Africa (ship, 1903)

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Africa
The Africa with four railway carriages of a hospital train during the First World War
The Africa with four railway carriages of a hospital train during the First World War
Ship data
flag United KingdomUnited Kingdom (trade flag) United Kingdom
Owner Bennett Steamship Company in Goole
Shipyard Earle's Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , Kingston upon Hull
Build number 481
Launch 1903
Whereabouts Run into a mine on September 16, 1915, aground on the Downs , blown up by Trinity House on May 26, 1917
Ship dimensions and crew
length
71.90 m ( Lüa )
width 10.10 m
Draft Max. 4.30 m
measurement 1038 GRT, 440 NRT
Machine system
machine Three-cylinder steam engine with triple expansion
Machine
performance 		233 hp (171 kW)
Top
speed 		13.0 kn (24 km / h)
propeller 1 × fixed propeller
Others
Registration
numbers 		Lloyd's registration number: 114036

The Africa was a British steamship that ran on September 16, 1915 on the way from London to Boulogne-sur-Mer on a mine laid by the German submarine UC 6 . At that time the ship was loaded with four railway wagons from a hospital train .

history

The Africa was built in 1903 by Earle's Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Kingston upon Hull . It was a three-cylinder steam engine powered by a 233 nominal horsepower and triple expansion via a propeller, which belonged to the Bennett Steamship Company in Goole . The captain was William Denby or, according to other sources, HA Greenwood.

On the night of September 15, 1915, the German submarine UC 6 , which was only launched on June 20, 1915, laid mines in the Dover Strait south of the South Goodwin lightship . On the evening of the following day, September 16, 1915, the Africa ran 1.5 miles from Kingsdown and 2.5 miles south of Deal , Kent, upon one of those mines that had previously been unnoticed. Two crew members died in the process.

Loading of the Africa in Tilbury harbor before her last voyage

The ship was loaded with four railroad cars that were part of one of 16 hospital trains provided by the Great Western Railway for use in World War I , each consisting of 16 cars. These were to be transferred with the Africa from Tilbury Docks to Boulogne in France in order to transport the injured to suitable hospitals on the continent . In addition, several employees of the Great Western Railway were on board, who survived the shipwreck.

The Africa did not sink immediately, but could still be towed to the Downs on the English coast near Deal. This coast soon got the name Hospital Coast because of the many ships that were anchored there and were to be repaired there . The wreck was at position 51 ° 13 '57.1 "  N , 1 ° 24' 40.8"  O coordinates: 51 ° 13 '57.1 "  N , 1 ° 24' 40.8"  O . It was blown up on May 26, 1917 by Trinity House .

Web links

Commons : Africa  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Pastscape: SS Africa. ( Memento from March 26, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Jan Eaton (aka Wibbo): SS Africa.
  3. ↑ a b Serena Cant : No.91 The Africa. Diary of the War No.14. 16th September 2015.
  4. ↑ Elaine Arthurs of the STEAM Museum in Swindon. Quoted by Serena Cant.