SS Wardha

Last updated

History
NameWardha
Namesake Wardha
Owner
Port of registry
Builder A Stephen & Sons, Linthouse
Yard number295
Laid down1884
Launched7 July 1887
Completed1887
Identification
Fatescrapped 1923
General characteristics
Type cargo ship
Tonnage3,917  GRT, 2,552  NRT
Length350.0 ft (106.7 m)
Beam47.2 ft (14.4 m)
Depth20.3 ft (6.2 m)
Decks2
Installed power311 NHP
Propulsion
Sail plan2-masted brigantine
Speed11 knots (20 km/h)
Notes sister ship: Warora

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.

Contents

Building

In 1884 Alexander Stephen and Sons of Linthouse, Glasgow, laid down a pair of cargo ships for Hume, Smith and Company of Liverpool. Their beam was relatively broad in proportion to their length, as they were designed to carry baled cotton from New Orleans to Liverpool. While they were being built, Hume, Smith went into liquidation, leaving yard numbers 295 and 296 incomplete. [1]

The two incomplete hulls lay in Stephen's shipyard until 1887, when BI had them completed. 295 was launched on 7 July as Wardha, followed by 296 on 18 August as Warora. [1]

Wardha's registered length was 350.0 ft (106.7 m), her beam was 47.2 ft (14.4 m) and her depth was 20.3 ft (6.2 m). Her tonnages were 3,917  GRT and 2,552  NRT.

She had a single screw, driven by a three-cylinder triple-expansion engine that was rated at 311 NHP [2] and gave her a speed of 11 knots (20 km/h). She had two masts, and was rigged as a brigantine. [1]

BI career

BI registered Wardha at Glasgow. Her United Kingdom official number was 93394 and her code letters were KMVJ. [3]

BI at first used both Wardha and Warora to import sugar from Mauritius to India. [1]

All BI ships were designed to be converted into troop ships, by putting troop accommodation in the holds. [4] In the Second Boer War the UK Government chartered at least 37 BI ships for war service. [5] On 24 September 1899 in Bombay (now Mumbai) she embarked part of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers. [6] On 9 October she reached Durban, and from there she tried to reach Cape Town. A gale off East London damaged the ship, and killed nearly 100 of the cavalry horses aboard. Wardha turned back, and reached Durban again on 14 October. The lancers were transferred to the BI ship Avoca and Currie Line ship Nevada to resume their voyage to Cape Town. [7] In 1900 Wardha took troops from Calcutta to Hong Kong. [1]

After the Boer War, Wardha made three voyages taking Indian indentured labourers abroad, as shown in the table below. The first was to British Guiana in 1901. [8] The others were to Fiji in 1905 and 1906.[ citation needed ]

British Guiana and Fiji voyages
DestinationDate of ArrivalNumber of Passengers
British Guiana 1901n/a
Fiji 28 July 1905892
Fiji28 June 1906834

Wardha also carried horses from Australia to India. In August 1905 she loaded 162 horses in Melbourne, followed by 200 at Sydney, and 150 at either Pinkenba or Brisbane. [9] [10]

Italian career

In November 1912 Fratelli Bruzzo ("Bruzzo Brothers") bought Wardha for £8,000. [1] She was registered in Genoa, and her code letters were STVH. [11] E Ghisler bought Wardha in February 1913, and sold her in 1917 to A Corrado fu GB. [1] [12] On 25 August 1920 a fire badly damaged the ship in Genoa. [13] She was scrapped in Italy in 1923. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

SS Sangola was a steam cargo liner that was launched in Scotland in 1901, renamed Goshu Maru in 1923, and scrapped in Japan in 1933. She was one of a class of seven steamships that were built for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) in 1901 and 1902. From 1908 until 1910 she took Indian indentured labourers to Fiji.

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 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.

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 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 Chenab was a steamship that was built in England in 1911 and scrapped in Scotland in 1953. For nearly two decades she was part of Nourse Line, which carried Girmityas from India to colonies in the Caribbean and the Pacific. In 1914 she was requisitioned for service in the First World War.

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.

SS Montrose was a British merchant steamship that was built in 1897 and wrecked in 1914. She was built as a cargo liner for Elder, Dempster & Company. In 1903 the Canadian Pacific Railway bought her and had her converted into a passenger liner.

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.

SS <i>Statendam</i> (1898) Ocean liner operated by Holland America Line, Allan Line and Canadian Pacific

SS Statendam was a transatlantic ocean liner that was launched in Ireland in 1898 for Holland America Line. She was the first of several ships in the company's history to be called Statendam. She was NASM's first ship of more than 10,000 GRT, and she was the largest ship in the company's fleet until Potsdam was completed in 1900.

MV Dumana was a British cargo liner that was laid down as Melma, but launched in 1921 as Dumana. The British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) owned her, and ran her on routes between London and India.

SS <i>Polar Chief</i> British merchant steamship

SS Polar Chief was a merchant steamship that was built in England in 1897 and scrapped in Scotland in 1952. In her 55-year career she had previously been called Montcalm, RFA Crenella, Crenella, Rey Alfonso, Anglo-Norse and Empire Chief. Early in the First World War she spent eight months pretending to be the battleship HMS Audacious.

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 <i>Grampian</i> British ocean liner, in service 1907–1921

SS Grampian was a transatlantic ocean liner that was built in Scotland in 1907 and scrapped in the Netherlands in 1925. She was operated originally by Allan Line, and later by Canadian Pacific Steamships. In the First World War she remained in commercial service but carried Canadian troops. In 1919 she survived a collision with an iceberg. In 1921 she was gutted by fire while being refitted. The refit was abandoned, and in 1925–26 she was scrapped.

SS <i>Sir Harvey Adamson</i> British steamship that went missing in the Indian Ocean

SS Sir Harvey Adamson was a coastal passenger steamship that was built in Scotland in 1914 for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI). She traded along the coast of Burma until 1947, shen she disappeared in a gale in the Andaman Sea. No survivor or identifiable wreckage was ever found.

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.

SS Querimba was one of the largest turret deck ships ever built. She was launched in England in 1905, renamed Maria Enrica in 1923, and scrapped in Italy in 1933. She was one of three sister ships that William Doxford & Sons built for the British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) in 1905. They were the only turret deck ships BI ever owned. It used them as bulk carriers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Haws 1987, p. 70.
  2. ↑ Lloyd's Register 1912, WAN–WAR.
  3. ↑ Mercantile Navy List 1888, p. 199.
  4. ↑ Haws 1987, p. 12.
  5. ↑ Haws 1987, p. 20.
  6. ↑ "Shipping records – October 1899". Miscellaneous information. AngloBoerWar.com. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "Maurice: History – Vol 1: Appendix 1 - Reinforcements Sanctioned On The 8th September, 1899". Books. AngloBoerWar.com. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Cheddie, Richard B (27 August 2000). "Updated List of Ships that transported E". Genealogy.com. Retrieved 18 January 2024.[ better source needed ]
  9. ↑ "Horses for India". The Telegraph . Brisbane. 29 August 1905. p. 2 – via Trove.
  10. ↑ "Horses for India". The Telegraph. Brisbane. 30 August 1905. p. 7 – via Trove.
  11. ↑ Lloyd's Register 1914, WAN–WAR.
  12. ↑ Lloyd's Register 1917, WAR.
  13. ↑ "Wardha". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

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.