RMS Dunottar Castle

The Dunottar Castle was a 1890 put into operation in passenger and cargo steamer that was used by the British shipping company Union - Castle Line passenger and mail service between Britain and South Africa. 1913 the ship was sold to the Royal Mail Line. After the outbreak of the First World War the ship served as HMS Caribbean first as a troop carrier and then as an auxiliary cruiser until it sank on 27 September 1915 in a storm off the coast of Scotland.

The ship

The 5,625 -ton steamship Dunottar Castle was built at the shipyard Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering at Govan in Glasgow and ran on 22 May 1890 by the stack. The 131.97 meters long and 15.15 meters wide, the ship had a maximum draft of 7.62 meters. The Dunottar Castle had a single propeller, three masts and two funnels. The triple expansion steam engines accelerated the boat up to 13 knots (according to other sources up to 17 knots ). The Castle was founded Dunottar for the 1862 British shipping company Castle Mail Packet Company Ltd.. Built ( Castle Line ) and in their passenger and freight traffic from Southampton to Cape Town in South Africa. The passenger accommodations were rated for 160 travelers of the First Class, 90 of the second class and 100 third class.

Upon completion, the Dunottar Castle conducted its trial runs in the Outer Hebrides and ran in September 1890 on her maiden voyage from Dartmouth to Cape Town. On 20 June 1891, she presented for the first time from Southampton to Cape Town from and mastered the crossing in 16 days and 14 hours. She was at that time one of the fastest ships on their route. Until then, was usually set aside for the crossing in about 40 days. 1894 wrecked the Dunottar Castle at Eddystone Lighthouse on the coast of Cornwall. It was made and repaired afloat. In 1897, renovations were made, extending the chimneys in their wake and a wheelhouse has been added. On July 25, 1899 Robert Baden -Powell met on board the ship in Cape Town. On October 14, 1899, Winston Churchill embarked on the Dunottar Castle, which sailed into Cape Town on 31 October.

In November 1899, the steamer was requested as a troop transport during the Boer War. On its first voyage in this new service 1500 soldiers were taken under Sir Redvers Buller aboard the Dunottar Castle to Cape Town. In the subsequent departure in Southampton on December 23, 1899 were Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts and Lord Herbert Kitchener on board. In March 1900, the ship was transferred to the stock of the newly formed Union -Castle Line, which had formed by the merger of the Castle Line with the Union Line. She was the ship that housed the shipping company directors Sir Donald Currie and Sir Francis Evans on the occasion of the merger parties.

In July, Winston Churchill and Frederick Russell Burnham returned on board the ship back to England. On November 25, 1901, the Dunottar Castle had to be towed to the port of Dakar after a collision with the Runic White Star Line. Later, she had to be taken in tow to Great Britain after at Cabo Verde, the screw shaft was broken.

1904 was launched the Dunottar Castle in Southampton. In 1907 she was chartered to the Panama Railroad Company of New York, which they used in their passenger service between New York and Colon. 1908, the vessel was sold to Sir Henry Simpson Lunn, the founder of the travel agency Lunn Poly, chartered and used for cruise to Norway and in the Mediterranean. In 1911 she brought guests to the coronation of King George V of Great Britain to the Emperor of India to India.

Sale and demise

1913 Dunottar Castle was sold to the Royal Mail Line and used under the name Caribbean cruises. In September 1914, the ship was ordered as HMS Caribbean as a troop transport, and brought Canadian troops to Europe. Then it was converted into an armed merchant cruiser, but what you gave the ship a short time unsuitable. In May 1915, the ship was converted into a hotel for dockworkers.

On September 27, 1915, the steamer was en route to Scapa Flow, as it 35 miles off Cape Wrath capsized in stormy weather on the coast of northern Scotland and sank. The light cruiser HMS Birkenhead tried to take the damaged ship in tow, but this failed. 15 crew members drowned. The rest of the crew was picked up by the HMS Birkenhead.

An investigation of the accident made ​​the ship's carpenter responsible and accused him of having not closed all hatches. This had led to the flooding and the resulting demise. He was held not to have been familiar enough with the ship. Like most other members of the crew he was only ten days ago for the first time went on board.