SS Virawa

Last updated

History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameVirawa
Owner British India SN Co
Port of registry Glasgow
Builder Wm Denny & Bros, Dumbarton
Cost£59,600
Yard number441
Launched15 September 1890
Completed5 November 1890
Identification
Fatescrapped, 1921
General characteristics
Type cargo ship
Tonnage3,333  GRT, 2,158  NRT, 4,933  DWT
Length340.0 ft (103.6 m)
Beam43.1 ft (13.1 m)
Draught23 ft 1 in (7.0 m)
Depth26.0 ft (7.9 m)
Decks3
Installed power320 NHP, 1,628 ihp
Propulsion
Speed11 knots (20 km/h)
Capacity8 × 1st class passengers
Crew54
Notes sister ship: Vadala

SS Virawa was British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) steamship. She was launched in Scotland in 1890 and scrapped in India in 1921. Her trades included taking horses from Australia to India, and indentured labourers from India to Fiji and Trinidad. In 1899 she was a troop ship in the Second Boer War.

Contents

Building

In 1890 William Denny and Brothers of Dumbarton on the River Leven built a pair of sister ships for BI for £59,600 each. [1] Yard number 440 was launched on 4 August as Vadala and completed on 13 September. [2] Yard number 441 was launched on 15 September as Virawa and completed on 5 November. [3]

Virawa's registered length was 340.0 ft (103.6 m), her beam was 43.1 ft (13.1 m) and her depth was 26.0 ft (7.9 m). [4] Her tonnages were 3,333  GRT, 2,158  NRT, and 4,933  DWT. She had berths for 8 first class passengers. [5]

Virawa had a single screw, driven by a quadruple-expansion steam engine. It was rated at 320 NHP [4] and gave her a speed of 11 knots (20 km/h). [5] She was an early example of a BI ship with telemotor steering gear.[ citation needed ]

Early years

BI registered Virawa at Glasgow. Her United Kingdom official number was 98587 and her code letters were LWKR. [6]

In August 1891 a large number of horses was exported from Australia to India in the BI ships Bhundara and Virawa, and Australasian United Steam Navigation Company (AUSN Co) ships Bulimba and Waroonga. [7] BI had a controlling interest in the AUSN Co. [8] On 31 August Virawa left Melbourne for Calcutta carrying 530 horses: the largest number yet exported from Australia aboard one steamship. [7]

On 11 September Virawa grounded on Dugdale Reef near Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. A steamship called Victoria tried to tow her off, but was unsuccessful. [9] On 14 September the BI ship Jelunga succeeded in towing Virawa off the reef. [10] Virawa was undamaged, and continued her journey to India. [11]

Indian indentured labourers

Between 1895 and 1907 Virawa made four voyages taking Indian indentured labourers abroad, as shown in the table below.[ citation needed ] On her 1895 voyage she left Calcutta carrying either 683 or 687 labourers (accounts differ), and sailed via the Torres Strait. Three days later, measles broke out aboard. Two of her passengers died. When she reached Suva on 26 April, her passengers were quarantined on Nukulau. The ship was also quarantined and fumigated. [12] [13] Nine people died on her voyage to Trinidad in 1901.[ citation needed ]

Fiji and Trinidad voyages
DestinationDate of ArrivalNumber of Passengers
Fiji 26 April 1895677
Trinidad 17 October 1901734
Fiji17 July 1905615
Fiji23 March 1907759

Collision with Bessie Maud

In October 1898 Virawa was again in Australia loading horses for India. She loaded 257 horses at Melbourne, and then went to Newcastle, New South Wales to load another 149 horses and a cargo of coal. [14] The horses were destined for Calcutta as army remounts. Bhundarra was in Newcastle at the same time, to load 300 horses for Bombay (now Mumbai). [15]

On the morning of 4 October Virawa arrived off Newcastle and took on a pilot, who took her into port on the flood tide. At 0645 hrs she was reaching the end of the breakwater when a schooner, the 63  GRT Bessie Maud, carrying a cargo of timber, crossed her bow. Virawa put her engine full astern and dropped her port anchor. This slowed the steamship, but did not stop her from hitting the schooner's starboard side. Virawa then dropped her starboard anchor in error, striking Bessie Maud's deckhouse. The steamship then raised the starboard anchor, which broke off the schooner's mainmast. The two ships drifted together for a while, and the schooner's crew climbed to safety aboard the steamship. Then Bessie Maud fell clear and sank in only 22 feet (7 m) of water, forming a danger to navigation. Virawa continued to Queen's Wharf, where she berthed. [16]

