SS Ixion

History
United Kingdom
Name	Ixion
Namesake	Ixion
Owner	Alfred Holt & Co
Operator	Blue Funnel Line (1892–1902)
Port of registry	Liverpool (1892–1902)
Ordered	September 1891
Builder	Scott & Company [1]
Cost	£51,690
Yard number	304
Launched	23 November 1892
Completed	29 December 1892
Acquired	29 December 1892
Out of service	September 1902
Identification	UK official number 102068
Fate	Transferred to Netherlands 1902
Netherlands
Name	Ixion
Namesake	Ixion
Operator	Nederlandsche Stoomvaart Maatschappij Oceaan (1902–1911)
Port of registry	Amsterdam (1902–1911)
Acquired	September 1902
Out of service	1 October 1911
Fate	Burned and sank 1 October 1911
General characteristics
Type	Cargo ship
Tonnage	3,489  GRT
Length	108.1 metres (354 ft 8 in)
Beam	13 metres (42 ft 8 in)
Depth	8.1 metres (26 ft 7 in)
Installed power	Triple expansion steam engine
Propulsion	Screw propeller
Speed	11 knots
Crew	47

SS Ixion was a Dutch cargo ship that caught fire and sank near the coast of the Netherlands East Indies in 1911. Built in 1892 and originally operated by the Blue Funnel Line, she was transferred to the company's Dutch subsidiary, Nederlandsche Stoomvaart Maatschappij Oceaan, in September 1902. ^[1]

Construction

Ixion was launched on 23 November 1892 and completed the following month at the Scotts & Company shipyard in Greenock, United Kingdom. ^[2]

The ship was 108.1 metres (354 ft 8 in) long, with a beam of 13 metres (42 ft 8 in) and a depth of 8.1 metres (26 ft 7 in). The ship was assessed at 3,489  GRT. She had a triple expansion steam engine driving a single screw propeller. The engine was rated at 2285 indicated horsepower. ^[3]

Sinking

On 1 October 1911, one of Ixion's coal bunkers caught fire off the coast of the Netherlands East Indies, causing her to sink with the loss of 24 of her 47 crew members. Her 23 survivors were rescued by the British steamer Good Hope. ^[3] At the time, she was carrying a cargo that included copra and tobacco from Tanjung Priok to Amsterdam. ^[1] The ship's name was revived when another vessel of the same name was launched only 14 months after her loss. ^[4]

References

1. "SS Ixion (1892)". Scottish Built Ships. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
2. "Ixion (1102068)" . Miramar Ship Index . Retrieved 3 July 2020.
3. "Ixion". Wrecksite. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
4. "SS Ixion (1912)". Scottish Built Ships.