SS Sophocles (1921)

Last updated

SS SOPHOCLES at the Aberdeen wharf at Millers Point, Sydney (8552385601).jpg
SS Sophocles at the Aberdeen Wharf at Millers Point, New South Wales, on 10 November 1923
History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Name
  • SS Sophocles
  • Tamaroa
Operator
RouteUK to New Zealand
Builder Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Yard number575
Launched22 September 1921
Completed2 February 1922
FateScrapped Faslane 1957
General characteristics
Type Passenger ship
Tonnage12,375  GRT
Length500 ft 3 in (152.48 m)
Beam63 ft 1 in (19.23 m)
Depth of hold39 ft 6 in (12.04 m)
Installed power5,200 s.h.p.
Propulsion2 × Steam turbines
Speed13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph)

SS Sophocles was a 12,300-ton ocean liner of the Aberdeen Line launched in 1921, and later sold to the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line.

Ship history

Sophocles was built at the Harland and Wolff yard in Belfast. She and her sister ship SS Diogenes, like other Aberdeen Line ships were conceived primarily as cargo vessels. Sophocles had accommodation for 130 first class and 420 third class passengers.

In 1926, Sophocles and Diogenes were chartered by Shaw, Savill & Albion for the New Zealand trade. The third class accommodation was greatly improved and both ships benefitted from conversion from coal burning to oil, which brought an increase in speed to 15 knots, for the cost of £70,000 each. At this time Sophocles was renamed Tamaroa and Diogenes was renamed Mataroa.

SS Tamaroa refuelling at Curacao in 1956 SS Tamaroa refuelling at Curacao in 1956.jpg
SS Tamaroa refuelling at Curacao in 1956

During World War II Tamaroa served as a troopship during the North African campaign. At the end of hostilities, she was refitted for tourist class only and served on the UK-Panama Canal-New Zealand route until her scrapping in 1957. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Star Line</span> British shipping company

The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between the British Empire and the United States. While many other shipping lines focused primarily on speed, White Star branded their services by focusing more on providing comfortable passages for both upper class travellers and immigrants.

SS <i>Ceramic</i>

SS Ceramic was an ocean liner built in Belfast for White Star Line in 1912–13 and operated on the Liverpool – Australia route. Ceramic was the largest ship serving the route until P&O introduced RMS Mooltan in 1923.

SS <i>Southern Cross</i> (1954)

SS Southern Cross was an ocean liner built in 1955 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Northern Ireland for the United Kingdom-based Shaw, Savill & Albion Line for Europe—Australia service. In 1975 she was rebuilt as a cruise ship and subsequently sailed under the names Calypso, Azure Seas and OceanBreeze until 2003 when she was sold for scrap to Ahmed Muztaba Steel Industries, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P Henderson & Company</span>

P Henderson & Company, also known as Paddy Henderson, was a ship owning and management company based in Glasgow, Scotland and operating to Burma. Patrick Henderson started business in Glasgow as a merchant at the age of 25 in 1834. He had three brothers. Two were merchants working for an agent in the Italian port of Leghorn; the third, George, was a sea captain with his own ship.

SS <i>Akaroa</i> (1914) UK steam ocean liner

SS Akaroa was a UK steam ocean liner and refrigerated cargo ship. She was launched in 1914 in Ireland as Euripides for Aberdeen Line. When new, she was the largest ship in the Aberdeen Line fleet.

SS <i>Megantic</i>

SS Megantic was a British transatlantic ocean liner that was built in Ireland and launched in 1908. She was one of a pair of sister ships that were ordered in 1907 by Dominion Line but completed for White Star Line.

SS <i>Gothic</i> (1947)

SS Gothic was a passenger-cargo liner launched in December 1947, though not completed until a year later. She became the most famous of the quartet when she was designated a royal yacht from 1952 to 1954.

SS <i>Ionic</i> (1902)

SS Ionic was a steam-powered ocean liner built in 1902 by Harland and Wolff in Belfast for the White Star Line. She was the second White Star Liner to be named Ionic and served on the United Kingdom – New Zealand route. Her sister ships were SS Athenic and SS Corinthic.

<i>Athenic</i>-class ocean liner Three ship class of ocean liners

The Athenic-class ocean liners were a three ship class of ocean liners built by the Harland & Wolff shipyard for the White Star Line in the early 20th century.

SS <i>Doric</i> (1883)

SS Doric was a British ocean liner operated by White Star Line. She was put into service in 1883. Built by the Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast, she was the sister ship of the Ionic which was put into service a few months earlier. Although the original purpose of the construction of the two ships was not known with certainty, both began their careers chartered by the New Zealand Shipping Company which operated them on the route from London to Wellington.

SS <i>Zealandic</i> (1911) British ocean liner

SS Zealandic was a British ocean liner initially operated by White Star Line. She was used both as a passenger liner and a cargo ship as well as serving during both world wars.

SS <i>Corinthic</i> (1902)

SS Corinthic was a British passenger ship, built in 1902 by Harland & Wolff and launched for the British shipping companies White Star Line and Shaw, Savill & Albion Line. She was the second of the Athenic-class ocean liners built for passenger and cargo service between Britain and New Zealand. Her sister ships were SS Athenic (1902) and SS Ionic (1903).

SS <i>Delphic</i> (1897) Ocean liner of the White Star Line

SS Delphic was an ocean liner of the White Star Line, built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast and completed on 15 May 1897. She worked the New Zealand trade. She was a fairly slow ship primarily intended for transporting emigrants and goods to New Zealand. Despite this, she made her first crossings on the New York route before joining the route to New Zealand. For twenty years, her service on this route was uneventful, with the exception of troop transport missions during the Second Boer War.

SS <i>Coptic</i>

SS Coptic was a steamship built in 1881, which was successively owned by the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and the Japanese Oriental Steam Ship Co. before being scrapped in 1926. She was filmed by Thomas Edison in 1897 in one of his early movies. The movie is currently stored in the Library of Congress, archive.org and other internet archives.

SS <i>Ionic</i> (1883)

SS Ionic was a cargo liner initially in service with White Star Line from 1883 until 1900. She was used on the company's joint route to New Zealand with the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line. She was sold to the Aberdeen Line in 1900 and renamed SS Sophocles, and was withdrawn for service in 1906 and scrapped in 1908.

SS <i>Themistocles</i> (1911)

SS Themistocles was a UK steam ocean liner and refrigerated cargo ship. She was launched in 1910 in Ireland and scrapped in 1947 in Scotland. She was built for Aberdeen Line, White Star Line managed her for a few years, and she spent the latter part of her career with Shaw, Savill & Albion Line.

SS <i>New Australia</i>

SS New Australia was a UK-built turbo-electric passenger steamship that had a varied career from 1931 to 1966. She was built as the ocean liner Monarch of Bermuda, was a troop ship in the Second World War and was damaged by fire in 1947.

SS <i>Runic</i> (1949)

SS Runic was a refrigerated cargo ship built at Harland and Wolff, Belfast in 1949 for the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line. She was launched at Belfast in October 1949, and entered service in March 1950, and was designed for trade between the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. She had two sister ships; Persic and Suevic.

RMS <i>Mataroa</i>

RMS Mataroa was a 12,341-ton ocean liner built by Harland & Wolff in 1922. She was chartered to the Shaw, Savill & Albion Line with her sister ship SS Sophocles in 1926 and renamed Mataroa. She was scrapped in 1957.

References

Notes

  1. Dunn, Laurence (1964). Famous liners of the past - Belfast Built. London: Adlard Coles Ltd.

Bibliography