SS Ruahine

Last updated

History
Name
  • until 1949: Ruahine
  • after 1949: Auriga
Owner
Operator
  • until 1949: New Zealand Shipping Co
  • after 1949: Fratelli Grimaldi
Port of registry
Builder William Denny and Brothers
Yard number880
Launched19 August 1909
Completed6 November 1909
Identification
FateScrapped 1957
General characteristics
Type Ocean liner
Tonnage10,870  GRT, 6,872  NRT
Length
Beam60.3 ft (18.4 m)
Depth32.1 ft (9.8 m)
Decks3
Installed power848 NHP
Propulsion
Speed14 knots (26 km/h)
Capacity
  • as built: 520 passengers
  • from 1926: passenger accommodation reduced
  • from 1933: 220 tourist class passengers
  • from 1949: 800 passengers
  • 274,549 cubic feet (7,774.4 m3) refrigerated cargo
Sensors and
processing systems
Notes sister ships: Rotorua, Remuera

SS Ruahine was a UK-built ocean liner and refrigerated cargo ship. She was launched in 1909 in Scotland for the New Zealand Shipping Company, who operated her in scheduled service between Britain and New Zealand. She survived both World wars.

Contents

In 1949 she was sold to Fratelli Grimaldi of Italy, who renamed her Auriga. She was scrapped in 1957.

She was the second of three NZ Shipping Co ships called Ruahine. The first was a steamship that was launched in 1891, sold and renamed in 1900 and scrapped in 1945. [1] The third was the motor ship Ruahine that was launched in 1950, sold in 1967, renamed in 1968 and scrapped in 1974. [2]

Building

William Denny and Brothers built Ruahine at Dumbarton. She was launched on 19 August 1909 and completed on 6 November. [3] She was 497 ft (151 m) long overall, [4] 480.6 ft (146.5 m) registered length, 60.3 ft (18.4 m) beam and 32.1 ft (9.8 m) depth. Her tonnages were 10,870  GRT and 6,872  NRT. [5]

Ruahine had twin screws driven by twin triple-expansion steam engines. Between them they were rated at 848 NHP and gave her a service speed of 14 knots (26 km/h). [4]

As built, Ruahine had berths for 520 passengers divided into three classes. [4] Her holds had capacity for 274,549 cubic feet (7,774.4 m3) of refrigerated cargo. [6]

Denny's followed Ruahine with two sister ships for the New Zealand Shipping Company: Rotorua launched in 1910 [7] and Remuera launched in 1911. [8]

Service

Ruahine entered service for the New Zealand Shipping Company in 1910, sailing from London to Auckland and Wellington. Her primary passenger traffic was emigrants from Britain to New Zealand. Her cargo was finished goods to New Zealand and raw foods to Britain. [4]

Ruahine was refitted in 1926 with reduced passenger accommodation, and again in 1933 with 220 tourist class berths. [3]

By 1930 Ruahine had wireless direction finding equipment. [5] In 1934 the call sign GLYM [9] superseded Ruahine's code letters HPVS. [5] By 1935 she was fitted with an echo sounding device. [9]

On 4 February 1938 Ruahine was involved in a collision with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker RFA Broomdale, which was on sea trials in the Firth of Clyde. [10]

From 1938 Ruahine ceased carrying passengers. From May 1938 until October 1939 she was laid up in the River Fal. [3]

In 1949 Fratelli Grimaldi bought Ruahine, renamed her Auriga, and had her refitted to carry 800 passengers. She operated on emigrant routes from Italy and France. [4] She was scrapped in 1957 at Savona in Italy. [3]

Related Research Articles

RMS <i>Caronia</i> (1904)

RMS Caronia was a Cunard Line transatlantic steam ocean liner. She was launched in 1904 and scrapped in 1932. In World War I she was first an armed merchant cruiser (AMC) and then a troop ship.

RMS <i>Carmania</i> (1905) Cunard Line transatlantic steam turbine ocean liner

RMS Carmania was a Cunard Line transatlantic steam turbine ocean liner. She was launched in 1905 and scrapped in 1932. In World War I she was first an armed merchant cruiser (AMC) and then a troop ship.

HMS <i>Montclare</i> Cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Montclare (F85) was a British ocean liner that was commissioned into the Royal Navy as an armed merchant cruiser in 1939, converted into a destroyer depot ship in 1944 and a submarine depot ship in 1946. She was decommissioned in 1954 and scrapped in 1958.

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.

HMS <i>Forfar</i> (F30) Armed merchant cruiser

HMS Forfar (F30) was a British ocean liner that was commissioned into the Royal Navy as an armed merchant cruiser in 1939 and sunk by enemy action in 1940. She was launched in Scotland in 1920 as a transatlantic liner for the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company as Montrose. She was one of three sister ships. The others were Montcalm, also launched in 1920, and Montclare, launched in 1921.

SS <i>City of Venice</i> Passenger vessel from 1924 to 1943

SS City of Venice was an intermediate ocean liner that was launched in 1924 in Northern Ireland for Ellerman Lines. In the Second World War she was a troop ship. In 1943 a U-boat sank her in the Mediterranean, killing 22 of the crew and troops aboard.

