BORN DENMARK 1859. SON OF SVEN KRISTIAN NILSSON AND ANNA LINA ANDERSDOTTER, DENMARK. HE HAD LIVED IN HULL AS A SAILOR SINCE THE 1880’S. HE MARRIED JOHANN HANSEN AND HAD SIX CHILDREN, LIVING AT VARIOUS HULL ADDRESSES, INCLUDING 89 FLINTON STREET, HESSLE ROAD (1901 CENSUS), ST GEORGES ROAD AND SOUTH BOULEVARD, HULL. HE ENLISTED FOR THE WAR EFFORT, CHANGING HIS NAME TO ‘NELSON’. THE SS CALYPSO WAS TORPEDOED AND SUNK 17 MILES OFF NORWAY ON 10/07/1916. FRED WAS 57 YEARS OLD WHEN HE DROWNED. HIS NAME IS LISTED ON SOUTH BOULEVARD ROLL OF HONOUR (HDM 11 October 1916). ALSO ON TOWER HILL NAVAL MEMORIAL, LONDON.
CALYPSO SS was a 2,876grt British Merchantship built in 1904 by Earle’s Sb. & Eng. Co., Ltd., Hull and owned by T. Wilson, Sons & Co., Ltd., Hull . There was accommodation for 57-1st, 44-2nd and 863-3rd class passengers. Taken up by the Admiralty in November 1914, she was renamed HMS Calyx and armed with 8 x 4.7inch and 2 x 3pounder guns. She served with the 10th Cruiser Squadron until 26.6.1915 when she was returned to the Wilson Line. On the 10th July 1916, in the North Sea when about 15 miles west of Listafjorden, Norway she was torpedoed without warning and sunk by German submarine U-53 when on route from London for Christiania carrying a general cargo. 30 lives lost, including Master. Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?12598
