Calgarian
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The Calgarian was an ocean liner put into service in 1914 by the British-Canadian shipping company Allan Line , which was used in the North Atlantic passenger and freight traffic between Great Britain and the USA . She and her identical sister ship Alsatian were the largest ships of their shipping company and the last to be built for the Allan Line. They were the largest steamers to cross the St. Lawrence River in their day . After only five crossings, the Calgarian was drafted for military service and used as an armed auxiliary cruiser (Armed Merchant Cruiser). In 1918 the ship was sunk by a German submarine off the north coast of Ireland .
A short time as a passenger ship
The 17,521 gross registered tons (GRT) steamship Calgarian was built in 1912-13 at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Glasgow . It should meet the requirements of the British Corporation Registry of Shipping, the Board of Trade and Canadian Immigration Regulations. The 173.37 meter long and 21.43 meter wide Calgarian was launched on April 19, 1913 and was completed in early 1914. She had an identical sister ship , the Alsatian (18,485 GRT), which was completed shortly before her. The two modern transatlantic steamers were the largest and most luxurious ships that Allen Line ever put into service and the last before the shipping company became part of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company in 1917 . Both ships had a stern that was reminiscent of cruise ships . Their oars were different, however.
In the summer, the Calgarian should serve the route Liverpool - Quebec - Montreal and in winter the route Liverpool - Halifax - Saint John . The Calgarian had two masts , two funnels, eight decks, and four propellers . She could make a speed of up to 18 knots. It was equipped with equipment for wireless communications and for tracking down submarines . The safety equipment included 17 regular lifeboats and 28 other Engelhardt boats.
The passenger accommodation was able to accommodate 280 passengers in the first, 500 in the second and 900 in the third class. The passenger cabins were equipped with heating and ventilation systems. The spacious and comfortably furnished lounges of the first class, including the lounge , the library , the writing room and the smoking room, were located on the A-deck . The veranda café and the gymnastics room were also found on the upper promenade deck . The first-class dining room stretched the full breadth of the ship and was crowned by a dome. In the two boiler rooms there were six double-end boilers and four single-end boilers. During the test drives on the Clyde on March 16, 1914, she achieved a top speed of 21.25 knots. On May 8, 1914, ran Calgarian in Liverpool for their maiden voyage to Quebec from.
Auxiliary cruiser and sinking
Because of the dawning war, her time as a passenger ship was very short. Already on August 25, 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War , the Calgarian set off for the fifth and last voyage on her North Atlantic route.
After being converted into an Armed Merchant Cruiser (armed auxiliary cruiser), she became the flagship of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, which also included her sister ship Alsatian . It was used for the blockade of Lisbon and New York . When the Allan Line was taken over by the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company in 1917 , the Calgarian was automatically transferred to their fleet.
On March 1, 1918, the Calgarian was sunk off the island of Rathlin on the Northern Irish coast at the position 55 ° 25 ′ N , 6 ° 15 ′ W by the German U-boat U 19 (Kapitänleutnant Johannes Spieß) with three torpedoes . She accompanied a convoy of a total of 30 ships under the command of Captain RA Newton in the North Channel . Two officers and 47 other crew members were killed. The Calgarian was the largest and by far the most prominent ship sunk by U 19 . She was also one of the largest merchant ships sunk in World War I.