SS Galeka
 SS Galeka
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
  United Kingdom | |
| Owner | Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company (1899—1914) Royal Navy (1914—1916) |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff, Belfast |
| Yard number | 347 |
| Launched | 21 October 1899 |
| Completed | 23 December 1899 |
| Fate | Hit a mine laid by German U-boat UC-26 and sank on 28 October 1916.[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 6,767 tons |
| Length | 440 ft (130 m) |
| Beam | 53 ft (16 m) |
| Speed | 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h) |
SS Galeka was a steam ship built in 1899 for the
.History
The ship was the last vessel to enter service before the merger between the Union and Castle shipping lines in 1900. She served on the South Africa route until the First World War when she was used by the UK as a troop transport, carrying troops of the
Gallipoli Campaign
. Galeka was then refitted as a hospital ship with accommodation for 366 wounded passengers.
Sinking
On 28 October 1916, while entering Le Havre, HMHS Galeka struck a mine. She was not carrying patients at the time, but 19 Royal Army Medical Corps personnel died in the sinking. She was beached at Cap la Hogue, but was a total loss, Union-Castle's first war casualty.
See also
References
- ^ Marc Leroux (2008). "SS Galeka (+1916)". wrecksite. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
- ISBN 9780752488615.
49°34′N 0°5′E / 49.567°N 0.083°E
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in October 1916 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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