SS Arawa

A side profile of Arawa
History
Scotland
Name	Arawa Colon Lake Megantic Port Henderson Anapo Porto Said
Owner	Shaw, Savill & Albion Line
Port of registry	Glasgow
Route	England-Oceania
Builder	William Denny & Bros, Dumbarton
Launched	25 June 1884
Completed	17 October 1884
Maiden voyage	November 1884
Out of service	10 December 1915
Fate	Torpedoed and sunk by U-39, 10 December 1915
General characteristics
Type	Ocean liner
Tonnage	5,026  GRT
Length	420ft (128m)
Beam	46ft (14m) [1]
Propulsion	One triple expansion steam engine
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) service speed [2]

SSArawa was a Scottish ocean liner built for the England-Oceania passenger service. She was originally operated by Shaw, Savill & Albion Line from 1884 to 1896 when Arawa was transferred to the Spanish government and renamed Colon. Arawa was given back to her original owners but was shortly after sold to the Elder Dempster and renamed to Lake Megantic serving in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1905, Lake Megantic was transferred to the Imperial Direct West India Mail Line and renamed Port Henderson. In 1912, Port Henderson was sold to Lanz & Wild of Italy being renamed to Anapo but transferred a year later to Soc. Marittima Italiana and renamed Porto Said. Porto Said was torpedoed in 1915 having a total service career of 31 years. ^[3]

Construction and launch

Arawa was built by William Denny & Bros in Dumbarton with her engines also constructed by Denny & Bros. She was a clipper-style steamship, ^[4] with a single-screw propeller, four masts, and a clipper bow. The ship displaced 5,026 tons. ^[4]

Service history

Arawa departed from a pier in London on her maiden voyage in November of 1884, bound for the ports of Port Chalmers, Lyttelton and Wellington. She completed her maiden voyage after arriving in Wellington on 20 December 1884, carrying 503 passengers. ^[5] She was a pioneering steamship, recorded making at least one trans-pacific crossing sometime between 1893-1895. ^[6] After this, she was transferred to the Spanish government and renamed Colon. Her charter lasted three years and was given back to the Shaw Line and given the name Arawa back, but this was short lived. In 1899, she was sold to Elder Dempster where she was put into commercial service for the Elder Dempster Line where she was named Lake Megantic. ^[3] She made eight trans-atlantic crossings from Liverpool to Canada for the Beaver Line before being sold, under contract, to the Imperial Direct West India Mail Line in 1905, being renamed to Port Henderson. During this time, she operated as a cargo-passenger ship, shipping bananas from Bristol to the West Indies. ^[7] In 1911, the ship was put on a British-to-Africa route for one year before being sold to the Lanz & Wild in Genoa being named Anapo. A year later, she was sold to Soc. Marittima Italiana and renamed Porto Said. On 10 December 1915, during World War I, she was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of Cyranaica by U-boat 39. ^[8]

References

1. "Arawa Builder's Model". Royal Museums Greenwich. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
2. "Shipping News - Port of Wellington". Paper's Past. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
3. "Screw Steamer ARAWA". Scottish Built Ships. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
4. "Arawa (Ship : 1884-1915)". National Library of New Zealand.
5. "Arrival of the S.S. Arawa". The Mercury. 20 December 1884. p. 2 – via Trove.
6. "The Arawa at Bluff". Southland Times. No. 23150. 17 March 1937. p. 7.
7. "West Indies Maritime Mail - The Falmouth Packet" (PDF). West Indies Philatelic Study Group.
8. "WRECKSITE - PORTO SAID OCEAN LINER". Wrecksite.EU.