NORSEMAN (1) was built in 1866 by Charles
Lungley & Co. at Deptford Green with a tonnage of 1386grt,
a length of 262ft 9in, a beam of 32ft 2in and a service speed
of 9 knots. In July 1866 she joined the mail service with a
red funnel but in 1873 was sold to J. Heugh and in 1874 was
converted into a cable repair ship by the Telegraph & Maintenance
Co and employed by the Cia Telegrafica Platino-Brasilera on
Siemens cables from Rio de Janeiro to Montevideo. She was re-engined
in 1880 and, by fitting a circular tank in the no. 2 hold, was
given cable laying capability. In 1888, assisted by the Viking,
she laid the up-river River Plate cable. Badly damaged during
a storm in 1892 she was replaced by Norseman (2) put up for
sale being acquired by A.C.S. Springer of London. She was finally
broken up in November 1898.
CELT (2) was built in 1866 by Charles
Lungley & Co. at Deptford Green with a tonnage of 1439grt,
a length of 262ft 9in, a beam of 32ft 2in and a service speed
of 9 knots. Sister of the Norseman she joined the mail service
in August 1866 and in 1874 she was lengthen to 293ft with an
increase in tonnage to 2112grt. In February 1875 she was wrecked
at the mouth of the River Ratel between Cape Agulhas and Danger
Point, all 98 persons aboard being saved by the Zulu.
DANE (2) was built in 1866 by J. Key
at Kinghorn with a tonnage of 788grt, a length of 227ft, a beam
of 28ft 2in and a service speed of 9 knots. She was built as
a replacement for the Dane (1) on the Cape Town to Mauritius
service but in 1868 the service was discontinued and the ships
on that route, being too small for alternative deployment, were
put up for sale. In 1870 she was sold to Fonte Bella of St Michael's
in the Azores and renamed Atlantico. Her career ended in 1878
when she foundered off the Azores.
NORTHAM was built in 1858 by Day, Summers
& Co. at Northam, Southampton with a tonnage of 1330grt,
a length of 274ft, a beam of 34ft 7in and a service speed of
12 knots. She was built for P & O's Southampton - Cape -
Bombay service but was soon transferred to the Bombay - Suez
sector of the pre-Suez Canal service which included the famous
overland journey from Alexandria to Suez via Cairo. In April
1859 she was placed on the Suez - Galle - Sydney service and,
on 20 August 1859, had the misfortune to run aground outside
Jeddah. She reverted to the Suez - Bombay route in 1866 where
she remained until December 1868 when she was put up as part
payment for the Hindostan. In January 1869 she was purchase
for £16,500 by the Union Steamship Co. and immediately
rebuilt for the mail service. She was sold to Sir John Malcolm
of Liverpool in September 1876 and was converted into a sailing
barque for the USA - South Africa trade with the name Stars
and Stripes. She reverted to Northam when she was transferred
to the Liverpool - South Africa service and on 2nd December
1878 was burnt at sea during a voyage from London to Sydney.
SYRIA was built in 1863 by Day, Summers
& Co. at Northam, Southampton with a tonnage of 1932grt,
a length of 312ft 5in, a beam of 36ft and a service speed of
10 knots. She was ordered by P & O as the paddle steamer
Scindia but launched as the Syria for their Southampton - Alexandria
route where she remained until she became redundant when the
Suez Canal was opened in 1869. She was acquired by Caird &
Co. Ltd of Greenock in September 1870 for £30,000 as part
payment for P & O's Mirzapore and was converted from paddles
to a single screw. In the December of the same year she was
purchased by the Union Steamship Co. for the mail service. In
November 1873 she inaugurated the monthly extra/intermediate
direct service from Southampton to Port Elizabeth. She was taken
over by James Laing & Co. in March 1878 as part payment
for the Durban and operated by them on a charter basis. On 4th
April 1880 she foundered in the Atlantic during a voyage from
New Orleans to Liverpool.
DANUBE was built in 1866 by Millwall
Ironworks at Millwall, London with a tonnage of 2039grt, a length
of 332ft, a beam of 34ft 5in and a service speed of 12 knots.
She was launched as a two funnelled paddle steamer for the Royal
Mail Steam Packet Co. for their Southampton - West Indies service.
