)|draught]] of {{convert|11|ft|1|in|m}}. They were powered by a one-cylinder boiler providing steam to one [[triple expansion engine|vertical triple expansion engine]]. This drove one shaft creating {{convert|850|ihp|kW|lk=in}} and giving the ship a maximum speed of {{convert|12.25|kn|lk=in}}. The ship could carry 183 tons of coal.<ref name=conway>Chesneau, p.66</ref>

The Tree class was armed with one [[QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun|QF 12-pounder (76 mm)]] gun, three [[20 mm Oerlikon]] anti-aircraft guns and 30 [[depth charge]]s. The trawlers had a complement of 40.<ref name=conway/>

==Royal Navy service==
''Walnut'' was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on June 15, 1939 as HMS ''Walnut'' (T103) by [[Smiths Dock Company]] at [[South Bank, Middlesbrough]] with the yard number 1031, one of 20 {{sclass2|Tree|trawler|1}}s built for the British [[Royal Navy]].<ref name=conway/><ref name=miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=5185958|shipname=Walnut |accessdate=April 3, 2016}}</ref> ''Walnut'' was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on August 12, 1939 and completed on December 13, 1939.<ref name=miramar/> ''Walnut'' belonged to a group of ten minesweepers commanded by New Zealanders in the 24th and 25th anti-submarine and minesweeping flotillas, protecting convoys on the east coast of Britain where they faced numerous German air and sea attacks. ''Walnut''{{'}}s commander, [[Gordon Bridson]], received the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Service Cross]] for his performance while in command of ''Walnut''.<ref name=Dennerly2000>{{cite web |last=Dennerly |first=P. Y. |date=2000 |url=http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp?PersonEssay=5B41 |title=Bridson, Gordon 1909–1972 |work=Dictionary of New Zealand Biography |volume=5 |accessdate=April 3, 2016}}</ref> By the end of 1946, ''Walnut'' was one of only two Tree-class trawlers still in service with the Royal Navy.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first=Antony |editor-last=Preston |title=Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II |pages=78 |location=New York |publisher=Military Press |date=1989}}</ref> Both were sold in 1948.

==Refugee ship==
''Walnut'' was first purchased by the Swedish firm Stem Olson and converted to a coastal cargo ship. In September 1948 the ship was purchased by a group of refugees from several Baltic countries who pooled their life savings to form a company called "Compania Maritima Walnut S/A".<ref name=freedom>{{cite web |url=http://www.walnutship1948.ca/Walnut_ship_Estonian_Refugees_statistics.htm |title=Ship Statistics |website=SS Walnut 1948 – Voyaged to Freedom |accessdate=April 3, 2016}}</ref> The refugees had fled to Sweden after the Soviet occupation of the Baltic republics. The uncertainty of their status in Sweden and fears that they would be forcibly repatriated to the [[Soviet]]s led the refugees to search for ships which could take them to another country that might offer secure refuge. ''Walnut'' was registered under the Panama flag to avoid Swedish restrictions on passenger capacity and hastily converted to accommodate 200 passengers.

The ship sailed from [[Gothenburg]], Sweden on November 13, 1948 and stopped at [[Lysekil]], Sweden to complete the embarkation of passengers and supplies before a final departure on November 17.<ref name=freedom/> ''Walnut'' carried 347 passengers, mostly [[Estonia]]ns, but also Latvians, Lithuanians, Finns, Austrians, and Polish refugees.<ref name=raska/> ''Walnut'' stopped at [[Sligo]], Ireland to load coal before crossing the Atlantic. Designed for a civilian crew of 18 or a military crew of 40, the 347 passengers endured a difficult voyage in bad weather, battling leaks and seasickness but arrived safely at [[Sydney, Nova Scotia]] on December 10 where food and more coal were taken aboard before the ship resumed its voyage for the Canadian immigration terminal at [[Pier 21]] in Halifax, Nova Scotia.<ref>{{cite news |title=347 Refugees Fleeing Reds Believed on Way to Halifax |work=Halifax Mail |date=December 11, 1948}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=347 Refugees Cross Atlantic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sault-star-ss-walnut/157912893/ |work=The Sault Star |date=December 11, 1948 |location=Sault St. Marie, ON |page=1 |access-date=October 27, 2024 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>

