HMT Royal Edward

Coordinates: 36°19′N 25°31′E / 36.31°N 25.51°E / 36.31; 25.51
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Royal Edward, c. 1910–14
Royal Edward, c. 1910–14
History
Name
  • 1907: Cairo[2]
  • 1910: Royal Edward
Owner
  • 1907: Egyptian Mail SS Co[2]
  • 1910:
    Royal Line
Operator1914:
Admiralty
Port of registry
Route
BuilderFairfield, Govan
Yard number450[2]
LaunchedJuly 1907[2]
CompletedJanuary 1908[2]
Identification
FateSunk by UB-14, 13 August 1915
General characteristics
TypeOcean liner
Tonnage11,117 GRT, 5,669 NRT
Length526.1 ft (160.4 m) registered
Beam60.2 ft (18.3 m)
Depth26.8 ft (8.2 m)
Decks3
Propulsion
Speed19 knots (35 km/h)[2]
Capacity
  • Passengers:[4]
  • 344
    first class
  • 210 second class
  • 560 third class
Troops1,367[3]
Crew220[3]
Notestwo
masts[4]

RMS (later HMT

launched in 1907 as RMS Cairo for a British mail service to Egypt
.

Design and construction

Cairo and

launched in July 1907 and entered service in January 1908.[2] Her registered length was 526.1 ft (160.4 m), her beam was 60.2 ft (18.3 m), and her depth was 26.8 ft (8.2 m). Her tonnages were 11,117 GRT and 5,669 NRT.[5]

She was powered by three

first class, 210 in second class, and 560 in third.[4]

Prewar career

RMS Royal Edward, old postcard

Cairo entered service for the

Marseilles and Alexandria. The service was not successful and Cairo and sister ship Heliopolis were laid up in 1909 when the service ended.[3]

Both ships were sold to the newly established

Canadian Northern Steamship Company, a subsidiary of the Canadian Northern Railway, in 1910, operating under its Royal Line brand. Cairo was renamed Royal Edward, Heliopolis Royal George, and they were refitted for the North Atlantic. Royal Edward sailed from Avonmouth to Montreal in the summer and to Halifax in the winter.[4] At the outbreak of World War I Royal Edward and Royal George were requisitioned for use as troopships.[3]

World War I

Royal Edward was used to bring Canadian troops to Europe before being used as an internment ship anchored off Southend-on-Sea.[6]

On 28 July 1915, Royal Edward embarked 1,367 officers and men at Avonmouth.

Devonport. Royal Edward sailed for Moudros on the island of Lemnos, a staging point for the Dardanelles.[8]

On the morning of 13 August, Royal Edward passed the British hospital ship

Kandeloussa and saw both ships. He allowed Soudan to pass unmolested, and focused his attention on the unescorted Royal Edward some 6 nautical miles (11 km) off Kandelioussa.[9] He launched one of UB-14's two torpedoes from about 1 mile (1.6 km) away and hit Royal Edward in the stern.[9][10] She sank by the stern within six minutes.[9]

Royal Edward was able to get off an

Admiralty casualty list, published in The Times in September 1915, named 13 officers and 851 troops as missing believed drowned, a total of 864 lost, including posthumous Victoria Cross recipient Cuthbert Bromley and footballer Walter Miller.[14]

Gallery

Photos taken aboard the hospital ship Soudan.

  • Survivors of Royal Edward in hospital gowns
    Survivors of Royal Edward in hospital gowns
  • Boat from the hospital ship Soudan looking for survivors
    Boat from the hospital ship Soudan looking for survivors
  • Survivors of HMT Royal Edward boarding Soudan
    Survivors of HMT Royal Edward boarding Soudan
  • Survivors on the rope ladder
    Survivors on the rope ladder
  • Survivors of HMT Royal Edward on an upturned boat
    Survivors of HMT Royal Edward on an upturned boat
  • Two boats of Royal Edward as sighted by Soudan
    Two boats of Royal Edward as sighted by Soudan

See also

  • List by death toll of ships sunk by submarines

Notes

  1. ^ HMT stands for hired military transport.
  2. ^ The Times reported in 1915 she was carrying 32 officers, 1350 troops and a crew of 220, a total of 1602 on board.[6]

References

  1. ^ The Marconi Press Agency Ltd, 1914, p. 354
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Cairo/Royal Edward (1125656)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e Wise and Baron, p. 75.
  4. ^ a b c d Bonsor, Vol. 4, p. 1433.
  5. ^ Lloyd's Register 1914, ROU–ROY
  6. ^ a b "British Troop Ship Sunk." The Times, London, England, 18 August 1915: 7+. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 13 June 2015.
  7. ^ Wise and Baron, pp. 75–76.
  8. ^ Wise and Baron, p. 76.
  9. ^ a b c d Wise and Baron, p. 77.
  10. ^ Gardiner, p. 180.
  11. ^ Tennent, pp. 36–37.
  12. ^ Hendrickson, p. 270
  13. ^ Gilbert, p. 185.
  14. ^ "Deaths." The Times, London, England, 6 September 1915: 8. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 13 June 2015.

Bibliography

Further reading

External links

36°19′N 25°31′E / 36.31°N 25.51°E / 36.31; 25.51