View source for SS Abessinia (1900)

{{other ships|SS Abessinia}}
{{Short description|German steamship and British recreational dive site}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = Abessinia 1900 HAPAG.jpg
| Ship caption = ''Abessinia'' under way
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|German Empire}}
| Ship country = Germany
| Ship name = ''Abessinia''
| Ship namesake = [[Abyssinia]]
| Ship owner = [[Hamburg America Line]]
| Ship operator = 
| Ship registry = [[Port of Hamburg|Hamburg]]
| Ship route = 1907: Hamburg – [[Port of Seattle|Seattle]]
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = [[Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company|Palmers' S&I Co]], [[Jarrow]]
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 746
| Ship laid down = 
| Ship launched = 16 June 1900
| Ship completed = August 1900
| Ship maiden voyage = 
| Ship identification = *[[code letters]] RLSJ
*{{ICS|Romeo}}{{ICS|Lima}}{{ICS|Sierra}}{{ICS|Juliet}}
| Ship fate = wrecked 3 September 1921
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship type = [[cargo ship]]
| Ship tonnage = {{GRT|7717}}, {{NRT|5784}}
| Ship length = {{cvt|452.1|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{cvt|52.2|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship draught = 
| Ship depth = {{cvt|28.3|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship decks = 2
| Ship power = 642 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]]
| Ship propulsion = *1 × [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple-expansion engine]]
*1 × [[Propeller|screw]]
| Ship speed = {{convert|11+1/2|kn|km/h|0}}
| Ship capacity = 
| Ship crew = 
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship notes = [[sister ship]]s: ''Acilia'', ''Alexandria'', ''Artemisia''
}}
|}

'''SS ''Abessinia''''' was a [[Cargo ship|cargo]] [[steamship]] of the [[Hamburg America Line]] (HAPAG). She was built in [[North East England]] in 1900, and wrecked in North East England in 1921. In her early years she sailed from Hamburg to and from China, Australia, and the [[East Coast of the United States]]. From 1907 to 1912 she sailed from Hamburg to and from the [[West Coast of the United States]] and the [[British Columbia Coast]]. In 1913 she survived a storm in the North Atlantic that swept away her rudder and disabled her propulsion. She spent the First World War in [[Chile]]. Her remains are now a [[wreck diving]] site in the [[Farne Islands]].

This was the first of two HAPAG steamships to be called ''Abessinia'', the German for [[Abyssinia]]. The second was built in Germany in 1920, and sold and renamed in 1933.{{sfn|Haws|1980|p=123}}

==Building and registration==
In 1900 and 1901 [[Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company]] in [[Jarrow]], [[County Durham]], built a set of four [[sister ship]]s for HAPAG.{{sfn|Haws|1980|p=66}} Yard number 746 was launched on 16 June 1900 as ''Abessinia'' and completed that August.<ref name=TBS>{{cite web |url= https://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/A-Ships/abessinia1900.html |title=Abessinia |work=Tyne Built Ships |publisher=Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust |access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref> Yard number 747 was launched on 24 September 1900 as ''Acilia'' and completed that October.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/A-Ships/acilia1900.html |title=Acilia |work=Tyne Built Ships |publisher=Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust |access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref> Yard number 748 was launched on 22 November 1900 as ''Alexandria'' and completed that December.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/A-Ships/alexandria1900.html |title=Alexandria |work=Tyne Built Ships |publisher=Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust |access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref> Yard number 749 was launched on 21 January 1901 and completed as ''Artemisia''.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/A-Ships/artemisia1901.html |title=Artemisia |work=Tyne Built Ships |publisher=Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust |access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref>

''Abessinia''{{'}}s registered length was {{cvt|452.1|ft|abbr=on}}, her [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] was {{cvt|52.2|ft|abbr=on}}, and her depth was {{cvt|28.3|ft|abbr=on}}. Her [[tonnage]]s were {{GRT|7717}} and {{NRT|5784}}. She had a single [[Propeller|screw]], driven by a three-cylinder [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple-expansion engine]] that was rated at 642 [[Horsepower#Nominal horsepower|NHP]] and gave her a speed of {{convert|11+1/2|kn|km/h|0}}.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1901|loc=ABE–ABR}} She had one funnel and four masts.<ref name=TBS/>

