Kyarra (ship, 1903)
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The Kyarra was a passenger ship of the Australian shipping company Australian United Steam Navigation Company put into service in 1903 , which carried passengers, mail and cargo in a regular service between Fremantle on the west coast of Australia and Sydney on the east coast. During the First World War , she served the British Admiralty temporarily as a hospital ship under the name HMAT Kyarra (A55) . On May 26, 1918, she was sunk by a German submarine at Anvil Point on the English Channel coast . Six people were killed.
The ship
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The 6,593-ton, from steel -built steamship kyarra was commissioned by the Australian shipping company Australian United Steam Navigation Company on the Scottish shipyard William Denny and Brothers in Dumbarton built and ran there on 2 February 1903 by the stack. Her identical sister ship , the Kanowna (also 6,953 GRT, hull number 671) was also built by William Denny and was launched on October 21, 1902.
Both ships were large and luxurious ocean liners by Australian standards at the time. The Kyarra was 126.62 meters long, 15.90 meters wide and had a draft of 9.58 meters. She had a funnel, two masts and two propellers and was powered by two triple expansion steam engines that could accelerate the ship up to 15.4 knots. The steamer, which was designed as a passenger and cargo ship, was able to carry 126 first-class passengers and 160 second-class passengers. In addition, 253,000 cubic meters of cargo space were available.
For ten years the Kyarra commuted between Sydney ( New South Wales ) and Fremantle in Western Australia , where it was also registered.
Use in the First World War
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On November 6, 1914, the Kyarra was drafted by the British Admiralty for service as a hospital ship and given the corresponding white paint and the Red Cross on both sides. 4.7-inch cannons were mounted on the stern. It was supposed to transport medical goods and personnel from Australia to Egypt under the identification number HMAT Kyarra (A55) . She also carried Australian wounded and continued Australian mail.
In March 1915, the Kyarra was converted into a troop transport . On January 4, 1918, she was dismissed from the service of the Admiralty and returned to her shipping company. On January 19, 1918, a new captain took command, Albert Donovan.
Sinking
On May 5, 1918, the Kyarra left Tilbury for Plymouth with no passengers on board , from where it should set sail with passengers and mail to Australia. On May 26, 1918, the ship steamed in a westerly direction down the English Channel coast. After making stops in Dover , Eastbourne and Brighton , the next stop was Plymouth.
Two nautical miles south-southeast of Anvil Point on the coast of Dorset County , the ship was hit amidships on the port side by a torpedo from the German submarine UB 57 (Oberleutnant zur See Johannes Lohs ). The torpedo was still sighted aboard the Kyarra , but it was too late to take evasive action. It went under within 20 minutes. Six crew members died.
The wreck of the Kyarra was discovered in the late 1960s by members of the British Sub-Aqua Club and later bought by them. It lies at a depth of 30 meters on rocky ground and is very popular with divers. There are still red wine bottles , champagne bottles, perfume bottles in the holds , but also medical goods, clothing and boxes with sealing wax .
Web links
- Kyarra website with full details
- Brief overview in the Clydebuilt Ships Database
- Entry in the submarine database
- Entry in the wreck database
Coordinates: 50 ° 34 ′ 54 " N , 1 ° 56 ′ 34.2" W.