SS Robert Coryndon was a British twin-screw passenger and cargo ferry operated on Lake Albert in Uganda from 1930 until 1960s. It was built as part of the British colonial transport network. She played a key role in lake transport and regional connectivity before sinking and becoming a long-standing wreck.[3]
She was a "knock-down" ship. She was assembled in 1929 at Woolston.[5][6] All her parts were marked with numbers, she was disassembled into many hundreds of parts, and transported in kit form to Africa, where she was reassembled on the shore of Lake Albert in 1930. Part of the overland journey to Lake Albert was by lorry, which severely limited the maximum size and weight of her parts.[5]
Robert Coryndon was part of a plan for a network of railway, river steamer and lake steamer services linking British interests in Egypt, East Africa and southern Africa.[4] Sir Winston Churchill described her as "the best library afloat".[7]
Service and Operation
SS Robert Coryndon was designed as an 860-tin steam-powered ferry for passengers and cargo, and operated regular services on Lake Albert. She ran fortnightly routes, connecting key ports such as Butiaba on the eastern shore of Lake Albert with Kasenyi on Lake George and other landing sites, facilitating trade and passenger movement in the region.[8]
The ship was part of a broader colonial transport plan that linked railway, river steamer and lake steamer services across British East Africa. Contemporary accounts noted her amenities: Winston Churchill reputedly described her as "the best library afloat", and Ernest Hemingway reportedly called her "magnificence on water", reflecting the relative luxury the vessel afforded compared with other regional transport of the time.[8]
Decline and wreck
The Robert Coryndon continued inservice through the 1930s, 1940s and inti the 1950s. Following Uganda's independence in 1962, severe flooding destroyed the port infrastructure at Butiaba and the Robert Coryndon ran aground and was left stranded. Efforts to refloat her were unsuccessful.[9]
In 1967 the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (EAR&H) offered her wreck for sale,[2] but she remained largely intact. By 2009, her remains were still visible as a derelict wreck; by the early 2010s, most of the metal structure had been scrapped and removed leaving only parts of her aft king posts visible above the water.[9]
By the beginning of 2012 her wreck had been taken away "in bits and pieces by cutting all the metal remains for scrap" and only her aft king posts were still visible above the water.[10]
Legacy
The Robert Coryndon is remembered as a noteworthy example of colonial-era inland water transport in East Africa, representing both the ambitions of British colonial infrastructure planning and challenges of operating large vessels in the lake systems of the region. Her long-standing wreck also became a point of local interest before her eventual dismantling.[8]
12Couperus, Jitze (6 April 2009). "Jitze Couperus". Biog: The World Biography Project. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
12Barnaby, KC. 100 Years of Specialized Shipbuilding & Engineering. London: Hutchinson. p.93.
↑"Robert Coryndon". Shipping and Shipbuilding. North East Maratime Forum. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
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