HAPAG [[Ship registration|registered]] ''Abessinia'' at [[Port of Hamburg|Hamburg]]. Her [[code letters]] were RLSJ.{{sfn|''Lloyd's Register'' 1901|loc=ABE–ABR}}

==Early years==
In 1901 HAPAG bought the Yangtse Line from [[Rickmers Group|Rickmers]].{{sfn|Haws|1980|p=16}} One of ''Abessinia''{{'}}s first voyages was to [[Shanghai International Settlement|Shanghai]]. On 4 January 1901 she left Shanghai, and on 22 January she reached [[Port Jackson|Sydney]], New South Wales, making her the first HAPAG ship to trade with Australia.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Abessinia. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=23 January 1901 |page=8 |access-date=6 April 2024 |via=[[Trove]] |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/14351550}}</ref> On 6 February she moved from [[Woolloomooloo]] to [[Pyrmont, New South Wales|Pyrmont]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Harbour removals. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=6 February 1901 |page=8 |access-date=6 April 2024 |via=Trove |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/14368655}}</ref> She loaded cargo including 10,529 bales of wool, 7,894 bags of wheat, and 1,000 tons of iron ore, for [[Port of Antwerp|Antwerp]], [[Ports of Bremen|Bremen]], and Hamburg, and left Sydney on 9 February.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Abessinia for the Continent. |newspaper=[[Daily Cargo News|Daily Commercial News and Shipping List]] |date=9 February 1901 |page=5 |access-date=6 April 2024 |via=Trove |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/157837797}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Abessinia. Ger s, |newspaper=Daily Commercial News and Shipping List |date=16 February 1901 |page=2 |access-date=6 April 2024 |via=Trove |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/157830062}}</ref> On 11 February she reached [[Port of Melbourne|Melbourne]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Latest shipping. |newspaper=[[Telegraph (Brisbane)|The Telegraph]] |place=Brisbane |date=14 February 1901 |page=5 |access-date=6 April 2024 |via=Trove |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/174945219}}</ref> where she loaded cargo including 9,000 bags of wheat for Bremen and other ports,<ref>{{cite news |title=The grain trade. |newspaper=[[Australasian Post|The Australasian]] |place=Melbourne |date=23 February 1901 |page=11 |access-date=6 April 2024 |via=Trove |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/139171681}}</ref> and sailed on 18 February for Europe.<ref>{{cite news |title=Telegraphic. |newspaper=Daily Commercial News and Shipping List |date=19 February 1901 |page=4 |access-date=6 April 2024 |via=Trove |url= https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/157830276}}</ref>

On 6 February 1902 ''Abessinia'' left Hamburg, and on 20 February she arrived in [[Port of Portland (Maine)|Portland]], [[Maine]]. There ''[[Portland Press Herald|The Portland Daily Press]]'' said of her "The German ship is one of the handsomest that has been here this winter and caused much favorable comment around the wharves".<ref>{{cite news |title=A handsome German ship. |newspaper=[[Portland Press Herald|The Portland Daily Press]] |place=Portland, ME |date=22 February 1902 |page=9 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016025/1902-02-22/ed-1/seq-9/}}</ref> She returned to Hamburg via a call at [[Port of Boston|Boston]] on 25 February.<ref>{{cite news |title=Marine News |newspaper=The Portland Daily Press |place=Portland, ME |date=25 February 1902 |page=9 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016025/1902-02-25/ed-1/seq-9/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Marine News |newspaper=The Portland Daily Press |place=Portland, ME |date=26 February 1902 |page=9 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016025/1902-02-26/ed-1/seq-9/}}</ref>

