SS Patroclus (1923)

For other ships with the same name, see SS Patroclus.

History
United Kingdom
Name	SS Patroclus
Owner	Blue Funnel Line
Launched	1923
Fate	Torpedoed and sunk 4 November 1940 by U-99.
General characteristics
Tonnage	11,314 Gross Register Tonnage 6,912 Net Register Tonnage
Length	498 ft 10 in (152.04 m)
Beam	62 ft 4 in (19.00 m)
Depth	34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)
Installed power	Steam turbine
Propulsion	Twin screw
Speed	15.5 kn (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph)
Capacity	155 first class passengers

The third SS Patroclus was an 11,314-ton cargo liner of the Blue Funnel Line launched in 1923. Commissioned into the Royal Navy as the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Patroclus on 12 September 1939, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-99 on 4 November 1940.

The Patroclus was the second of a 4-ship class, comprising SS Sarpedon (1923), SS Patroclus, SS Hector (1924), and SS Antenor (1924). They were built with accommodation for 155 first-class passengers by request of the British government to provide additional passenger berths on cargo vessels on services to the Far East. The passenger accommodation in the superstructure did not impact the cargo-carrying ability of the ships, since the shipping line did not expect the passenger-carrying to turn a profit.

Bibliography

• Osborne, Richard; Spong, Harry; Grover, Tom (2007). Armed Merchant Cruisers 1878–1945. Windsor, UK: World Warship Society. ISBN 978-0-9543310-8-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)

External links

• IWM Interview with survivor Ron Rendle