CROWN PRINCE (2) was
built in 1904 by Wm. Dobson & Co. at Newcastle with a
tonnage of 2539grt, a length of 325ft, a beam of 45ft 4in
and a service speed of 10 knots. Delivered in April 1904 her
career lasted only 6 years. On 16th October 1910 during a
voyage from Santos to New Orleans with a cargo of coffee she
was wrecked at Hatandes Point in Cuba.
BLACK PRINCE (2) was
built in 1903 by Russell & Co. at Greenock with a tonnage
of 3925grt, a length of 345ft 2in, a beam of 49ft 11in and
a service speed of 10 knots. She was completed as the Provan
for J. Lockie & Co. of Newcastle in January 1903 and purchased
by Prince Line Ltd and renamed Black Prince in 1904. In 1922
she was sold to Naviera Guadalquivir S. A. of Seville with
J. Orelana as manager and renamed Guardiaro. Fourteen years
later she was acquired by Perez & Echevarrieta of Bilboa
who renamed her Udondo and two years later, in 1938, she was
purchased by Pedro Perez Gante of Bilbao for use during the
Spanish Civil War as the Gante. In the following year she
was sold to Jose de Navas Escuder of Bilbao and renamed Albareda.
She was sold to Transportes Aduanas y Consignaciones S.A.
of Barcelona, renamed Sac Coruna, and after a further fifteen
years service was broken up at Barcelona during February 1965.
BELGIAN PRINCE (2) was
built in 1885 by Sir W.G. Armstrong, Mitchell at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 2831grt, a length of 310ft 6in, a beam of
39ft and a service speed of 9.5 knots. She was completed in
November 1885 as the Hajeen for the Bedouin Steam Navigation
Co. of Liverpool, with W & R Thomson as manager, and in
1900 was acquired by Aznar y Cia of Bilbao who renamed her
Berriz. In 1907, when in need of engine repairs, she was purchased
by the Wallsend Slipway & Engine Co., renamed Belgian
Prince and placed under the management of James Knott. In
1910 she was sold to Haldor Virik and renamed Normanna for
operation by Hvalfangerakties Normanna of Sandfjord. On 22nd
February 1917 she was torpedoed off the Scilly Isles.
PIEDMONTESE PRINCE/RE
D'ITALIA was built in 1907 by Sir James Laing & Sons at
Sunderland with a tonnage of 6149grt, a length of 430ft, a
beam of 52ft 8in and a service speed of 14 knots. She was
laid down as the Piedmontese Prince but acquired on the stocks
by Lloyd Sabaudo Soc. Anon de Nav. of Genoa when Prince Line
withdrew from the Italy-New York service. Launched on the
22nd December 1906 as the Re d'Italia she commenced her maiden
voyage on 6th April 1907 from Genoa to New York with calls
at Naples and Palermo. During December 1908 she was used as
a hospital ship at Messina following the earthquake. On 26th
September 1911 she began a fourteen month spell as a hospital
ship during the Italo-Turkish war. With 13 medical staff and
accommodation for 116 patients she served between Italy and
Libya and evacuated 36,983 sick and wounded. In 1912 she made
a solitary voyage to Constantinople. In 1920 her accommodation
was reduced to first and third class only and in the following
year she was transferred to the South American service. After
a further eight years service she was broken up in 1929 at
Genoa.
SARDINIAN PRINCE (2)/REGINA
D'ITALIA was built in 1907 by Sir James Laing & Sons at
Sunderland with a tonnage of 6149grt, a length of 430ft, a
beam of 52ft 8in and a service speed of 14 knots. Sister of
the Piedmontese Prince she was laid down as the Sardinian
Prince but acquired on the stocks by Lloyd Sabaudo Soc. Anon
de Nav. of Genoa when Prince Line withdrew from the Italy-New
York service. Launched on the 20th January 1907 as the Regina
d'Italia she commenced her maiden voyage on 15th May 1907
from Genoa to New York and on the following 6th October inaugurated
the company's Genoa to South America service as the Tomaso
di Savoia was not ready in time.. During December 1908, together
with her sister, she was used as a hospital ship at Messina
following the earthquake. During 1911 she served as a hospital
ship during the Italo-Turkish war between Benghazi and Derna.