SS <i>Empire Galahad</i> World War II merchant ship of the United Kingdom

SS Empire Galahad was a refrigerated cargo ship built in 1942 and scrapped in 1967. She was also called SS Celtic Star (1946), SS Murillo (1946–52), SS Bogliasco (1952–54), MV Bogliasco (1954–63) and MV Ocean Peace (1963–67). She was built as a steamship, but in 1954 she was converted into a motor ship. She was scrapped in Taiwan in 1967.

SS Patroclus was a UK steam turbine passenger and refrigerated cargo liner launched in 1923. She was the third of five ships to bear the name.

HMS <i>Hector</i> (F45) 1924 armed merchant cruiser of the British Royal Navy

HMS Hector was a UK steam turbine passenger and refrigerated cargo liner launched in 1924. She was the fourth of six civilian ships to bear the name.

SS Manistee was an Elders & Fyffes Ltd banana boat that was launched in 1920. She was one of a numerous class of similar banana boats built for Elders & Fyffes in the 1920s.

SS Automedon was a Blue Funnel Line refrigerated cargo steamship. She was launched in 1921 on the River Tyne as one of a class of 11 ships to replace many of Blue Funnel's losses in the First World War.

Arpha was a 602 GRT passenger ferry built in 1900 as Canterbury for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. She passed to the Southern Railway on 1 January 1923. She was sold to W E Guinness in 1926 and renamed Arpha. In 1938 she was sold to Sark Motorships Ltd, only to be requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1939. Postwar, she was sold to Compania Shell de Venezuela and renamed Coriano. After a further change of ownership she was scrapped in 1955.

MV Nottingham was a refrigerated cargo motor ship that was built in Scotland in 1941 for the Federal Steam Navigation Co. On her maiden voyage a u-boat torpedoed her, sinking her with all hands.

MV <i>Aorangi</i> (1924) New Zealand transpacific ocean liner

MV Aorangi was a transpacific ocean liner and refrigerated cargo ship. She was launched in 1924 in Scotland and scrapped in 1953. Her regular route was between Sydney and Vancouver via Auckland, Suva and Honolulu.

HMS <i>Agamemnon</i> (M10) Cargo ship that was converted into an auxiliary minelayer

HMS Agamemnon was originally the Blue Funnel Line refrigerated cargo ship Agamemnon. She was built in 1929, traded between the UK and the Far East, and was scrapped in 1963. During the Second World War she was converted into an auxiliary minelayer in 1940, and then into an amenities ship in 1943.

HMS <i>Menestheus</i> Cargo ship that was converted into a minelayer and amenities ship

HMS Menestheus was originally the Blue Funnel Line refrigerated cargo ship Menestheus. She was built in 1929, and traded between the UK and the Far East. She was an auxiliary minelayer from 1940 to 1943. In 1945, during the Second World War, she was converted into an amenities ship. She was scrapped in 1953 after being gutted by fire.

HMS <i>Southern Prince</i> Motor ship that was a British reefer ship, WW2 minelayer, and Italian passenger ship

HMS Southern Prince was a motor ship that was built in 1929 as the refrigerated cargo ship Southern Prince. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1940 as a minelayer. She became a headquarters ship and then an accommodation ship in 1944, was a fleet training ship in 1945, and returned to civilian trade in 1946. In 1947 she was sold to Italian owners who had her refitted as a passenger ship and renamed her Anna C. From 1952 she was a cruise ship. She was scrapped in 1972.

SS <i>Metagama</i> Cabin class transatlantic liner

SS Metagama was a transatlantic ocean liner That was launched in 1914 and scrapped in 1934. The Canadian Pacific Railway Co owned her and the Canadian Pacific Steamship Co operated her. She was a pioneering example of a "cabin class" passenger ship.

SS Huntingdon was a refrigerated steam cargo liner that was built in Germany in 1920 as Münsterland. The United Kingdom took her as war reparations and sold her to the Federal Steam Navigation Company, who renamed her Huntingdon. She operated between Britain and Australasia until 1941, when an Italian submarine sank her in the Atlantic Ocean.

SS Verdala was a cargo and passenger steamship that was built in Scotland in 1913. Several times she changed owners and was renamed: as Mongolian Prince in 1917, Istok in 1928 and finally Maycrest in 1940.

References

  1. ↑ "Ruahine (1891)". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Ruahine (1950)". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Ruahine (1909)". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Miller, William Jr (2001). Picture History of British Ocean Liners 1900 to the Present. Mineola: Dover Publications. p.  10. ISBN   0-486-41532-5.
  5. 1 2 3 "Steamers & Motorships". Lloyd's Register (PDF). Vol. II. London: Lloyd's Register. 1930. Retrieved 16 December 2020– via Plimsoll Ship Data.
  6. ↑ "List of Vessels Fitted with Refrigerating Appliances". Lloyd's Register (PDF). Vol. I. London: Lloyd's Register. 1930. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "Rotorua". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "Remuerua". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Steamers & Motorships". Lloyd's Register (PDF). Vol. II. London: Lloyd's Register. 1935. Retrieved 16 December 2020– via Plimsoll Ship Data.
  10. ↑ "RFA Broomdale". Historical RFA. Royal Fleet Auxiliary Historical Society. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
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.