PORT VICTORIA was built
in 1897 by J. L. Thompson & Sons at Sunderland with a
tonnage of 3378grt, a length of 354ft, a beam of 48ft 5in
and a service speed of 11 knots. A further sister of the Port
Elliot she was completed for the Anglo -Australasian S. N.
Co. where she stayed until 1908 when she was acquired by P.
Regier of Mariupol and renamed Belorussia. In 1909 she was
sold to the Russian Commercial Steam Ship Co. of Mariupol
with P Regier as manager who, in 1915, became Peter Regier
& Son of Odessa and Mariupol. Following the October Revolution
in 1917 the company moved its operations from the Ukraine
to London where it became the Anglo-Commercial Shipping Co.
with Regier Shipping Co. as managers. In 1920 Regier renamed
her Balderton. She was sold in 1927 to Parobrodarsko Akcionarsko
Drustvo 'Progress' of Split, renamed Poredak, and finally
broken up at Savona in 1933.
PORT PHILLIP (2) was
built in 1897 by Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Co. at Newcastle with
a tonnage of 3103grt, a length of 324ft 10in, a beam of 48ft
6in and a service speed of 11 knots. The last of the Port
Elliott Class she was delivered to Wm. Milburn & Co. in
August 1897. In 1900 she was sold to the Buenos Aires Southern
Railway C. of London with A. Holland & Co. as managers
and renamed Solar. She was used to carry coal either from
the US or South Wales to Buenos Aires and on 23rd December
1912 she was posted missing during a voyage from Newport Mews.
PORT CAROLINE (2) was
built in 1905 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 4076grt, a length of 393ft, a beam of 49ft
and a service speed of 11 knots. The first of a class of six
vessels she was delivered to Anglo -Australasian S. N. Co.
in July 1905. When the Commonwealth & Dominion Line was
formed in 1914 she was not required for the new operation
and put up for sale at the end of her commitments. She was
sold to Italian owners which was allowed at the time albeit
with some difficulty and began operating for Societa Veneziana
di Nav a Vapore of Venice with the name Loredano on 29th April
1915. Joining a fleet of eight vessels she operated on their
Venice-Malaysia-Singapore-Hong Kong service. In 1932 she was
sold to Industrie Navali Soc. Anon (I. N. S. A) of Genoa and
broken up in Italy during 1934.
PORT CHALMERS (2) was
built in 1905 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 4077grt, a length of 393ft, a beam of 49ft
and a service speed of 11 knots. Sister of the Port Caroline
she was completed for the Anglo -Australasian S. N. Co. but
sold to Thos. Law & Co. of Glasgow and renamed Duns Law
in 1912. On the outbreak of the First World War she was seized
by the Germans whilst at Nordenham on 4th August 1914. Compensation
was paid and her owners became the North of England Protecting
& Indemnity Association Ltd. November 1918 when she was
repossessed and put up for sale. She was acquired by the Dalgleish
Steam Shipping Co. of Newcastle, renamed Ravensworth and remained
with them until she was scrapped at Rosyth in March 1929.
PORT HUNTER (3) was built
in 1906 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 4062grt, a length of 393ft, a beam of 49ft
and a service speed of 11 knots. Sister of the Port Caroline
she was delivered to Wm. Milburn & Co. and transferred
to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line in 1914. On 2nd November
1918, during a voyage from Avonmouth to New York, she was
rammed by the Seaboard Transportation Co's tug Covington 3
miles off Vineyard Haven in Massachusetts. Attempts to beach
her failed and she became a total loss when she finally sank.
PORT AUGUSTA (2) was
built in 1906 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 4063grt, a length of 393ft, a beam of 49ft
and a service speed of 11 knots. Sister of the Port Caroline
she was delivered to Wm. Milburn & Co. and transferred
to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line in 1914. On 2nd May
1916 she was attacked by a surfaced U-boat in the Bay of Biscay
but managed to escape. In 1925 she was sold to William Thomas
Shipping Co. of London with R. J. Thomas & Co. as managers
and renamed Cambrian Countess. She was broken up in May 1931
by Hughes, Bolckow at Blyth.
PORT PHILLIP (3) was
built in 1906 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 4060grt, a length of 393ft, a beam of 49ft
and a service speed of 11 knots. Sister of the Port Caroline
she was delivered to Wm. Milburn & Co. and transferred
to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line in 1914. On 16th October
1918 she sank in the Ambrose Channel, New York after being
in collision with the USS Proteus, a huge gantried collier
operated by the US Navy.
PORT PIRIE (2) was built
in 1907 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 4068grt, a length of 393ft, a beam of 49ft
and a service speed of 11 knots. Sister of the Port Caroline
she was delivered to Wm. Milburn & Co. and transferred
to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line in 1914 but was surplus
to requirements and sold. Her new owners were the Glasgow
Steam Shipping Co., with J. Black & Co. as managers, who
renamed her Kelvinbrae. In 1924 she was sold to the Romney
Steam Ship Co. of Glasgow, with Fawcett, Coverdale as managers,
and renamed Darnley. She was sold again in January 1926 to
Watts, Watts & Co. for £16,500 with Britain Steam
Ship Co. as managers and renamed Laleham. Some two months
later, on 31st March, she sprang a leak and was abandoned
in the Atlantic during a voyage from Valparaiso to UK.
