Bernuth-Lembcke Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Shipping, Tanker shipping |
| Founded | 1918 in New York City, United States |
| Founder | Oscar Max von Bernuth, Carlos Eduardo Lembcke |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Tanker shipping, fuel oil transport |
Bernuth-Lembcke Company was established in 1918 in New York City as a tanker shipping enterprise by Oscar Max von Bernuth and Carlos Eduardo Lembcke. Before forming this partnership, Bernuth had founded the Bernuth Corporation in Suffolk, New York, in 1907, while Lembcke created C. Lembcke & Company in 1889. The company notably contributed to the Allied efforts in World War II by transporting fuel oil.
History
Carlos Eduardo Lembcke was born on January 18, 1870, in Hamburg, Germany, and emigrated to New York City in 1889, later becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1899. Oscar Max von Bernuth, also a Hamburg native born July 23, 1873, arrived in the United States in 1875. He initially worked for an importing business before joining Lembcke’s firm in 1898. George Albert Lembcke, Carlos’s brother and the company secretary, obtained U.S. citizenship in 1901. After retiring in 1911, Carlos moved to Germany and subsequently Italy, returning to America in 1938 amid growing tensions in Europe. The company’s main commercial activity centered on importing creosote. In 1940, Oscar Bernuth took on the role of President at Chipman Chemical Company.
World War II
Throughout World War II, Bernuth-Lembcke operated merchant vessels under contracts with the United States Shipping Board and provided charter services through the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration. The company was responsible for managing Liberty ships and T2 tankers as part of the U.S. Merchant Marine fleet. Bernuth-Lembcke crews handled ship operations while U.S. Navy Armed Guards were assigned aboard to operate deck armaments and communication systems, playing a vital role in transporting fuel during wartime.
Ships
- Prominent vessels owned by the company include:
- O. M. Bernuth, a tanker with a tonnage of 7,972 built in 1938 by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. located in Chester, Pennsylvania; it notably rescued survivors from the tanker E. J. Bullock that same year.
- Torres, a tanker weighing 4,943 tons constructed in 1917.
- Ships operated during World War II:
- Liberty ships:
- Albert G. Brown
- David Holmes
- Eliza Jane Nicholson
- T2 tankers:**
- , a T2-SE-A1 type tanker that was torpedoed and sunk on November 2, 1944
- Tydol Bayonne, a Catham-built T2-SE-A1 tanker from 1944, acquired by the company in 1948
- Fullerton Hills, constructed in 1944 at Marinship in Sausalito, California; acquired in 1948 and dismantled by 1962