The Marine Board in Newcastle opened an inquiry on 5 October, heard evidence, and adjourned. [17] On 12 October the Board met again, and delivered its decision that Captain Edward Anderson had navigated Bessie Maud on a course contrary to harbour regulations, and so bore sole blame for the collision. [18] On 17 October the Board met again, and suspended Anderson's certificate for three months. [19]

Later years

All BI ships were designed to be converted into troop ships, by putting troop accommodation in the holds. [20] In the Second Boer War the UK Government chartered at least 37 BI ships for war service. [21] On 8 October 1899 Virawa left Bombay carrying part of the 5th Dragoon Guards. She arrived in Durban on 25 October. [22]

In July 1901 Virawa was in the Bay of Bengal when her main engine failed. City Line's City of Athens towed her into port. In August 1905 she grounded on Tobin Cay in the Great Northeast Channel. She was refloated with little damage. [3]

By 1919 Virawa was equipped with wireless telegraphy. [23] On 12 May 1921 BI sold her for scrap for 82,000 rupees. She was broken up in Bombay. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Hereward</i> (ship)

Hereward, was British clipper ship that was built in Scotland in 1877. She had an iron hull, three masts and full rig.

SS Vadala was a cargo steamship that was launched in Scotland in 1890, renamed Kenkon Maru No. 12 in 1913, and sank as the result of a collision in 1928. She was built for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI). In 1895 she took Indian indentured labourers to Fiji. In 1899 was a troop ship in the Second Boer War. From 1913 she was in Japanese ownership.

SS Fazilka was a British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) steamship. She was built in England in 1890, operated mostly in the Indian Ocean, and was wrecked in the Nicobar Islands in 1919. She was a troop ship in the Second Boer War and the First World War. From 1901 to 1907 she took Indian indentured labourers to Fiji.

SS Fultala was a British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) steamship. She was built in England in 1890, operated mostly in the Indian Ocean, and was scrapped in India in 1923. She was a troop ship in the Second Boer War and the First World War. From 1901 to 1906 she took Indian indentured labourers to Fiji.

SS Wardha was a merchant steamship that was built in Scotland in the 1880s and scrapped in Italy in 1923. She was one of a pair of sister ships that were designed to carry cotton, but completed for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) to carry sugar. In 1899 she carried troops and cavalry horses for the Second Boer War. In the 1900s she took Indian indentured labourers to British Guiana and Fiji. From 1913 onward she passed through a succession of Italian owners, but kept her original name.

SS Santhia was a steam cargo liner that was launched in Scotland in 1901, renamed Saka Maru in 1923, and scrapped in Japan in 1935. She was one of a class of seven steamships that were built for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) in 1901 and 1902.

SS Mulbera was a British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) turbine steamship that was built in 1922 and scrapped in 1954. She belonged to BI's "M" class of cargo liners. She was the last member of the class to be built, and the last to survive in service.

TSS <i>Maianbar</i> Australian coastal steamship

TSS Maianbar was a coastal steamship of the North Coast Steam Navigation Company. Built in Scotland in 1910 she ran aground in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1940 and was later scrapped on site.

SS <i>Camorta</i> British steamship that sank in the Bay of Bengal

SS Camorta was an iron-hulled passenger steamship that was built in Scotland in 1880, and lost with all hands in the Irrawaddy Delta in 1902. The disaster killed more than 700 people.

SS <i>Komagata Maru</i> Cargo steamship that in 1914 was involved in an immigration dispute in Canada

Komagata Maru was a cargo steamship that was built in Scotland in 1890, was in German ownership until 1913, and then had a succession of Japanese owners until she was wrecked in 1926. She was launched as Stubbenhuk, renamed Sicilia in 1894, Komagata Maru in 1913 and Heian Maru in 1924.

MV Domala was a British cargo liner that was launched in 1920 as Magvana, but completed in 1921 as Domala. She was the first major ocean-going passenger ship to be built in the United Kingdom as a motor ship.

HMAS <i>Grantala</i>

HMAS Grantala was a passenger steamship that was built in England in 1903 as a coastal interstate liner for the Adelaide Steamship Company. In 1914 the Commonwealth government requisitioned her as a Royal Australian Navy hospital ship.

SS <i>Karagola</i> (1887) British cargo ship that was burnt out and scrapped

SS Karagola was a cargo steamship of the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI). She was built in Scotland in 1887, and operated a regular cargo, passenger and mail service in Burma. In 1901 a fire damaged her beyond repair, so she was scrapped.

