Passenger capacity was 200 first class, 500 second class and 1,000 third class, with a crew of 500 officers and men.[1]Calgarian had eight decks: A being the boat deck, B the promenade, C the bridge, D the shelter deck, E upper deck, F main deck, G the lower and H the orlop with passenger accommodations on decks A to F. A somewhat novel feature was provision of a "scouting" motor launch capable of 7 knots (13km/h; 8.1mph) with wireless telegraphy and 400 yards (365.8m) of steel wire tethering it to the ship for use in fog.[1]
The outer port shaft was driven by a high-pressure turbine that exhausted into a medium pressure turbine driving the outer starboard shaft. The two middle shafts, capable of reversal, were each driven by a low-pressure turbine, which in emergencies could each be driven by exhaust from the high-pressure turbine. Each shaft drove a four-bladed bronze propeller for a designed sea speed of 19 knots. Steam was provided by six double-ended and four single-ended forced draft boilers divided between two boiler rooms. On trials in the Firth of Clyde Calgarian attained 21.25 knots (39.36km/h; 24.45mph) and on a double run for contract speed made 20.63 knots (38.21km/h; 23.74mph), one and a half knots (2.8km/h; 1.7mph) above required service speed.[1]
Electrical power was provided by three 250kW steam-driven generating sets with an 18kW emergency generator located on the shelter deck above the waterline.[1]
Calgarian made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Canada on 8 May 1914.
Armed merchant cruiser
On 15 September 1914 the Admiralty requisitioned Calgarian. She was converted into an armed merchant cruiser, armed with eight 6in (150mm) guns. By 1 October she had been commissioned. Her pennant number was M54.[5]
Calgarian then went via Bermuda to Halifax, where she was based again from 12 September 1915. Again she patrolled mostly off New York, plus three patrols in February, March and August 1916 off Chesapeake Bay. On 22 August she left Halifax again for Liverpool, where she arrived on 27 August.[5]
Calgarian left Liverpool on 5 October 1916 and reached Halifax on 12 October. She left two days later and reached Devonport, England on 20 October, where her logbook records that "HRH disembarked". The log does not state which royal prince this was.[5]
For the remainder of the war, Calgarian made transatlantic voyages, mostly between Liverpool and Halifax.[5] In July 1917 Canadian Pacific bought Allan Line, including Calgarian,[6] but she remained in Royal Navy service.
She was at Portsmouth, England from 24 August 1917 until 18 October, when she resumed transatlantic duties. She was on a voyage from Liverpool to Halifax when the Halifax Explosion took place on 6 December 1917. When she arrived on 8 December she landed a search party, and the next day she embarked "29 refugees". On 10 December a party of one officer and 30 ratings from Calgarian attended Picton, which was still on fire. A party from Calgarian attended Picton again on 11 December. On 21 December Calgarian left Halifax for Liverpool.[5]
Calgarian spent January 1918 in Scotland at Greenock and Glasgow. Her pennant number weas changed to MI 58. Her surviving logs end on 31 January at Greenock.[5] She then resumed her transatlantic duties.
Loss
Calgarian sinking, seen from the deck of the sloopHMS Poppy
On 15 February 1918 Calgarian left Halifax with Convoy HS29. On arrival in Home Waters she left HS29, escorted by the destroyers Beagle and Moresby. They reached the North Channel and were in sight of Convoy OB50 when U-19 hit her with three torpedoes.[7]
The sloopsAnchusa and Rosemary detached from OB50: Anchusa trying to depth chargeU-19 and Rosemary taking Calgarian in tow. However, the hawser broke, and Calgarian sank north of Rathlin Island with the loss of 49 men.[7]
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Osborne, Richard; Spong, Harry & Grover, Tom (2007). Armed Merchant Cruisers 1878–1945. Windsor: World Warship Society. ISBN978-0-9543310-8-5.
"The New Allan Liner Calgarian". International Marine Engineering. XIX (May 1914). Aldrich Publishing Company: 217–218. 1914. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
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