PORT JACKSON (2) was
built in 1903 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 5505grt, a length of 435ft, a beam of 54ft
and a service speed of 11 knots. Launched for the Anglo-Australasian
S. N. Co. in November 1903 she was purchased during fitting
out by the British India S. N. Co. and was delivered as the
Waipara. She was deployed on the Australia service and in
1909 she was refitted to carry 338 emigrants. In 1913 she
went aground on Hannibal Island in the Great Barrier Reef
and by jettisoning the cargo and with the help of a tow from
the survey ship HMS Fantome she was successfully refloated.
She was used as a cadet training ship by B. I in 1917 when
32 cadets were carried. On 4th August 1918 she was torpedoed
in the English Channel but after abandoning ship the crew
reboarded her and managed to reach port. After the war, on
14th March 1920, she had to be escorted into Freetown, Sierra
Leone by Union-Castle's Saxon when she had a fire in her bunkers.
In August 1938 she was sold for £12,500 and scrapped.
PORT CURTIS (1) was built
in 1910 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 4710grt, a length of 400ft 7in, a beam of
52ft 7in and a service speed of 12 knots. A smaller version
of the Port Curtis she was completed for Wm. Milburn &
Co. and transferred to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line
on its formation in January 1914. On 7th August 1917, during
a voyage from Bahia Blanca to Brest with a cargo of oats,
she was captured by UC-71 70 miles west of Penmarch, Brittany
and sunk by time charges. No lives were lost.
PORT KEMBLA (1) was built
in 1910 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 4700grt, a length of 400ft 7in, a beam of
52ft 7in and a service speed of 12 knots. Sister of the Port
Curtis she was completed for Anglo -Australasian S. N. Co.
and transferred to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line on
its formation in January 1914. On 18th September 1917 she
was sunk by a mine which had been laid in the Cook Strait
by the raider Wolf (2) (ex-Wachfels of Deutsches D. G. 'Hansa')
off Cape Farewell, New Zealand. The Wolf had sunk 13 ships
with mines, the Port Kembla being the last, as well as capturing
and sinking a further 14 ships.
PORT LINCOLN (1) was
built in 1912 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 7243grt, a length of 426ft, a beam of 54ft
1in and a service speed of 13 knots. One of two sisters she
was completed for Wm. Milburn & Co. and transferred to
the Commonwealth & Dominion Line on its formation in January
1914. She was sold to William Thomas Shipping Co. of London
in 1927, managed by R. J. Thomas and renamed Cambrian Baroness.
In 1929 she was sold to Clan Line where she was renamed Clan
Graham (3) and underwent modifications to her lifeboat configuration.
She was sold again in 1938 to Neil & Pandelis of London
and renamed Maritima. On 2nd November 1942, while part of
convoy AC 107 (Sydney -Nova Scotia-UK), she was torpedoed
by U-552 500 miles north of St Johns, Newfoundland. SC 107
was one of most disastrous convoys of the war when the convoy
suffered 34 attacks with the loss of 20 ships.
PORT MACQUARIE (1) was
built in 1912 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 7236grt, a length of 426ft, a beam of 54ft
1in and a service speed of 13 knots. Sister of the Port Lincoln
she was completed for Anglo-Australasian S. N. Co. and transferred
to the Commonwealth & Dominion Line on its formation in
January 1914. She was sold to the William Thomas Shipping
Co., together with her sister, in 1927 and renamed Cambrian
Marchioness. In 1939 she was sold to Jack Billmeir's Stanhope
Steamship Co. of London and renamed Stangate. In the following
year, on 13th October, she was torpedoed by U-37 220 miles
west of the Butt of Lewis with the loss of 8 lives.
PORT ALBANY (1) was built
in 1914 by R & W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 5417grt, a length of 426ft 4in, a beam of
54ft 1in and a service speed of 13 knots. Built to a similar
specification as the Port Lincoln she was the first ship ordered
by Wm. Milburn & Co. to have refrigeration equipment installed
during construction. Although launched for Wm. Milburn &
Co. she was in fact completed for the newly formed Commonwealth
& Dominion Line. In February 1929 she was sold for £40,000
to the Union Cold Storage Co. with Blue Star Line as managers
and renamed Oregonstar, restyled as Oregon Star in the following
May. On 13th November 1932 she caught fire while being refitted
at Palmer's yard, Hebburn and was declared a total loss. Laid
up in the Tyne she was finally sold by the underwriters to
Hughes, Bolckow & Co. for £5,350 in October 1933
and was broken up at Blythe during 1934.
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