On 17 April 1902 ''Abessinia'' arrived in [[Port of New York and New Jersey|New York]] carrying a wide range of animals that [[Carl Hagenbeck]] was exporting from Hamburg to customers including [[Ringling Brothers Circus]], [[Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden|Cincinnati Zoo]], [[Bronx Zoo]], and several animal dealers. The cargo included 81 baboons, 79 monkeys, 12 elephants, 12 horses, nine [[big cat]]s, four camels, six deer, one [[wildebeest]], one [[sable antelope]], one [[polar bear]], and various birds.<ref>{{cite news |title=A big cargo of jungle folk |newspaper=[[New-York Tribune]] |date=18 April 1902 |page=7 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1902-04-18/ed-1/seq-7/}}</ref>

On 20 September 1906 ''Abessinia'' left [[Port of New Orleans|New Orleans]] for Hamburg.<ref>{{cite news |title=Marine news |newspaper=The [[Montgomery Advertiser]] |place=Montgomery, AL |date=21 September 1906 |page=6 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020645/1906-09-21/ed-1/seq-6/}}</ref>

==Pacific joint service with DDG Kosmos==
[[File:Flagge DDG Kosmos.gif|thumb|[[:de:Deutsche Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft Kosmos|DDG Kosmos]] house flag]]
HAPAG ran a joint freight service to the Pacific coast of North and South America via [[Cape Horn]], in partnership with [[:de:Deutsche Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft Kosmos|DDG Kosmos]]. By January 1907 ''Abessinia'' was on this service. She called at [[Valparaíso]] in Chile, where she embarked four passengers for San Francisco. On 21 February she left [[Port of Callao|Callao]] in Peru.<ref>{{cite news |title=Foreign ports |newspaper=[[The San Francisco Call]] |date=24 February 1907 |page=43 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1907-02-24/ed-1/seq-43/}}</ref> She took 1,600 [[Salvadoran Army|Salvadoran troops]] from [[Acajutla]] in [[El Salvador]] to [[Amapala]] in [[Honduras]]. She called at a port in [[Guatemala]], where she loaded 60,000 bags of coffee and 500 tons of sugar.<ref name=SFC-1907-0330>{{cite news |title=Shipping News and Gossip of the Water Front |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=30 March 1907 |page=11 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1907-03-30/ed-1/seq-11/}}</ref> She was due to leave the Mexican [[Islas San Benito]] on 4 April.<ref name=EB-1907-0504>{{cite news |title=Water front notes |newspaper=Evening Bulletin |place=Honolulu |date=4 May 1907 |page=14 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82016413/1907-05-04/ed-1/seq-14/}}</ref> On 18 April she reached [[Port of San Francisco|San Francisco]] to disembark her passengers from Valparaíso and discharge her cargo.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping News and Gossip of the Water Front |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=19 April 1907 |page=11 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1907-04-19/ed-1/seq-11/}}</ref> At the time, it was the largest amount of coffee yet brought to San Francisco by a single ship;<ref name=SFC-1907-0330/> three times the size of the largest consignment ever landed in that port hitherto.<ref name=EB-1907-0504/> On 30 April she left San Francisco for [[Port of Seattle|Seattle]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sailed |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=4 May 1907 |page=7 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1907-05-04/ed-1/seq-7/}}</ref> On her return voyage she called at San Francisco from 3 to 7 June.<ref>{{cite news |title=Movements of steamers |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=3 June 1907 |page=10 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1907-06-03/ed-1/seq-10/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Cleared |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=8 June 1907 |page=11 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1907-06-08/ed-1/seq-11/}}</ref>

In late 1907 ''Abessinia'' left [[Port of London|London]] for San Francisco. On 18 January 1908 she called at [[Punta Arenas]] in southern Chile.<ref>{{cite news |title=Foreign ports |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=24 January 1908 |page=11 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1908-01-24/ed-1/seq-11/}}</ref> On 16 March she left Callao.<ref>{{cite news |title=Water Front Notes |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=17 March 1908 |page=11 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1908-03-17/ed-1/seq-10/}}</ref> She brought 18,000 barrels of cement from Europe; loaded a cargo of coffee in [[Central America]];<ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping News and Gossip of the Water Front |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=9 April 1908 |page=10 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1908-04-09/ed-1/seq-10/}}</ref> reached San Francisco by 20 April;<ref>{{cite news |title=Falls Into Liner's Hold |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=21 April 1908 |page=10 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1908-04-21/ed-1/seq-10/}}</ref> and had moved from Seattle to [[Port of Tacoma|Tacoma]] by 30 April.<ref>{{cite news |title=Water Front Notes |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=1 May 1908 |page=15 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1908-05-01/ed-1/seq-15/}}</ref> On her return voyage she called at San Francisco from 10 to 14 May, bound for Antwerp.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arrival of the Abessinia |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=11 May 1908 |page=10 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1908-05-11/ed-1/seq-10/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Cleared |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=15 May 1908 |page=19 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1908-05-15/ed-1/seq-19/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Water Front Notes |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=12 May 1908 |page=10 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1908-05-12/ed-1/seq-10/}}</ref>