==Canadian reaction==
''Walnut'' arrived at Halifax on December 13. The small ship was among the smallest to ever call at the [[Pier 21]] immigration terminal, dwarfed by the giant [[Four funnel liner|four stacker]] {{ship|RMS|Aquitania}} which arrived at the same pier a few days later with 1,656 passengers.<ref>"Aquitania Lands 1,656 Passengers", ''The Halifax Mail'', December 28, 1948, p. 3</ref>  ''Walnut'' presented Halifax immigration officials with a dilemma. The passengers aboard had arrived in Canada without permission or clearance, one of a series of small ships carrying Baltic refugees, nicknamed "The Viking Ships", which suddenly arrived in Canada in the fall of 1948. Others included the ships ''Gladstone'', ''Sarabande'', ''Parnu'', ''Ostervag'', ''Capry'', and ''Amanda''. ''Walnut'' had the largest number of aboard and became the focus of public and official attention over the fate of the refugees. The Baltic refugees had tried to come to Canada through official channels but were frustrated by the long delay and barriers in Canada's immigration system which left them vulnerable to a forced return to the Soviet controlled Baltic republics. ''Walnut''{{'}}s passengers were detained, some at Halifax's Rockhead prison and others in the detention quarters at the Pier 21 immigration terminal.

However, the plight of the refugees soon attracted considerable support, especially as they arrived close to Christmas. The [[West End, Halifax|Halifax West End]] Baptist Church presented the refugees in detention with a radio for entertainment and organized a Christmas carol concert on December 21.<ref>"Gift radio Presented at Immigration", ''The Halifax Mail'', December 22, 1948, p.3</ref> A variety of civic groups led by the mayor of Halifax [[John E. Ahern]] banded together to present a Christmas concert and gifts to the refugees on Christmas Eve. Local seamstresses assembled a costume to represent an Estonian version of Santa Claus, Youluvana, for the captain of ''Walnut'' to wear as he gave presents to all the children aboard including silver dollars given the youngest child; the oldest refugee and the mother of the largest family meant to mark the "start of the wealth they would accumulate when they were allowed to settle in Canada".<ref>"Christmas Made Happy for Baltic Refugee Children", ''The Halifax Mail'', December 27, 1948, p.3</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Press Club Stages Party for 70 Young Esthonians |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-ss-walnut/157912810/ |work=The Toronto Star |date=December 28, 1948 |location=Toronto, ON |page=13 |access-date=October 27, 2024 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref>

Public pressure and widespread press attention made Canadian immigration officials investigate and consider each passenger's background. In the end, Canada admitted all but two passengers from ''Walnut'', waiving the immigration restrictions of the time by issuing an [[Order in Council]] for each individual. The two individuals denied entry as "security risks" were deported overseas. In January 1949, the ''Walnut'' refugees held a farewell party with local immigration officials before leaving by train to settle in various regions of Canada. The arrival of the small ex-warship had pushed Canadian immigration officials to change Canadian immigration intervention and interception policies.<ref name=raska/>

==Later career==
After ''Walnut''{{'}}s arrival in Halifax, the ship was detained at the French Cable Wharf in [[Dartmouth, Nova Scotia]]. The ship was sold by auction to pay for expenses from the voyage. During the protracted legal process surrounding her refugee passengers, the ship was stripped of its brass fittings by thieves and scuttled in shallow water in Dartmouth. The ship was sold at another auction in 1951 and rebuilt by the Quebec firm Borromee Verreault. ''Walnut'' was renamed ''Keta'' and worked on the [[St. Lawrence River]] and Canadian Arctic until 1967 or 68. The ship was scrapped in 1975 at Les Méchins.<ref name=freedom/>

==Commemoration==
Passengers who arrived aboard Walnut and their families remained in contact and organized several re-unions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.walnutship1948.ca/Walnut_Ship_Estonian_Refugees_Passenger_Anniversaries.htm |title=Reunions |website=SS Walnut 1948 – Voyaged to Freedom |accessdate=April 3, 2016}}</ref> Many shared photographs to remember their journey which were featured in a display at the Pier 21 museum which opened in the former immigration terminal in 1999.<ref>{{cite book |first=Lynda |last=Mannik |title=Photography, Memory and Refugee Identity: The Voyage of the SS Walnut, 1948 |publisher=UBC Press |date=2013 |pages=83–4}}</ref> When the Pier 21 museum reopened as national museum, the [[Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21]] in 2014, ''Walnut'' was featured in an interactive video which presents visitors with the 1948 ''Walnut'' controversy and asks them how they would have responded.

==References==

===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book |editor-last=Chesneau |editor-first=Roger |date=1980 |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=Greenwich, UK |isbn=0-85177-146-7}}

{{Tree class trawler}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walnut}}
[[Category:Tree-class trawlers]]
[[Category:World War II patrol vessels of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:International maritime incidents]]
[[Category:1939 ships]]
[[Category:History of immigration to Canada]]
[[Category:History of the Baltic states]]
[[Category:Refugees in Canada]]
[[Category:Immigration to Nova Scotia]]