In 1920 her accommodation was reduced to first and third class
only and in 1922 she was transferred to the South American
service. After a further six years service she was broken
up in October 1928 at Genoa.
SPANISH PRINCE (2) was
built in 1894 by Chas. Connell & Co. at Glasgow with a
tonnage of 6505grt, a length of 450ft, a beam of 52ft 2in
and a service speed of 11 knots. She was launched on 6th June
1894 and completed in the following August as the Knight Batchelor
for Greenshields, Cowie & Co. of Liverpool, a company
whose history goes back to 1795. On 26th April 1897, during
a voyage from Cardiff to Norfolk, she hit an iceberg and limped
into Halifax four days later with 30 feet of her bow missing.
Repairs cost $30,000. She was acquired by Prince Line in 1907
for £35,000 and, as the Spanish Prince, was the company's
largest ship and remained so until 1918. On 5th October 1914,
whilst in St. Nazaire Roads, she sustained damage to her hull
when her anchor chain broke and she grounded. She was subsequently
acquired by the Admiralty and on 15th February 1915 was sunk
as a block ship in the western entrance to Dover Harbour.
A permanent wreck buoy marks the spot.
SWEDISH PRINCE (2) was
built in 1896 by J. L. Thompson & Sons at Sunderland with
a tonnage of 3712grt, a length of 356ft, a beam of 48ft 6in
and a service speed of 10.5 knots. She was completed in July
1896 as the Howick Hall for Charles D. Dunn & Co. of Liverpool's
Globe Shipping Co. Purchased by Prince Line in 1907 she was
renamed Swedish Prince. On 17th August 1916 she was sunk by
gunfire from U-35 near to Pantellaria during a voyage from
Salonika to Bizerta. One crew member lost his life and the
Master, Chief Engineer and a gunner were taken prisoner.
CORSICAN PRINCE (1) was
built in 1900 by Short Bros. at Sunderland with a tonnage
of 2776grt, a length of 316ft, a beam of 42ft 2in and a service
speed of 10 knots. She was completed in April 1900 as the
Briardale for G. H. Elder & Co. of Newcastle and purchased
by James Knott, who renamed her Corsican Prince, for Prince
Line in 1907 when Elder's went out of business. On 7th February
1917 she was torpedoed by UB-34 three miles off Whitby during
a voyage from Dundee to Dunkirk.
OCEAN PRINCE (2) was
built in 1907 by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Newcastle
with a tonnage of 5101grt, a length of 401ft, a beam of 50ft
2in and a service speed of 10.5 knots. Completed in May 1907
she was taken over as an ammunition carrier in 1914 and given
Pennant No. 193. On 15th December 1916 she was wrecked in
fog near Quenada Light, Cap la Hoque whilst approaching Cherbourg.
Attempts by tug to move her failed but the crew were safely
evacuated.
NORSE PRINCE was built
in 1907 by Palmer's Co. at Jarrow with a tonnage of 5611grt,
a length of 420ft 1in, a beam of 54ft 4in and a service speed
of 12 knots. Prince Line's first quadruple expansion steamship
she entered service in November 1907 on the New York to South
and East Africa service. On 3rd January 1910 she caught fire
and was abandoned off Ascension Island during a voyage from
New York to Cape Town.
ROYAL
PRINCE (2) was built in 1907 by Short Bros. at Sunderland
with a tonnage of 5547grt, a length of 417ft 10in, a beam
of 54ft 6in and a service speed of 12 knots. Sister of the
Norse Prince she was delivered in December 1907. In 1924 she
was sold to Soc. Anon. de Nav. 'La Serenissima' of Genoa who
renamed her Sic Vos non Nobis. (Literal translation of the
Latin is 'Thus for you not us' meaning 'Service First') By
1927 her owners realised that the name was cumbersome and
changed it to Battinin Accame. In 1931 she was sold to Industrie
Navali S. A. (I.N.S.A) of Genoa who renamed her Fortunato
and in June of the following year she was broken up in Italy.