In May 1910 ''Abessinia'' left Hamburg, and that September she reached [[Salina Cruz]] in Mexico. There she loaded 4,000 tons of express cargo from Europe that was destined for San Francisco and [[Puget Sound]], and cargo from New York that was destined for [[Victoria, British Columbia]]. The [[Tren Interoceánico|Ferrocarril Transístmico]] had brought the freight overland from ports on the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. ''Abessinia'' was already part-laden with cargo from Europe that she had brought around Cape Horn. On 25 September she left Salina Cruz with more than 7,000 tons of cargo.<ref>{{cite news |title=Abessinia will make fast run |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=27 September 1910 |page=15 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1910-09-27/ed-1/seq-15/}}</ref> She called at [[Mazatlán]] in [[Baja California peninsula|Baja California]], and on 6 October reached San Francisco, 146 days out from Hamburg.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping intelligence |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=7 October 1910 |page=15 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1910-10-07/ed-1/seq-15/}}</ref> On 15 November she left San Francisco on her return voyage to Hamburg.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cleared |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=16 November 1910 |page=17 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1910-11-16/ed-1/seq-17/}}</ref>

In March 1911 ''Abessinia'' left Hamburg, and on 17 April she passed [[Fernando de Noronha]] off the northeast tip of Brazil.<ref>{{cite news |title=Foreign ports |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=19 April 1911 |page=17 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1911-04-19/ed-1/seq-17/}}</ref> On 13 July she left [[Guayaquil]] in Ecuador.<ref>{{cite news |title=Foreign ports |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=16 July 1911 |page=71 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1911-07-16/ed-1/seq-71/}}</ref> She called at [[Port of Los Angeles|Los Angeles]], and on 7 August reached San Francisco, 144 days out from Hamburg.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shipping intelligence |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=8 August 1911 |page=15 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1911-08-08/ed-1/seq-15/}}</ref> On 11 August she left San Francisco for Seattle and Tacoma.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cleared |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=12 August 1911 |page=25 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1911-08-12/ed-1/seq-25/}}</ref> On 15 December she reached Hamburg, but ran aground in the [[Elbe]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Abessinia Ashore in Elbe |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=17 December 1911 |page=81 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1911-12-17/ed-1/seq-81/}}</ref>

''Abessinia'' was refloated, and on 16 January 1912 left Hamburg.<ref>{{cite news |title=Water Front Notes |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=18 January 1912 |page=17 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1912-01-18/ed-1/seq-17/}}</ref> She passed [[São Vicente, Cape Verde]] on 9 February;<ref>{{cite news |title=Ocean steamers |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=11 February 1912 |page=55 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1912-02-11/ed-1/seq-57/}}</ref> called at Los Angeles from 27 to 28 April;<ref>{{cite news |title=Items of Interest to Mariners of the Pacific |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=29 April 1912 |page=14 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1912-04-29/ed-1/seq-14/}}</ref> and was due in San Francisco on 30 April.<ref>{{cite news |title=Movements of steamers |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=30 April 1912 |page=17 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1912-04-30/ed-1/seq-21/}}</ref> On 6 May she left San Francisco for Victoria, BC.<ref>{{cite news |title=Cleared |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=7 May 1912 |page=15 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1912-05-07/ed-1/seq-19/}}</ref> She called at [[Bellingham, Washington]], and on 20 May reached Seattle.<ref>{{cite news |title=Domestic ports |newspaper=The San Francisco Call |date=22 May 1912 |page=15 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1912-05-22/ed-1/seq-19/}}</ref>

