SS California (1907)
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![]() California delivering brides to New York in 1911
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History | |
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Name | California |
Namesake | California |
Owner | Anchor Line |
Operator | Henderson Bros. |
Port of registry | Glasgow |
Route | Glasgow – New York |
Builder | D&W Henderson & Co, Glasgow |
Yard number | 459 |
Laid down | 1904 |
Launched | 9 July 1907 |
In service | 1907 |
Identification |
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Fate | Sunk by torpedo, 1917 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Ocean liner |
Tonnage | 8,669 GRT, 5,403 NRT |
Length | 470 ft (140 m) |
Beam | 58.3 ft (17.8 m) |
Depth | 34 ft (10 m) |
Decks | 3 |
Installed power | 827 NHP |
Propulsion | |
Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h) |
Capacity | 1,214 passengers |
Crew | 200 |
SS California was a twin-screw steamer that D. and W. Henderson and Company of Glasgow built for the Anchor Line in 1907 as a replacement for the aging ocean liner Astoria, which had been in continuous service since 1884. She worked the Glasgow to New York transatlantic route and was sunk by the German submarine SM U-85 on 7 February 1917.
Building
California was 8,662
Launch
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/SS_California_%281907%29.jpg/220px-SS_California_%281907%29.jpg)
She was launched on 9 July 1907, having been christened by the Lady Ure Primrose, wife of
Anchor Line registered California at Glasgow. Her UK official number was 124230 and her code letters were HLQJ.[2] Her maiden voyage from Glasgow to New York began on 12 October 1907. By 1913 California was equipped for wireless telegraphy, supplied and operated by the Marconi Company. Her call sign was MCI.[3]
Grounding on Tory Island
On 28 June 1914 California ran aground on Tory Island off the north-west coast of Ireland in dense fog with over 1,000 passengers on board. The ship’s bows caved in upon impact, and though she took on water through two holes in her hold she remained above water. Three British warships including the destroyer HMS Swift, as well as the ocean liner Cassandra, aided the stricken ship and helped transfer stranded passengers ashore. The ship was towed back to Glasgow on 20 August 1914, and less than two months later was repaired and refloated. She resumed Glasgow – Liverpool – New York sailings for the Cunard – Anchor joint service on 13 October 1915.
Fire in Manhattan
Shortly after 8 pm on 13 May 1916 a fire began in her Number 1 cargo hold as she was docked at Pier 64 on the
Loss
California sailed on her last Glasgow to New York voyage on 12 January 1917. She began her return voyage on 29 January 1917 with 184 crew and 31 passengers on board. On 3 February 1917, as she sailed on her return trip towards Scotland, German
On the morning of 7 February 1917, homeward-bound and approaching Ireland at full steam, she was attacked by
On 12 March 1917 the Q-ship HMS Privet sank U-85. Posing as an unarmed merchant ship, Privet lured the U-boat to the surface after sustaining heavy damage in an unprovoked attack by the submarine. As Privet's crew feigned abandoning ship, they uncovered the ship’s hidden guns and opened fire on the submarine at close range. U-85 was sunk by gunfire, and Petz and his crew of 37 men were killed.
References
- ^ "California". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ LLoyd's Register, 1914, CAL.
- ^ The Marconi Press Agency Ltd 1913, p. 247.
Bibliography
- Lloyd's Register of Shipping. Vol. I–Steamers. London: Lloyd's Register of Shipping. 1914.
- The Marconi Press Agency Ltd (1913). The Year Book of Wireless Telegraphy and Telephony. London: The St Katherine Press.
- "Liner’s passengers given no chance." (9 February 1917). Boston Daily Globe, p. 1.
- "California sunk, no American lost." (8 February 1917). Boston Daily Globe, p. 1.
- "Consul reports that two torpedoes were fired into California." (8 February 1917). Chicago Daily Tribune, p. 1.
- "Liner sunk, no warning." (8 February 1917). Chicago Daily Tribune, p. 1.
- "Another British ship sunk: bound for an American port." (14 May 1916). The New York Times, p. 1.
- "41 persons lost on anchor liner." (9 February 1917). The Atlanta Constitution, p. 1.
- "Liner California goes on the rocks." (29 June 1914). The Atlanta Constitution, p. 1.
External links
- "U-Boot Ehrenmal Möltenort – U-85". Onlineprojekt Gefallendenkmäler (in German).
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-boats: U 85". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net.