(Photo: E Johnson)
SCOTTISH PRINCE (2) was
built in 1910 by Short Bros. at Sunderland with a tonnage
of 2897grt, a length of 340ft 7in, a beam of 46ft 5in and
a service speed of 10 knots. First of a class of four ships
she entered service in March 1910. On 7th September 1917 she
was damaged when hit by a torpedo in the English Channel.
In 1920 she served with Furness, Withy and was given a black
hull with a white band and Furness's funnel livery. She was
sold to the Hellenic Lines Ltd, with P. G. Callimanopoulos
as manager, in 1937 and renamed Athenai. In July 1940 she
was seized by the Italians off Messina and renamed Palermo
by unknown managers. On 9th September 1943 she was seized
by the Germans off Valonia in Albania when Italy capitulated
and was operated by Mittelmeer Reederi GmbH with the same
name. In May 1944 she was badly damaged when she hit a mine
off Tagliamento and taken into Fiume (Rijeka). Whilst there
she was sunk by Allied bombers in the following July.
EASTERN PRINCE (2) as
built in 1910 by J. Priestman & Co. at Sunderland with
a tonnage of 2881grt, a length of 340ft 7in, a beam of 46ft
5in and a service speed of 10 knots. Sister of the Scottish
Prince she was delivered in March 1910. On 30th August 1917
she was torpedoed by U-62 thirty miles off the Eddystone lighthouse.
ASIATIC PRINCE (2) as
built in 1910 by J. Priestman & Co. at Sunderland with
a tonnage of 2877grt, a length of 340ft 7in, a beam of 46ft
5in and a service speed of 10 knots. Sister of the Scottish
Prince she was completed for Prince Line in June 1910. On
30th May 1918 she became Prince Line's last WW1 casualty when
she was torpedoed by U-63 190 miles east of Malta during a
voyage from Bone to Salonika.
INDIAN
PRINCE (2) as built in 1910 by J. Readhead & Sons at South
Shields with a tonnage of 2845grt, a length of 340ft 7in,
a beam of 46ft 5in and a service speed of 10 knots. Sister
of the Scottish Prince she entered service in July 1910. On
4th September 1914 she was captured by the German auxiliary
cruiser Kronprinz Wilhelm 210 miles north east of Pernambuco
and sunk by bombs on 9th September. She was the former Nordddeutscher
Lloyd ship's first capture.
BURMESE PRINCE was built
in 1911 by Short Bros. at Sunderland with a tonnage of 4825grt,
a length of 396ft, a beam of 54ft 4in and a service speed
of 11 knots. The first of four similar ships she was delivered
in April 1911. In 1927 she was sold to the Miguel Larrinaga
Steamship Co. of Liverpool and renamed Lucille de Larrinaga
for operation by the Larrinaga Steamship Co. After a further
seven years service she was broken up at Blyth by Hughes,
Bolckow in June 1934.
SIAMESE
PRINCE (1) was built in 1911 by Short Bros. at Sunderland
with a tonnage of 4834grt, a length of 396ft, a beam of 54ft
4in and a service speed of 11 knots. Sister of the Burmese
Prince she entered service in September 1911. On 16th August
1914 she was stopped by the German light cruiser Dresden but
allowed to continue on her voyage when it was determined that
she was not carrying a cargo that could be used in the war.
She was attacked by a U-boat on 4th November 1916 when 210
miles west of the Scilly Isles but she managed to outpace
her surfaced attacker. On 6th July 1917 she was again attacked
by a surfaced U-boat but accurate gunfire from her stern gun
caused the submarine to submerge. Two months later, on 4th
September, she was missed by a torpedo in the Bay of Biscay.
