Natal (ship)
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The Natal was a passenger ship put into service in 1882 by the French shipping company Messageries Maritimes , which was used in the liner service from Marseille to Australia , China and Madagascar . On August 30, 1917, Natal , which was darkened due to the state of war, collided with a cargo steamer off the Île de Planier shortly after leaving Marseille and sank. 105 passengers and crew members were killed.
The ship
The 4,250 GRT steamship Natal was the first of seven identical sister ships that Messageries Maritimes put into service between 1881 and 1884 for passenger and freight traffic from France to Australia and New Caledonia . The others were the Melbourne (1882), the Calédonia (1882), the Sydney (1883), the Salazie (1883), the Yarra (I) (1884) and the Océanien (I) (1884).
All seven ships were built at the Chantiers Navals de La Ciotat shipyard in the southern French port city of La Ciotat and initially had a chimney , three masts , a single propeller and a hull painted black . The 130.75 meter long and 12.07 meter wide passenger and cargo ship was powered by a three-cylinder composite steam engine that developed 3,400 hp and could accelerate the ship to up to 12 knots. The Natal had a deadweight capacity of 1565 tons and a displacement of 6,150 tons. The passenger accommodations were designed for 90 passengers in the first, 44 passengers in the second and 75 passengers in the third class.
On July 3, 1881, ran Natal in La Ciotat from the stack and on 5 February 1882, she ran in Marseille for their maiden voyage to the Far East from. On November 23, 1882, the first departure on the route from Marseille to the Seychelles , to Réunion , Mauritius , Australia and Nouméa in New Caledonia took place. After three completed crossings on this route, the Natal was again put on the China route in 1884. A music salon was set up the following year. In 1886/87 electrical lighting was introduced on the ship . On October 31, 1889, the ship between Hong Kong and Saigon was caught in a severe typhoon . The rudder broke, some cabins and salons were damaged and the captain and several crew members were injured.
In 1895 the ship was extensively renovated. A new triple expansion steam engine was installed that developed 4000 hp and increased the top speed from 12 to 16 knots. In addition, the hull was painted white, the aft deckhouse was extended and a second chimney was added. In 1900 the Natal brought troops to China during the Boxer Rebellion .
In the first World War
After the outbreak of war in 1914, the Natal, like other ships of the shipping company, was entrusted with maintaining the postal service on its route. She continued to carry civilian passengers, but also troops capable of fighting. So she took part in the landing at the Dardanelles in March and April 1915 . From May 1, 1915, she was officially listed as an auxiliary cruiser . Together with the Sinaï , they brought 2370 Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war from Brindisi to Asinara in 1916 . With the ships Nera , Melbourne , Dumbea and Australia she was also involved in the shipping of 50,000 Serbian soldiers from Corfu to Thessaloniki . On August 2, 1916, the ship was released from military service.
On August 30, 1917, the Natal ran in a convoy with 503 passengers and crew on board in Marseille for a crossing to Madagascar. Because of the naval war , it was darkened and was therefore difficult to see for other ships. At 8:30 p.m. she collided with the Malgache cargo ship of the Compagnie Marseillaise de Madagascar, about five nautical miles south-southeast of the Le Phare du Planier lighthouse on the small island of Île de Planier . The Malgache came from Algeria and therefore steered an oncoming course. In contrast to the Natal , the Malgache was brightly lit, but since her crew could not see the darkened ship heading for her, the collision occurred. The Natal sank within ten minutes at the position 43 ° 5 '35 " N , 5 ° 17' 23" O . 76 passengers and 29 crew members, including the captain, were killed.
The wreck of the Natal was found by divers in 2007 at a depth of 127 meters.
See also
- Connemara - British passenger ship; sank in 1916 after a ship collision in the First World War because it was darkened (90 dead)
- Burutu - British passenger ship; sank in 1918 after a ship collision in the First World War because it was darkened (148 dead)