SS Catalonia
SS Catalonia was a cargo passenger vessel built in 1881 and owned by the Cunard Line.
History
The SS Catalonia was built in 1881 in Glasgow by J. & G. Thomson & Co. The Cunard Line returned the SS Abyssinia after its last voyage in 1880 as payment toward the building of the SS Catalonia and the SS Servia. SS Catalonia launched on May 14, 1881 and took its maiden voyage on August 6 from Liverpool to Queenstown to New York City. Until 1899, the ship operated between Liverpool and Boston, with the exception of two other trips to New York (besides the maiden voyage). The ship measured 429.6 feet by 43 feet with 4,481 gross tonnage and could carry 200 first-class passengers and 1,500 third-class passengers.[1]
Wreck
On May 7, 1888 the steamer struck a rock and was damaged at Mizen Head, off the coast of Ireland. The SS Catalonia suffered damage to its stern and underwent repairs for eight days following the incident.[2]
On 20 October 1897 Catalonia rescued the crew of the fishing vessel Vague which was sinking off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.[3]
Service during the Second Boer War
The ship was requisitioned for use in the Second Boer War from 1899 to 1900, and was captained by both James Clayton Barr and William Thomas Turner during the course of the war. It may have been used as a floating prison for Boers during the war. The vessel was scrapped on May 24, 1901 in Genoa.
References
- ^ Bonsor, N.R.P. (1975). North Atlantic Seaway. Arco Publishing Company; Revised edition. p. 152. ISBN 0668036796.
- ^ Wreck Report for 'Catalonia', 1888 (Report). Printed on behalf of Her Queen's Majesty by Eyre and Spottiswoode (republished by the Port Cities of Southampton). 1888.
- ^ "The Fleets of the Mail Lines: The Cunard Line". The Marine Engineer. Vol. XIX. 1 January 1898. pp. 363–364.