When the River Plate mail contract was renewed for a further
five years on 13th July 1868 she was transferred to the Rio
de Janeiro - Buenos Aires feeder service. She was purchased
by the Union Steamship Co. in 1871 and converted into a single
funnelled screw driven vessel, the company's first compound
engined ship. In 1879 she carried the Prince Imperial of France,
Napoleon Eugene Louis Jean Joseph Bonaparte and his entourage
to the Zulu campaign where he was killed on 1st June 1879 at
the Battle of Ulundi. Attempting to vault onto his horse the
saddle slipped throwing him off and he was speared to death.
In 1880 she was placed on the Zanzibar service until 1888 when
she was sold for breaking up.
EUROPEAN was built in 1869 by Robert
Napier & Sons at Glasgow with a tonnage of 2242grt, a length
of 307ft 2in, a beam of37ft 8in and a service speed of 10 knots.
She was built as the Europe for Ryde & Co's Liverpool to
South America service but when the Suez Canal was opened in
the November she was transferred to the new Liverpool - Colombo
- Madras - Calcutta service. In 1872 she was purchased by the
Union Steamship Co. for the mail service and renamed European.
On 5th December 1877 she struck the Basse Meur rock off Ushant
and sank within 30 minutes during which time all the passengers,
bullion and mail were taken off.
ZULU was built in 1872 by Oswald &
Co. at Sunderland with a tonnage of 994grt, a length of 224ft
8in, a beam of 29ft 1in and a service speed of 9 knots. It was
originally intended to name her Zanzibar for the East African
coastal service but as Beira became the terminus she entered
service as the Zulu. She was sold to S. Ezekial in 1877 and
was wrecked in the same year.
AFRICAN (1) was built in 1872 by John
Key at Kinghorn in Fife with a tonnage of 2019grt, a length
of 315ft 7in, a beam of 34ft 4in and a service speed of 12 knots.
She joined the Southampton - Cape Town mail run in January 1873
but when the Trojan was introduced in 1881 she was transferred
to the South African coastal service. In November 1885, when
she was due for replacement by a new African (2) she was sold
to F. Stumore & Co. of London without a change of name although
another vessel with the same name was about to appear. This
practice would become illegal in later years. On 15th February
1887 she was wrecked on Ras Abu Madd in the Red Sea during a
voyage to Jeddah.
AMERICAN was built in 1873 by Alex.
Stephen & Sons at Linthouse, Glasgow with a tonnage of 2126grt,
a length of 320ft, a beam of 34ft 2in and a service speed of
12 knots. She was delivered for the mail run and was the fastest
ship in the fleet beating the Windsor Castle's record by a little
over 24 hours. Donald Currie's ship promptly responded and matched
that time. At 05.00hrs on 23rd April 1880 off Las Palmas en
route for Cape Town the propeller shaft fractured and the rotating
screw pulled it out of the hull. The ship began flooding and
despite closing the water-tight doors foundered in position
1.52N 9.50W. All persons onboard were saved by the Senegal of
Elder, Dempster's British & African Steam Navigation Co.
ANGLIAN
(2) was built in 1873 by Aitken & Mansel at Glasgow with
a tonnage of 2206grt, a length of 314ft, a beam of 35ft 9in
and a service speed of 12 knots. She entered service in March
1873 as a mail steamer but was given a black funnel in the following
July. Re-engined in 1886 she was downgraded to the South African
coastal feeder service. In September 1884 she was purchased
by Huddart Parker & Co. Proprietary Ltd of Melbourne as
a short term stop gap for their increased passenger service
across the Tasman Sea until a new vessel could be delivered.
On 25th October she sailed from Barry Docks in South Wales with
a cargo of coal for Melbourne arriving on 17th December when
she was re-registered as the Anglian since, at the time, Australian
Law did not allow name changes. As a survey showed her to be
in excellent condition for a nineteen year old ship alternative
plans were made leading to a refit in 1895. She entered service
for her new owner on the Sydney - Auckland - Gisborne - Napier
- Wellington - Lyttleton - Dunedin service. In July 1897 she
was transferred to the Sydney - Fremantle service but when the
Tasmania, her partner on the Tasman sea service, was wrecked
she reverted back to that service. When the Victoria joined
the fleet in 1902 she was reduced to an Australian coastal cargo
vessel and in 1913 was reduced to a coal hulk, firstly at Adelaide
and then at Sydney. In 1929 she was laid up at Berrys Bay, Sydney
and on 2nd August 1933 was towed out to sea and scuttled off
the Sydney Heads. (Photo:WSS)
NAMAQUA was built in 1873 by Oswald
& Co. at Sunderland with a tonnage of 352grt, a length of
163ft 6in, a beam of 22ft 2in and a service speed of 9 knots.
