RADNORSHIRE (2) was built in 1890 by C.S.Swan & Hunter
at Newcastle with a tonnage of 2898grt, a length of 312ft,
a beam of 41ft and a service speed of 10.5 knots. In 1907
she was sold to A. Diapoulis & L. Voulgaris of Andros
and renamed Assimacos after her master M.D. Assimacos. She
was taken over by the Bank of Athens in 1912 with M.D. Assimacos
as manager who then became her owner as well as her master,
a common practice with Greek one ship companies. They usually
employed Greek agents based in Piraeus to organise tramping
voyages and, on occasion, arranged their own cargoes. By 1915
she was owned by M. Embericos of Andros and on 11th November
1916 was torpedoed and sunk in the Bay of Biscay off northwest
Spain.
MERIONETHSHIRE (2) was built
in 1895 by Sunderland Shipbuilding Co. at Sunderland with
a tonnage of 3012grt, a length of 343ft, a beam of 41ft 1in
and a service speed of 10 knots. In 1907 she was acquired
by Ellerman Lines Ltd of Liverpool, with Frank Swift as manager,
renamed Bavarian and operated as part of the Papayanni Mediterranean
fleet.. She was sold for scrap in August 1928 for £6,600
and broken up by Cohen & Co at Smyrna in Turkey.
FLINTSHIRE (3) was built in
1896 by Sunderland Shipbuilding Co. at Sunderland with a tonnage
of 3815grt, a length of 364ft, a beam of 45ft 2in and a service
speed of 10 knots. She was acquired in 1907 by the Royal Mail
Steam Packet Co., who had set up a subsidiary company called
Shire Line following their acquisition of D. Jenkins &
Co., without a change of operation but with their livery.
In 1913 she was purchased by Ellerman Lines Ltd to join the
Merionethshire on the Levant service with the name Algerian.
On 12th January 1916 during a voyage from Cowes in the Isle
of Wight to Avonmouth she sank after hitting a mine which
had been laid by UC-5 2.5 miles southwest of the Needles.
CARDIGANSHIRE (3) was built
in 1899 by Sunderland Shipbuilding Co. at Sunderland with
a tonnage of 3838grt, a length of 356ft, a beam of 45ft 2in
and a service speed of 10 knots. She was sold to Mitsui Bussan
Kaisha of Mikawa in 1900 and renamed Tsurugisan Maru where
she remained until 1923 when she was sold to Dairen Kisen
K.K. of Dairen with the name Oyama Maru. In 1928 her owners
were Fuji Shosen K.K. of Kobe and in 1938 she was sold to
Sugaya K.K. of Kobe and renamed Miharu Maru. On 14th December
1941 she was lost south of Hokkaido.
DENBIGHSHIRE (3) was built
in 1899 by Sunderland Shipbuilding Co. at Sunderland with
a tonnage of 3844grt, a length of 356ft, a beam of 45ft 2in
and a service speed of 10 knots. Sister of the Cardiganshire
she was acquired in 1907 by Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., without
a change of name or colours. In 1913 she lost her propeller
48 miles off Cape Race, Newfoundland and had to be towed into
St Johns by the German steamer Elisabeth captained by H. Schuldt.
On 30th May she was narrowly missed by a torpedo whilst in
the Western Approaches. In 1919 she was transferred to Royal
Mail S.P. Co. and renamed Tamar. She was sold to Amelia S.S.
Co. of London with Logthetis & Rogers as managers in 1922
and renamed Joyce Nancy in the following year. In 1924 she
was sold to Melissa S.S. Co. of London with Antonoropoulo
Bros. as managers with the name Sassa and was later arrested
by the Admiralty Marshall for unpaid dues. Sold by the Marshall
in 1925 to G. Vergottis she was renamed Argostoli and traded
until 1928 when she became the Avgy owned by N.D. & R.J.
Rossolymos & R Harrison of Argostoli. In August 1929 she
was damaged by fire and subsequently broken up at Danzig in
1930.
GLAMORGANSHIRE (3) was built
in 1900 by Sunderland Shipbuilders Co. at Sunderland with
a tonnage of 4625grt, a length of 377ft 2in, a beam of 47ft
1in and a service speed of 10 knots. In 1902 she was sold
to Nippon Yusen Kaisha K.K. of Tokyo and renamed Bombay Maru.
She was sold again in 1923 to Dai-Nippon Engyo K.K. of Tokyo,
in 1927 to Shizimu Kitaro of Tokyo and in 1931 to Tsutui Kiyomatsu
of Tokyo-Habu. Finally in late 1933 she was sold to Iino Shoji
of Tokyo for scrap and broken up in 1934.