In March 1925 she was sold to Christian Salvesen's South Georgia
Co. for conversion into s whale processing ship and renamed
Saragossa. On 16th March 1932 she had to be scuttled off the
South Shetland Islands when a fire broke out in her whale
oil. The crew were rescued by the accompanying whale catchers.
(Photo: World Ship Society)
JAPANESE PRINCE (1) was
built in 1911 by Wm. Doxford & Sons at Sunderland with
a tonnage of 4876grt, a length of 396ft, a beam of 54ft 4in
and a service speed of 11 knots. Sister of the Burmese Prince
she entered service in September 1911. On 3rd November 1915
she was chased by and outpaced a U-boat in the Mediterranean.
On 10th February 1917, during a voyage from Newport News to
Southampton, she was torpedoed by UC-47 when she was 24 miles
southwest of Bishops Rock.
CHINESE
PRINCE (2) was built in 1911 by Short Bros. at Sunderland
with a tonnage of 4834grt, a length of 396ft, a beam of 54ft
4in and a service speed of 11 knots. Sister of the Burmese
Prince she entered service in July 1911. In 1925 she was sold
to Soc. Anon. Navigazione Alta Italia of Genoa, renamed Monviso
and broken up in Italy during 1933. (Photo: E Johnson)
.JPG)
ROYAL
PRINCE (2) was built in 1907 by Short Bros. at Sunderland
with a tonnage of 5547grt, a length of 417ft 10in, a beam
of 54ft 6in and a service speed of 12 knots. Sister of the
Norse Prince she was delivered in December 1907. In 1924 she
was sold to Soc. Anon. de Nav. 'La Serenissima' of Genoa who
renamed her Sic Vos non Nobis. (Literal translation of the
Latin is 'Thus for you not us' meaning 'Service First') By
1927 her owners realised that the name was cumbersome and
changed it to Battinin Accame. In 1931 she was sold to Industrie
Navali S. A. (I.N.S.A) of Genoa who renamed her Fortunato
and in June of the following year she was broken up in Italy.
(Photo: E Johnson) 
INDIAN
PRINCE (2) as built in 1910 by J. Readhead & Sons at South
Shields with a tonnage of 2845grt, a length of 340ft 7in,
a beam of 46ft 5in and a service speed of 10 knots. Sister
of the Scottish Prince she entered service in July 1910. On
4th September 1914 she was captured by the German auxiliary
cruiser Kronprinz Wilhelm 210 miles north east of Pernambuco
and sunk by bombs on 9th September. She was the former Nordddeutscher
Lloyd ship's first capture. 
SIAMESE
PRINCE (1) was built in 1911 by Short Bros. at Sunderland
with a tonnage of 4834grt, a length of 396ft, a beam of 54ft
4in and a service speed of 11 knots. Sister of the Burmese
Prince she entered service in September 1911. On 16th August
1914 she was stopped by the German light cruiser Dresden but
allowed to continue on her voyage when it was determined that
she was not carrying a cargo that could be used in the war.
She was attacked by a U-boat on 4th November 1916 when 210
miles west of the Scilly Isles but she managed to outpace
her surfaced attacker. On 6th July 1917 she was again attacked
by a surfaced U-boat but accurate gunfire from her stern gun
caused the submarine to submerge. Two months later, on 4th
September, she was missed by a torpedo in the Bay of Biscay.
In March 1925 she was sold to Christian Salvesen's South Georgia
Co. for conversion into s whale processing ship and renamed
Saragossa. On 16th March 1932 she had to be scuttled off the
South Shetland Islands when a fire broke out in her whale
oil. The crew were rescued by the accompanying whale catchers.
(Photo: World Ship Society) 
CHINESE
PRINCE (2) was built in 1911 by Short Bros. at Sunderland
with a tonnage of 4834grt, a length of 396ft, a beam of 54ft
4in and a service speed of 11 knots. Sister of the Burmese
Prince she entered service in July 1911. In 1925 she was sold
to Soc. Anon. Navigazione Alta Italia of Genoa, renamed Monviso
and broken up in Italy during 1933. (Photo: E Johnson)
