Pampa (ship, 1906)
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The Pampa was a 1906 commissioned passenger ship of the French shipping company Société Générale de Transport Maritimes (SGTM), which was used in passenger and freight traffic between France and South America . During the First World War , the Pampa served as a hospital ship in the Mediterranean until it was sunk by a German submarine on August 27, 1918 . 117 people were killed.
The ship
The 4471 GRT passenger and cargo ship Pampa was built at the London & Glasgow Engineering and Iron Shipbuilding Company in Govan near Glasgow for the French shipping company Société Générale des Transports Maritimes, founded in 1865 and based in Le Havre . This shipping company operated a passenger and cargo service with its ships from Marseille , the home port of the ships, primarily to Algerian port cities such as Algiers , Oran and Bougie , but also to South America and Italy .
The 124.4 meter long and 14.4 meter wide ship was launched on August 16, 1906 and was completed in September 1906. The Pampa had a chimney, two masts and two propellers and was powered by two triple expansion steam engines that developed 531 nominal horsepower (nhp) and could accelerate the ship to 16 knots. All first class cabins were equipped with telephones . She was the structurally identical sister ship of the Formosa (4508 GRT), which was also put into service in 1906 . On November 15, 1906, the Pampa ran under the command of Captain Ravel in Marseille on her maiden voyage .
Use in the First World War
On December 18, 1916, the Pampa, along with two other SGTM ships, the Parana and the Mont Viso , was requested to serve as a hospital ship in the First World War. On August 24, 1917, the Pampa was with troops and cargo on board in a convoy with the Parana and the Médie from Marseille to Thessaloniki when the Parana was sunk at Cape Kafireas near Evia by the German submarine UC 74 . The pampas took the survivors of the Parana on board and brought them to Thessaloniki. From October 1, 1917, the Pampa was directly subordinate to the French merchant navy .
On August 26, 1918 at 1 p.m., the pampas in Malta ran out again in a convoy to Thessaloniki under the command of Captain Joseph Goy, together with five other ships. The convoy was accompanied by four destroyers . The ship zigzagged the entire night. On August 27 at 3:30 am, the pampas were attacked 84 nautical miles east of Malta by the German submarine UC 22 (Oberleutnant zur See Eberhard Weichold ). A torpedo struck in the forward area of the port side . SOS was immediately radioed and the ship was ordered to stop, but the machines were so damaged by the detonation that they could not be stopped. In addition, the lighting on board immediately went out.
The evacuation of the ship began immediately. The pampas sank about an hour after the torpedo hit. 117 people were killed.