RFA Maine (1902)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | SS Panama |
| Owner | Pacific Steam Navigation Company Ltd. |
| Port of registry | Liverpool |
| Route | Liverpool to Spain, Portugal and South America. |
| Builder | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Ltd., Govan |
| Yard number | 419 |
| Launched | 8 March 1902[1] |
| Maiden voyage | May 1902 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Chartered by the British Admiralty , 25 July 1915 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMHS Panama |
| Acquired | 29 July 1915 |
| Decommissioned | 15 October 1920 |
| Notes | Reclassified on 20 May 1917 as an "Ambulance Transport" to permit defensive armament; use of Red Cross symbols discontinued. |
| History | |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | RFA Maine |
| Acquired | by purchase, October 1920 |
| Commissioned | 31 March 1922 |
| Decommissioned | 21 February 1947 |
| Identification | Pennant number X24 |
| Fate | Broken up, July 1948, at Bo'ness[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ocean liner converted to hospital ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 10,100 (hospital ship)[3] |
| Length | 401 ft 6 in (122.38 m) |
| Beam | 58 ft 6 in (17.83 m) |
| Draught | 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 x coal-fired triple-expansion recipriocating engines |
| Speed | 13 knots[3] |
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Maine (formerly the SS Panama) was a
Civilian service
The ship was originally launched as SS Panama on
First World War
After the start of the First World War, on 25 July 1915, Panama was chartered by the
Inter-war period
Panama was purchased outright by the Admiralty shortly afterwards for use as a hospital ship with the
She entered service after conversion in May 1922 and was sent to
Second World War
During the war, Maine acted as Base Hospital Ship at Alexandria in Egypt and treated a total of 13,514 patients, despite being damaged during air raids on the port. She also participated in the evacuation of Crete, the Siege of Tobruk and the Allied invasion of Sicily.[8] She was the oldest hospital ship from any nation during the conflict. Following the end of the war, she assisted casualties from the Greek Civil War and the Corfu Channel incident. Maine was decommissioned on 21 February 1947, and was broken up by P & W McClellan & Sons in Bo'ness, Scotland, in July 1948.[1][2]
Footnotes
References
- ^ a b c "Scottish Built Ships: PANAMA". Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "RFA Maine (3)". Historical RFA. RFA Historical Society. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ a b "SS PANAMA/HMHS MAINE". Roll-of-Honour. War Memorials Trust. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Mercantile Navy List, 1914". Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. 1914: 433. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Lloyds (1918). "Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1918-1919". Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ Jane's Fighting Ships 1940, 1942 and 1946 Editions
- ^ "Liverpool: SS Panama (Pacific Steam Navigation Company Ltd) travelling from Valparaiso..." Kew, Richmond: The National Archives, Kew. 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ^ a b "RFA Maine - The Oldest Ship in the Navy". Historical RFA. RFA Historical Society. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "RFA MAINE". Roll-of-Honour. War Memorials Trust. Retrieved 8 May 2021.