SS Merion
Postcard image of SS Merion in passenger service
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History | |
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Name | SS Merion |
Owner |
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Operator |
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Port of registry | Liverpool[1] |
Route | |
Builder | John Brown & Company, Clydebank[1] |
Yard number | 345[2] |
Launched | 26 November 1901[2] |
Completed | February 1902[2] |
Maiden voyage | Liverpool–Boston, 8 March 1902[1] |
Fate | torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UB-8, 31 May 1915[1] |
Notes | one of the largest ships hit by U-boats in World War I Sister ship: SS Haverford |
General characteristics | |
Type | Ocean liner |
Tonnage | 11,621 GRT[2] |
Length | 161.7 m (530 ft 6 in)[2] |
Beam | 18.0 m (59 ft 1 in)[2] |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)[2] |
Passengers: |
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Armament | 4 x 6 inches (15 cm) guns (as merchant ship, 1914)[3] |
Notes | served as a decoy ship meant to resemble HMS Tiger |
SS Merion was an
Career
Merion was built by
Upon completion, the ship was
The liner had several mishaps during her passenger career. On 2 March 1903, an article in
After the outbreak of World War I in Europe, Merion was equipped with four 6-inch (15 cm) guns for defensive purposes. Merion was the subject of a protest by the German Consul at Philadelphia, when she docked at that port equipped with those guns, counter to rules regarding armed ships in neutral ports. The still-neutral United States required that the guns be removed before they would allow Merion to sail;[3][Note 1] her guns were stowed belowdecks when she departed Philadelphia on 5 September 1914.[3] Merion's final voyage on the Liverpool–Philadelphia route began on 31 October, after which she was sold to the British Admiralty.[1]
Merion was employed as part of a program that disguised ocean liners to resemble
On 29 May 1915, the German submarine UB-8,[9] apparently tempted by the prospect of sinking a British battlecruiser, allowed five loaded transports to sail past before launching a torpedo attack on Merion.[8] One torpedo from UB-8 struck the liner and exploded, sending some of the "cement and stones" used as ballast into the air. Some of Merion's crew that were knocked overboard by the explosion were able to float ashore on nearby Strati Island on remnants of the liner's false guns.[8] Despite being severely overloaded, Merion did not immediately sink, remaining afloat more than 24 hours before finally succumbing to the attack on 31 May.[8] Four crew were killed during the. Merion's sinking.
Notes
- ^ The United States did not enter World War I until April 1917.
- The Atlantic Monthly. p. 439..
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bonsor, vol.3, pp. 945–46.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Merion (1115257)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
- ^ a b c "Sails with guns in hold". The New York Times. 6 September 1914. p. 4.
- ^ "New Dominion Line Steamers". The Watchman. 84 (14): 29. 3 April 1902.
- ^ Kinghorn, Jonathan (2005–2014). "SS Merion". www.atlantictransportline.us. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ "Dominion liner aground". The Washington Post. 3 March 1903. p. 11.
- ^ "Ships crash in Delaware". The New York Times. 25 December 1912. p. 2.
- ^ The Atlantic Monthly. p. 439.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Merion". German and Austrian U-boats of World War I - Kaiserliche Marine - Uboat.net. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
Bibliography
- Bonsor, N. R. P. (1978) [1955]. North Atlantic Seaway (Enlarged and completely revised ed.). OCLC 29930159.