Pennland (ship)
.jpg) The Pennland
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The Pennland (II) was a passenger ship put into service in 1922 , which initially sailed under the flag of the White Star Line and from 1925 was mainly used in the Antwerp-New York service by the Red Star Line . The Pennland was so badly damaged in an air raid by a German aircraft near Crete in 1941 that it had to be sunk.
construction
The keel for the 16,322 GRT steamship was laid at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast in November 1913 , but completion was delayed due to the war. The ship was built under the name Pittsburgh for the American Line ( American Steamship Company , Philadelphia), which was part of JP Morgan's shipping trust International Mercantile Marine Company (IMMC). She was the last ship that was built for the American Line. Their external design was similar to that of the Doric of the White Star Line and the Regina of the Dominion Line (later Westernland ).
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Due to the outbreak of the First World War , work on the ship was stopped in August 1914. The launch took place on November 17, 1920. The 175.07 meter long ship had two funnels, two masts , three propellers and could travel at a top speed of 15 knots (27.8 km / h). 600 First Class and 1800 Third Class passengers could be taken on board. The ship was powered by a triple expansion steam engine and a low pressure turbine that could produce 12,200 PSi .
period of service
When it was completed, it was still intended for the American Line, but the ship was put into service for the White Star Line and adapted accordingly. The ship was painted in the house colors of the White Star Line, it was converted from conventional coal to more modern oil combustion, and Davits of the Topliss brand were installed (which were replaced by Welin davits in 1928). On June 6, 1922, ran Pittsburgh in Liverpool for its maiden voyage on Queenstown to Philadelphia and Boston from. She served this route together with the Haverford , which had once also belonged to the American Line. In November of the same year she took on the crew of the Italian ship Monte Grappa , which had to be abandoned in the North Atlantic . From December 1, 1922, the Pittsburgh drove on the Bremen - Southampton - Halifax - New York route and from November 25, 1923 on the Hamburg - Southampton - Halifax - New York route.
From January 20, 1925, the steamer was in service with the Red Star Line , which renamed it Pennland and used it on the Antwerp – Southampton – Halifax – New York route. On April 2, 1926, Pennland made her first Atlantic crossing for the Red Star Line. However, it was registered with the Leyland Line , which also belonged to the IMMC. The ship was never used by the Leyland Line. In January 1930, the passenger classes were redesigned so that from then on only tourist and third class travelers could be carried. On November 16, 1934, Pennland's last voyage began for the Red Star Line, which was bought by the German shipowner Arnold Bernstein . Afterwards it passed into the ownership of the new Red Star Line GmbH Hamburg together with the other Red Star steamers . The Pennland was converted into a single-class ship for 486 tourist class passengers and on May 10, 1935 set off again from Antwerp via Southampton to New York.
In April 1939 Pennland was bought by Holland-America Line , for which it operated its previous route from June 1939. In April 1940 the ship completed its last civil voyage from Antwerp via Dunkirk to New York. It was then taken over by the British Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and used as a troop transport until it was bombed and badly damaged by a German low- flying aircraft on April 25, 1941 in Souda Bay on the northwest coast of Crete . Four crew members were killed. The ship, which can no longer be saved, was sunk by fire from the destroyer Griffin .