==Disabled in the Atlantic==
[[File:RMS Cedric at Sea.jpg|thumb|[[White Star Line]]'s {{RMS|Cedric}}]]
In a storm in the North Atlantic on 2 January 1913 ''Abessinia'' lost her rudder; broke either her propeller shaft or crankshaft (sources differ); and was drifting.<ref name=EW-1913-0115>{{cite news |title=Abessinia arrives in Halifax harbor under own steam |newspaper=[[The Evening World]] |place=New York |date=15 January 1913 |page=2 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1913-01-15/ed-1/seq-2/}}</ref><ref name=ES-1913-0115>{{cite news |title=Makes port disabled. |newspaper=[[The Washington Star|The Evening Star]] |place=Washington, DC |date=15 January 1913 |page=18 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1913-01-15/ed-1/seq-18/}}</ref> On 11 January the [[White Star Line]]r {{RMS|Cedric}} sighted ''Abessinia'' at position {{coord|42|40|N|53|21|W}}, about {{convert|100|nmi|km}} southwest of [[Cape Race]], flying [[Distress signal|distress]] [[International maritime signal flags|signal flags]]. ''Cedric'' was unable to tow ''Abessinia'', but stood by her and signalled for help by [[Wireless telegraphy|wireless telegraph]]. [[Leyland Line]]'s {{SS|Armenian||2}} received the signal, and ''Cedric'' resumed her course.<ref name=NYT-1913-0114>{{cite news |title=Cedric brings aid to helpless ship |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The New York Times |date=14 January 1913 |page=12 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Times Machine |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/01/14/100247196.html?pageNumber=12}}</ref><ref name=NYT-1913-0115>{{cite news |title=Crippled ship lost in fog. |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The New York Times |date=15 January 1913 |page=6 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Times Machine |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1913/01/15/100606164.html?pageNumber=6}}</ref>

[[File:SS Armenian.jpg|thumb|left|[[Leyland Line]]'s {{SS|Armenian||2}}]]
''Armenian'' steamed {{convert|29|or|50|nmi|km}} (accounts differ) to ''Abessinia''{{'}}s position, but took five hours to arrive due to rough weather. ''Armenian'' then encountered fog, in which she was unable to find ''Abessinia''. By midnight on 12 January ''Armenian'' was still searching.<ref name=NYT-1913-0114/><ref name=NYT-1913-0115/> ''Armenian'' fired [[Flare#Maritime distress signal|signal rockets]] and burned light signals, but received nor reply from ''Abessinia'', so ''Armenian'' resumed her course.<ref>{{cite news |title=Abessinia spurned help, so Capt. Jacobson's mad |newspaper=The Evening World |place=New York |date=15 January 1913 |page=22 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030193/1913-01-17/ed-1/seq-22/}}</ref>

On 14 January the liner {{SS|Minnetonka|1901|2}} reported that HAPAG's {{SS|Pisa|1896|2}} would look for ''Abessinia'' and take her in tow.<ref name=NYT-1913-0114/><ref name=NYT-1913-0115/> However, ''Abessinia''{{'}}s crew rigged an emergency rudder and repaired whichever shaft had broken, which enabled her to proceed slowly under her own power.<ref>{{cite news |title=Abessinia safe at Halifax |newspaper=[[The Bulletin (Norwich)|Norwich Bulletin]] |place=Norwich, CT |date=16 January 1913 |page=1 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Library of Congress |url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014086/1913-01-16/ed-1/seq-1/}}</ref> On 15 January she reached [[Port of Halifax|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]] unaided.<ref name=EW-1913-0115/><ref name=ES-1913-0115/>