PEMBROKESHIRE (3) was built
in 1901 by Sunderland Shipbuilders Co. at Sunderland with
a tonnage of 4513grt, a length of 360, a beam of 48ft 1in
and a service speed of 10 knots. Sister of the Glamorganshire
she was sold to Mitsui Bussan Gomei Kaisha in 1903 and renamed
Mandasan Maru. She remained with that company until 1933 when
she was broken up.
MONMOUTHSHIRE (2) was built
in 1902 by Sunderland Shipbuilding Co. at Sunderland with
a tonnage of 5092grt, a length of 400ft, a beam of 52ft and
a service speed of 10 knots. She was acquired by Royal Mail
in 1907and continued to operate on the same route with the
same name. On 4th May 1917 she narrowly escaped a U-boat attack
by returning gunfire. In 1919 she was transferred to the Royal
Mail fleet and renamed Tyne. Sold in 1922 to Tokai Kisen K.K.
of Dairen with Misshin Kaiun Shokai as managers she was renamed
Toku Maru and remained with the company until broken up in
1934.
CARDIGANSHIRE (4) was built
in 1899 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast with a tonnage of
4127grt, a length of 400ft 6in, a beam of 45ft 2in and a service
sped of 10 knots. She was completed for T & J Brocklebank
with the name Ameer for their Liverpool- India service. In
1906 she was transferred to Shire Line when Brocklebanks purchased
half of David Jenkins's shares and renamed Cardiganshire.
In the following year she passed into the ownership of Royal
Mail with their livery but continued to operate as part of
the Shire Line fleet. In 1911 she was sold to Tatsuuma Kisen
Goshi Kaisha of Kobe and renamed Hakushika Maru. Five years
later, in 1916, she was sold to G. Katsuda of Tarumi with
the name Ide Maru and in 1919 was sold again to Figueras S.S.
Co. of Hong Kong when her name reverted back to Cardiganshire.
In 1920 her owners re-registered her in Manila, which was
then under U.S. control, as the Faco Figueras and in 1923
she was scrapped in Hong Kong.
CARNARVONSHIRE
(2) was built in 1890 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast with
a tonnage of 4220grt, a length of 400ft 6in, a beam of 45ft
2in and a service sped of 10 knots. Sistership of the Cardiganshire
she was delivered to T & J Brocklebank as Gaekwar for
their Indian routes and transferred to Shire Line in 1906
with the name Carnarvonshire. In 1907 she passed into the
ownership of Royal Mail but continued to operate as part of
the Shire fleet until she was sold in 1911 to N. Fredriksen
of Sandefjord for use as a whaling supply ship named Falkland.
In 1913 she passed into the ownership of Akties Ornen of Sandefjord
as the Orn 2 managed by Soren L. Christensen and in 1930 was
sold to Hvalgfangerelsk Pontos of Tonsberg but managed by
Bruun & Von der Lippe as the Pontos. With her main mast
and bridge front removed she continued to operate as a whaling
supply ship until she was broken up in Norway in 1934. (The
photograph is of the Gaekwar.)
BRECONSHIRE (3) was built in
1891 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast with a tonnage of 5713grt,
a length of 446ft, a beam of 49ft 2in and a service speed
of 11 knots. She was completed as the Pindari for T &
J Brocklebank's India routes and transferred to Shire Line
in 1906 and renamed Breconshire although it was initially
announced in the press that she was to be named Pembrokeshire.
She was sold to Kishimoto Kisen K.K. of Nishinomiya in 1911,
renamed Shinyo Maru, and was scrapped in 1925 in Japan.
CARNARVONSHIRE
(2) was built in 1890 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast with
a tonnage of 4220grt, a length of 400ft 6in, a beam of 45ft
2in and a service sped of 10 knots. Sistership of the Cardiganshire
she was delivered to T & J Brocklebank as Gaekwar for
their Indian routes and transferred to Shire Line in 1906
with the name Carnarvonshire. In 1907 she passed into the
ownership of Royal Mail but continued to operate as part of
the Shire fleet until she was sold in 1911 to N. Fredriksen
of Sandefjord for use as a whaling supply ship named Falkland.
In 1913 she passed into the ownership of Akties Ornen of Sandefjord
as the Orn 2 managed by Soren L. Christensen and in 1930 was
sold to Hvalgfangerelsk Pontos of Tonsberg but managed by
Bruun & Von der Lippe as the Pontos. With her main mast
and bridge front removed she continued to operate as a whaling
supply ship until she was broken up in Norway in 1934. (The
photograph is of the Gaekwar.) 
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