She was built for the Port Nolloth - Cape Town copper ore service
and was wrecked off Port Nolloth in March 1876.
BASUTO was built in 1873 by Oswald &
Co. at Sunderland with a tonnage of 1034grt, a length of 220ft,
a beam of 30ft 5in and a service speed of 9.5 knots. Built for
the South African coastal service she was, in 1875, the first
vessel to call at Port Alfred (Kowie). After only three years
service she was sold to French owners and during her first voyage
for them foundered off Corunna on 11th October 1876.
KAFIR was built in 1873 by J. Key at
Kinghorn, Fife with a tonnage of 982grt, a length of 249ft 7in,
a beam of 28ft 10in and a service speed of 10 knots. Built for
the South and East African coastal routes she was wrecked at
the entrance to Simonstown near Cape Point in February 1878.
TEUTON was built in 1869 by Wm. Denny
& Bros. at Dumbarton, Glasgow with a tonnage of 1741grt,
a length of 331ft 2in, a beam of 34ft 4in and a service speed
of 13 knots. Costing £45,500 she was launched as the Glenartney
for R. Jardine (Matheson & Co)., of Hong Kong for their
Hong Kong to Calcutta route. Because of the threat from pirates
she was armed with two 12 pound guns. In 1873 she was acquired
by the Union Steam Ship Co., renamed Teuton and equipped with
passenger accommodation for 250 passengers in three classes.
Two years later, in 1875, she was lengthened to 350ft. On 30th
August 1881 at 10.00hrs she sailed from Cape Town bound for
Port Elizabeth (Algoa Bay) and at 19.00 hrs, in a calm sea,
struck a known and charted rock four miles from Quoin Point,
Cape Colony. The Teuton was a mile off course. After surveying
the damage the master, Captain Manning, decided that she could
reach Simonstown unaided. As a safety precaution the boats were
readied in case the ship had to be abandoned and the passengers
went aft while the crew and volunteers manned the pumps. The
pumps could not cope with the incoming sea and at 22.00hrs the
ship lost way because the propeller came out of the water as
the bow settled down. As the ship was obviously sinking the
master gave the order to abandon ship. The first boat moved
away in a carnival like atmosphere with much laughing and cheering
but as the second boat was being prepared for lowering the second
and then the third bulkheads gave way and the ship sank like
a stone. Within seconds she was vertical in the water and quickly
sank beneath the surface. 236 persons, including Captain Manning,
perished and only the 36 in the first lifeboat survived.
ANGLIAN
(2) was built in 1873 by Aitken & Mansel at Glasgow with
a tonnage of 2206grt, a length of 314ft, a beam of 35ft 9in
and a service speed of 12 knots. She entered service in March
1873 as a mail steamer but was given a black funnel in the following
July. Re-engined in 1886 she was downgraded to the South African
coastal feeder service. In September 1884 she was purchased
by Huddart Parker & Co. Proprietary Ltd of Melbourne as
a short term stop gap for their increased passenger service
across the Tasman Sea until a new vessel could be delivered.
On 25th October she sailed from Barry Docks in South Wales with
a cargo of coal for Melbourne arriving on 17th December when
she was re-registered as the Anglian since, at the time, Australian
Law did not allow name changes. As a survey showed her to be
in excellent condition for a nineteen year old ship alternative
plans were made leading to a refit in 1895. She entered service
for her new owner on the Sydney - Auckland - Gisborne - Napier
- Wellington - Lyttleton - Dunedin service. In July 1897 she
was transferred to the Sydney - Fremantle service but when the
Tasmania, her partner on the Tasman sea service, was wrecked
she reverted back to that service. When the Victoria joined
the fleet in 1902 she was reduced to an Australian coastal cargo
vessel and in 1913 was reduced to a coal hulk, firstly at Adelaide
and then at Sydney. In 1929 she was laid up at Berrys Bay, Sydney
and on 2nd August 1933 was towed out to sea and scuttled off
the Sydney Heads. (Photo:WSS) 
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