SS Maine

Last updated

SS Maine
Propeller by a Farm Entrance - geograph.org.uk - 969562.jpg
The propeller from Maine at Kingsteignton, Devon.
History
Name
  • Sierra Blanca (1904–13)
  • Maine (1913–17)
Owner
  • Sierra Shipping Co. Ltd (1904–13)
  • Atlantic Transport Co. Ltd (1913–17)
Operator
  • Thomas, Anderson & Co. (1905–13)
  • Atlantic Transport Co. Ltd (1913–17)
Port of registry Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg Liverpool, United Kingdom
Launched19 November 1904
CompletedJanuary 1904
Out of service23 March 1917
FateTorpedoed and sunk
General characteristics
Type Steamship
Tonnage3,616  GRT, 2,338  NRT
Length361 feet (110.03 m)
Beam46 feet 2 inches (14.07 m)
Installed powerTriple expansion steam engine
PropulsionSingle screw propeller
Speed13 knots (24 km/h)

Maine was a British steamship launched in 1904 as Sierra Blanca for the Sierra Shipping Co. Ltd. She was sold to the Atlantic Transport Co. Ltd. in 1913 and renamed Maine. She was torpedoed and sunk in March 1917 by UC-17.

Contents

Description

The ship was 361 feet (110.03 m) long, with a beam of 46 feet 2 inches (14.07 m). She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine which drove a single screw propeller. It could propel her at 13 knots (24 km/h). [1]

History

Sierra Blanca was build by D. & W. Henderson & Co., Glasgow for the Sierra Shipping Co. Ltd. She was launched on 19 November 1904 and completed in January 1905. Her port of registry was Liverpool and she was operated under the management of Thomson, Anderson & Co. [1] Her maiden voyage was to Mobile, Alabama, United States, at which port she arrived on 26 January 1905. [2] On 26 July 1908, Sierra Blanca ran aground on the South Lyconia Reef. She was refloated after jettisoning 300 tons of cargo and put in to Manila, Phillipines in a severely damaged condition on 31 July. [3]

In 1913, Sierra Blanca was sold to the Atlantic Transport Co. Ltd. and was renamed Maine. [1] On 23 March 1917, Maine was torpedoed and sunk in the English Channel 9.5 nautical miles (17.6 km) off Berry Head, Devon ( 50°12′N3°52′W / 50.200°N 3.867°W / 50.200; -3.867 ) by UC-17. [4] Maine was on a voyage from London to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. [1] There were no casualties. She was carrying chalk and general cargo. [4] She sank "gracefully, upright and on an even keel"[ citation needed ] and sits on shingle 36 metres (118 ft) deep at 50°12.750′N3°50.955′W / 50.212500°N 3.849250°W / 50.212500; -3.849250 .

The Torbay British Sub-Aqua Club bought the wreck for £100 in 1962 and salvaged the bronze propeller, selling it for £800.[ citation needed ]

The propeller was proudly displayed on a plinth outside the Safeway supermarket in Paignton town centre, until the redevelopment of the site in the early 2000s. The propeller was being sold for scrap,[ citation needed ] but was rescued by a farmer and now is in a field in Kingsteignton.

Related Research Articles

Persier was a 5,382 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1918 as War Buffalo for the British Shipping Controller. In 1919, she was sold to Belgium and renamed Persier. Between 1934 and 1941 she also held a passenger certificate. She was driven ashore on the Icelandic coast in a storm in February 1941 which put her out of action for two years. Returned to service in February 1943, she served until 11 February 1945, when she was torpedoed and sunk by U-1017 with the loss of 20 crew.

Empire Antelope was a 4,782-ton cargo ship which was built as Ophis in 1919. She was renamed Bangu in 1928. In 1941 she was renamed Empire Antelope. She was sunk by the German submarine U-402 on 2 November 1942.

Empire Barracuda was a 4,972 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1918 for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) as Sacandaga. She was sold to American Diamond Lines in 1932 and renamed Black Heron. In 1941 she passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and was renamed Empire Barracuda. She was torpedoed on 15 December 1942 and sunk by U-77.

British Corporal was a 6,972 GRT tanker that was built in 1922 by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow, Northumberland, United Kingdom. She was built for the British Tanker Company.

Noemijulia was a 2,489 GRT cargo ship built in 1895 as Barlby by Sir R Ropner & Sons Ltd, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, for their own use. She was sold to Greece in 1926 and renamed Noemi. In 1930, she was sold to a British company and renamed Noemijulia. Questions about the manner of her operation were raised in the British Parliament in 1935, and she was attacked by Spanish Nationalist aircraft in 1937 off Cape de Creus.

SS Prinz Adalbert was a twin-screw cargo liner that was launched in Germany in 1902 for Hamburg America Line (HAPAG). In 1914 the United Kingdom Admiralty siezed her and renamed her Prince. In 1916 she was renamed Princetown. On 1917 she was transferred to the Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique and renamed Alesia. Later in 1917 a U-boat sank her.

SS <i>Athenia</i> (1903) British passenger liner sunk in WWI

SS Athenia was the first Donaldson Line ship of that name to be torpedoed and sunk off Inishtrahull, by a German submarine (SM U-53) in 1917; the later SS Athenia, was similarly attacked in 1939.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sierra Blanca". Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  2. ↑ "Mail and Shipping Intelligence". The Times. No. 37614. London. 26 January 1905. col C-D, p. 10.
  3. ↑ "The Marine Insurance Market". The Times. No. 38714. London. 1 August 1908. col F, p. 16.
  4. 1 2 "Maine". Uboat.net. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
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.