==First World War==
When the First World War began in August 1914, ''Abessinia'' took refuge in Callao in [[Neutral country|neutral]] Peru. On 9 October 1914 she left Callao, reportedly to be escorted by the [[Imperial German Navy|German]] [[cruiser]] {{SMS|Leipzig|1905|6}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Abessinia Sails from Peru |url-access=subscription |newspaper=The New York Times |date=11 October 1914 |page=5 |access-date=5 April 2024 |via=Times Machine |url= https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1914/10/11/104637197.html?pageNumber=14}}</ref> She then took refuge in [[Pisagua, Chile|Pisagua]] in northern Chile.{{sfn|Haws|1980|p=66}}

==Loss==
In 1918 her crew sabotaged her machinery in an attempt to make her useless to the [[Allies of World War I|Entente Powers]].<ref name=TBS/> In 1920 she was towed to Hamburg, where she arrived on 3 August.{{sfn|Gardner|2016|p=12}} In 1921 she sailed from Hamburg, bound for [[Leith]] in Scotland. She was to be surrendered as [[World War I reparations]] under [[Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles]]. On 3 September 1921 she grounded on Knivestone Reef off [[Longstone Lighthouse]] in the [[Farne Islands]]. All of her crew survived. When the tide receded, she was left on the reef with her keel plates out of the water.<ref name=TBS/> She then toppled off the reef into the sea.

==Wreck==
''Abessinia''{{'}}s wreck is at position {{coord|55|39.950|N|001|36.049|W|display=inline,title}} at a depth of {{convert|18|to|20|m|disp=flip}}. It is one of the largest shipwrecks in the Farnes, and is popular with [[Recreational diving|recreational divers]].{{sfn|Gardner|2016|p=12}}<ref name=UKDiving>{{cite web |url= http://www.ukdiving.co.uk/places/coastal/articles/farne_knivestone.htm |title=Farne Isles – The Knivestone |work=UK Diving |publisher=Dive International Publishing |access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref> The wreck is much broken up, and is only one of several shipwrecks around the Knivestone, so it is possible to confuse parts of ''Abessinia'' with parts of other ships.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://divernet.com/scuba-diving/wreck-tours/wreck-tour-57-the-knivverstone-wrecks/ |title=Wreck Tour 57: The Knivestone Wrecks |work=DiverNet |publisher=Rork Media |access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://sovereigndiving.co.uk/wreck-diving.html |title=Wreck Diving at the Farne Islands |publisher=Sovereign Diving Seahouses |access-date=5 April 2024}}</ref> Marine life in and around ''Abessinia'' includes seals, [[starfish]], [[brittle star]]s, [[sponge]]s, crabs, lobsters, and fish including [[Anarhichadidae|wolf eels]].<ref name=UKDiving/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last=Gardner |first=Barry |year=2016 |title=Ross to Beadnell, including Seahouses, Bamburgh & the Farne Islands |series=United Kingdom Shipwrecks and Incidents |volume=3 |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing |isbn=978-1540831811}}
*{{cite book |last=Haws |first=Duncan |year=1980 |title=The Ships of the Hamburg America, Adler and Carr Lines |series=Merchant Fleets in Profile |volume=4 |place=Cambridge |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |isbn=0-85059-397-2}}
*{{cite book |year=1901 |title=Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping |volume=I.–Steamers |place=London |publisher=[[Lloyd's Register]] of Shipping |via=[[Internet Archive]] |url= https://archive.org/details/HECROS1902ST/page/n28/mode/1up |ref={{harvid|''Lloyd's Register'' 1901}} }}

==External links==
*{{cite web |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XimEHKOwu5U |last=Bellard |first=Paul |title=Abessinia Dive |via=YouTube}}
*{{cite web |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu-mgW9U-8M |last=McLaren |first=S |title=The SS Abyssinia, wreck dive. Farne Islands U.K. |via=YouTube}}

{{1911 shipwrecks}}
{{1913 shipwrecks}}
{{1921 shipwrecks}}
{{Recreational dive sites|wresit}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abessinia, 1900}}

[[Category:1900 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1911]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1913]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1921]]
[[Category:Ships built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company]]
[[Category:Ships of the Hamburg America Line]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of Northumberland]]
[[Category:Steamships of Germany]]
[[Category:World War I merchant ships of Germany]]
[[Category:Wreck diving sites in the United Kingdom]]