SS Sirsa was a steel-hulled merchant steamship that was built in Scotland in 1883 and scrapped in Bombay in 1908. She spent her entire career with the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI).

SS Hatarana was a cargo steamship that was built as part of an emergency shipbuilding programme during the First World War, and sunk without loss of life in the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. She was built as War Sailor, one of a batch of cargo ships that the United Kingdom ordered from Japanese shipyards. She was renamed Hatarana in 1919 when she changed owners.

SS Oakland was a small general cargo/passenger ship commissioned in 1890, Dumbarton, Scotland, for New South Wales, Australia, timber merchant William T Yeager. It sank off Cabbage Tree Island, New South Wales, in 1903, with the loss of 11 lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixty-miler</span>

Sixty-miler (60-miler) is the colloquial name for the ships that were used in the coastal coal trade of New South Wales, Australia. The sixty-milers delivered coal to Sydney from ports and ocean jetties to the north and south. The name refers to the approximate distance by sea—actually 64 nautical miles—from the Hunter River mouth at Nobbys Head to the North Head of Sydney Harbour.

Queen Cristina was a steam cargo ship built in 1896 by Bartram & Sons of Sunderland for Thomas Dunlop & Sons of Glasgow. The ship was designed and built for general cargo trade and spent her career doing tramp trade. She was named after Queen Cristina of Spain, and was the first ship named Queen Cristina in service with the Queen Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Davis</span> Australian shipbuilder

Rock Davis (1833-1904) was a shipbuilder, mainly associated with his shipyard, the Rock Davis shipyard, colloquially known as 'the Big Shed', on Brisbane Water at Blackwall, New South Wales, Australia. After his death, the business of ship building was carried on by his second son, also Rock Davis. The shipyard constructed around 165 wooden-hulled vessels, between 1862 and 1913.

SS Warora was a merchant steamship that was built in Scotland in the 1880s and scrapped in India in 1911. She was one of a pair of sister ships that were designed for a Liverpool shipping company to carry cotton, but completed for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) to carry sugar. In 1899 she carried troops and cavalry horses for the Second Boer War. She was a troop ship again in the Boxer Rebellion.

References

  1. ↑ Haws 1987, pp. 76, 77.
  2. ↑ "Vadala". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Virawa" (PDF). P&O Heritage. November 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 Lloyd's Register 1891, VIN–VIS.
  5. 1 2 Haws 1987, p. 77.
  6. ↑ Mercantile Navy List 1891, p. 289.
  7. 1 2 "Large cargoes of Australian horses". The Sydney Morning Herald . Sydney. 4 September 1891. p. 4 – via Trove.
  8. ↑ Haws 1987, p. 18.
  9. ↑ "Steamer Ashore". The Telegraph . Brisbane. 12 September 1891. p. 4 – via Trove.
  10. ↑ "Stranded Steamer". The Telegraph. Brisbane. 15 September 1891. p. 4 – via Trove.
  11. ↑ "Virawa on her Journey". The Telegraph. Brisbane. 16 September 1891. p. 4 – via Trove.
  12. ↑ "News from Fiji". The Age . Melbourne. 10 May 1895. p. 5 – via Trove.
  13. ↑ "Our Fili letter". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. 11 May 1895. p. 5 – via Trove.
  14. ↑ "Export of horses". The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate . Newcastle. 1 October 1898. p. 4 – via Trove.
  15. ↑ "Horses for India". The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. Newcastle. 6 October 1898. p. 5 – via Trove.
  16. ↑ "Collision in the Harbour". The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. Newcastle. 5 October 1898. p. 4 – via Trove.
  17. ↑ "Marine Board Inquiries". The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. Newcastle. 6 October 1898. p. 7 – via Trove.
  18. ↑ "Marine Board Inquiry". The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. Newcastle. 13 October 1898. p. 7 – via Trove.
  19. ↑ "The Virawa–Bessie Maude Collision". The Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. Newcastle. 18 October 1898. p. 3 – via Trove.
  20. ↑ Haws 1987, p. 12.
  21. ↑ Haws 1987, p. 20.
  22. ↑ "Maurice: History – Vol 1: Appendix 1 - Reinforcements Sanctioned On The 8th September, 1899". Books. AngloBoerWar.com. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  23. ↑ Lloyd's Register 1919, VIO–VIR.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.