Sold for Scrap 23 June 1926
Launched: Thursday, 14 September 1905
Ship Type: Passenger Liner
Ship's Role: UK/India and Far East mail services, and trooping
Tonnage: 8038 gross; 4723 net; 8165 dwt
Length: 470ft 0in
Breadth: 56ft 3in
Draught: 27ft 8in
Owner History:
Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company
Remarks:
14/09/1905: Launched for The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, London.
15/11/1905: Delivered. She cost £160,167. As built she could carry 150 First Class and 100 Second Class passengers.
1905: On her maiden voyage she carried Prince Arthur of Connaught and his suite to Colombo en route to conferring the Order of the Garter on the Emperor of Japan.
1906: Taken up for seasonal trooping charter, which was repeated every year until 1914, apart from 1911.
1907: Made a record Southampton/Bombay journey in 18 days, 7 hours.
1911: Present at King George V’s Coronation Navy Review carrying guests of the Admiralty.
1911: Indian famine relief duties.
1914: On trooping charter when war declared.
1915: Requisitioned. She operated as a makeshift hospital ship at the Dardanelles and later as transport, largely off the coast of East Africa.
05/03/1915: Collided at 0.17 am in the Bristol Channel with the anchored Belgian steamer ESPAGNE, having sailed from Avonmouth at 10.47 pm the previous evening. Holed below the waterline forward on the starboard side and beached west of Barry for the leak to be temporarily stopped. Refloated on a rising tide at 4.48 am and winched into Barry Dock 3 hours later.
17/03/1915: Left Barry after repairs.
1919: After the Armistice she repatriated deported Russians to Reval, and brought back refugees, before being refitted.
10/1920: First postwar commercial voyage London/Bombay.
1922: Serious collision with the Japanese vessel KUMANA MARU, which was blamed for the incident.
01/09/1923: Assisted in relief work at the Yokohama earthquake. After the shock and ensuing fire, took aboard some 430 refugees of all nationalities.
03/09/1923: Sailed for Kobe with about 700 aboard. Four refugees who died onboard were buried at sea. Captain R H Griffith was decorated by the Japanese Government for the leading part he took in the rescue.
1924: On the Aden/Bombay “ferry” service.
1925: One round voyage UK/Australia.
28/06/1926: Sold for £15,500 to T W Ward Ltd for demolition at Barrow.
